{"id":1215,"date":"2018-06-10T20:19:36","date_gmt":"2018-06-10T20:19:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/?p=1215"},"modified":"2020-08-09T16:22:05","modified_gmt":"2020-08-09T16:22:05","slug":"behind-the-story-book-of-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/?p=1215","title":{"rendered":"Borgias, Bother, and Bad Ideas: Behind “Book of Hours”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>So I had this idea for a novel.<\/p>\n

There was this gentleman thief, see, and he needed to steal something. Wait. There was more. This something, see, was hidden in the pit network underneath the Colosseum. The hypogeum, if you’re into archeology<\/a>. A caper in front of ten thousand tourists. Say crooks or spies did drop exchanges there, payoff money or hacked secrets. Glam Rome, high stakes, chases through crumbling passages. Toss in the yucks. It sells itself, right?<\/p>\n

Some ideas know better than to come together. I worked on the first draft, got 15,000 words in. And froze. Several times. Even with the leeway of a comic premise, story problems kept clogging the works. No thief, see, could get past modern security<\/a>, polizia<\/em> squads, and ten thousand smart phone cameras. And why the hell would any mobster anywhere choose the Colosseum to stash diamonds or jump drives? The pits where tour groups flock through all the Italian day? Out of a million less complicated alternatives? No, my idea wouldn\u2019t be selling itself.<\/p>\n

\"\"But the first chapter worked. It stood alone more or less, no Colosseum-sized plot problems. Our hero, see, just had to steal something stealable from a place such things get stolen from. A super-valuable book. The scene zipped like a Bond movie opening, a slam bang action setpiece launching into the main plot.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d last left our hero in a bad way. Ed, our once-brash gent, had been outfoxed by a mademoiselle high on Holmesian deduction and low on morals (\u201cAix to Grind,\u201d<\/a> AHMM<\/em> September 2014). Now a few months later, Ed is in crushing debt to the Corsican mob for his Aix sins, and worse, he’s in the cold, cold clutches of the Marchesa Isabella Ruggieri. In “Aix,” Ed bragged over stealing a haul from her. The haul, it turns out, were personal treasures at the dark heart of her Borgia bloodline<\/a> fixation. She\u2019s guaranteed his debt for now, provided he steal her heirlooms back. Rapidamente<\/em>.<\/p>\n

So. The Marchesa has sleuthed out the location of her biggest Borgia prize, a medieval book of hours<\/a>. It’s a prayer devotional, lots of ornate inlay and artwork if commissioned for the wealthy. In Ed’s case, for Pope Alexander VI. As fiction does, things get worse. The devotional has landed at a book collector\u2019s Alpine villa, the sort of book collector who doesn\u2019t blink at offers lacking, shall we say, clear provenance. The villa has the sort of intense security that such a collector would deploy. And Ed’s forced-upon partner for the heist pretty clearly wants to kill him. <\/p>\n

In what was pure delusion, I figured the rewrite from chapter to story should go smoothly. As a short story, \u201cBook of Hours\u201d could just be its singular self, from catchy opener to rising action to big honking finale. Draft after draft kept coming out flat. The elements were there, sure, but not there there. It was all outer Ed, still a slambang chapter one setting up a pay-off that wasn\u2019t coming. <\/p>\n

\"\"
Pope Alexander (Wikipedia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Okay, then. Make it about something. Sounds easy. It never is. Through multiple hair-tugging bouts and shoves away from the computer, after much angst and printer ink, I finally remembered to do what I should\u2019ve done in the first place: deepen what Inner Ed needed to gain from his night of Borgia hunting. And what did Ed lack at this, his feast of consequences?<\/p>\n

Pride. Ed needed to regain a hint of his swagger from \u201cAix.\u201d With pride would come hope. A just-maybe belief he can score enough money to pay off the Corsicans or outwit the Marchesa.  Not confidence all at once, but built in steps over 5,000 words. <\/p>\n

\"\"And whether by luck or instinct, the novel opening pitted Ed versus a terrific foil: Corsican foot soldier Cassius who’s babysitting during the caper. Where Ed uses wit, Cassius speaks in grunts. Where Ed aspires to artistry, Cassius is a blunt instrument. Ed knows his manuscripts and the monks who crafted them. Cassius sees only quick cash. When \u201cHours\u201d opens, Ed isn\u2019t all that engaged in the crime. Why bother? Sure as sunrise, if Cassius doesn’t pop Ed that night, someone else pops him soon enough. But Cassius bungles through the job, even damages the haul, which increasingly irritates–and awakes–the professional in Ed.  <\/p>\n

Wounded pride. It\u2019s enough to bring a gentleman thief back to thieving. And make him a lot less gentlemanly.<\/p>\n

