Books by Reed Stirling are featured on Saturday's Blurbs #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #literary #mystery #Murder

 

Shades of Persephone                       

https://books2read.com/Shades-of-Persephone

Shades of Persephone is a literary mystery that will entertain those who delight in exotic settings, foreign intrigue, and the unmasking of mysterious characters. Crete in 1980-81, more specifically the old Venetian harbour of Chania, provides the background against which expat Canadian Steven Spire labours in pursuit of David Montgomery, his enigmatic and elusive mentor, who stands accused in absentia of treachery and betrayal. The plot has many seams through which characters slide, another of them being the poet Emma Leigh, widow of Montgomery’s imposing Cold War adversary, Heinrich Trüger. In that the setting is Crete, the source of light is manifold, but significant inspiration for Steven Spire comes from Magalee De Bellefeuille, his vision of Aphrodite and his muse. “Find Persephone,” she directs him, “and you’ll find David Montgomery.”  Her prompts motivate much of the narrative, including that of the Cretan underground during the Nazi occupation, 1941- 45.

                Shades of Persephone presents a story of love and sensuality, deception and war, spiritual quest and creative endeavour. The resolution takes an unanticipated turn but comes as no surprise to the discerning reader. Like Hamlet who must deal with his own character in following the injunctions of his ghostly father, Steven Spire discovers much about the city to which he has returned, but much more about himself and his capacity for love.

 

The Palimpsest Murders

https://books2read.com/The-Palimpsest-Murders

Day one: check-in on the Iphigenia, a Boat & Bike home for thirty guests of diverse backgrounds on a one week excursion through Holland and Belgium. Personalities clash, conflicts arise.

Day seven: a body is found in canal waters at the stern of the boat. And then a second body is discovered.

Many questions are asked, but few answers truly satisfy collective curiosity. Why in the canal? Why two coins for the ferryman? Who among the cyclists is hateful and motivated enough to kill? Twice. In what ways are the two murders related? Is the ugly jug, both admired and derided, merely symbolic? How does the gold death mask of Agamemnon lead to resolution?

`Determining truth entails travelling from Amsterdam to Bruges to Paris to the ancient site of Mycenae in Greece where what’s past is shown to be prologue.

 

 

Lighting the Lamp

                      https://books2read.com/Lighting-the-Lamp

Lighting The Lamp dramatizes the efforts of Terry Burke, a sympathetic, at times critical, but ordinary old guy, to come to grips with what his life has been. His struggle to accept retirement spreads to concern over the mysterious death of a wanderer in Cowichan Bay. Terry’s obsession to solve the mystery fuses directly with his personal history and leads him in and out of fascinating, half-remembered mythological landscapes. Family dynamics of the present, mirrored in Irish heritage of the past, come into play as do contrarian opinions encountered among cronies, distant friends, and lost loves. Motivated by his muse to tell all, what he seeks in addition to understanding is truthful voice and the purest possible point of view.

 

Reed Stirling is visiting and talking about writing Shades of Persephone #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Mystery #Literary

 

Day 1

1.What is your latest book or the one to be featured? what genre?

Shades of Persephone is the novel I wish to feature. It is best described as a literary mystery, although it can also be classified as mythological, espionage, and romance.

 

2. Where did the idea arise?

While travelling around the Mediterranean, I fell in love with the old Venetian harbour of Chania, a city on the north coast of Crete, reputed to be the oldest site of western civilization in Europe. What a setting for fiction! What plots might have unfolded here given the fascinating history of the island! Why not a contemporary one?

Inspired by ubiquitous mythical signage, but especially by Lawrence Durrell’s The Alexandria Quartet and John Fowles’ The Magus, novels I was reading at the time, I began sketching out plausible characters of varying backgrounds, foremost among whom, Steven Spire, a young expat as narrator and central character of artistic temperament in need of purpose. Bar and café conversations led to hints of foreign intrigue. Ancient ruins gave way to Nazi runes. Crooked laneways led to mountain retreats and buried secrets. Hydra-headed truth demanded a place on the table along with the ouzo and artichoke hearts. And love, naturally, raised all expectations with the birth, mirroring Aphrodite’s rise from the sea, of Magalee De Bellefeuille.

