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Interview with Tracy Revels, bestselling author of Shadowfall, a dark novel about Sherlock Holmes

13 Apr
Shadowfall

Shadowfall

A history professor at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Tracy Revels has been a Sherlock Holmes fan since 5th grade.  She teaches a class on Sherlock Holmes called “The Game’s Afoot!” along with more conventional courses in Civil War and women’s history.  Shadowfall is her first novel and already a bestseller amongst Holmes fans since its launch last month.

What was the main inspiration for the book?
I’ve loved the Sherlock Holmes canon since I was a child.  I also enjoy dark, spooky, supernatural fiction.  As a historian, I naturally read a lot of history too.  This work was my attempt to combine all my interests into one.  It was also inspired by a lot of the “alternative” pastiches that I’ve read over the years, which really stretch the character of Holmes and show how, as an ideal, he can travel through time and space.

Which is your favorite character/aspect of the book?
I thoroughly enjoyed playing in a new Sherlockian sandbox, putting Holmes into a world that was sinister and creepy, and giving Holmes a dark side as well.  I also enjoyed doing the research for the various characters.  I tried to base as many of my characters as possible on either historical people or obscure legends.  I found connecting Holmes to actual people and mythologies to be a pretty wild ride.

Of all the Holmes stories which is your favorite and why?
“The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” for two reasons.  It was the first story I ever read (when I was about 10 years old) and I love watching students react to it.  One of my students came in, slammed her book down, and yelled “I hate you!  You made me read that snake story and now I can’t sleep!”

If you could meet Arthur Conan Doyle on his forthcoming birthday, what would you ask him?
What was the real reason Holmes asked for Irene Adler’s picture at the end of “A Scandal in Bohemia”?

What’s the best aspect of being a Holmes author?
It’s just so much fun to write about Holmes.  The added benefit is that writing about Holmes always leads to interactions with Sherlockians.  The Survivors of the Gloria Scott are some of the finest people on the planet—and  I’ve been privileged to be a member of this Greenville, South Carolina scion for a decade.  Recently I attended the Gathering of Southern Sherlockians in Chattanooga, which gave me the chance to meet fellow enthusiasts from Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.  I’d say the combination of these interactions—with Holmes on the page and friends of Holmes in person—is definitely the best part of being a Holmes author.

How do you view the new adaptations of Holmes – the BBC’s Sherlock and the Guy Richie directed movies?
I teach a college class that focuses on the Sherlock Holmes stories, so when the movie came out my Facebook page lit up as all my former students asked “What did you think of the movie?”  For about a month, that was the sole subject of conversation because everyone at Wofford College knows that I love Holmes.  I found the movie to be entertaining and visually amazing.  I’m looking forward to the sequel.  BUT—he’s not MY Holmes.  I couldn’t really see him as the Holmes that I have in my head.  As my students would say, Robert Downey Jr. played Holmes as a “hot mess” and that’s not my concept of the character.  But that’s what’s so great about Sherlock Holmes; everyone sees him in a different light, and every generation re-interprets him.  So I can appreciate an interpretation (in this case, Guy Ritchie’s) without having to commit to it as my own.

On the other hand, I loved the BBC series SHERLOCK.  What a fantastic update and a great way to bring Holmes to young people.  I plan to use the first episode in my class.  I had a few quibbles (especially with the second episode, which I thought was needlessly melodramatic) but overall I was so excited by it.  I can’t wait for the next season.

Which other modern day Holmes writer do you most enjoy?
Nicholas Meyer (The Seven Percent Solution, The West End Horror) is my all-time favorite.  And I thoroughly enjoy pastiche collections, because they give me a chance to see many different authors at work.  The collection Sherlock Holmes Through Time and Space greatly influenced me.  I’m working my way through the a history and pastiche collection and I’m very impressed by The Lost Stories of Sherlock Holmes (for fiction) and the works of Alistair Duncan, Paul R. Spiring, and Brian W. Pugh for history.

When you’re not writing Sherlock Holmes, what are you doing?
Probably teaching class.  I also work on projects that deal with Florida history and have published a book on Florida’s women during the Civil War and one on the history of Florida tourism.  I enjoy movies and music plus I’m a huge Doctor Who fan.

Any plans for a follow-up to Shadowfall?
Have you ever met an author who wasn’t writing a sequel?  I have a title, some ideas, and a notebook.  I’m ready to go to work……..

Shadowfall is available in paperback from all good bookstores including Amazon, in Amazon Kindle, Kobo and iBook (ipad/phone) format. You can follow Tracy Revels Blog for her latest newst.

 
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Posted by on April 13, 2011 in Author Interviews, Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle

 

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Interview with Felcia Carparelli, author of Murder In The Library, which features Sherlock Holmes

10 Apr

Murder In The LibraryFelicia Carparelli is a widely acclaimed Chicago based writer with pieces published in Nit and Wit, Rockford Review, Mediphors, Cybergrrl, Feminsta!, Red Booth Review, Chicago Sun Times, Library Journal, American Libraries and others.

We caught up with Felicia ahead of the publication of ‘Murder In The Library’ this month to find out more about her and the book.

What prompted you to base your thriller in a library?

My first real job was as a library page when I was 14 years old at the Evergreen Park Public Library.  I worked as a library assistant when I attended the University of Illinois.  I received my degree in library science when I was 22 and have been working in a variety of libraries my whole life, including the Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Public Schools.  Libraries have a lot of light and shadows, nooks and crannies and can be very silent, foreboding and mysterious.  Library staff and patrons can also be very colorful.

Why the connection with Sherlock Holmes?

