Showing posts with label #crimefiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #crimefiction. Show all posts

Monday, July 8, 2019

Travel and writing: a tight bond in the Trilogy Deadly Deception

By P. J. Mann


The trilogy Deadly Deception that has been finally released as a whole is set mainly in Boston and Tbilisi, with some short stops in Africa described in the first book of the series.
In my life, writing and traveling are very closely connected together. 
Traveling is meant for me as a journey to my inner growth, besides seeing something new, and my destinations are not always those, someone who is thinking about a holiday would consider. Many of them have been in conflict areas where we needed the support of some people we knew who were working at the UN missions.
Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, has been chosen because I really liked the attitude of the country from its detachment from the Soviet Union, which happened in 1990.
I have traveled in Tbilisi during the spring period, and I believe I should have done it in summer to appreciate all the beauty of the place. 
Here are some pictures from the places that inspired me the most in Georgia:




Something I wanted to bring out from this trilogy was the cultural difference, the beauty of the landscape and cityscape, the flavors, the colors, and the language.
The contrast between the two places, Boston and Tbilisi, was something worth highlighting, and here are some pictures from Boston:



The Georgian characters are brought to life by the observations I have made and the people I have met during my stay in Tbilisi. 
In the same way, also the Boston characters come from direct experiences of people I have met during my journey in Boston.
Now I understand that we cannot generalize, and people are different even within the same country. Nevertheless, there are always those cultural heritage backgrounds common to general behavior.
Due to my lack of clue on how to properly market my writing, I have received very few reviews. However, I am glad to see that they are all positive, which compensates from low sales.
I hope you found this peeking behind the scenes interesting.

Here is the general link for the whole series:
Deadly Deception-The trilogy 




Thursday, May 16, 2019

Deadly Deception -Insomniac-

By P. J. Mann

This is the second book of the trilogy Deadly Deception. As we say bye-bye to Ethan Jackson who was the main character of the first book of the trilogy, we are going to meet new friends, which will entertain us with their personal vicissitudes.

Here is the blurb:
Something keeps Laura Jefferson up at night. Maybe it’s the Boston traffic, maybe the sounds of the city outside her apartment window, maybe the stresses of day to day life. Whatever it is, when she’s offered a radical treatment at a secluded hotel, she doesn’t even hesitate.

But while the hotel is perfect, the grounds idyllic, and Dr. Wright and his staff friendly and eager to help, it isn’t long before Laura’s fellow patients begin acting strangely, some even dropping out of the program altogether, disappearing into the night. As Laura loses chunks of time, a detective arrives, and the questions at the heart of the hotel begin to unravel.
Continuing the trilogy, Deadly Deception -Insomniac- draws closer to the mystery of Dr. Wright’s research, and the lies behind Laura’s perfect night of sleep.

Excerpt:
He took out his notebook and started to write some notes about what his feelings were. That was a sort of self-psychoanalysis or a way to understand himself and to get a better grasp over the triggers that take over a serial killer.

Although with just one murder on his conscience, he could not consider himself a serial killer, he knew from the very beginning that the need to step into murder was feasible.

“There are things that I still fail to understand about the feelings of being an assassin, of planning and eventually executing a murder. Something for sure is the powerful effect it has on the conscious.
Like a heavy curtain, it is able to obliterate any other feelings like compassion and empathy. When I think about the process, my brain gives priority to what gives me some sort of pleasure. It is like it’s trying to push aside the feelings like regret, fear, compassion, and empathy, emphasizing the pleasure I can get from the power of choosing the fate of another human being.
It feels like I am no longer a fellow human, but a sort of super being that has the power and right to decide who is going to live and who instead has to die.
This is a sort of trigger I might use with my patients, to help them in their fight against the murderer inside them…
Sometimes to cure a monster, you need to become a monster yourself.”

He shook his head and hoped that nasty story would have come soon to an end. “If I get out of this alive, I promise to leave the country and peacefully enjoy my life.”
He took a deep breath and switched off the lights hoping to find some rest.

Links to the book:
Follow the author:
amazon author page: www.amazon.com/author/pjmann

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Forgotten Women - Madame d'Ora Part Two



Madame d’Ora - Part Two
Nicola McDonagh
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Pinterest
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In my previous post, you can view it here: I talked about Dora Kallmus, a forgotten pioneer in the world of early photography. Today I will continue her amazing story.  

Dora’s studio in Vienna, Atelier d’Ora, was an instant success and helped  to secure her position as The Photographer of a new millennium. Her daring poses and unusual subjects, such as exotic dancers and revealing self portraits, gained her a reputation for taking risks. Exactly what her famous clients craved. 

Pinterest
But Dora was ambitious and wanted to attract a wider clientele. So in 1925 she and her assistant Arthur Benda, opened a studio in Paris. Although it was a success, Benda preferred his life in Vienna and returned, taking over her studio and renaming it d’Ora-Benda-Wien. His actions caused a rift between them and they never spoke again.

Pinterest
Loosing her technical assistant did not deter Dora, and she carried on with her fashion photography and portraits of stars in theatre and the silver screen. But things were about to change for Madame d’Ora.

Firstly, when the National Socialists gained power in Germany in 1933. Unfortunately for Dora, the fashion industry collapsed and magazines that featured her photographs were reprimanded for doing so and she was no longer able to show her work in this way.

Pinterest

Second, was the German invasion of France in 1940. Dora, despite converting to Christianity, was still a Jew and was forced to sell her Parisian studio. For much of the second world war, Dora went into hiding in such places as a cloister in La Lanvese, southern France, finally relocating to Austria in 1945. Although Dora survived, the rest of her family were not so fortunate and were killed in the holocaust. 