 

3. How much research was involved? Did you stay on point or get distracted by wanting to look at one thing more?

 

Research into local and European history was time consuming. So much to understand as far as story background was concerned. I also needed to appreciate the significance of Greek mythological characters and how they might influence the characters I was bringing to life. Easy to be distracted in that world for sure. Most enjoyable is research done in situ, Greece with respect to Shades Of Persephone,

 

4. How long did it take to write the book?

It took a good year to bring all elements of the story together. However, the writing is never finished. Improvements are always possible. But then we move on to other themes and other plots.

 

5.How long have you been writing? Sun sign?

I have been involved in serious writing since retiring in 1999. Aries motivates me in my efforts to write about the world I inhabit and the one I imagine.

 

 

 

6. Do you write in a number of genres or stick to just one?

I attempt to write literary fiction that entertains while being socially relevant. I lean towards mystery, with romantic entanglement an integral part of the action. Greek mythology and literary allusion underpin plot development. Irony is pervasive. 

 

7. Where on the internet can you be found?

reedstirlingwrites.com

reedstirling@gmail.com

http://bwlpublishing.ca

https://bookswelove.net/stirling-reed/

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bookswelove

Amazon Author central: https://authorcentral.amazon.comgp/home

Books by Reed Stirling are featured today on Saturday's Blurbs #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Mystery #Revenge #Persephone #Saint-Louis

 

Blurb for The Palimpsest Murders

 

Day one: check-in on the Iphigenia, a Boat & Bike home for thirty guests of diverse backgrounds on a one week excursion through Holland and Belgium. Personalities clash, conflicts arise.

Day seven: a body is found in canal waters at the stern of the boat. And then a second body is discovered.

Many questions are asked, but few answers truly satisfy collective curiosity. Why in the canal? Why two coins for the ferryman? Who among the cyclists is hateful and motivated enough to kill? Twice. In what ways are the two murders related? Is the Phoenix jug, both admired and derided, merely symbolic? How does the gold death mask of Agamemnon lead to resolution?

Determining truth entails travelling from Amsterdam to Bruges to Paris to the ancient site of Mycenae in Greece where what’s past is shown to be prologue.

 

 

Blurb for Shades of Persephone

 

Shades of Persephone is a literary mystery that will entertain those who delight in exotic settings, foreign intrigue, and the unmasking of mysterious characters. Crete in 1980-81, more specifically the old Venetian harbour of Chania, provides the background against which expat Canadian Steven Spire labours in pursuit of David Montgomery, his enigmatic and elusive mentor, who stands accused in absentia of treachery and betrayal. The plot has many seams through which characters slide, another of them being the poet Emma Leigh, widow of Montgomery’s imposing Cold War adversary, Heinrich Trüger. In that the setting is Crete, the source of light is manifold, but significant inspiration for Steven Spire comes from Magalee De Bellefeuille, his vision of Aphrodite and his muse. “Find Persephone,” she directs him, “and you’ll find David Montgomery.”  Her prompts motivate much of the narrative, including that of the Cretan underground during the Nazi occupation, 1941- 45.

                Shades of Persephone presents a story of love and sensuality, deception and war, spiritual quest and creative endeavour. The resolution takes an unanticipated turn but comes as no surprise to the discerning reader. Like Hamlet who must deal with his own character in following the injunctions of his ghostly father, Steven Spire discovers much about the city to which he has returned, but much more about himself and his capacity for love.

 

 

 

 

 

Blurb for Séjour Saint-Louis

 

Montreal in late nineteenth century, a gifted young poet falls victim to madness.

Today, a struggling father is driven to drink over the intransigence of his music-obsessed teenage son. An equally conflicted wife and mother threatens separation.

What connects these two worlds?

The Victorian fountain in Square Saint-Louis, a series of seemingly random incidents in the city, and a school reunion where myth, art, and mysterious e-lixar fuse into dramatic reflections of family dynamics. Through mirroring, resolution proves possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reed Stirling is visiting eclecticwriter.blogspot.com and talking about his latest release #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #mystery #revenge,,#literary #European travel #The Illiad

 

The book I wish to feature in this blog is literary in tone. The Palimpsest Murders, due to be released in September with BWL, Inc., is what I subtitle “A European Travel Mystery.” It fits the cosy murder genre but in no way is it all that cosy because it necessitates travel, even in the imaginative sense, and a basic familiarity with characters in Homer’s The Iliad, especially with the royal murders involved in the aftermath to the Trojan War.

