By Jean Henry Mead
The last thing a writer worries about when signing a publishing contract is “What if my publisher dies?” It happened to me in late July after I had repeatedly attempted to cancel my contract for nonpayment of royalties. The worst part was watching my book sales increase, knowing that I wasn’t getting paid for them.
My blog partner Ben Small offered advice and the Author’s Guild's legal department wrote the publisher a letter requesting a contract cancellation. The letter was ignored. A month later the publisher died and I have to admit to mixed emotions.
What can a writer do when faced with a defunct publishing company and three orphaned books? Although I notified Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and Fictionwise, they were no in a hurry to take my books offline so that I could resell them. So I asked a small press publisher for advice and she helped by notifying people she knew at BN.com and Fictionwise, which promptly took my books down. We then went after Amazon. In the meantime, the publisher's former vice president sent out revisions of rights to all the writers involved, and also notified Amazon of the death of her former boss. Fortunately, the deceased publisher had no living relatives to contest the business closure, or prevent the writers from reselling their books. It could have happened.
Writers know how difficult it is to resell orphaned books, especially in the middle of a series, so I decided to form my own imprint, Medallion Books, and try indie publishing. I'm also running a series at my Mysterious Writers blog to learn how other indie publishers are faring. L.J. Sellers, who made a name for herself in independent publishing, was featured last month, and one of my Murderous Musings blog team members, Susan Santangelo, will appear for a week beginning tomorrow. Both women have done remarkably well and I hope to follow their examples.
I now have six books up at Amazon, a couple on Nook so far, and three in the print process with Create Space. I hope to have another children’s book finished in time for Christmas sales.
I could not have done it alone. My husband does the formatting, while I write and design book covers. He makes it happen. I love the freedom of creating my own books from start to finish, knowing I’ll receive my royalties on time, without sharing them with a publisher. I'm also able to keep track of online sales each day at both Amazon and B&N.
Although I’ve had ten royalty-paying publishers over the years, I don't plan to ever sign another contract. For writers who still do, make sure you’re not signing for the life of the copyright—as one of my proposed publishers expected me to do. Also, be sure there’s a clause that allows you to back out of your contract in the event that royalties are not paid within a specified period of time. And that you have the option to audit the publisher’s books, if and when you have reason to believe that your royalties have been withheld.
It's also a good idea to have a lawyer check your contract before you sign, or become a member of Author’s Guild, which will scrutinize the contract for you. The publishing industry is filled with pot holes that you need to circumvent whenever possible.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
FOX FIVE: Five Charlie Fox Short Stories by Zoe Sharp
By Jaden Terrell
Between helping organize the Killer Nashville conference and scrambling to meet the demands of an increasingly demanding day job, I haven't had a lot of time to read for pleasure lately, but now that the conference is over (for now), it's time to catch up. My newest discovery is English thriller writer Zoe Sharp. (Sorry about the missing umlaut, Zoe. If I can figure out how to get it on there, I will. Gentle readers, it should be inserted above the "e".)
My first encounter with Zoe's work was in her new short story anthology, Fox Five: A Charlie Fox Short Story Collection. All five stories in the book feature Sharp's recurring character, Charlotte "Charlie" Fox, a former Special Forces soldier who now works as a self-defense instructor and sometime bodyguard. In "A Bridge Too Far," the first story in the book and the one that occurs before Charlie goes pro, Charlie finds herself hanging out with a group of thrillseekers, members of the local Dangerous Sports Club. When the dangerous sports turn out to be, not just dangerous, but deadly, it's Charlie who recognizes that these "accidents" are anything but accidental.
This well-crafted story hooked me early and kept me reading. The other stories, "Post Cards From Another Country," "Served Cold," "Off Duty," and "Truth and Lies" are equally good. Sharp's writing is crisp and vivid, well-crafted but unpretentious.
Of Sharp's protagonist, Charlie Fox, Paul Goat Allen of the Chicago Tribune, said, "Ill-tempered, agressive, and borderline psychotic, Fox is also compassionate, introspective, and highly principled: arguably one of the most enigmatic--and coolest--heroines in contemporary genre fiction."
Charlie is a jill-of-all-trades, but Sharp is no slouch in that department. She's worked as a van driver, horesback riding instructor, pension and mortgage advisor, and member of a yacht delivery crew. Her hobbies include "sailing, fast cars (and faster motorbikes), target shooting...and reading everything [she] can get her hands on." Her novels have taken her to bestseller status with the Independent Mystery Booksellers' Association, and she's been nominated for a Barry Award for the Best Crime Novel. Last year, Twentieth Century Fox optioned her series for television.
