After an eight week hiatus, I’m back with another Sunday Speed Date! This week I have award winning welcome author Assaph Mehr.
Assaph has been a bibliophile since he learnt to read at the age of five, and a Romanophile ever since he first got his hands on Asterix, way back in elementary school. This exacerbated when his parents took him on a trip to Rome and Italy – he whinged horribly when they dragged him to “yet another church with baby angels on the ceiling”, yet was happy to skip all day around ancient ruins and museums for Etruscan art.
He has since been feeding his addiction for books with stories of mystery and fantasy of all kinds. A few years ago he randomly picked a copy of a Lindsay Davis’ Marcus Didius Falco novel in a used book fair, and fell in love with Rome all over again, this time from the view-point of a cynical adult. His main influences in writing are Steven Saylor, Lindsey Davis, Barry Hughart and Boris Akunin.
Assaph now lives in Sydney, Australia with his wife Julia, four kids and two cats. By day he is a software product manager, bridging the gap between developers and users, and by night he’s writing – he seems to do his best writing after midnight.
First, can you tell us a little something fun that’s not in your bio?
Looking for some inside gossip? I used to play LARP (live action role-playing). One of my favourite memories was playing a ghost (as part of the plot). This was way back in Israel, and we played next to an old ruined fort (the high walls were Ottoman, but like everywhere else in Israel you can dig down through the ages, through Roman paving down to an Egyptian settlement).
It was a great fun to play fantasy at night, next to a real fort, scaring other players silly. However, let me tell you, rubbing white clown make-up out of your eyelids at 3am with harsh laundry stain remover is not as fun as it sounds.
Ouch! Up until that last bit it all sounded rather fun!
Where are you currently living? What do you like/dislike about it?
Currently living in Sydney, Australia. It’s a great city in a great country.
Pros: Awesome place to raise kids, balance work and leisure, and generally have a good life.
Cons: Officially the 2nd most expensive place on Earth, and just so far away from anything else.
Oy, I hear you on expensive places to live…
Tell us your latest non-writing news?
Moved house recently. It’s a great place, with a wonderful back yard for the kids. Quite picturesque. I’ve taken a quick pause from writing Felix’s adventures to write a short essay about it in a Gerald Durrell-esque naturalist style…
Read it on my blog here, though I must give the following trigger warning: contains wild hilarity and leeches.
I’m intrigued! I’m all for hilarity, though the leeches are a little frightening.
What book are you reading now? (please include author and genre). Why did you choose this particular book?
Currently reading “SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome” by Mary Beard. This is a non-fiction book, about Rome’s history from it’s sketchy beginnings to the start of the 3rd century CE. Beard is attempting to review what made Rome so unique, why it is important to our world still.
It’s probably not the first book you should about Rome’s history, as it contains a lot of review about how much do we actually know, how much of it is dubious, and how much is conjecture. That said, Beard does a wonderful job of covering a lot of elements of Roman history and life in a very conversational and accessible tone.
After that, I think I will go back to alternating between the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (so many readers have mentioned Felix reminds them of Harry Dresden in a Toga), and the Medicus Roman Mysteries series by Ruth Downie (which is an absolute pleasure to read).
I do the same thing–alternate research reading and pleasure reading. I reward myself with a pleasure read after I finish my research.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
In no particular order: family, kids, day-job, occasional martial arts practice, reading.
That’s sounds like a good way to keep yourself grounded, and family is always first.
Do you write on a typewriter, computer, dictate or longhand?
I dictate to a group of dedicated gnomes, who perfectly transcribe and edit the manuscript… Or I use Scrivener, whilst on the train. Either-or.
I need to get some gnomes of my own! I bet they’re an Australia thing, aren’t they?
Are you a full-time or part-time writer? How does that affect your writing?
Part time – this is still a hobby. It affects my writing by limiting the amount of writing I can do in a given week.
It’s a struggle for sure. I”m with you on this one for sure.
What inspires your writing?
Honestly, I’ve always wanted to write a novel. Seeing my name in print has been on my bucket-list for as long as I can remember. Then two years ago my wife complained one evening that she finished all the books she wanted to read, so I started writing a book for her – and I haven’t stopped since!
In terms of ideas and influences, those are easy to come by. I read a lot, and have a few authors whose work I admire. Ideas are all around us – the key is to work on them until they become real.
What a lovely story! I would love to write a story for someone sometime. It’s such a gift to give. :)
Tell us a little about Murder in Absentia. How did you get the idea to blend ancient Rome with magic?