 

 

The idea for this novel arose when I took a one-week Boat & Bike excursion through Holland and Belgium. All was agreeable among the thirty guests onboard. Very enjoyable. But why not, my imagination prompted me, introduce the clash of different personalities in close quarters and have that lead to inevitable conflict that would result in two murders?

Thus plot.

In this fictional setting, many obvious questions are asked, but few answers truly satisfy collective curiosity. Why the first body in the canal? Is the second death related to the first and is it suicide or murder? Why two coins for the ferryman? Who among the cyclists is hateful and motivated enough to kill? Twice. And why? Is the Phoenix jug, both admired and hated, merely symbolic? How does the gold death mask of Agamemnon lead to a resolution?

 

 

Research. I try to stay on point. In composing The Palimpsest Murders, I had notes to depend on from my European adventure, on Amsterdam, Bruges, and Paris, to name only the larger centers involved in the story. A week on a boat with thirty or so new faces provided me with considerable material regarding character. Simple observation of people can be very insightful, verisimilitude being the objective of the exercise no matter the setting.

Research done in situ is very gratifying, Greece for Shades Of Persephone and Montreal in large part for Lighting The Lamp and Séjour Saint-Louis — my three BWL published novels. Reading other fiction can also be a source of helpful information.

 

 

How long to write The Palimpsest Murders? Six months.

 

 

Aries motivates me in my efforts to write about the world I inhabit. I have been involved in serious writing since retiring in 1999.

 

 

 Genres. The Palimpsest Murders, as originally conceived, is strictly a murder mystery, which is somewhat of a departure from my earlier novels, although having a protagonist uncover what’s going on behind the scenes is essential to all three previous works. All my endeavours in writing fiction draw on literary, artistic, and mythological allusion. 

 

Find me at the following:

 

reedstirlingwrites.com

reedstirling@gmail.com

http://bwlpublishing.ca

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bookswelove

Amazon Author central: https://authorcentral.amazon.comgp/home

 

 

 

Blurbs and Buy Links:

 

https://bookswelove.net/stirling-reed/

https://books2read.com/Shades-of-Persephone

https://books2read.com/Sejour-Saint-Louis

 

Saturday's Blurbs feature books by Reed Sterling #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #mystery #literary #Persephone #Lighting the Lamp

 

 

Blurb for Shades of Persephone

 

Shades of Persephone is a literary mystery that will entertain those who delight in exotic settings, foreign intrigue, and the unmasking of mysterious characters. Crete in 1980-81, more specifically the old Venetian harbour of Chania, provides the background against which expat Canadian Steven Spire labours in pursuit of David Montgomery, his enigmatic and elusive mentor, who stands accused in absentia of treachery and betrayal. The plot has many seams through which characters slide, another of them being the poet Emma Leigh, widow of Montgomery’s imposing Cold War adversary, Heinrich Trüger. In that the setting is Crete, the source of light is manifold, but significant inspiration for Steven Spire comes from Magalee De Bellefeuille, his vision of Aphrodite and his muse. “Find Persephone,” she directs him, “and you’ll find David Montgomery.”  Her prompts motivate much of the narrative, including that of the Cretan underground during the Nazi occupation, 1941- 45.

                Shades of Persephone presents a story of love and sensuality, deception and war, spiritual quest and creative endeavour. The resolution takes an unanticipated turn but comes as no surprise to the discerning reader. Like Hamlet who must deal with his own character in following the injunctions of his ghostly father, Steven Spire discovers much about the city to which he has returned, but much more about himself and his capacity for love.

 

 

Blurb for Lighting The Lamp

Lighting The Lamp dramatizes the efforts of Terry Burke, a sympathetic, at times caustic and critical, but ordinary old guy, to come to grips with who he is and what his life has been. His struggle to accept retirement and to interpret the iterations of the voice in his head spreads to concern over the mysterious death of a wanderer. Terry’s obsession to solve the mystery fuses directly with his personal history and leads him in and out of fascinating, half-remembered mythological landscapes.