Sharp is working to upload the first five books in the Charlie Fox series (the hardest to get these days and the ones to which she has gotten back the rights) to Kindle and later to other e-readers. I, for one, will be on the lookout for them.
To read more about Zoe Sharp and her books, check out this interview with Timothy Hallinan at The Blog Cabin.
Between helping organize the Killer Nashville conference and scrambling to meet the demands of an increasingly demanding day job, I haven't had a lot of time to read for pleasure lately, but now that the conference is over (for now), it's time to catch up. My newest discovery is English thriller writer Zoe Sharp. (Sorry about the missing umlaut, Zoe. If I can figure out how to get it on there, I will. Gentle readers, it should be inserted above the "e".)
My first encounter with Zoe's work was in her new short story anthology, Fox Five: A Charlie Fox Short Story Collection. All five stories in the book feature Sharp's recurring character, Charlotte "Charlie" Fox, a former Special Forces soldier who now works as a self-defense instructor and sometime bodyguard. In "A Bridge Too Far," the first story in the book and the one that occurs before Charlie goes pro, Charlie finds herself hanging out with a group of thrillseekers, members of the local Dangerous Sports Club. When the dangerous sports turn out to be, not just dangerous, but deadly, it's Charlie who recognizes that these "accidents" are anything but accidental.
This well-crafted story hooked me early and kept me reading. The other stories, "Post Cards From Another Country," "Served Cold," "Off Duty," and "Truth and Lies" are equally good. Sharp's writing is crisp and vivid, well-crafted but unpretentious.
Of Sharp's protagonist, Charlie Fox, Paul Goat Allen of the Chicago Tribune, said, "Ill-tempered, agressive, and borderline psychotic, Fox is also compassionate, introspective, and highly principled: arguably one of the most enigmatic--and coolest--heroines in contemporary genre fiction."
Charlie is a jill-of-all-trades, but Sharp is no slouch in that department. She's worked as a van driver, horesback riding instructor, pension and mortgage advisor, and member of a yacht delivery crew. Her hobbies include "sailing, fast cars (and faster motorbikes), target shooting...and reading everything [she] can get her hands on." Her novels have taken her to bestseller status with the Independent Mystery Booksellers' Association, and she's been nominated for a Barry Award for the Best Crime Novel. Last year, Twentieth Century Fox optioned her series for television.
Sharp is working to upload the first five books in the Charlie Fox series (the hardest to get these days and the ones to which she has gotten back the rights) to Kindle and later to other e-readers. I, for one, will be on the lookout for them.
To read more about Zoe Sharp and her books, check out this interview with Timothy Hallinan at The Blog Cabin.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Counting Words
By Mark W. Danielson
I hear a lot of authors counting words. One will say, “I wrote one thousand today,” while another boasts ten times that many. I once wrote over fifty thousand in four days during a Kazakhstan layover because there were no distractions, and I wasn’t the least bit concerned because it was a first draft. At this point, my only goal was to document my thoughts down without regard for word count or quality. While this may sound contradictory, count and quality apply to later stages of manuscript writing.
As with many fiction writers, I do not use outlines. I admire those who do because it probably cuts down on editing and makes writing the synopsis easier. But I prefer letting my characters walk me through the tale. Words flow easily because my plot has been teasing my brain for weeks, months, or even years. During my initial draft, I want my characters to transport me through a variety of obstacles while leading to a viable conclusion. I become so entranced by the words appearing on my screen that my heart stops if the phone rings or the dog barks. There is no magic number of pages or words that I expect to complete by day’s end. I’m happy, so long as my story progresses. Truth be known, I’m better off counting calories than words at this stage. But once this draft is complete, I am absolutely driven by word count because most publishers cap novels at one hundred thousand.
If I find myself significantly over the cap then choices must be made and the quality search begins. If I’m not sure where to start cutting, I’ll pick an adjective, do a word search, and see if it’s been overused. I avoid lengthy descriptions because they slow the pace, and fewer words generally paint better pictures. If I’m still over my word count, I’ll check to see how often I used “said”. Bear in mind that “said” identifies who is speaking, but if I’ve already introduced who that is in a conversation between two people, then “he said, she said” is probably unnecessary.