END<\/p>\n

\u201cBook of Hours\u201d appears in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine<\/em>, Jul\/Aug 2018.<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So I had this idea for a novel. There was this gentleman thief, see, and he needed to steal something. Wait. There was more. This something, see, was hidden in the pit network underneath the Colosseum. The hypogeum, if you’re into archeology. A caper in front of ten thousand tourists. Say crooks or spies did… Continue reading Borgias, Bother, and Bad Ideas: Behind “Book of Hours”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1259,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10,92,6],"tags":[66,75,65,145,9,144,3],"class_list":["post-1215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime-mystery-and-suspense","category-short-stories","category-this-whole-writing-thing","tag-aix-to-grind","tag-alfred-hitchcock-mystery-magazine","tag-behind-the-story","tag-borgias","tag-crime-fiction","tag-italy","tag-short-stories","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robertmangeot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/AHMM-JulAug18-Book-of-Hours-first-version.png?fit=1125%2C1628&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3CG0W-jB","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2572,"url":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/?p=2572","url_meta":{"origin":1215,"position":0},"title":"2024 So Far:","author":"rtmcontrol","date":"March 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The new year isn't new anymore. 2024 has had some haps. Here's a few things going on, writing-wise. Murder, Neat A few years ago, the Sleuthsayers blog collective set out on a plan. An anthology plan. The Sleuthsayers ranks includes a few dozen terrific writers all with a love for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Crime, Mystery & Suspense"","block_context":{"text":"Crime, Mystery & Suspense","link":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robertmangeot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Murder-Neat-2024-Sleuthsayers-1-682x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":968,"url":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/?p=968","url_meta":{"origin":1215,"position":1},"title":"Derringer-ered!","author":"rtmcontrol","date":"April 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm incredibly proud\u00a0 that last year's\u00a0\"The Cumberland Package\"\u00a0(AHMM, May 2016) has been named a finalist for the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Derringer Awards.\u00a0 I mean, like busting-at-seams proud. Of being named, because the crime\u00a0space these days is terrific in\u00a0its voice\u00a0and depth. The\u00a0stuff that leaves me vibrating explores\u00a0in stark terms\u00a0human nature\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Crime, Mystery & Suspense"","block_context":{"text":"Crime, Mystery & Suspense","link":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":245,"url":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/?p=245","url_meta":{"origin":1215,"position":2},"title":"Behind the Short Story: “Whorling”","author":"rtmcontrol","date":"February 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Albert Einstein--you know,\u00a0he of\u00a0the supercomputer brain--once dished out this observation on the universe: \"Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.\" Well said, but only half said.\u00a0Sure, gravity doesn't make people weak-kneed in love, but some force does, internal or external.\u00a0Einstein didn't\u00a0name the cause\u00a0because he didn't know it. No\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cathcart"","block_context":{"text":"Cathcart","link":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2378,"url":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/?p=2378","url_meta":{"origin":1215,"position":3},"title":"Snack and Snack Again: Behind “Vinny Two Snacks”","author":"rtmcontrol","date":"April 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I eat lunch early. That started as a work necessity that became a habit that became a daily rule. Eat lunch early and you're secure against or at least fed for mid-day surprises. Of course, if you eat lunch early, there might come a major afternoon fade. One such two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Awards and Honors"","block_context":{"text":"Awards and Honors","link":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robertmangeot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/P1011897-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":555,"url":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/?p=555","url_meta":{"origin":1215,"position":4},"title":"Behind: “Two Bad Hamiltons and a Hirsute Jackson”","author":"rtmcontrol","date":"March 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Violet Celucci is a better angel and\u00a0an inner demon.\u00a0A frigging genius is how Vi might describe herself, a bastion of sanity in a disorderly world, a process improvement-seeking missile.\u00a0An over-obsessed stickler for\u00a0efficiency is how she\u2019d never describe herself.\u00a0Sorry, Vi.\u00a0The truth hurts, and so\u00a0can life. Tough as you are,\u00a0I see the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Crime, Mystery & Suspense"","block_context":{"text":"Crime, Mystery & Suspense","link":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fleur de lis","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robertmangeot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Fleur-de-lis-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2545,"url":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/?p=2545","url_meta":{"origin":1215,"position":5},"title":"2023, A Funny Sort of Year","author":"rtmcontrol","date":"December 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"We all beat our drums about what's important to us. Humor is important to me, in life and in writing. Not surprisingly then, a drum I beat when talking writing is the serious business of humor. To write with humor's lens is to load more rocks into the burden sack,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Awards and Honors"","block_context":{"text":"Awards and Honors","link":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robertmangeot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Slide3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robertmangeot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Slide3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robertmangeot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Slide3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robertmangeot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Slide3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1215"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1620,"href":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215\/revisions\/1620"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertmangeot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}