A restive Terry is enjoined to revisit the haunts of his youth. Family dynamics of the present, mirrored in Irish heritage of the past, come into play as do contrarian opinions encountered among cronies, distant friends, and lost loves. Motivated by his muse to tell all, what he seeks in addition to understanding is truthful voice and the purest possible point of view. Aware that remembrance of things past in not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were, this quixotic Everyman eventually reaches beyond self, beyond mystery, and beyond theodicy to a philosophical embrace of cosmic apotheosis. In Lighting The Lamp, Montreal provides more than a background for potential jihad-sponsored terrorism, or ghosts out of the past, or a romantic trip down memory lane; the many-layered city takes on the function of a defined and demanding character and declares in a voice Terry hears clearly: “Know me and know yourself!”

 

Blurb for Séjour Saint-Louis

 

Montreal in late nineteenth century, a gifted young poet falls victim to madness.

Today, a struggling father is driven to drink over the intransigence of his music-obsessed teenage son. An equally conflicted wife and mother threatens separation.

What connects these two worlds?

The Victorian fountain in Square Saint-Louis, a series of seemingly random incidents in the city, and a school reunion where myth, art, and mysterious e-lixar fuse into dramatic reflections of family dynamics. Through mirroring, resolution proves possible.

 

Books by Reed Stirling are featured today as Saturday's Blurbs #Montreal #Victorian fountain #literary mystery #retirement

 

BLURBS AND BUY LINKS:

 

https://bookswelove.net/stirling-reed/

https://books2read.com/Shades-of-Persephone

https://books2read.com/Sejour-Saint-Louis

 

 

Blurb for Séjour Saint-Louis

 

Montreal in late nineteenth century, a gifted young poet falls victim to madness.

Today, a struggling father is driven to drink over the intransigence of his music-obsessed teenage son. An equally conflicted wife and mother threatens separation.

What connects these two worlds?

The Victorian fountain in Square Saint-Louis, a series of seemingly random incidents in the city, and a school reunion where myth, art, and mysterious e-lixar fuse into dramatic reflections of family dynamics. Through mirroring, resolution proves possible.

 

 

Blurb for Shades of Persephone

 

Shades of Persephone is a literary mystery that will entertain those who delight in exotic settings, foreign intrigue, and the unmasking of mysterious characters. Crete in 1980-81, more specifically the old Venetian harbour of Chania, provides the background against which expat Canadian Steven Spire labours in pursuit of David Montgomery, his enigmatic and elusive mentor, who stands accused in absentia of treachery and betrayal. The plot has many seams through which characters slide, another of them being the poet Emma Leigh, widow of Montgomery’s imposing Cold War adversary, Heinrich Trüger. In that the setting is Crete, the source of light is manifold, but significant inspiration for Steven Spire comes from Magalee De Bellefeuille, his vision of Aphrodite and his muse. “Find Persephone,” she directs him, “and you’ll find David Montgomery.”  Her prompts motivate much of the narrative, including that of the Cretan underground during the Nazi occupation, 1941- 45.

                Shades of Persephone presents a story of love and sensuality, deception and war, spiritual quest and creative endeavour. The resolution takes an unanticipated turn but comes as no surprise to the discerning reader. Like Hamlet who must deal with his own character in following the injunctions of his ghostly father, Steven Spire discovers much about the city to which he has returned, but much more about himself and his capacity for love.

 

 

Blurb for Lighting The Lamp

Lighting The Lamp dramatizes the efforts of Terry Burke, a sympathetic, at times caustic and critical, but ordinary old guy, to come to grips with who he is and what his life has been. His struggle to accept retirement and to interpret the iterations of the voice in his head spreads to concern over the mysterious death of a wanderer. Terry’s obsession to solve the mystery fuses directly with his personal history and leads him in and out of fascinating, half-remembered mythological landscapes.