It isn’t difficult to cut fifteen or twenty thousand words from a 100,000 word manuscript and replace them with another ten or fifteen thousand that improve the story. In this sense, my “word diet” is like a “people diet” because my numbers will fluctuate like a scale’s reading before they stabilize. A good rule of thumb is when in doubt, cut.
By the time I send the manuscript to my editor, I feel pretty good about its quality and word count, but I also realize that my editor’s job is to return me to earth. Objective editors look for logic, believable characters and scenes, flow, and conclusions with little concern for word count. If my manuscript is over the cap after I’ve made my editor’s corrections, then I’ll consult the editor about what other cuts could be made. I will never send a manuscript to anyone other than my editor that does not meet a publisher’s parameters. To do so would mean instant rejection.
Authors agree that writing should be fun, but they also recognize that professional writing is a business with specific demands. Style, font, and layout are as important as word count. Numerous guides provide this information, and Writer’s Digest is one of the best. In the end, counting words is a reality, but count should never override quality.
I hear a lot of authors counting words. One will say, “I wrote one thousand today,” while another boasts ten times that many. I once wrote over fifty thousand in four days during a Kazakhstan layover because there were no distractions, and I wasn’t the least bit concerned because it was a first draft. At this point, my only goal was to document my thoughts down without regard for word count or quality. While this may sound contradictory, count and quality apply to later stages of manuscript writing.
As with many fiction writers, I do not use outlines. I admire those who do because it probably cuts down on editing and makes writing the synopsis easier. But I prefer letting my characters walk me through the tale. Words flow easily because my plot has been teasing my brain for weeks, months, or even years. During my initial draft, I want my characters to transport me through a variety of obstacles while leading to a viable conclusion. I become so entranced by the words appearing on my screen that my heart stops if the phone rings or the dog barks. There is no magic number of pages or words that I expect to complete by day’s end. I’m happy, so long as my story progresses. Truth be known, I’m better off counting calories than words at this stage. But once this draft is complete, I am absolutely driven by word count because most publishers cap novels at one hundred thousand.
If I find myself significantly over the cap then choices must be made and the quality search begins. If I’m not sure where to start cutting, I’ll pick an adjective, do a word search, and see if it’s been overused. I avoid lengthy descriptions because they slow the pace, and fewer words generally paint better pictures. If I’m still over my word count, I’ll check to see how often I used “said”. Bear in mind that “said” identifies who is speaking, but if I’ve already introduced who that is in a conversation between two people, then “he said, she said” is probably unnecessary.
It isn’t difficult to cut fifteen or twenty thousand words from a 100,000 word manuscript and replace them with another ten or fifteen thousand that improve the story. In this sense, my “word diet” is like a “people diet” because my numbers will fluctuate like a scale’s reading before they stabilize. A good rule of thumb is when in doubt, cut.
By the time I send the manuscript to my editor, I feel pretty good about its quality and word count, but I also realize that my editor’s job is to return me to earth. Objective editors look for logic, believable characters and scenes, flow, and conclusions with little concern for word count. If my manuscript is over the cap after I’ve made my editor’s corrections, then I’ll consult the editor about what other cuts could be made. I will never send a manuscript to anyone other than my editor that does not meet a publisher’s parameters. To do so would mean instant rejection.
Authors agree that writing should be fun, but they also recognize that professional writing is a business with specific demands. Style, font, and layout are as important as word count. Numerous guides provide this information, and Writer’s Digest is one of the best. In the end, counting words is a reality, but count should never override quality.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
What makes a good novel?
In the course of an interview, Norm
Goldman, the publisher and editor of Bookpleasures, asked me what made a good novel. My thoughts turned
immediately to the well-known Somerset Maugham quip, which is (approximately)
‘There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what
they are’. In fact, it’s a hard question and answers may even vary depending on
the sort of novel you prefer to read. But the scope (and looseness) of the form
almost encourages diverse responses. I think mine are pretty basic.
First, you have to believe what’s
happening in the pages, even if it means stepping outside what’s normally
called ‘reality’. The hero may be a battle-scarred galaxy wanderer with green
blood and a prehensile nose, but if you’re interested in him and care what
happens to him, you’ll read on. In fact, I’m sure I’d find such a character far
more sympathetic and interesting than the pieces of cardboard that masquerade
as characters in the Dan Brown epics. (Sorry, Dan, if that upsets you. Go and
read your bank balance, that’ll cheer you up.) Sci-fi may hop from planet to
planet or past to future as if they’re neighbouring streets, fantasy may move
into fifth, sixth or other dimensions, vampires may even overcome mortality
itself but, in each case, if there’s a commitment to and a concern for the
creatures living the story, you’re held by them.
