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History and Classic Cinema
Janszoon follows Hollywood icon Humphrey Bogart through his tumultuous personal and professional life who longs for adventure and a lasting legacy while learning about his ancestor, pirate Jan Janszoon van Salee. What inspired you to write this story?
At the heart of all of my historical fiction writing is my soon-to-be-published series about German immigration in the early Eighteenth Century. As the family historian, my wife and I undertook a journey tracing the path of my German ancestor, Hans Heinrich Gruber (no relation to the Die Hard Hans), from Basel, Switzerland, up the Rhine River to Rotterdam. From there, Hans embarked on a ship to New York City. While researching the New Netherlands, specifically the island of Manhattan, I stumbled upon the story of the infamously famous, fabulously wealthy Dutch Barbary pirate Jan Janszoon Van Salee. His sons were among the earliest settlers, and their descendants now number in the millions. Among these descendants is believed to be the Hollywood legend Humphrey Bogart.
As I traveled through the Northeast, from Philadelphia to Canada to Boston, gathering facts for my series, the idea for this book struck me. I envisioned Bogart, amid his career, exploring his connection to Jan Janszoon Van Salee. The story became a journey of self-discovery, legacy, and adventure as Bogart delves into his heritage to understand what it means to leave a lasting mark on the world.
What kind of research did you do for this novel to ensure you captured the essence of the story’s theme?
Bibliography
Widing, Roy. Sluggy: Bogie’s Other Baby. Mayo Methot – Star of Stage, Screen & Wife of Humphrey Bogart. Orlando, Florida: Copyright 2019 Roy Widing. (pgs 131, 142-4)
Thompson, Verita, and Donald Shepherd. A Love Story: Bogie and Me. Pinnacle Books, Inc., 1982. (pgs. 10-14, 17-25, 27-33, 45-49, 53-56)
Hyams, Joe. The Humphrey Bogart Story: BOGIE. The New American Library, Inc., 1966. 1301 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019. (pgs. 63, 72, 79-80, 87)
Sperber, A.M., and Eric Lax. Bogart. HarperCollins Publishers, 1997. 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007. (pgs. 227, 235)
Meyers, Jeffrey. BOGART: A Life in Hollywood. A Peter Davison Book, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, New York, 1997. (pgs. 138, 160-163)
Bogart, Stephen Humphrey, and Gary Provost. Bogart: In Search of My Father. Penguin Books USA Inc., 1995. 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Humphrey Bogart and the rest of the gang.
…and of course, lots of old movies.
What draws you to the Golden Age of Hollywood and makes it ripe for you to write such a great biographical fiction story in it?
My draw to the Golden Age of Hollywood stems from a deep love for the silver screen and history. As a longtime fan of classic films, I’ve always been captivated by the larger-than-life personalities and stories that shaped that era. The glitz, glamor, and drama of Hollywood’s golden years offer a rich world for storytelling, where real-life legends like Humphrey Bogart navigated personal and professional challenges while leaving an indelible mark on cinema.
Retired from dentistry, I now have the luxury of immersing myself in history and letting my imagination run wild. Daydreaming about the lives of iconic figures allows me to blend factual history with fictional narratives, creating stories that entertain and explore the human side of these legends. Writing biographical fiction set in this era is my way of paying tribute to the stars who shaped our cultural landscape while indulging my passion for history and classic cinema.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
There are several thrilling historical fiction projects in the works, each offering a unique dive into the past and beyond. First up is an ambitious eight-book series that will take you on a journey through German immigration from 1700 to 1780, capturing the trials, triumphs, and enduring spirit of those who shaped the Pennsylvania Dutch community. Spinning off from this series is an intriguing standalone novel set around 1715, centered on a girls’ school that spurred the transfer of none other than Yale College to New Haven—a story rich with secrets, ambition, and early American history.
But that’s not all! There’s also the first installment of a gripping murder mystery series, promising twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. And if that weren’t enough, a mind-blowing multi-book sci-fi saga is in the works, ready to transport readers to worlds and dimensions that defy imagination.