Quite simply, Murder In Absentia is the story I always wanted to read. I grew up on classic Sci-Fi and Fantasy. I read a lot of detectives and thrillers. In recent years I fell in love, again, with historical fiction set in ancient Rome (particularly mysteries).
Murder In Absentia combines all those. It is an urban-fantasy style detective, dealing with the occult world, but set in a fantasy world that is based on ancient Rome.
I’ve had the idea for the mystery behind it kicking around in my head for a while. It was not originally set in ancient Rome, but when it came time to write that felt the most natural and most interesting environment to me.
As for the story itself, I’ll leave that to the blurb:
A young man is found dead in his bed, with a look of extreme agony on his face and strange tattoos all over his body. His distraught senator father suspects foul play, and knows who to call on.
Enter Felix the Fox, a professional investigator. In the business of ferreting out dark information for his clients, Felix is neither a traditional detective nor a traditional magician – but something in between. Drawing on his experience of dealing with the shady elements of society and his aborted education in the magical arts, Felix dons his toga and sets out to discover the young man’s killers.
Murder in absentia is set in a fantasy world. The city of Egretia borrows elements from a thousand years of ancient Roman culture, from the founding of Rome to the late empire, mixed with a judicious amount of magic. This is a story of a cynical, hardboiled detective dealing with anything from daily life to the old forces roaming the world.
This is a story of Togas, Daggers and Magic – for lovers of Murder Mysteries, Ancient Rome and Urban Fantasy.
Wow. That sounds intriguing. I love the mystery element to it. Something to keep readers on their toes.
What is one thing you want people to know about your writing?
That it’s not me, it’s Felix – I’m just writing his memoirs… :)
I do publish short stories on my blog, to give readers a taste of my writing style (plus there are always free samples on Amazon and Goodreads). You can find the shorts free on my blog. I’d love it if you tried, and left a comment about what you think!
I say that all the time. It’s not my story, I’m just a conduit for these stories to be told.
Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?
Felix (aka Spurius Vulpius Felix, aka Felix the Fox) is a classic hardboiled detective, but dealing with cases where there is a need for someone who knows a bit of magic (and isn’t too fussed about the law).
He started to study magic, but had to quit when he couldn’t pay tuition. His stint in the legions was decisively short. He learnt his craft from a couple of detectives (homages to my favourite Roman detectives). He knows just enough to connect the dots and get things done, though he’s by far not a master at anything.
Also, he’ll never pass on a free meal.
I like him already!
Congratulations on Murder in Absentia winning so many awards! Can you tell us a little about the awards it has won so far?
In Virtual FantasyCon 2016, Murder In Absentia was voted the following awards:
- 1st place – Favourite Dark Fantasy Book
- 1st place – Favourite Dark Fantasy Author
- 2nd place – Favourite Urban Fantasy Book
- 2nd place – Favourite Urban Fantasy Author
- 3rd place – Favourite Fantasy Series (for the novel and short stories)
Recently it was also votes #1 on Goodreads’ list of Indie Books Worth the Read.
That’s pretty impressive. Congratulations once again!
Would you like to live in the world that your story takes place in?
Lovely thought, but I’ll probably pass. I prefer to live in a world with modern hygiene arrangements, and proper medical science.
I feel the same way. There is something to be said about modern conveniences!
What’s your favorite line from any book or movie?
Can I quote one of mine? This line got me so excited, I started two unrelated short stories with it:
“Never practice magic when you’re drunk.”
That’s a good one! I can see where that can lead to so much trouble fun. lol
What was your favorite toy when you were a kid?
When I was three my grandparents got me a cement-mixer truck, which I absolutely adored. I loved big, noisy trucks. But then I grew up and discovered books, and have been reading since I learnt how to read.
We never really forget our first toy, do we?
What is your favourite writing advice?
Write. Just write. However much you can, as often as you can, but just keep writing.
Absolutely. That is the one piece of writing advice that many people take for granted.
What project is next on the horizon for you?
I’m currently drafting the second full-length Felix mystery. Going a bit slower than the first, on account of new baby (adorable) and new house (finally). But it’s getting there!
It’s a tale of haunted houses and household gods. After that I have a few other novels planned for Felix.
I’m glad you’re sticking in this world for a bit. I get the feeling I’m going to like Felix and his stories. :)
Where can we find out more about you and what you write? Feel free to include any social media links you are active on.
Facebook ~ Twitter ~ G+ ~ Goodreads ~ Pinterest ~ Instagram ~ Amazon Author Page
Wonderful! I can’t wait to see you around online.
3 comments