So the primary quality of a good
novel is its ability to make you care about its characters, worry for them,
dislike them for what they do to others, pity them. Above all, you need to
believe in their reality. It’s your empathy/sympathy that guarantees the
authenticity of their world. If you’re involved in it it must, by definition,
be real.
Another obvious quality must be
the page-turning one. You have to want to know what happens next. Sometimes,
the intensity of the emotions involved (yours as well as the characters’)
transcends the actual story but usually there’s a journey to make, problems to
be solved, setbacks to be overcome. I’d argue that these, too, depend on the
characters and their interactions, but as a plot develops, it renews those
chars, gives them opportunities to redefine themselves, makes them harder or
easier to like. They can’t grow in a void, they need to be tested, questioned.
Then you get to the other
qualities, the sub-texts, themes – all
those things which, for some students in tutorials, ‘spoil’ the novel. ‘Why do
there have to be meanings?’ they ask. ‘Why spoil the story by analysing it,
taking it apart?’ And it’s not easy to answer those questions. If they’re
enjoying reading something, that should be sufficient in itself. On the other
hand, a closer look at the text can make it even better as echoes are heard,
hidden motives are revealed, characters are exposed as being not just
individual psyches but representatives of greater truths. But even if they
resist the analytical urge, readers will still be affected by the great novels
in ways of which they may be unaware, but which come from subtler processes
than ‘good stories’ or identifying with the people in them.
It’s the things that make a good
novel great which are the hardest to pinpoint. They’re the result of some extra
elements that the better novelists achieve, a sort of layering which gives you
the satisfaction of the story but also suggest undercurrents, a significance
just beyond your perceptions. Even after you’ve finished reading, your mind
keeps returning to what’s happened or to an image because it’s stayed with you,
disturbed you or made you smile. These are things whose meaning goes beyond their
own immediate context. On the surface, novels like that are certainly about
people, but they’re also about indefinable forces.
And they’re fundamental to the
form. Even with novels which are too easily dismissed as ‘mere genre’ novels,
these forces are at work. If readers are lifted from their limited present into
a realm where unicorns graze and everything is possible, their experience of
life is enhanced. Whether this happens from reading Tolstoy or a hospital
romance is irrelevant. The point is that it happens.
The novel is a great form. It
gives you space in which to let things develop. You can create echoes between
themes that bring together things which on the face of it are separate. You
hear an animal scream in the woods as a man reflects on a love he’s just lost
and you fabricate connections between them. And when I say ‘you’ there, I mean
the reader. That’s the final beauty of the form and one I mention ad nauseam:
the writer provides the raw materials and the indications but leaves room for the reader to do some work,
create some patterns, draw his/her own conclusions. It’s a strange, but
powerful intimacy between the two.
Monday, August 22, 2011
A New Spot for People Watching?
By Shane Cashion
June's recent post about jury duty and the replies it received got me thinking about courthouses. For those who've never been, they're actually great places to people watch - way better than the mall or the zoo or the ballpark. At the courthouse, you can see the whole spectrum of human emotion. The only other place I've seen people so impassioned is the pawn shop. When suffering through bouts of insomnia I sometimes watch Pawn Stars and Hardcore Pawn on TV. The pawnshop-courthouse crowds seem to overlap. Actually, you could probably add casinos to the list, especially casinos found in your seedier cities. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that a lot of folks start their day at the courthouse, spend the afternoon at the pawnshop, and then hit the casino in the evening.
Wednesday is the best day to visit our courthouse. Thanks to the generosity of our legislature and county judges, straight couples can get hitched for free every Wednesday afternoon in a civil service. Not too long ago I had a hearing on a particularly hopeful Wednesday in front of a judge I like and admire. As I was handing him my motion I said, "Weddings on Wednesday; gotta love it, Your Honor!" He snickered and said, "Ha, the farm system for the family court." Judges can be jaded, much like cops. I have a close friend who's a cop. When I see a guy standing on a corner I think, "Good for him; must have decided to walk today." My friend thinks, "What's that boob getting ready to do?"