The funny thing about crafting a long series is that by the time you’re knee-deep in books, new revelations or ideas often pop up, prompting rewrites and tweaks to earlier volumes. It’s a creative journey that truly only ends once everything falls perfectly in place. One day, these stories will be polished, perfected, and released as a complete set, and I hope readers will enjoy them as much as I’ve loved bringing them to life.
Author Links: Amazon
It’s 1942 and Humphrey Bogart seems to have it all. By day, he’s reading lines for Casablanca with Ingrid Bergman; by night, he’s drinking bourbon on the Sunset Strip with friends like Peter Lorre and Leslie Howard.
But to Bogart, life is not so glamorous. High-profile fights with his wife Mayo and a rigid studio contract committing him to a series of mediocre films have him feeling personally and professionally trapped.
That is, until one day a mysterious note arrives on set.
Heeding the strange invitation, Bogart finds himself in a series of long, secret conversations with his aunt and cousin about the swashbuckling tales of their ancestor, the pirate Jan Janszoon van Salee. These tales of the high seas ignite a fire within Bogart to carve out a path that is uniquely his own—even if it means shedding the roles and people who made him famous.
Janszoon is more than a Hollywood fantasy; it’s a journey into the heart of a man wrestling with ambitions and desires, an actor who yearns to balance his on-screen personas with his off-screen reality. From his tumultuous marriage and infamous USO tour, through his affairs with Verita Patterson and Lauren Bacall, Janszoon imagines a life in which the enigmatic Humphrey Bogart seeks a legacy that transcends the ephemeral glow of stardom.
False but Glittering World
The Hollywood Backlash Moon follows a young woman living in Southern California with her aunt and uncle who tries to solve the mystery of why her cousin was murdered. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I like stories of culture shock. The main character, Katie from Brooklyn, is as down-to-earth as they come, and she finds herself living with her show business relatives. The aunt in particular is so fame-obsessed that she’s practically an honest-to-goodness lunatic. Many years ago I worked for a motion picture company, and then a theatrical talent agency, and thought I’d set this book against that kind of false but glittering world, where so many people just aren’t who they appear to be. That makes it a lot harder for a character like Katie to figure out what’s going on when her cousin gets murdered, but she doesn’t stop trying.
What character did you enjoy writing for?
Was there one that was more challenging to write for? I most enjoyed writing about Katie because she’s like the voice of reason in the middle of the madness of this murder case. Katie isn’t easily fooled and she couldn’t care less about chasing fame. She just wants to figure out who killed her cousin. I also had a blast creating the character of Floriana, the crazy fame-seeking aunt. Floriana is so far gone that she thinks she still looks like a teenager when she doesn’t, and more, and worse. Meanwhile, on television, she’s playing a mother. It’s always a lot more fun to write a character that is way out of control because those kind of people shake things up.
The era known as the Golden Age of Hollywood is replete with accounts of excess, glamour, clandestine transactions, and strife. What prompted the inclusion of Eva’s encounter with a former Nazi in California?
I set the mystery in 1964, only 19 years since the end of World War II. I believe a lot of Americans don’t even think twice about it, but in Europe, so many former Nazis totally escaped justice. The head honchos were tried at Nuremberg, sure, but what about the lower-level thugs? After the war ended they just went back to living their lives. Can you imagine living among such people, where your teacher or doctor or the shop owner on the corner once carried out the worst horrors of a barbaric regime? I saw a documentary about it, which I found chilling, and decided to include one of them in this story. Katie’s boss is Eva, a wonderful Jewish costume designer originally from Berlin, who escaped the Nazis after Kristallnacht with three friends, one of whom is now running the movie studio where they work. They thought the Nazi who tormented them and their families, Dietzel, was dead, but no, he’s alive and well and furious they mentioned him by name in a magazine article. So there he is, spotted on the streets of California, free to be a tourist, maybe – or is he there for some other purpose, like to finish what he started back in 1938?