A restive Terry is enjoined to revisit the haunts of his youth. Family dynamics of the present, mirrored in Irish heritage of the past, come into play as do contrarian opinions encountered among cronies, distant friends, and lost loves. Motivated by his muse to tell all, what he seeks in addition to understanding is truthful voice and the purest possible point of view. Aware that remembrance of things past in not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were, this quixotic Everyman eventually reaches beyond self, beyond mystery, and beyond theodicy to a philosophical embrace of cosmic apotheosis. In Lighting The Lamp, Montreal provides more than a background for potential jihad-sponsored terrorism, or ghosts out of the past, or a romantic trip down memory lane; the many-layered city takes on the function of a defined and demanding character and declares in a voice Terry hears clearly: “Know me and know yourself!”

Friday Reed Stirling is Visiting and Talking about Characters #BWLAuthor #Heroine as muse #villain or antagonist

 

Characters evolve after the idea for the story has been established. Main characters tend to be protagonist-narrators in pursuit of truth as they understand it or as plot and theme define it. Providing them with creditable motivation is essential. Observation of real people in real life exchanges will give birth to characters whose voices demand to be heard. Imagination informs them with a personal history, with particular traits, with relevant choices. The character I want the reader to identify with may not be lovable at all. As long as he or she is interesting, has a voice worth listening to, and is capable of reflecting authentic human instincts, naughty or nice.

My heroines often play the role of muse in the imagination, aspiration, or actual life of the protagonist: together they work towards a common goal. Idealized? Possibly, but nonetheless intelligent and forceful. Plausible heroines I find a challenge to create but most rewarding when firmly established in the plot.

The term villain is too black and white for me. I prefer the term antagonist. Antagonists in my fiction can be born out of the observation that people, despicable politicians, for instance, lie repeatedly. Antagonist can be well-meaning in their contrariness or destructiveness. They can have malicious intent in their apparent goodness. Plausible personal histories go a long way towards giving them standing. They help move the action along from crisis to crisis. I favour antagonists that arise from within main characters and shadow their every move.

 

Séjour Saint-Louis is my latest release. Though the narrator plays a major role in the development of the narrative, his story, really, and that of his recalcitrant son, the hero of the piece is a dead poet whose story proves essential to plot resolution.

 

[“Stirling does it again, entertaining the reader with a parade of engrossing characters. Through a complexity of allusion simple truths are revealed. Contemporary, relevant, challenging, Séjour Saint-Louis is fused with ambiguity and subtle humour.”]

 

I am presently working on a murder mystery set in Bruges and Paris.

 

Find me at the following:

 

reedstirlingwrites.com

reedstirling@gmail.com

http://bwlpublishing.ca

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bookswelove

Amazon Author central: https://authorcentral.amazon.comgp/home

 

 

Favourite authors, book:

 

Over time my “favourite” authors have included Joyce, Woolf, Camus, Fowles, Hemingway, and Lawrence Durrell.

In recent years Ian McEwan has a place of prominence.

However, the most significant author in my reading world now is John Banville; his The Sea I rate very highly on my list of favourite novels, displacing Durrell’s The Alexandria Quartet.

 

Saturday's Blurbs feature Books by Reed Stirling #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Literary fiction

 

Blurb for Séjour Saint-Louis

Brendan Young, a Calgary based businessman who travels more than he’d like, admits to having absolutely no patience for the intransigence of his music-obsessed, teenage son, Elliot. Ongoing domestic disputes have intensified over the years: antipathy now verges on hostile rejection. Elinore, an equally conflicted wife and mother, is threatening separation, a source of great anxiety for Brendan who turns to alcohol for the understanding that eludes him on the home front. His sojourn in Montreal, a city not unfamiliar to him, leads him incident by surreal incident, towards greater understanding through familiarity with the tragic story of Émile Nelligan, who, as a nineteen year-old, enjoyed a successful entry into the artistic community of Montreal in the last decade of the 19^th century, and then fell victim to madness. Reconnecting with Emery St James Montesquieu, among old antagonists he encounters at a Yamaska College reunion, proves not only enlightening for Young in its mirroring effect — the troubles in his family are reflected dramatically in those of the young afflicted poet — but also redemptive. Elliot, the musician, will have his apotheosis.