Once I saw a bride at Weddings on Wednesday with the face of the man she was marrying tattooed to the side of her neck. To me, that seemed like true love, even more so than the vows they exchanged. It looked really cool when they kissed, too, like a spirit was watching over them. Unfortunately not every Wedding on Wednesday is as blissful; the court sees its share of mistaken love too. Rumor has it that one doomed couple got married at one o'clock and then went back to see the same judge for a divorce at three o'clock. Apparently the bride and the best man allowed their kiss to linger too long.
Regardless of whether you visit your local courthouse on a wedding day or not, if you go, make sure you find the floor that handles associate circuit cases, domestic cases, or criminal cases. Those are the cases with the most action because the clients often have to appear with their lawyers, and sometimes, when things don't go as planned, the clients take their lawyers out to the hallway to "lecture" them. The reverse is also true. Either way, it's morbidly entertaining to watch. At some point you'll invariably hear: "I paid you to ...," or "You didn't pay me enough to ...."
Now if it's a trial you want to see, unless you've got days to kill, i.e. you're a juror, I'd recommend sitting in on a couple of small claims trials instead. They only last a few minutes and are kind of fun in a Pros vs. Joes sort of way. For the pro se litigant, it's an opportunity to try a case against a "professional" lawyer, which can be entertaining. For the lawyer, it's basically a no win proposition. The lawyer's expected to win, of course, but often times the pro se litigant has a better grasp of the law, and is far more vested in the outcome of the case. I have a buddy who is a partner at a large firm here in the Midwest, an Ivy Leaguer no less. For reasons too long and boring to share, he tries a fair amount of small claims cases for his largest client. At last count, his record against pro se litigants is four wins and nine losses. He maintains that the unpublished rule of small claims court is, "He who wears sweatpants wins," and because he wears a suit he's always the underdog.
I myself have only had to appear in small claims court once. I represented a guy I went to high school with in a dispute over a classic car he'd restored and sold to a lunatic. My pro se opponent brought all the parts he didn't think worked with him to court to show the judge, a sixty-something woman in designer heels. The entire plaintiff's table was covered in greasy parts. By the time we were finished the courtroom smelled like a gas station. I won on a wormy technicality. I thought for sure I'd get hit with a spark plug walking back to my office.
Like most courthouses, ours has seen a lot over the years, from near billion dollar verdicts, to fights, to even a shooting. It's not a place I'd recommend visiting often, particularly as a party, but if you're not a party and you're tired of the same stilted conversation outside your favorite Starbucks and you don't have a beach or a mountain to gaze longingly at, give it a try. It's definitely something different, and if you leave your pocketknife, belt and steel-toed brogans at home you won't have to wait to get in.
June's recent post about jury duty and the replies it received got me thinking about courthouses. For those who've never been, they're actually great places to people watch - way better than the mall or the zoo or the ballpark. At the courthouse, you can see the whole spectrum of human emotion. The only other place I've seen people so impassioned is the pawn shop. When suffering through bouts of insomnia I sometimes watch Pawn Stars and Hardcore Pawn on TV. The pawnshop-courthouse crowds seem to overlap. Actually, you could probably add casinos to the list, especially casinos found in your seedier cities. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that a lot of folks start their day at the courthouse, spend the afternoon at the pawnshop, and then hit the casino in the evening.
Wednesday is the best day to visit our courthouse. Thanks to the generosity of our legislature and county judges, straight couples can get hitched for free every Wednesday afternoon in a civil service. Not too long ago I had a hearing on a particularly hopeful Wednesday in front of a judge I like and admire. As I was handing him my motion I said, "Weddings on Wednesday; gotta love it, Your Honor!" He snickered and said, "Ha, the farm system for the family court." Judges can be jaded, much like cops. I have a close friend who's a cop. When I see a guy standing on a corner I think, "Good for him; must have decided to walk today." My friend thinks, "What's that boob getting ready to do?"
Once I saw a bride at Weddings on Wednesday with the face of the man she was marrying tattooed to the side of her neck. To me, that seemed like true love, even more so than the vows they exchanged. It looked really cool when they kissed, too, like a spirit was watching over them. Unfortunately not every Wedding on Wednesday is as blissful; the court sees its share of mistaken love too. Rumor has it that one doomed couple got married at one o'clock and then went back to see the same judge for a divorce at three o'clock. Apparently the bride and the best man allowed their kiss to linger too long.