What is the next book you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
The next book is CHILD OF SECRETS FROM AFAR. It’s set during 1975 and early 1976, right after the fall of Saigon and Operation Babylift, when Vietnamese orphans were sent to the United States and other countries to be adopted. A very nice Midwestern couple adopts two of them, but one, age eight, won’t reveal anything about her past. A man is seen lurking around, watching that child. The parents are alarmed by this, the little girl won’t say who the man is, and then, the child ultimately gets abducted. It will be available on Valentine’s Day and is up for pre-order already.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | CarolynQuinn | Amazon
It’s 1964, and Katie Hathaway, almost but not quite twenty-one, has been living in sunny Southern California with her television star aunt and uncle, and their various children and staff, since her parents died ten years earlier. Her uncle is decent, but his wife, the aunt, is a vainglorious pain in the rump. Jealous Aunt Floriana picks a fight with her daughter Clover and causes the girl to flee the house in a hysterical huff. When Clover doesn’t return, Katie fears the worst. A day later Clover is found murdered in a crime that doesn’t make any initial sense.
On top of all else, Katie works as an assistant to costume designer Eva Zeitoune at Grand Manor Studios. Eva, late of Berlin, left Germany with three colleagues right before the start of the Second World War. As Katie tries to figure out Clover’s murder, Eva recognizes the notorious Nazi who tormented her family taking a stroll on Van Nuys Boulevard and it turns out he’s arrived with a scheme for revenge. What exactly are we all living under, Katie wonders – some kind of a Hollywood backlash moon?
STAGED!: A HOLLYWOOD HUSTLE – Trailer
Mismatched amateur detectives Casey Alton and (former biker gang leader) Smitty have solved some tough mysteries before. But this one may push them to do some truly creative actions on the edge of what’s legal. Casey & Smitty have a dilemma they have to solve… A longtime good friend of Smitty’s has been conned out of $2,000,000 dollars. The perpetrator’s a known ruthless and murderous crook. The friend has been beaten within an inch of his life to keep him quiet.How can they get the friend’s money back without being killed or worse? Run a racket on a racketeer? Run a hustle on a hustler? Out con a con artist? How do the movies fit into their plan? For the answers to these questions and more, read STAGED!
The Idea of Reincarnation
Richard Sieg Author Interview
Love After Life follows Kathleen and James as their souls try to find each other after death. What was the inspiration for the setup to this emotional novel?
In 2015, Ryan Hammons, a young boy, his mother, Cindi, and Dr. Jim Tucker were interviewed on The TODAY Show about a situation that many Americans would summarily dismiss… Ryan claimed to have had a past life in 1930s Hollywood.
As an agnostic on the idea of reincarnation when I watched the interview, Ryan’s story intrigued me. The facts that Dr. Tucker confirmed during his study of Ryan’s claims led to only one conclusion – Ryan’s claims simply could not be dismissed. My intrigue caused me to purchase Dr. Tucker’s book, Return to Life, to learn more about Ryan, and other children. I also purchased Tom Shroder’s book, Old Souls, to learn more about these children.
A story started bouncing around in my head. I thought, what if there were two young lovers and they died much too soon. Could they find each other in their next lives and, even if they could, who would ever believe them, especially in a nation that does not embrace the concept of reincarnation?
Kathleen and James share a deep bond that I found to be rare and profound. What were the ideals you wanted to capture in their relationship?
For me, the deep, deep love felt by Kathleen and James made it easier to believe that the crash that ended their lives would be somehow remembered in the next life. One of the common claims found in cases where children claim a past life is that in the past life the person died a violent or unnatural death. While a car accident certainly would qualify as one of those, the deep bond shared by a pair of young lovers who should have had many years together would deepen the pain of a lost soul.
Within their story, you see a deep attraction, loyalty, mutual respect and so many more characteristics present within their loving relationship. While it is a cliche, love conquers all. That is the story of James and Kathleen.
