Bio:

Michael is a classically trained artist who has been painting for over 30 years. He’s done numerous commissions, illustrations for national products and co-authored and illustrated a children's book. By combining his creative talents with a passion for art and antiquities he conceived the fictional world of the East London Adventurers Club, home to The Ernie Bisquets Mystery Series. Michael has completed 2 books in the series and is finalizing the third. He has plans for at least five additional books following the adventurers of this remarkable group of London irregulars. His short story “Oranges and Lemons” was recently published in Suspense Magazine, January 2011. Michael is a proud member of the Crime Writer’s Association.

About the books:

The first book in the Ernie Bisquets Mystery Series, “Along Came A Fifer,” was published July 2009 by Asylett Press. It introduces Ernie Bisquets, a retired London pickpocket who put his hand in a pocket and pulled out a murder. Together with Nigel Coats and Lily Jean Corbitt the East London Adventurers Club is drawn into a dangerous journey through the streets of London and Paris, exposing the darker side of the art world.

Ernie Bisquets, Lily Jean Corbitt and Nigel Coats return in the second Ernie Bisquets Mystery, greeted by an even more engaging group of characters than they came across in the first book, as they dodge murder and mayhem in “Rook, Rhyme & Sinker,” released January 2011. Ernie’s daily routine is interrupted by the apparent suicide of an old school mate. What surprises him even more was the bequeath left to him by the deceased - an old nursery rhyme and one of the lost Lewis Chessmen. Confused about the connection, the group starts to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death. They soon find it was murder, and that leads to the discovery of a second hoard of these enigmatic little figures hidden in a St. Ives bridge. What they didn’t realize was an unscrupulous antique dealer, who has been searching for this lost hoard for decades, is shadowing their every move.

The third book in the series, “Quarter Past Death,” is nearing completion. It seems our friend's lives are going to be disrupted once again with the murder of a local secretary in London’s East End. Inspector Flannel is called to the crime scene by Prophet Brown, a disfigured, pathetic little man who happened upon the body of the young girl. Flannel reluctantly turns to Ernie for help. After checking into the girls background Flannel discovers she isn't at all the innocent girl she appears to be. What is more alarming is the young girl and the murder scene fit the profile of five other victims of an 8-year-old unsolved case.

Current project- a new series:

“Surface Waves” is the first book in a new suspense series, situated in a small New England town. It introduces Alice Norbury, the town matriarch, and Hank Parker, a discredited hydrologic technician with the USGS. Anticipated release– as soon as I find an agent.

Link to latest book release- Rook, Rhyme & Sinker:
http://www.amazon.com/Rook-Rhyme-Sinker-Michael-Phillips/dp/1934337986/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311434106&sr=8-1

Link to web site:
http://www.eastlondonadventurersclub.com/

Link to Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/R-Michael-Phillips/104782886282707

Link to blog:
http://rmichael-fifer.blogspot.com/

What genres do you write?

I’ve always been fascinated with mysteries; I consider them a whetstone for the brain. When the fit to write came upon me it was an easy choice. The artistic license I took with the genre was combining the feel of Victorian characters with a contemporary setting. London was the natural choice for staging the mysteries.

How long have you been writing, and how long did it take you to publish your first book?

I’ve been an artist all my life, so I was quite surprised when the idea to write a book came upon me. I first took up the pen in 2005. What started as a “What if...” as I was working on a painting soon turned into an outline for a book. Oddly enough, I was painting a copy of a Manet for an antique frame I had just acquired. Painting is such a solitary pursuit it’s not odd for the mind to wonder as you toil away. By the time I finished the painting I had a complete outline for a mystery, which in time would surprise me even more by turning into the first book in a series. It took two years to write the book. Another year of rejections before a small independent publisher, Asylett Press, contracted to publish the book. In the summer of 2009 my “What if...” was launched and landed on the mystery shelf.

How long does it take you to write a book?

The first one was the tough one. As I mentioned, it took two years to write it, with a great deal of that time being spent figuring out how to write it. I read books on plotting, took an incredibly extensive course on sentence structure, and traveled back and forth to London so I could accurately portray the scenes. I’m happy to say that time was well spent. With the characters and their back-stories established the storyline goes much quicker now for the Ernie Bisquets Mystery Series. From idea, to first draft, to edited manuscript I’ll work on a story for about a year. The new series is a different story; it’s a thriller instead of an English cozy. I have a whole new set of characters, so I expect this to extend out more towards two years. In order to write the first book in the new series I need to create the complete back-stories for all the characters. This will take time, especially writing in conjunction with the other series.

How do you create the back-stories for your characters?

