Chapter 12 - The investigation begins

This chapter is something of a watershed. No explosions yet, but the rumbling is beginning and Celia is going to find herself in trouble soon.

The next chapters will probably be longer in development as I'm involved in another writing project until the end of July. However I shall post some thoughts and comments about the novel's development so far over the next few weeks, so I hope that you will still check in from time to time to see what is going on. Many thanks to all the people who speak to me about this project or send me emails or post comments. You are very important for my motivation and I'm grateful.

The story so far - Celia and her team have finished removing the plaster from the altar wall of Colonel Kaiec's chapel in Istria. Celia travels to Zagreb to report to the Colonel who is busy campaigning for election. While she waits for him to arrive for a meeting she bumps into the journalist Tomislav Lederer again. Has he found out anything about her missing brother, Ned Atkinson?

This chapter can now be found on the right under 'Good Stuff'

Chapter 11 - Return to Istria

Et in arcadia ego - Hector Schofield fecit

A rainy weekend provides an incentive to get the next chapter done. Before writing it I read through everything so far and began to worry that there haven't been enough explosions so far for a thriller. Only one corpse (whom I've resurrected) and a faked mugging by a couple of children. So I thought hard about adding a train crash to this chapter, but decided it wouldn't work and regretfully abandoned the idea.  However, this chapter has some important events taking place which will have explosive consequences. Read and enjoy!

The story so far - Celia Thomas carries out pigment analysis on the samples she has brought back from the chapel in Istria. Although she is concerned that they indicate that the paintings are not from the 15th century, her boss, Dr Lenz, instructs her to go back to Istria with her team and carry on her research. Will this give her a chance to investigate the mysterious sighting of her brother, Ned, who was supposed to have died sixteen years before?

Chapter 11 can now be found under 'Good stuff'

Chapter 10 – The science of art and the application of philosophy

After a pause, I'm back. This chapter follows Franz and Celia at their work.

The story so far - Celia's belief that she has seen her brother Ned again, sixteen years after his death in Bosnia, is met with considerable scepticism by Franz. 
Annoyed with each other, they both head off to work, Franz to Paris on the night train, Celia to the department to start the tests on the samples she brought back from the chapel in Istria.

Chapter 10 – can now be found under 'Good Stuff' 

London

I went to London two weeks ago for the first time in about six years. This is a bit bizarre given that London was the centre of my universe until I was at least twenty-five, but somehow circumstances conspired against my visiting, so I was very curious to see what had changed in that time.

In some ways, quite a lot. Transport seems better now than the last time I was there. The Oyster cards which allow you on and off the stations actually work, as do the barriers. I remember last time getting caught by a barrier as I was walking through. It hurt.

Covent Garden has become horrible, except for little pockets which are still quite interesting or have interesting shops. Drury Lane for instance has suddenly sprouted loads of ballet and dance shops which it never had before. What disappointed me was the number of coffee shops. Why does every single street have a Starbucks, Costa Coffee and a Pret à Manger? It makes the place so dull. And something that shocked me was the number of people sleeping on these streets. I remember that from the worst days of Thatcherism ... but I suppose that makes sense. Cameron is of the same ilk.

But what I really loved was the friendliness of the people. Everywhere I went and everyone I met was polite and considerate. And I wasn't just in 'nice' areas, I travelled on buses through south London, went to pubs which had been in the middle of riots two years ago and mixed with people from a wide range of cultures. It was like being on a manners wellness holiday after Munich where asking a person to move their bag on the train so you can sit down is treated as tantamount to insulting their mother.

So, I really enjoyed it, and I shall try and go back again soon. Moreover I found a great venue for a scene in the novel, at some stage.

Writing has been held up by all sorts of external activities, but I'm taking some holiday in May, so I want to get three chapters out before June.

Down with porn!

Interesting article in The Guardian newspaper today which reflects very much my own distaste with the pornification of our society. Here's the link and I really recommend everyone to read it here:

You can see how I integrate my views about the topic in Chapter 6 - The trouble with Franz under Good Stuff on the right.

Chapter 9 - The Hermit

 Finally the chapter where I get to talk about Tante Ilse’s interest in Tarot! As you will see in the chapter, the cards Celia’s laid to answer her questions were quite instructive and plausible. I actually pulled them at random from a Tarot pack, I did not select them for their plausibility. They did however reflect vague ideas that I have been having about why Ned should be in Croatia, rather than in a cemetery in England. I can’t explain Tarot, but my experience is that it throws up interesting possibilities.

I had great difficulties starting Chapter 9. I started three times and had to stop after the first two attempts because they weren’t right.  Here’s version 1:

‘Colin, I tell you it was Ned. I saw Ned. Not somebody who looks like Ned, not somebody who reminded me of Ned. It was Ned! Max … will you turn that bloody noise down!’ The doodles on the pad of paper that Celia always drew when talking on the phone became increasingly spiky.

I used some of this in the final text, but I felt it was too confusing as a beginning. So in the next version, I got Franz out of bed:

Straight after arriving home early on Saturday morning, Celia woke Franz and told him.

‘Ned?’

I quite liked this, but finally decided it was too bare and also confusing. In the final version I decided to put more emphasis on the domestic context

When Franz woke up and went into the kitchen early on Saturday morning he found Celia sitting at the table looking through a pile of old newspaper clippings and photographs.

This was the beginning I finally chose. I hope you can live with it.

The story so far:

Celia Thomas has returned home to Munich from a trip to Zagreb. Late the previous night she believes she saw her brother Ned, who was supposed to have been killed in Bosnia in 1995. But will anybody believe her story?

Chapter 9 - The Hermit can now be found under good stuff

Chapter 8 - Tomi

King Tonislav of Croatia 925-928

Chapter 8 introduces Tomislav Lederer, an interesting but ambiguous figure. I find these characters interesting to write about. There is a fine line between good and bad activities in most cases. Very few people (and there are some) behave badly on purpose. We nearly always believe that there is a moral justification for our actions, however appalling other people find them. I'm not sure how Tomi will turn out, let's see as the story progresses.

The story so far: Dr Celia Thomas is researching a mysterious chapel on behalf of Colonel Ivan Kaiec, a wealthy Croatian business man with political ambitions. After her meeting with the Colonel in Zagreb (see chapter 7), Celia has time to explore the city before she takes the night train back to Munich...

Chapter 8 can now be found under 'Good Stuff' on the right.