My second blog tour for today is for Columbkill Noonan’s Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab. I have an interview with the author herself.
Many thanks to Columbkill Noonan and to Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources for arranging the following interview…..
For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?
My books (the Barnabas Tew series) are a mash-up of good old-fashioned British detective stories mixed with a healthy dollop of mythological fantasy. The hero, Barnabas, is a bit bumbling, a bit particular, and a bit neurotic, but also very earnest and lovable.
Where did/do you get your ideas from?
That’s a great question, and I wish I could give you a definitive answer. The truth is that I don’t really know! Most of the time I just wake up and boom! There’s an idea. Very inconvenient when this happens at 3 am, by the way!
Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?
I think I take little bits and pieces from everyone I know and combine those pieces to come up with characters that have their own identity and personalities.
How do you pick your characters names?
The gods and goddesses in the books are easy….they already have names, and stories, and backgrounds. But I let the other characters name themselves, in a way. And when you read the books you’ll realize that there really was no other name that would suit Barnabas nearly so well!
Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?
I wake up, have some tea and fruit, and then settle down to write for a couple of hours. If I don’t do it in the morning I’ll never do it! And there’s always my cat on my lap. She absolutely will not let me write without her.
Who are your top 5 favourite authors?
Tolstoy, Camus, Stephen King, Clive Barker, Tolkien, George R.R. Martin (I know that’s 6 but I just couldn’t leave anyone out!)
If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?
Probably George R.R. Martin. I’d ask him when he’s going to finish the books (and I’d probably ask him to hurry up, please!)
Were you a big reader as a child?
Very much so. I loved books so much that I essentially taught myself to read when I was 4 so that I wouldn’t have to wait for someone to read to me. My sister and I particularly loved The Lord of the Rings…we had a silver baton, and we’d pretend it was “Sting”, and when light hit it we’d scream that the orcs were coming and run away. We also had some pet finches that we named Bilbo and Gandalf.
When did you start to write?
I tried writing when I was 5. Needless to say the result was more than a little absurd (a little dog who got lost on vacation had to make her way back to Maryland from the Himalayas…and did it!) But I started writing in earnest a few years ago, when I wrote my first “serious” short story and saw it published. That was very exciting for me since I never thought that would actually happen!
If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?
I don’t think I’d change an ending…it would make a completely different story to change the ending around, wouldn’t it?
Is there a book you wish you had written?
My work-in-progress, that I’ve been working on off-and-on for years, that is an epic story spanning a rather large swath of history. One day, maybe, I’ll finish it!
If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?
I don’t know what I’d call it, but I know that it would be a real tragi-comedy!
If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?
I would take Boromir from Lord of the Rings to this little organic juicery in Annapolis, Maryland. I really wonder what he’d make of it?
What are you working on right now?
The second Barnabas adventure (“Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Nine Worlds”) is getting ready to launch on September 4th, so I’m working on getting things ready for that. I’.m also about halfway through the third book. I’m hoping that it comes out sometime in 2019.
Do you have a new release due?
“Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Nine Worlds” picks up where “Missing Scarab” leaves off…but this time Barnabas and Wilfred are in the Viking afterlife. I loved writing Barnabas’ reactions to the Viking gods; they’re even more extreme than the Egyptian ones!
What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?
There’s a wonderful restaurant in Baltimore City that holds the most fabulous launch parties for me. It’s called One World Café, and they’re genius at coming up with themed parties. The party for “Missing Scarab” was a mix of Victorian and Egyptian themes, with a violinist from the Peabody Institute alongside a pretty realistic-looking mummy. The owner is coming up with a ton of amazing ideas for the launch of “Nine Worlds”, and I really can’t wait to see how it works out. And, besides, the food there is amazing!
How can readers keep in touch with you?
You can find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ColumbkillNoonan or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/columbkillnoon1
Is there anything else you would like us to know?
Just that the Barnabas series is light-hearted and fun…I wanted to create something that was amusing and uplifting. Read them with an expectation of whimsy!
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Columbkill 🙂
Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab
Barnabas Tew, a detective in Victorian London, is having a hard time making a name for himself, probably because most of his clients end up dead before he can solve their cases. His luck is about to change, though, for better or worse: Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead, notices him and calls him to the Egyptian underworld. A terrible kidnapping has occurred; one that promises to put an end to the status quo and could perhaps even put an end to the entire world. It is up to Barnabas (along with his trusty assistant, Wilfred) to discover the culprit and set things to right. Can he turn his luck around and solve the most important case of his life?
Purchase Link – mybook.to/Barnabas
Author Bio –
Columbkill Noonan lives in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, where she teaches yoga and Anatomy and Physiology. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. Her first novel, “Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab” by Crooked Cat Books, was released in 2017, and her latest work, “Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Nine Worlds”, is set to be released in September 2018.
In her spare time, Columbkill enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, aerial yoga, and riding her rescue horse, Mittens. To learn more about Columbkill please feel free to visit her website (www.columbkill.weebly.com), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ColumbkillNoonan) or on Twitter (@ColumbkillNoon1).
Social Media Links – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColumbkillNoonan/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/columbkillnoon1?lang=en
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