Spend any amount of time on a train platform and you’ll come across enough characters to fill volumes. I make a quick sketch, combining the appearance of two or three people standing about, then the fun begins–constructing a background that explains my perception of their outward appearance. Even though the internet has more than enough “Character Development” forms to download I took my cue from the on-line dating sites. They get right to the heart of an individual’s character, though I doubt anyone would be standing in line to date some of my characters after they filled out the questionnaire. For example, lets take Maunder, a tertiary character in Along Came A Fifer. He appears only twice but it’s his back-story that establishes his importance to the story.

Name: Maunder

Basics: A vile little man, devoid of friend and conscience; his character is as crooked as his smile; doesn’t drink, but is often the topic of conversation in the local pubs.

Appearance: He is just short of five feet, but every inch looking meaner than the one below it; his right eye droops, and the scar on his cheek and notch of skin torn from his left ear give further testimony to a life lived hard and without compromise; disheveled attire, usually in a stained undershirt, waistcoat and tattered dressing gown.

Hobbies: To say he read the daily papers is an understatement. He dissected them, line-by-line and word-by-word. He can read an obscure article in the classifieds relating to a grieving woman’s attempt to locate a lost article and by the time he was done he would know who nicked it and how much they got for it; the gathering of information was nothing more than a hobby that filled his otherwise empty afternoons.

Sociability: He very rarely leaves his flat in the church building by St. Paul’s; women find him most unnerving, cringing at the sight of his lascivious glare and fending off his endless advances; not the type to invite over for high tea, but if someone nicked your silver tea service it’s a good bet he’d know where to find it.

Etc, etc, etc. It’s not a stretch to say if you were daring enough to call on him while he was enjoying his Elevenses you would find him snarling with bits of beef in his teeth, wiping his hand on his dressing gown while considering whether or not to shake yours.

Where do you get your character names?

I use working names at first while I’m developing the characters. As I establish their backgrounds and character traits the final names usually suggest themselves.

Where do you get your inspiration for a book? How do you get your ideas?

The ideas I’ve turned into books have come from obscure historical references or newspaper articles I’ve read. Most have nothing to do with mysteries, I just found them interesting. Once again, after reading something that caught my attention I drift off into one of those “What if...” moments, and a mystery is born.

What's your writing process?

My writing process is a great deal like my painting process. I start with an idea of what I want the final painting to look like, fill my pallet with color, make a basic sketch on the canvas, and begin to paint.  To write, I use a keyboard instead of a brush. Once I have the idea for a book I start with a cast of characters, sketch out a bare-bones outline, and begin to write. I write the final chapter first, and then start at the beginning. The characters lead me through the story; my job is to keep their progress directed toward the final chapter. Half the fun is allowing them to get sidetracked as the story progresses. It adds another dimension to the story and gives me, and hopefully the reader, more to think about than just the current situation.

What does your family think about your writing? How do they support you in your writing endeavors?

My wife, who I should mention is an avid reader, is incredibly supportive and always ready to listen when I’m stuck getting from point A to point B in a story. We’re usually driving somewhere when I start to explain a dilemma one on my characters has found them self in. She listens, tosses in a suggestion or two, and we work though it. My enthusiasm for the story doesn’t go unnoticed. There is always that pause at the end when she says, “You know these characters aren’t real, right?”

When and where do you do the bulk of your writing?

We own a wonderful Victorian, filled with rooms of assorted character. I took a small bedroom on the second floor and converted it into a study. It was a sleeping porch at one point in the home’s history that was converted to a bedroom. It has windows on three sides, affording me bright sunshine, dark and stormy nights, and everything in between. Along the back wall is a bookcase filled with reference and a desk in the center looking out over the grounds. I do all of my writing there, occasionally wandering the halls like Marley’s ghost when I’m working through a scene.

Do you belong to a critique group or other writing group? How helpful do you find it?

No, and not much at all. To be perfectly honest with you–and this will certainly not make me popular in those circles–I feel they do as much harm as good. Part of being a writer is the journey. It’s finding your own voice, not having a group decided what your voice should be. Your writing would benefit more by seeking out a professional editor, someone who really understands the journey.

What is the best reader or reviewer comment you've ever received?

The most exciting review I received was for my first book. It was reviewed by Hidden Staircase Mystery Books: “Along Came A Fifer...the characters and their manner of speaking, the description of buildings and locations, even the cadence of the narrative, all evoke a Victorian, at times Holmesian, style. It's really quite remarkable.” 

What advice would you give a new writer?

 If you feel so compelled to put your story on paper, do not let anyone or anything distract you from achieving your goals. You will stumble, you will fall, but you will get up and be a better writer for having experienced every aspect of the writing process. There are no shortcuts, and the road is lousy with rejections. Always remember- the world is filled with writers, but it is the ones who believe in their work and never give up who become authors.