Please join Colin Falconer as he tours the blogosphere for the first book in his William Shakespeare Detective Agency series, The School of Night, from January 10-February 6. Publication Date: October 7, 2014
Cool Gus Publishing Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 168
Series: The William Shakespeare Detective Agency
Genre: Historical Mystery
"My name is William Shakespeare. No, not that Shakespeare; and no jests please, I’ve heard them all. I’m the other one, the ne’er do well cousin, the loafer, known to family and friends as the dunce, the one who could not recite Cicero or Horace, who could never be as good as his clever cuz, the one who has just come to Bishopsgate from Stratford with silly dreams in his head and a longing to make something more of himself than just a glover’s handyman.”
What he finds in London is Lady Elizabeth Talbot, who is willing to pass a few shillings to this blundering brawler if he will help her find her husband. Poor William does not realize the trail will lead to the truth behind the death of Shakespeare’s great rival, Christopher Marlowe - or to a lifelong love affair with a woman far above his station.
Each book tells the story of William’s adventures as England’s first gumshoe, set against turbulent Elizabethan politics; of his romantic pursuit of the impossible Elizabeth Talbot; while charting the career of his up and coming dramatist cousin, the bard of Stratford, but just Will to his family.
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Q&A with Author Colin Falconer
Do you share any
personality traits with William Shakespeare?
With William Shakespeare (no, not that one - his cousin)? I guess
we share a few traits - William has a tortoise and the hare complex and I’m
like that, I see myself as the tortoise. William is always batting out of his
league with women and is astonished when he succeeds, as he does with the
delectable Lady Walsall. That’s me too. And William has a sense of humor and I
don’t know what I’d do without mine. I’m not a big doofus like him, though, and
I’m not a country boy - I was a London boy, my mother was a Cockney.
Do you have to be alone
or have quiet to write?
No, in fact I prefer it when there’s people, light and noise. The
only thing I hate about writing is that it’s a solitary pursuit and I am by
nature a sociable person. (Not an extrovert, I just like being around people.)
So sometimes I will take myself off to the local bar or coffee shop and work
there. One of my strengths is focus - there can be a fight start in the main
bar and I won’t even lose the thread of the sentence, never mind the plot.
Favorite place?
Istanbul. It’s featured in two of my books, HAREM and ISTANBUL. I
think it’s the most beautiful city in the world. The Aya Sofia is the most
stunning building I have ever seen. I literally stood with my mouth open the
first time I walked in there. A Turkish publisher once took me to dinner in
this little restaurant in Byoglu overlooking the Golden Horn and the Galata
Bridge, at sunset I think it is the most beautiful view in the world, looking
from the Tower of Justice in the Topkapi to the Sulemaniye in the old quarter.
Its history, its people, its romance - stunning.
What
else have you written?
I’ve
had over forty books in print, I now have a list of about 32 books on Amazon, I
have two new novels out next year, COLOSSUS is being published in New York and
ISABELLA with Lake Union. I have been translated into 23 languages. I have a
very active blog. I guess it’s probably too late to think about getting a proper
job.
Impressive! Do you work to an
outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
I
used to just let ideas just take me somewhere until I started doing it for a
living.Then I found a better way. I had to otherwise my kids would have starved.
What is your favorite
non-writing pastime?
I
play guitar, I’ve just started indoor climbing, I’m learning Spanish and I’m
still trying to learn tango, which I think is the sexiest, most sensual dance
ever invented. Anything that gets me out of the house after I’ve done my 5,000
words. And I’m back in training - it’s either back to Pamplona for the bulls or
the Kokoda Trail.
Born in London, Colin first trialed as a professional football player in England, and was eventually brought to Australia. He went to Sydney and worked in TV and radio and freelanced for many of Australia’s leading newspapers and magazines. He has published over twenty novels and his work has so far been translated into 23 languages.
He travels regularly to research his novels and his quest for authenticity has led him to run with the bulls in Pamplona, pursue tornadoes across Oklahoma and black witches across Mexico, go cage shark diving in South Africa and get tear gassed in a riot in La Paz.
He currently lives in Barcelona.
For more information please visit Colin Falconer’s website. You can also find him on Facebook or follow on Twitter. 
The School of Night Blog Tour Schedule
Saturday, January 10
Spotlight at Historical Readings and Views
Monday, January 12
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Tuesday, January 13
Spotlight at Layered Pages
Thursday, January 15
Interview at Teddy Rose Book Reviews
Friday, January 16
Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews
Monday, January 19
Spotlight at Susan Heim on Writing
Tuesday, January 20
Review at Book Nerd
Thursday, January 22
Review at Just One More Chapter
Friday, January 23
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation
Saturday, January 24
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Obsession
Sunday, January 25
Review at Beth's Book Nook Blog
Monday, January 26
Review at Boom Baby Reviews
Wednesday, January 28
Review at Carpe Librum
Thursday, January 29
Interview at Mina's Bookshelf
Interview at Books and Benches
Spotlight at The Never-Ending Book
Friday, January 30
Review at Brooke Blogs
Friday, February 6
Spotlight at Passages to the Past