 

 

Blurb for Shades of Persephone

Shades of Persephone is a literary mystery that will entertain those who delight in exotic settings, foreign intrigue, and the unmasking of mysterious characters. Crete in 1980-81, more specifically the old Venetian harbour of Chania, provides the background against which expat Canadian Steven Spire labours in pursuit of David Montgomery, his enigmatic and elusive mentor, who stands accused in absentia of treachery and betrayal. The plot has many seams through which characters slide, another of them being the poet Emma Leigh, widow of Montgomery’s imposing Cold War adversary, Heinrich Trüger. In that the setting is Crete, the source of light is manifold, but significant inspiration for Steven Spire comes from Magalee De Bellefeuille, his vision of Aphrodite and his muse. “Find Persephone,” she directs him, “and you’ll find David Montgomery.”  Her prompts motivate much of the narrative, including that of the Cretan underground during the Nazi occupation, 1941- 45.

                Shades of Persephone presents a story of love and sensuality, deception and war, spiritual quest and creative endeavour. The resolution takes an unanticipated turn but comes as no surprise to the discerning reader. Like Hamlet who must deal with his own character in following the injunctions of his ghostly father, Steven Spire discovers much about the city to which he has returned, but much more about himself and his capacity for love.

 

 

Blurb for Lighting The Lamp

Lighting The Lamp dramatizes the efforts of Terry Burke, a sympathetic, at times caustic and critical, but ordinary old guy, to come to grips with who he is and what his life has been. His struggle to accept retirement and to interpret the iterations of the voice in his head spreads to concern over the mysterious death of a wanderer. Terry’s obsession to solve the mystery fuses directly with his personal history and leads him in and out of fascinating, half-remembered mythological landscapes.

A restive Terry is enjoined to revisit the haunts of his youth. Family dynamics of the present, mirrored in Irish heritage of the past, come into play as do contrarian opinions encountered among cronies, distant friends, and lost loves. Motivated by his muse to tell all, what he seeks in addition to understanding is truthful voice and the purest possible point of view. Aware that remembrance of things past in not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were, this quixotic Everyman eventually reaches beyond self, beyond mystery, and beyond theodicy to a philosophical embrace of cosmic apotheosis. In Lighting The Lamp, Montreal provides more than a background for potential jihad-sponsored terrorism, or ghosts out of the past, or a romantic trip down memory lane; the many-layered city takes on the function of a defined and demanding character and declares in a voice Terry hears clearly: “Know me and know yourself!”

Friday - Reed Stirling is visiting and talking about his latest release #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #New Release #Sejour Saint-Louis #Fiction #Literary

 

LATEST RELEASE —

Séjour Saint-Louis:

Montreal in late nineteenth century, a gifted young poet falls victim to madness.

Today, a struggling father is driven to drink over the intransigence of his music-obsessed teenage son. An equally conflicted wife and mother threatens separation.

What connects these two worlds?

The Victorian fountain in Square Saint-Louis, a series of seemingly random incidents in the city, a bronze bust on a white plinth, and a school reunion where myth, art, and mysterious e-lixar fuse into dramatic reflections of family dynamics. Through mirroring, resolution proves possible.

 

“Stirling does it again, entertaining the reader with a parade of engrossing characters. Through a complexity of allusion simple truths are revealed. Contemporary, relevant, challenging, Séjour Saint-Louis is fused with ambiguity and subtle humour.”

 

 

THE IDEA —

Inspiration for this novel arose from seeing the bust of the young poet Émile Nelligan in Square Saint-Louis in Montreal and listening to buskers in the same area.

 

RESEARCH —

Observations of how troubled sons and authoritarian fathers sort things out fit perfectly with Nelligan’s personal history, which I researched on line and found sufficient for dramatic and historical purposes. I also read in both French and English certain thematically relevant poems written by the young poet. Actually visiting sites in the city helped me create atmosphere: street, park, Irish bar, or the Hotel Nelligan in Old Montreal.

 

TIME TAKEN —

                Given the time and the travel involved in doing the research, it took approximately nine months to write Séjour Saint-Louis.

I have been writing serious fiction since retiring in 2000. My birth date places me in Aries’ domain.

 

GENRE —

I attempt to write literary fiction that entertains while being socially relevant.

