Son of Thunder…
There were two options to consider when I thought about writing a sequel to Rembrandt’s Angel: (1) Write about Scotland Yard Inspector Esther Brookstone’s life as a spy in MI6 during the Cold War (i.e. a prequel), or (2) write about some adventures Esther had after those described in Rembrandt’s Angel. As it turns out, I did both!
Let me explain. The main story revolves around Esther and Interpol agent Bastiann van Coevorden, her paramour, the main characters in Rembrandt’s Angel. Also featured are the Renaissance artist, Sandro Botticelli, and St. John the Divine, Christ’s favorite disciple. (And there’s no time travel!) Woven into the plot are flashbacks to Esther’s MI6 career and the side story of Bastiann’s efforts to thwart illegal weapons merchants. Various other themes and substories are present as well, including those about Esther’s Scottish castle, BBC documentary, and art gallery.
The prose about the historical figures so important to the main plot required a lot of research, more so than in any of my other books (they all required some). For example, it is known that John lived a long life. I gathered facts and legends and decided which ones to include in the story. I then had to become creative and fill in enough details to make a historical-fiction tale about the turmoil in the early Church during John’s life. He partners up with Mary Magdalene in a few adventures (no Da Vinci Code romance here, though).
I always wanted to write something about St. John. His gospel is so much more interesting than the other three (there are many more gospels, but the Church only chose four for the canonical Bible). And then there’s the Book of Revelation. Did he really write that? His gospel is about a loving God; the Book of Revelation returns to the vengeful God of the Old Testament. (Just my perception, of course.)
Sandro, like many Renaissance artists, made a living painting works about both religion and mythology. Medici, his patron, financed his and others’ frescos in the Sistine Chapel before Michelangelo even touched that ceiling (maybe that’s why he did the ceiling—it was the only space left?). He goes on a trek with his parish priest in the story. Both trip and priest are fictional (we don’t know how much Sandro actually traveled), but the places visited are real.
Esther and Bastiann seemed to be the right pair to add to this mix. Does it matter that there are three parallel but related stories here? I promise you that their stories are interwoven, but that’s all I’ll say. To learn how that occurs, you’ll have to read the book when it comes out. You’ll also learn the origins of the title.
Besides the usual beta-reading and pre-editing I do for every book, I also sent a copy of the manuscript to a Jesuit priest. I’ve had good relationships with Jesuits in the past. I asked this priest to look it over to see if the history part of this historical fiction tome agreed with known facts. I did a lot of research, but you never know (Dan Brown was led astray with The Da Vinci Code). The priest never answered, so I guess he didn’t find anything wrong (chuckle).
While this book was a lot of work for the required research, it was also a lot of fun to write. I hope it will be fun for everyone to read.
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Comments are always welcome.
Rembrandt’s Angel. Scotland Yard Inspector Esther Brookstone, the Art and Antiques Division, becomes obsessed with recovering a Rembrandt painting stolen by the Nazis in World War II. Her paramour and Interpol agent Basitann van Coevorden tries to focus that obsession and keep her safe. Their pursuit of the painting leads to a far larger conspiracy. Available at Amazon and Smashwords and all the latter’s affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc.), as well as in our favorite local bookstore (if they don’t have it, ask for it). The sequel, Son of Thunder, is coming soon from Penmore Press. (Check out their catalog for many more good books to read.)
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
