Lessons Learned on the Way to Top: A Q&A with Chris Angus Author of London Underground the historical fiction novel
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| London Underground |
Chris Angus is the author of the historical fiction
thriller London Underground that races to a dramatic ending. Writing Daze
caught up with Chris recently and asked him some questions about his book. Find
out how he weaves a story about a secret treasure from the days of Henry VIII
and its connections to Nazi Germany.
About
London Underground
Beneath
the streets of London lie many secrets. Subterranean rivers carve channels
through darkened caverns. Hidden laboratories and government offices from WW II
offer a maze of corridors and abandoned medical experiments. Lost also in the
depths are the contents of a looted Spanish galleon from the days of Henry
VIII. And deep within lies a Nazi V-2 rocket that contains the most horrible
secret of all.
Carmen
Kingsley, in charge of London projects for the British Museum, and Scotland
Yard Inspector Sherwood Peets race to unravel the mysteries before the great
city succumbs to a frightening disease from the age of the Henrys called the
English Sweat.
Unknown
to them, their partners in tracing the disease began their own efforts more
than sixty years earlier during WW II. A top secret British mission is sent to
the far northern regions of Norway to stop the Nazis from developing a
biological weapon that will be airmailed to London via the V-2 rocket.
It all comes
to a climax beneath London with the discovery of a horrifying species of
genetically altered “super rats” that threaten to invade London and the British
Isles in a manner more horrifying than anything ever envisioned by the Germans.
London Underground can be purchased through all major on-line book stores as
well as with IguanaBooks.com as an ePub, Kindle or Print edition at: http://iguanabooks.com/books/london-underground-print-edition/
Welcome Chris,
It’s
a pleasure to be a guest here. Every chance to make contact with my
readers is a valuable opportunity and always a learning experience as well. I
learn something every time and it helps to inform my writing.
Q:
Who or what motivated you to write the book?
I
fell in love with London a very long time ago. I first visited the city in 1963
with my parents. The highlight of that visit was getting to see the just
released movie Cleopatra on the big screen in central London. Liz Taylor’s bath
scene made a big impression on a thirteen-year-old! I also vividly remember how
much I enjoyed riding on the tube and especially on those long, old wooden
escalators down into the depths. That was my first exposure to the underground.
London has figured greatly in scenes in many of my books, but London
Underground was my first attempt to have an entire novel centered on the great
city.
Q: What types
of books do you read and how have they influenced your writing?
I
read a great many science journals and also a lot of history. I think we are
living in one of the most active periods with regard to the development of
scientific knowledge. It is endlessly fascinating. I got this interest from my
mother who wrote a series of murder mysteries in the 60s and 70s. She was a
university professor of English but had a very inquisitive mind. She was
interested in everything but especially the sciences. She used archaeology,
anthropology, physics, astronomy and oceanography. It all went into the mix,
and I always loved that about her work. It gave the usual mystery/suspense
novel a whole new dimension. I’ve never stopped using that formula. It keeps me
interested and I think that interest is telegraphed to the reader.
Q: Are there
any specific things in your past, which influenced London Underground?
As
I said, my early love for London and history were major influences on the book.
I’ve long been interested in the history of World War II. Nowadays, wars often
seem to take place in tiny, remote countries. World War II encompassed the
entire globe and many nations. The character of the British people is endlessly
intriguing, how they managed to take their tiny country and influence much of
the rest of the world. How they fought back against the forces of tyranny, even
when they were virtually alone. London is a city redolent with history. One
finds it around every corner, and I can walk for weeks and weeks and never tire
of it.
Q:
What have you learned about the writing or publishing process and how has it
helped you as a writer?
This
can be a frustrating industry. It has been changing quickly as a result of the
digital age and the consolidation of publishing houses. Things move glacially.
It’s a tough way to make a living, so you want to keep your day job while you
figure it out. You have to stay positive and keep moving on to the next project.
As soon as I finish a book, I begin the next one and try not to think about the
one just finished that has gone out into the ether of editors and agents and
publishers. I have writer friends who
never learned to do this. They have spent a decade or more on one book,
rewriting endlessly, going to workshops, seeking out people to critique it, etc.,
etc. Just get on with it.
Q: Describe your book in Five words or Less?
A
chilling romp through historic, subterranean London.
Oh
well, that’s seven words.
Q:
What makes your main character impatient or angry?