The tragedy of the war weighed heavily upon Dora. Her photography changed drastically. She turned her talents to photographing the horrors of the aftermath of survivors from concentration camps. She began a series of documentary photographs capturing the misery of refugees fleeing to Austria. Dora continued to be involved in the fashion industry, but her interests seemed to switch from glamorous photo shoots to dark representations of the horrors of the casualties of war and oppression.

Pinterest

Her disturbing series of images from 1950 to 58, when she was now in her seventies, captures the gruesome and terrifying plight of animals sent to slaughter. She vividly captures the brutality of the slaughterhouses in Paris and in doing so, the inhumanity of her fellow man. Perhaps a reflection of what she saw in the concentration camps a decade earlier.

Please visit my Pinterest site to view Dora’s photographs taken in the Parisian abbatoir. I chose not to put them here as some people may find the images too distressing.

When Dora was knocked down by a motorcycle in 1959, she returned to her family home in Frohnleiten Austria that had been sold under the Nazi rule, but then returned to her. Her injuries from the accident meant that she lost most of her memories and could no longer use a camera. She died October 28, 1963 at the age of seventy-six.

Pinterest

Dora Kallmus's legacy lives on in her outstanding photographic works of art. She was a pioneer in the field of photography and should be remembered for her daring and unique style that brought her fame, fortune, and a passion for pushing the boundaries of the photographic image that influenced many future practitioners in the field.

Pinterest

In fact, I liked Dora so much that she is now a character in my new crime mystery book set in 1899 Vienna. Here is a snippet from this work in progress that includes my interpretation of what a young and eager Dora Kallmus might have been like:

I tapped the counter. ‘If you have quite finished your argument? May I take what you have slaved over?’

‘Apologies. She irritates me that is all.’ 

Dora snorted. ‘Afraid of a little competition, well, you won’t get far.’

‘Oh, you see what I have to put with?’

‘I do indeed. Get used to it, Ralph, woman are getting stronger. They’ll be taking over everything.’

‘And making a better job of it too.’

‘Well said, Dora.’

‘Herr Katz, solidarity, please.’

Dora grinned. ‘I like you Herr Katz. Finally, a man who isn’t afraid of  a strong woman.’

‘Even though she is young and precocious?’ Ralph narrowed his eyes and shook his head. ‘I swear she’ll be the owner of this place in a couple of years.’

‘This place?’ Dora laughed. ‘Not good enough. I intend to open my own studio. Bigger and better than this male orientated stiff-necked, old-fashioned emporium.’

Pinterest
Thank you for reading my post. If you would like to know more about my work please visit my

All photos taken from Pinterest


If you enjoyed reading this post you might like to have a look at more. Just click on the link:
https://asmallgangofauthors.blogspot.com/p/2018-gallery.html


COMMENTS

Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Nicola McDonagh shares the rest of photographer Madame d'Ora's long career, including her experiences during WWII. She survived, but her family didn't. Check her out at #OurAuthorGang.
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Ruth de Jauregui

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
What a wonderful and tragic story. Thank you for sharing her with us.
 
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Rebecca Tran

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
I love this series Nikki. You always find the most interesting people.
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Thanks Rebecca.

Rebecca Tran

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Nikki Mcdonough reminds the world of a famous female photographer Dora Kallmus on #OurAuthorGang  
 
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Joe Bonadonna via Google+

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today on #OurAuthorGang, author Nikki McDonagh​ scores again with part of her fascinating look at Dora Kallmus - a pioneer in early photography.
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Joe Bonadonna

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Nikki, you score again with more fascinating insight into the life and times of Dora Kallmus.
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Joanne Jaytanie via Google+

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Discover the women in history. #OurGangAuthor
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Joanne Jaytanie

4 months ago (edited)  -  Shared publicly
 
I really enjoy reading about women in history.
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Chris Weigand via Google+

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Learn more about this courageous woman with Nicola McDonagh
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Chris Weigand

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
What a fascinating and courageous woman.
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Nikki McDonagh via Google+

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Check out my post about an amazing forgotten female photographer.
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Grace Au

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
What a fascinating lady! I loved the old photos. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you Grace.

Cindy Smith via Google+

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
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Lorraine Carey via Google+

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Madame d'Ora was a woman on the cutting edge and years ahead of her time in the world of photography. Not many know her story! Check this out. #powerwomen #phototgraphy#bloghttps://asmallgangofauthors.blogspot.com/2018/09/forgotten-women-madame-dora-part-two.html#gpluscomments
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Cindy Smith

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
What an informative piece!  Dora certainly was a very talented woman, sad her family was lost in the war. The pictures you shared are amazing and I loved the snippet.
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Thank you Cindy. Yes Dora was amazing, so pleased you enjoyed the post.

Toi Thomas

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
What an amazing life and legacy. Thank you for sharing her story.
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She was a very interesting character that's for sure.

Toi Thomas via Google+

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today, Nikki McDonagh​ concludes the wonderful and tragic life and times of pioneer photographer Madame d’Ora. #OurAuthorGang.
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Lorraine Carey

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
I just adore this woman! I could see why you have made her a character. Here's to Wonder Woman such as Dora Kallmus. Thank you for bringing her story to light.
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View all 4 replies
 
+Lorraine Carey Oh, thank you Lorraine.
 
+Nikki McDonagh You are most welcome. xx

Erika M Szabo via Google+

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
She pushed the boundaries and succeeded!
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She certainly did.

Erika M Szabo

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
She really pushed the boundaries and succeeded!

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