 

 

 

 

Find me at the following:

 

reedstirlingwrites.com

reedstirling@gmail.com

http://bwlpublishing.ca

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bookswelove

Amazon Author central: https://authorcentral.amazon.comgp/home

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday's Blurbs feature Books by Reed Stirling #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Mysteries #Montreal #Literary #Crete

 

Buy links

 

https://bookswelove.net/stirling-reed/

https://books2read.com/Shades-of-Persephone

https://books2read/Sejour-Saint-Louis

 

 

Blurb for Séjour Saint-Louis

Brendan Young, a Calgary based businessman who travels more than he’d like, admits to having absolutely no patience for the intransigence of his music-obsessed, teenage son, Elliot. Ongoing domestic disputes have intensified over the years: antipathy now verges on hostile rejection. Elinore, an equally conflicted wife and mother, is threatening separation, a source of great anxiety for Brendan who turns to alcohol for the understanding that eludes him on the home front. His sojourn in Montreal, a city not unfamiliar to him, leads him incident by surreal incident, towards greater understanding through familiarity with the tragic story of Émile Nelligan, who, as a nineteen year-old, enjoyed a successful entry into the artistic community of Montreal in the last decade of the 19^th century, and then fell victim to madness. Reconnecting with Emery St James Montesquieu, among old antagonists he encounters at a Yamaska College reunion, proves not only enlightening for Young in its mirroring effect — the troubles in his family are reflected dramatically in those of the young afflicted poet — but also redemptive. Elliot, the musician, will have his apotheosis.

 

 

Blurb for Shades of Persephone

Shades of Persephone is a literary mystery that will entertain those who delight in exotic settings, foreign intrigue, and the unmasking of mysterious characters. Crete in 1980-81, more specifically the old Venetian harbour of Chania, provides the background against which expat Canadian Steven Spire labours in pursuit of David Montgomery, his enigmatic and elusive mentor, who stands accused in absentia of treachery and betrayal. The plot has many seams through which characters slide, another of them being the poet Emma Leigh, widow of Montgomery’s imposing Cold War adversary, Heinrich Trüger. In that the setting is Crete, the source of light is manifold, but significant inspiration for Steven Spire comes from Magalee De Bellefeuille, his vision of Aphrodite and his muse. “Find Persephone,” she directs him, “and you’ll find David Montgomery.”  Her prompts motivate much of the narrative, including that of the Cretan underground during the Nazi occupation, 1941- 45.

                Shades of Persephone presents a story of love and sensuality, deception and war, spiritual quest and creative endeavour. The resolution takes an unanticipated turn but comes as no surprise to the discerning reader. Like Hamlet who must deal with his own character in following the injunctions of his ghostly father, Steven Spire discovers much about the city to which he has returned, but much more about himself and his capacity for love.

 

 

Blurb for Lighting The Lamp

Lighting The Lamp dramatizes the efforts of Terry Burke, a sympathetic, at times caustic and critical, but ordinary old guy, to come to grips with who he is and what his life has been. His struggle to accept retirement and to interpret the iterations of the voice in his head spreads to concern over the mysterious death of a wanderer. Terry’s obsession to solve the mystery fuses directly with his personal history and leads him in and out of fascinating, half-remembered mythological landscapes.

A restive Terry is enjoined to revisit the haunts of his youth. Family dynamics of the present, mirrored in Irish heritage of the past, come into play as do contrarian opinions encountered among cronies, distant friends, and lost loves. Motivated by his muse to tell all, what he seeks in addition to understanding is truthful voice and the purest possible point of view. Aware that remembrance of things past in not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were, this quixotic Everyman eventually reaches beyond self, beyond mystery, and beyond theodicy to a philosophical embrace of cosmic apotheosis. In Lighting The Lamp, Montreal provides more than a background for potential jihad-sponsored terrorism, or ghosts out of the past, or a romantic trip down memory lane; the many-layered city takes on the function of a defined and demanding character and declares in a voice Terry hears clearly: “Know me and know yourself!”

 

 

 

 

Friday - Reed Stirling is visiting and talking about Plot and other elements #Plot #Characters #Setting #BWLAuthor

 

On Who, What, When, Where & How leading to Plot:

An idea for a story takes root and then things evolve from there. That’s where How comes into play, which relates to structure, development, and point of view. What depends on character, the protagonist in particular, and type, and his or her moral outlook, ambition, fears, goals, relationships; in other words, Who he or she is as a representative human being, and this can determine where choices lead and how the narrative develops, thus Plot. When is a function of setting and might be suggestive of local colour or the mores of the era / epoch. Frequently enough a setting, Where, will fire up the imagination, and I’ll want to see something dramatic take place there, specifically an obstacle to achievement acknowledged by the protagonist and then overcome, or not. Plot determines the action, character can determine the outcome, but theme is never to be overlooked.