Regardless of whether you visit your local courthouse on a wedding day or not, if you go, make sure you find the floor that handles associate circuit cases, domestic cases, or criminal cases. Those are the cases with the most action because the clients often have to appear with their lawyers, and sometimes, when things don't go as planned, the clients take their lawyers out to the hallway to "lecture" them. The reverse is also true. Either way, it's morbidly entertaining to watch. At some point you'll invariably hear: "I paid you to ...," or "You didn't pay me enough to ...."
Now if it's a trial you want to see, unless you've got days to kill, i.e. you're a juror, I'd recommend sitting in on a couple of small claims trials instead. They only last a few minutes and are kind of fun in a Pros vs. Joes sort of way. For the pro se litigant, it's an opportunity to try a case against a "professional" lawyer, which can be entertaining. For the lawyer, it's basically a no win proposition. The lawyer's expected to win, of course, but often times the pro se litigant has a better grasp of the law, and is far more vested in the outcome of the case. I have a buddy who is a partner at a large firm here in the Midwest, an Ivy Leaguer no less. For reasons too long and boring to share, he tries a fair amount of small claims cases for his largest client. At last count, his record against pro se litigants is four wins and nine losses. He maintains that the unpublished rule of small claims court is, "He who wears sweatpants wins," and because he wears a suit he's always the underdog.
I myself have only had to appear in small claims court once. I represented a guy I went to high school with in a dispute over a classic car he'd restored and sold to a lunatic. My pro se opponent brought all the parts he didn't think worked with him to court to show the judge, a sixty-something woman in designer heels. The entire plaintiff's table was covered in greasy parts. By the time we were finished the courtroom smelled like a gas station. I won on a wormy technicality. I thought for sure I'd get hit with a spark plug walking back to my office.
Like most courthouses, ours has seen a lot over the years, from near billion dollar verdicts, to fights, to even a shooting. It's not a place I'd recommend visiting often, particularly as a party, but if you're not a party and you're tired of the same stilted conversation outside your favorite Starbucks and you don't have a beach or a mountain to gaze longingly at, give it a try. It's definitely something different, and if you leave your pocketknife, belt and steel-toed brogans at home you won't have to wait to get in.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Hello From Silent Susan
by Susan Santangelo
I sat down at my computer this morning on beautiful Cape Cod to write this post. I stared at a blank screen for hours (ok, maybe five minutes) and realized -- I've got nothing coming into my brain. Nada. Zip.
Usually, words just pour out of me. Just ask my family. They can never shut me up.
Then, it came to me. I have a case of The Dreaded Writer's Block. Yikes! What's the cure for this?
So I decided to post about...having nothing to say. I know it happens to everyone sooner or later. And how do you all deal with it?
I sat down at my computer this morning on beautiful Cape Cod to write this post. I stared at a blank screen for hours (ok, maybe five minutes) and realized -- I've got nothing coming into my brain. Nada. Zip.
Usually, words just pour out of me. Just ask my family. They can never shut me up.
Then, it came to me. I have a case of The Dreaded Writer's Block. Yikes! What's the cure for this?
So I decided to post about...having nothing to say. I know it happens to everyone sooner or later. And how do you all deal with it?
Saturday, August 20, 2011
The Man Who Brought Down Manaus
by Leighton Gage
In the years before the First World War, Manaus was one of the richest places in the Americas France to be educated; the per-capita consumption of champagne was higher than anywhere else in South America .
The opera house (above) was built with marble from Carrara and hand-painted tiles from Portugal Manaus Brasilia , or Rio de Jane iro , orSão Paulo
So how come Manaus
Rubber.
Back in those days Brazil
Rubber trees were native to the Amazon rainforest - and existed nowhere else. Naturally, the Brazilians wanted to keep it that way, To that end, they made it illegal to export the seeds or the seedlings of the rubber tree, and made it clear they’d classify anyone who did it as a thief.
Enter this man, Henry Wickham:
Wickam, in defiance of Brazilian law, stole 70,000 seeds and bore them off to the Royal Botanical Garden at Kew . They were planted the day after their arrival. Over two thousand of them germinated.
The descendants of those seedlings were sent to Sri Lanka , to Singapore and to India
And that for one reason: every other place in the world the trees could be planted in groves; but not in Brazil
Henry Wickham got a knighthood.
Manaus got shafted. These days, it's no more than a backwater.
And yet...and yet...there's a very good reason to go there: to see the place where most of the action takes place in my book Dying Gasp, the third in the Chief Inspector Mario Silva series.
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