A medieval murder mystery entwines an abbess, a leper, a whore and an undertaker in a twisted tale of medical intrigue. The Doom of St. Amalie is a 318 page novel inspired by three classic works of modern fiction in which authors have focused their work around the building of a fictional community.
1) Master's Spoon River Anthology: where each chapter is told from the view point of a different citizen
2) Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose: a classic 14th Century Murder Mystery in which the intimacies of monks and monasteries are revealed.
3) Robert Lynn Aspirin's Thieves World: another anthology were the plot unravels through the a series of seemingly unrelated communal short stories.
This device, a deviation from a technique sometimes described as "world building" in science fiction and horror genres, allows the weaving of an unusually rich and vibrant plot by adding additional dimensionality to the work. Readers experience and uncover the plot slowly by perceiving it first through one character's perspective, then the next, and so on, until finally the mystery and the ambiance of St. Amalie is fully revealed.
You can read the first six chapters of the book by clicking here
We are currently ordering copies for autographed sale but honestly, my autograph isn't worth that much (and I am a physician so it's not all that legible). Still, if anybody wants one, we'll make them available for cost ($17.00 + $2.00 book shipping). Orders can be sent to Cherubs dot gordon at gmail dot com.
The book is also illustrated (one charcoal illustration for each of the 30 chapters plus the cover art). I am entertaining the idea of selling those as well. They are hand drawn. I do not think they are particularly art worthy, although I find them remarkable because five years ago my right hand was paralyzed. The fact that I can draw again, albeit not nearly as good as I once could is something of a miracle to me. I suppose their only real value would be speculative, if I someday become a famous author, then perhaps they might be a reasonable investment. Meanwhile, in the real world, if somebody falls in love with a character or a chapter and would like to have a chapter illustration, I'll sell them for $30 (shipping included). The cover drawing is a bit more intricate and I'm planning on having it framed. If anybody wants that, I'm asking $200.
I am planning to sell them as is (if anybody wants to buy them). I will retain the copyright for the purpose of reproduction with Doom and all other promotion related used of the images. The buyer gets the original, not a piece of the action. I'm going to post examples in the sidebar to the right so that people can see them.
The book is also illustrated (one charcoal illustration for each of the 30 chapters plus the cover art). I am entertaining the idea of selling those as well. They are hand drawn. I do not think they are particularly art worthy, although I find them remarkable because five years ago my right hand was paralyzed. The fact that I can draw again, albeit not nearly as good as I once could is something of a miracle to me. I suppose their only real value would be speculative, if I someday become a famous author, then perhaps they might be a reasonable investment. Meanwhile, in the real world, if somebody falls in love with a character or a chapter and would like to have a chapter illustration, I'll sell them for $30 (shipping included). The cover drawing is a bit more intricate and I'm planning on having it framed. If anybody wants that, I'm asking $200.
I am planning to sell them as is (if anybody wants to buy them). I will retain the copyright for the purpose of reproduction with Doom and all other promotion related used of the images. The buyer gets the original, not a piece of the action. I'm going to post examples in the sidebar to the right so that people can see them.