 

How my characters are created:

My main characters tend to be protagonist-narrators in pursuit of truth as they understand it or as plot and theme define it. Providing them with creditable personality, background, and motivation is not only challenging but also rewarding when things fall plausibly into place. Simple observation of real people in real life exchanges — a young couple in a hospital waiting room, a tête-à-tête in a bar or restaurant, someone behind the wheel of a luxury automobile noticed at an intersection — helps in the general conceptualization of characters. A particular scene will give birth to characters whose voices demand to be heard — that man wearing a Panama hat or that tiny woman wearing bright red shoes. Imagination informs them with a personal history, with particular traits, with relevant choices. The character I want the reader to identify with may not be lovable at all. As long as he or she is interesting, has a voice worth listening to, and is capable of reflecting authentic human instincts, naughty or nice.

An antagonists can be born out of the observation that people, a specific exemplar, for instance, lie repeatedly. I favour antagonists that arise from within main characters and shadow their every move. An idea or stated point of view might need a counterpoint, an opposing view, the right interpretation, the verifiable truth, or just plain obstruction — these factors will give rise to certain characters, main or supporting. Thus, antagonists come into being and help move the action along from crisis to crisis. Antagonist can be well-meaning in their contrariness or destructiveness. They can have malicious intent in their apparent goodness. A plausible personal history goes a long way towards giving them standing. Humanize them, like all characters, through voice, mannerism, idiosyncrasy, tic, flaw, aspiration, success, failure, mendacity, and size of shoe. A black hat might just be in vogue at the time of the story, and not symbolic of a really bad dude with a .45 in his hip pocket. A scar might be emblematic of love or a badge of honour. A penchant for odd-ball humour can lighten what appears to be nothing but dark. The antagonist can be a force-field of repudiation or disdain. A troublesome memory. A inveterate liar.

 

First scene:

Scene one is vitally important. It is something I labour over most intently and that includes the first sentence, sometimes the first word. 

 

Plot determination & how the story will end:

I need to have at least a general idea where my characters are going and how they get there. This applies especially to protagonists. What happens along the way, i.e., plot, may surprise me but ultimately lead to what was intended at the inception, to what is aesthetically, thematically, and intrinsically true.

Greek mythology plays a significant role in underpinning my plots. Knowing the myths helps readers grasp what is going on in the background. Allusions to art, literature, philosophy, and religion serve a similar function.

 

Settings:

Theme and story determine my settings. Some settings are constant, except for individual scenes within them. I determine a particular house plan, should it be necessary, depending on considered purpose.

 

Research:

More recently I research things online. However, the reference books I consult (be they |mythological, philosophical, psychological, or historical) I find on my own shelves or on those of our local library. Most enjoyable is research done in situ, Greece for Shades Of Persephone, for example, and Montreal in large part for Lighting The Lamp and Séjour Saint-Louis, my most recently published novel. Reading other fiction can also be a source of helpful information. Simple observation of people can be very insightful, verisimilitude being the objective of the exercise no matter the setting. Bars and cafés are preferred places to pick up on relevant dialogue.

 

Drafts  and Revisions:    

All initial effort leads to producing a workable first draft. Revision is ongoing. The material produced one day is subject to close reading on the following day, and so on till that first draft is attained, which ultimately takes me back to page one. Changes along the way result if a statement is unintentionally ambiguous or if a passage seems to be leading the potential reader in the wrong direction. Sometimes sequencing can be off. Or dialogue. Or description. Or even one word. Getting it all down in a logical, coherent way takes determination, organization, and hard work. Revision at all stages, in whole or in part, is somehow more rewarding for me than the original writing. Several drafts produce a working MS ready for editing.

 

Find me at the following:

 

reedstirlingwrites.com

reedstirling@gmail.com

http://bwlpublishing.ca

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bookswelove

Amazon Author central: https://authorcentral.amazon.comgp/home