Twinkies, Gaza, and Reading Gaol

Looking for a little light relief from surreal alternating Twinkies and Gaza posts on FB, started the latest Giles Brandreth Oscar Wilde mystery book called The Murders at Reading Gaol. Unsurprisingly given the title, although it did surprise me never the less, the beginning of the book isn't so much light relief as a continuation on a theme. (Gaza, not Twinkies). I would like to ask Oscar how he managed to create this hideous experience when he'd been so focused on appreciating fun and beauty for so long. I can see how it provides a marvellous contrast, but how did that work with the lava traction. (law of attraction).
A delightful surprise yesterday on FB, it wafted through my mind that I hadn't seen an update from Ki Longfellow in awhile and wondered if it would filter through the newsfeed algorythms, then lo and behold, an udate from Ki saying the third book in the divine trilogy was on hold because she'd sidetracked and written three detective novels. The Blithe Gambol PI syndrome....
this is what she said: (I wonder if I'm observing her, always feel so connected) "

On this day, I shall tell a little story. Some time back (oh, maybe a year and a half ago) I was asked to contribute a short story to a book series of Noir. Noir here and Noir there. The here and there depended on where any particular contributing writer was essentially raised, or been born. I was born on Staten Island. I said yes and dashed off a noir tale set on Staten Island in the 1940s, ...

very tongue-in-cheek, but also very much aware of one of my favorite writers: Raymond Chandler. I mean, who doesn't love Chandler? In any case, the resulting short noir story surprised me. I loved writing it. I loved turning into Sam Russo, Private Eye. I wanted more of him. I wanted more than a short story, I wanted to write a whole book, maybe quite a few whole books. Complications with the publisher/editor arose, not serious, not important, but they did end with me keeping my story out of the collection. I do not regret it. At this moment (instead of writing the third of my Divine Feminine tales) I've written three full length Sam Russo, PI, books. All soon to be published. Oh, I forgot. For the longest time, I thought I ought to put them out under a pseudonym (more than one reason for this, I can't recall them all now), but I found I really really really didn't want to. I'm proud of SHADOW ROLL and GOOD DOG, BAD DOG and THE GIRL IN THE NEXT ROOM. With more to come if I can keep breathing. So I claim them as mine. If they stink, I did it. If they don't stink, I did it. So soon as these three are finished, it's back to rather serious stuff. But Sam will ride again. He can't help himself. He's having an awful time of it trying to be Bogart."

 

I love having new books to look forward to....