One
of my main characters is Carmen Kingsley, in charge of London Projects for the
British Museum. She suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism
that makes it difficult for her to read the emotions of other people. But it
can also be a strength by helping her to focus intensely on things that seem
important, to the point of obsession. She has been successful in museum
hierarchy, which never ceases to amaze her, since being able to understand
people is a big part of what an administrator does.
Q:
Now that London Underground has been published do you have another book in the
wings?
I
have two other historic thrillers out this year. The Last Titanic Story tells an incredible tale of previously
unknown Titanic survivors, lost treasure from the depths of World War II and a
chase across the frozen ice fields of Greenland. Flypaper concerns the search for the mysterious origins of a
pandemic that begins in China and sweeps the world). I have two other thrillers
that are now complete and I’m working on another.
Q: Have you
ever met any famous authors? If so, how did you react? If not, who
would you want to meet?
I
don’t tend to seek out famous people generally. They probably don’t want to
hear from me. That said, I have corresponded with many authors whose books I
enjoyed. As my mother used to say, “It keeps the mails interesting!” I’ve
corresponded with Barbara Tuchman, Edward Abbey and John McPhee, among others.
My parents produced five anthologies that they wanted to use in their college
courses in the 1960s and 70s. When I was cleaning out their house after they
died, I found a file filled with letters from authors they had written to ask
for permissions to use one of their stories. It was a treasure trove for a
writer. Handwritten and signed letters on many interesting topics from the
likes of Saul Bellow, Wright Morris, Heinz Huber and Thomas Pynchon, among
others. I still have them, carefully preserved.
Q: Do you
have any hidden talents?
I
like to believe I have a few talents, but I had to put on my thinking cap to
come up with one that is hidden. Usually if I have a talent, I don’t
mind…ahem…other people knowing about it. I’m pretty good with a Yo-Yo, and I
can juggle, but few people know about these, as I tend to only do them at home
as a way to avoid sitting down at the word processor.
Q: What are three things that your fans would be surprised
to find out about you?
You
mean beyond the Yo-Yo? My father was
Canadian, and I consider Nova Scotia my second home. We have a cottage there
where I have spent parts of every summer since I was a baby. It has some of the
best sea kayaking in the world.
I
never write anywhere except my desktop computer. People often ask if I write in
exotic places I have visited. The answer is no. When I am someplace exotic, I
want to focus on experiencing the moment. I admit to taking notes, however, if
I learn something that fits well in whatever book I happen to be working on.
I
began writing fiction over thirty years ago, but my early writing successes
were in non-fiction. For years, I wrote a newspaper column about outdoor and
environmental subjects, which was later expanded into my first book.
About
Chris Angus
"Chris Angus specializes in
writing suspense thrillers/mysteries within a historical context, with subject
matter ranging from mysteries surrounding the Titanic, World War II, new DNA
discoveries, the threat of mutating pandemics and the debate between the world
views of creationism and basic science.
Chris is also the award-winning
author of several works of non-fiction, including Oswegatchie: A North Country
River (North Country Books--2006), The Extraordinary Adirondack Journey of
Clarence Petty: Wilderness Guide, Pilot and Conservationist (Syracuse
University Press—2002), Images of America: St. Lawrence County (Arcadia
Press—2001), and Reflections From Canoe Country (Syracuse University
Press—1997).
While London Underground is a work
of fiction, much of Chris’ precise writing style he showcases with his
nonfiction comes through. Chris released earlier this year his first fiction
novel, The Last Titanic Story, also available from Iguana Books, followed by
his second thriller Flypaper, from Cool Well Press. London Underground is
Chris’ third novel for 2012.
London Underground and The Last
Titanic Story are available from Iguana Books.com, Amazon and Barnes and Noble
on-line book stores. Flypaper is available from Cool Well Press."
Chris' author site is: http://chrisangus.iguanabooks.com/
London Underground can be purchased through all major on-line book stores as
well as with IguanaBooks.com as an ePub, Kindle or Print edition at: http://iguanabooks.com/books/london-underground-print-edition/
His first novel, The Last Titanic
Story, can be purchased through all major on-line book stores as well as
with IguanaBooks.com as an ePub, Kindle or Print edition at: http://iguanabooks.com/books/the-last-titanic-story-print-edition/.
Chris Angus can be found on
Goodreads and Facebook at
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