The Story Behind the Story with Chuck Bowie of NB, Canada.

 

Chuck has a new book arriving soon… and you will be one of the first to see the cover. Yahoo! 

 Chuck has been a frequent guest here at the Scribbler and if you missed the previous visit, please go HERE.

Read on my friends.

 

 

Chuck is both a writer and an author, with twelve books/novels published and one on the way. While he enjoys writing mysteries: Suspense-Thrillers and Cozy Mysteries, he also writes short stories. All his books are well-reviewed, and he has sat on the boards of the Writers’ Federation of NB, The Writers’ Union of Canada, is a Fellow of the Kingsbrae International Residency for the Arts, as well as being acknowledged as a member of the Miramichi Literary Trail.

His thriller series chronicles the adventures of Donovan, an international thief for hire, while his cozy series (written as Alexa Bowie) follows the adventures of the owner of an arts centre as Emma solves the crimes that swirl around her centre: The Old Manse.

http://www.chuckbowie.ca

Chuck lives in Fredericton and beside Miramichi Bay. Thriller number Six, Lost in London drops in November, 2024.

 

Title: Lost in London

Book 6 in the Donovan: Thief for Hire Suspense-Thriller series

 

Synopsis:

A small group of young, naïve Irish people is persuaded that England has stolen Irish artefacts and that these should be stolen back and returned to Ireland. It is not until the thefts start that they begin to suspect that things might not be as they appear. One of the young adults in particular, Áine Wedden, suspects the worst and transforms from thief to kidnap victim with a punch to the face. Later, we discover that, in effect, all of the young thieves, in one way or another are lost in London.

Sean Donovan, a contract thief is approached by Áine’s father, Loic, to go to London and recover his daughter. He agrees, but while investigating this theft ring, he discovers a much larger series of crimes is underway. Extricating Áine becomes more complicated, and with the crimes straddling both Ireland and England, Donovan must deal with three completely different layers of crime, all while trying to rescue, and then keep a willful young woman safe.

 

The Story Behind the Story:

I had occasion to visit Ireland and England (and Wales) for a month a few years ago, and returned with a fully-formed tale that became my fifth thriller: Her Irish Boyfriend. Toward the end of the story, Donovan had to contact a rich Irish industrialist in order to stay in the good graces of the Irish police, the Gardai. The appearance of the industrialist, Loic Wedden, was brief—he was merely mentioned off-scene—but the thought of such a character remained in my head. I promised myself that if occasion presented itself, I would re-introduce him in a later book. It turned out he has a willful daughter…

What if you were a young adult in search of a purpose in life, you look around your mates, and they haven’t really made the transition to adulthood either. And what if you and your mates happen upon a charming man who has an ambitious idea you can get behind? You might be tempted to explore this ambition, in the hopes of finding yourself.

My Main Character, Sean Donovan, is a thief for hire: a contract thief. He is seeking redemption, and has decided not to steal just for profit. But he has these skills, and innocent people could benefit from somebody with this skillset. My desire to explore this change in Donovan, together with my desire to explore a bit more of Ireland led me to consider writing a story about a young Irish woman who gets in deep enough trouble that even her rich father can’t bail her out without really good help.

Website: please go HERE.

A question before you go, Chuck:

Scribbler: What is the ideal spot for you when you write your stories? Music in the background or quiet. Coffee or tequila? Messy or neat?

Chuck: Hemingway (with reference to getting a book done) tossed the off-hand comment ‘Write drunk, edit sober.’ Riffing off that comment and speaking for myself, in general, I like to write in quiet and edit with music. I am able to write with instrumental music on, preferably jazz or 50s pop music. The fifties music era was just before my time as a music fan, but I’ve developed a taste for it. Same for editing and revising.

It used to be that I liked to write with a mug of coffee at hand, but now I prefer water or chocolate milk. I tend not to snack while working.

Am I a messy writer? This expression can have a number of meanings. My desk is a little untidy, with gas, restaurant, and book purchase receipts on a corner of my desk. So yes, messy that way. My writing is also a bit untidy, because I am an intuitive writer and do not follow an outline, or writing formula. My editor as a consequence has to work harder to whip my WiP (Work in Progress) into shape.

It was a lot of fun writing this novel. I hope readers enjoy it as well.

We are definitely looking forward to reading the story. 

Thanks for sharing the news and for being our guest this week, Chuck. 

We wish you continued success with your stories.

An a BIG thank you to all our visitors and readers.

Feel free to leave a comment.