When you first started writing did you know this was going to be a story about reincarnation or did that happen organically?
I knew this was going to be a story about reincarnation. As I discuss above, the stories of children claiming a past life was the inspiration for this novel. It definitely started as a story about reincarnation.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
The next book is Justice After Life. It is not a continuation of the love and lives of James and Kathleen. It’s a new story and I intend to release it in 2019. Doctor Simms, the psychiatrist in Love After Life, is the only character who is also a character in this second novel.
Author Links: Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Richard’s Blog
![Love After Life by [Sieg, Richard]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51RTrnklyJL.jpg)
Can it be true that soulmates can share a love so deep that it can transcend more than one lifetime? That is what James tell his loving wife Kathleen before they suddenly die in a tragic car accident that snuffs out their lives and perhaps their love. Will they be able to find each other in the next life to rekindle the love they share, and who will believe them if they do?
Joseph, only six years old, is haunted in his dreams by a woman and scenes he doesn’t initially recognize. Sweating heavily while twisting and turning in his bed, he sees flashes of the mountains, the beach and a beautiful young woman. He awakens suddenly, hearing himself scream, “Kathleen(!).” He is drenched and dazed, not realizing that his dream is a replay of the final scene of his past life as James with his wife, Kathleen. A few years later as his dreams continue, he recalls more clearly Kathleen’s soulful singing, bubbly personality and sweet smile as well as his deep love for both photography and her.
As a teenager, Joseph loves to watch singing competitions on TV shows, especially when teenage girls are singing. One day he sees and hears Kimberly singing on one of these shows and his heart skips a beat. He does not know why, but her singing consumes him. Kimberly grew up a sad little girl. She knows that something is missing in her life, but for the life of her, she cannot identify what it is. Only singing lifts her spirits, even if just for a little while. Joseph is drawn to her immediately. He has to meet her.
What happens when Joseph meets Kimberly? You can find out by reading Richard Sieg’s novel, Love After Life.
Love and Human Desire
Thomas Duffy Author Interview
One Love is an emotional novel that explores the different lives of people struggling with their own challenges in life. Why was this an important book for you to write?
This is the book I identify with most of all the books I have written. It is a book that enables me to share my life experiences with others and, hopefully, shows people the pain and passion in life as well as the complexity of love and human desire. I needed to tell this story for my own personal reasons as well. I believe the family element of the story is also very strong and easy to relate to.
I enjoyed the truth behind many of your characters and how I could relate to them. Is there anything you took from your own life and put into this story?
Yes. The book is semi-autobiographical. There are real people behind all the central characters. I, of course, am Timothy. I met someone many years back, almost 20 years ago, who I fell instantly in love with. All the prior people I had met just didn’t matter after I met this girl. She’s called Melody in the book. I imagined the consequences of meeting her later in life and starting anew despite the fact that we’ve both moved on. Of course, I moved on not by choice but because of rejection. All the main characters in the book have identical counterparts in real life.
This book is filled with a cast of interesting characters. If Hollywood came knocking, who would you cast as the leads in the movie?
Good question. I was thinking Oscar Isaac and Reese Witherspoon initially. Reese Witherspoon, definitely. She has the charm and charisma that Melody would need to have as an on-screen character. Maybe Giovanni Ribisi instead of Oscar Isaac, though, because Reese and Giovanni are closer in age. For Cindy, Carey Mulligan for sure. Cindy is the love of Timothy’s life and Mulligan would capture the essence of Cindy to a tee. I would want Vince Vaughn to play Louie if possible.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I put my sci-fi series, “The Separation” books on hold temporarily to work on a new book for my Truly Moving Book series which “One Love” is a part of. The new book is going to be my best yet! It’s due later this year.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
![One Love by [Duffy, Thomas]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51srA77oYFL._SY346_.jpg)
One Love begins as a young man named Timothy meets a girl named Melody. She seems to be the girl of his dreams but when things don’t go as planned, he moves forward and settles down with another girl named Cindy. As years pass, Timothy reconnects with Melody who is now married with children. He begins an affair with her that will change both of their lives and force him to evaluate the decisions he has made in his life. One Love is a story of family, romance and heartbreak. It will make you search your soul to discover what the right thing is for the characters to believe in.