When I was a child, my mother, Christine, introduced me to great classics on film and in books, like Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, Miss Marple, and anything by Poe with Vincent Price.  I love Holmes, I love his brilliance and his fits of boredom, the way he lives life on his own terms.   I wish I could have been him in another life.

Who are your favorite Sherlocks on film?

I think my absolute favorite is Jeremy Brett, but I love Basil Rathbone and am absolutely smitten with the new Benedict Cumberbatch/Martin Freeman Holmes and Watson. Sherlock in the 21st century- it works!

Your love of Chicago comes out in the book, how long have you lived there?

I was born and raised on the south side and ended up living on the north side now for many years.  Chicago is a great city and there is a wealth of unique places to write about.

Who or what was your inspiration for your characters Violetta and Mick?

I love sparring couples-  I suppose I was aiming for a combo of Scarlett and Rhett, Nick and Nora, Lord Peter and Harriet and Abbott and Costello.

Who will enjoy the book the most, the gals or the guys?

Of course, I have to say Murder in the Library has something for everybody!  Romance, dead bodies, dudes and dandies, the opera and nods to Zorba the Greek, Sherlock and Watson and southern belles.

How long have you been writing fiction?

I have been writing for almost 30 years. I have written young adult books, two plays, short fiction and a couple of romance novels.  Murder in the Library is my first mystery.

Any plans for future books?

This year I am going to start work on my second mystery, Murder at the Opera.
More Sherlockian plots and temperamental tenors.


Murder In The Library is available from all good bookstores (including Amazon), and in all electronic formats including Kindle, Kobo, iBooks and others.

 
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Posted by on April 10, 2011 in Author Interviews, Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle

 

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Meeting the NLP Practitioner and coach that also happens to be a leading MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Fighter

25 Nov

Going Mental

There are few more fascinating author  interviews I’ve conducted over the years than my meeting with Jakob Lovstad, author of ‘Going Mental – Reaching your Goals in Business and Sports – Full Contact NLP Coaching From a Full Contact Fighter. We met in a very cold and snowy Stockholm and chatted about the book, his coaching and his fighting. Jakob is in the top 10 Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters in Europe, a fighting coach and now NLP practitioner and business coach.

Physically Jakob is a big guy. Around 2 metres tall and he fights in the light heavyweight class. With his hair shaven close to his scalp – having hair is a potential weakness in some classes of MMA where hair grabbing is allowed – he cuts a pretty intimidating figure. As soon as he begins to talk you realise that behind this tough exterior lies a very intelligent and articulate coach. He may ply his trade knocking seven bells out of his counterparts in the ring, but the key to his and the fighters he trains success is born out of NLP. Don’t tell anyone, as it may affect his “Striking Viking” persona in the cage, but this is one very clever guy. Jakob went to the Norwegian equivalent of MIT and spent 4 years working on his PHD before he made the unusual move into MMA.

Jakob was introduced to NLP by a coach following a disastrous fight in which a cocky and arrogant (his own words) Lovstad went into the ring injured and wholly mentally unprepared. After a very bad and humiliating beating he spent much of the recovery time learning NLP which proved a revelation for him. Jakob realised the potential to add NLP based preparation to a fighters training and set about building a program for MMA fighters.  The results have been excellent with the program creating top fighters that are also mentally prepared for their fights. Jakob saw the natural transition to bring the techniques into the business world and now works with business leaders with a no-nonsense coaching philosophy and interesting offers a ‘no-change, no-fee’ deal to his clients. A very unique type of business coach.

John Grinder, co-founder of NLP agrees that Jakob is a very unusual case;

“Consider, however the context – while I could well be wrong, I doubt that many of the professional full contact fighters concern themselves about such philosophical issues as the possibility of objectivity, the distinction between reality and experience, the issue of whether life has meaning or is it that we simply create the meaning in our lives. Jakob does. And this makes for a lively insight into this very special world.”

Whilst some of the philosophies Jakob puts across will no doubt be controversial [he advocates a ‘personal religion’ rather than subscribing to any of the traditional religions for example] Grinder goes on to say how in fact Jakob’s work is a great demonstration of NLP

“NLP (especially New Code NLP) has as its focus the extraordinary, the genius, in whatever field of endeavor. Here is a narrative about its consequences embodied in a cage fighter – have a look – the patterns are perfectly applicable to what you do as well as what Jakob does.”

My favourite comment on Jakob’s concept of ‘full contact NLP’ comes from Jorgen Rasmussen:

“Despite the fact that I disagree strongly with some of his philosophy, Jakob’s results using NLP patterning to become a high achiever in the toughest sport on earth speaks for itself. When the consequences of your ideas not working properly is a shin to the neck, you are pretty much forced to find out what actually works and what is B.S.”

Jakob still fights, with his next major bout coming up in March and he insists this helps him with his business clients. It is a strong demonstration that the techniques he is applying with them are similar to those he is using before stepping into the cage with some of the world’s leading MMA fighters. Jakob uses the phrase “battle tested” for his methods and he’s very passionate about what he sees as a ‘regurgitation bandwagon’ with several writers simply re-hashing the original NLP principles – and on that point he has a lot of supporters.

So the consensus is that Going Mental is a very valid, interesting and valuable contribution to the overall NLP field – even if you don’t agree with some of the strong views expressed within. One thing is for sure, the next few months as his publisher is going to be an interesting ride.

Going Mental is available through all good bookstores, on Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books and iBooks (iPad and iPhone). To contact Jakob about speaking at an event (he’s very good in front of large audiences) visit his website www.allconfidence.com.

 
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Posted by on November 25, 2010 in Author Interviews, NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming)

 

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