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Thomas Thorpe – Describe Your Journey of Writing

Describe your journey of writing

by Thomas Thorpe 

With a career in space exploration, you might wonder why I chose to write books of historical fiction rather than science fiction. There are similarities in the difficulties facing visitors to a foreign country during the early 1800’s, not unlike landing on an alien planet. A catalyst for my stories can also be found in the novels by Jane Austen. Her vivid portrayals make it easy to imagine similar characters involved in more adventuresome activities such as murder mysteries of the period. The research required to create accurate settings is not unlike the practice in science, and typically, a year’s preparation was necessary to put these mystery/thrillers into authentic historical periods for each country.

Historical mystery thrillers require a combination of styles. A big question for me was was how to transition from writing objective science papers to writing prose in the genre of literature, how to build suspense, make characters come alive and develop a story. Developing suitable writing styles requires considerable reading, advice in novel writing and practice, practice, practice. In my case, this included fan-fiction writing on the internet. Early papers can still be found in the archives of the Republic of Pemberly homepage.

Having developed style, a story must follow, grabbing the reader’s attention, educating him and not letting go. The Darmons, besides being engaging in their own right, solve mysteries worldwide in between 1820-1845. William and Elizabeth, her sister Emily and brother-in-law Charles and youngest sister, Victoria. They’re world traveling aristocrats whose money provides access, but encounters with other cultures makes them truly “fish out of water.”

Creating manuscripts is only the beginning for a new author. Finding a publisher for a select audience may take as much time as writing the novel. Research is the key to publishing any historical book and today’s Internet provides a wealth of sources. Publication of my first book came from shopping it around along with the ten thousand other writers seeking publication in this country every day. The now defunct PortTown Publishing Company originally published the first four novels of the Darmon series. However, they went out of business in 2006.

When I found a new publisher, Black Rose Writing, the editor requested I submit the most current, unpublished manuscript. Hence, Book 6 of the series, Without Redemption was released in 2009 set in India began and the new series began in reverse order.  Fortunately, each book is standalone, with the same main characters in dfferent countries rather than obvious sequels or prequels.  Book 5: Desperate Crossing (2010) is set in Russia of the 1840’s. Book 4: Fair Wind to Bahia is set in Brazil and Book 3: Patriote Peril (2011) is set in Quebec, Canada. Book 2: The Forth Conspiracy has (2013) is set in Eygpt and Greece. Hopefully, Message of the Pendant is set in America, and the island of Saint Helena will come out next year. All are available on Amazon, Nook , Kindle as well as traditional paperback in Barnes & Noble bookstores.

Prior to a book’s release, advance work includes setting up reviews, writing press releases, scheduling book signings, and seeking ways to create publicity. Agents and publicists can help, but chances are one has to work their way up the sales ladder to get noticed by major catalogs. Once a book is published, an author should be prepared to meet and greet at bookstores over the following year. This can be fun, as said on the TV show, Pawn Stars: “You never know what is going to come through that door.” Recently, a father and two teenaged sons passed by my table. I asked, “How about a mystery?” to which he responded: “No thanks, I’m here for a specific book, something like How to Coach Soccer for Dummies”. One of his sons, looking perplexed, burst out: “So you think we’re dummies?” Another question I often get is: My son reads everything, is this book appropriate for an 8 year old?”

In conclusion let me say that historical events are often ignored when presented in textbooks. People sometimes think  our ancestors were primitive because they lacked today’s technology. Unless one experiences the reality of past circumstances through the eyes of contemporary characters, their relevance may be missed. I hope that the Darmon series enlightens readers to the challenges of the time and gives a better appreciation of the choices made by our forbearers.

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Genre – Historical / Mystery / Thriller

Rating – PG

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