Deja Vu All Over Again Book Trailer
At fifty-five, Nate Evans is a washed-up Hollywood screenwriter whose life has gone to hell in a handbasket he climbed in to by dumping his high school sweetheart 40 years ago. The girl who got away, Julie Cooper, was widowed at a young age and left to raise her two kids alone after her husband was whapped to death in a tragic carwash accident. Nate has always been obsessed with his high school days, and when he learns Julie is single and working at their alma mater in his hometown, he writes a script and follows it to recreate their teen years in hopes of starting his life over. It’s the ultimate mulligan… Except that Julie is afraid of growing old alone, with a life where the only men she’s intimate with are Ben & Jerry and their Chunky Monkey ice cream, so she settles for security by deciding to marry her boss at the school. Even though Nate’s return and his Peter Pan view of life, draws her out to rediscover the spirited girl she used to be, she rejects his attempts at a relationship because he burned her once and she doesn’t trust him. You can hardly blame her, except that she doesn’t see her rat fink fiancé is in serious need of finking and Nate needs to torpedo the relationship before she gets hurt, without becoming collateral damage himself. He writes a script for “Happily ever after” and puts it into action knowing that if he gets caught it will be Déjà vu all over again.
Available at Black Tie Books
That’s a Tricky Question
Sally Forest Author Interview
Choose: Snakes or Ladders follows Mitty who comes up against sexism and classism and must challenge others’ prejudices while fighting her inner demons. What was your inspiration for this provocative novel?
I didn’t have any articulated inspiration for the novel. It started as a short piece and grew seemingly by itself. I thought it was about an innocent young girl in the 50’s. I actually didn’t know that I felt so strongly about class issues and sexism. Nor about sexual safety of young people. My main conscious focus was on her struggle to find a way through the internal and external restrictions. As a former therapist, it has always saddened me that many women, particularly in the 50’s, were denied natural pleasures because of a culture of ignorance and shame around female sexual activity. As well of course, of career advancement.
What I really enjoyed about Mitty’s character is how well developed she was but continued to transform throughout the novel. What were some obstacles you felt were important for Mitty’s character development?
Her main obstacle was the extreme shaming and ignorance of the fictional sect in the novel. Another strong obstacle was Mitty’s lack of anyone who could help her come to some knowledge and understanding. I loved Violet’s attempts to inform her. The struggle is linked to the development, through ups and downs, of her self-worth – another essential ingredient in a life of achievement, pleasure and love.
I think you did a great job of illustrating that female beauty and sexuality can often be a poisoned chalice. Why do you think this is an important, especially with today’s #metoo movement?
I was amused by Mitty’s character as a woman who was beautiful and sexually arousing without her knowing it. And heartened by her innate sensuality. Perhaps if young women were educated properly and allowed to have awareness and acceptance of these factors, they would be less vulnerable in the face of male assertion of power in all ways. A lot of work needs to be done to educate men, particularly in self-awareness.
In the sequel all these themes continue to build strong plot threads, together with some surprising twists in Mitty’s life path.
What life experiences of your own did you put into the novel, if any?
That’s a tricky question. A life experience of teacher and counselor helps to build a wide understanding. Personally, none of the events as depicted happened to me, although fragments of similar occurrences have been combined to build a different fictional history. For example, my much loved grandmother had overcome a restrictive religious background, while still quoting many homilies to me, with a wry smile. Otherwise, sometimes just a few words overheard will trigger a scene. So there is a basic truth in it all.
Author Links: Amazon | Website
![Choose: Snakes Or Ladders: A Psychological Coming-of-Age Novel by [Forest, Sally]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41iK1Fr6buL.jpg)
“Choose: Snakes or Ladders: A Psychological Coming-of-Age Novel” from hot new contemporary fiction author, Sally Forest.
This is “a well-plotted tale of human growth, sexuality, and self-discovery which will be enjoyed by readers of women’s fiction and literary fiction alike.”
Mitty is a young girl brought up in a punitive sect who escapes to a typist job in the city – a step to fulfilling her dreams of being a lady. She is hampered by deep fears of hell and punishment, and utter ignorance of the facts of life.
The 1950’s – sex, drugs and rock and roll, but not in the small towns of Australia. There were lots of jobs, clothes and wealth in the cities but this threatened the values of the past – a culture where men desire and decide, while women love and serve.
Miss Mitty Bedford knew the outside world through Hollywood movies at the local Pictures, only to find in real life that there can be nasties behind smiling, beautiful faces.
A stalker’s attack clashes with her newfound joy in sensual self-discovery inspired by a crush on her boss, and her love for decent, loving, traditional Col. She writhes between shame, repentance and joy.
Mitty wants a career and respect, but what path must she choose? She needs love, but does she want freedom more?
This emotional and dramatic journey to win trust, love and independence, will keep readers turning the pages, as well as provoking questions that still apply today.
William Shatner: A Transformed Man
Astonishingly prolific and with unbridled passion, William Shatner stands out as a stunning actor, writer and director with the zeal for mystical life or what some would notate as alien life. The author, Dennis William Hauck, runs an acoustic biography of a partner while working on the film Mysteries of the Gods. Dennis paints the preconceptions of William as an eccentric man who swings like a pendulum from condescending and boring to a nitpicking perfectionist character.
The book is themed with “human evolution” what the author calls “transformation of a man” but focuses on once an influencer of the Hollywood Enterprise to the lost face in the industry.
I have three words for this book; exemplary, fluent and cozy-rosy. Dennis’s artistic nature proves worth it to read the book as he weaves vague facts, whimsical musings and random thoughts into a bedazzled art piece. This book uses scintillating prose that brings out his crafty abilities, which inspire creative concepts in the publishing world.
My first thoughts were that an enticing aspect of William’s expressions and entitlement toward his position as a spokesperson for the alien community is surprising at first. However, a progression through the chapters evokes a mindset of withdrawal from the world. Literally, a journey through his life experience and success stands in the way of belief that such a prominent actor could turn psychic; Dennis does a good of making the reader wander between the two extremes.
Behind the scenes of the Star Trek franchise stood a celebrated modern icon who believed in telepathic experiences and cosmic intelligence, but without proof. Evidenced by the bizarre album The Transformed Man, it becomes easier to note how the author qualifies the metamorphosis of William’s character from one with a fascinating social life and dreamed-of career to a life of strained relationships with fellow actors, ego-centric behavior and unlikeable attention for women.
Dr. Andrija Puharich, a neurologist with keen interest in parapsychology, tends to bend her professional view towards the deep-seated belief that Uri Geller and Gene Roddenberry shared; these were characters who either could equally bring “sense” into extraterrestrial intelligence. For instance, Geller could bend metals or even disintegrate them. I believe this book effectively convinces its target audience to believe in what William stood for.
Dennis makes a closing case by reflecting on the temperament of his protagonist and relates the misconception William had towards his alien friends who, unfortunately, did not “come back” for him. The appreciation of normalcy in human life cannot be underplayed as this autobiography leaves the reader with deep contrasting thoughts of aliens and reality.
William Shatner – A Transformed Man by Dennis William Hauck is an exciting book to read as it probes a celebrity bio with a tale. This book has done more than just impress the publishing market; it has also popped out curious questions that keep the mind wondering what exactly was the thought-process of script writers, actors and directors behind the iconic movie, Star Trek.
Pages: 404 | ASIN: B0756NP2HS
LITERARY TITAN 