A Conversation with D. J. McIntosh

with D. J. McIntosh

We are delighted to welcome novelist D. J. McIntosh to Omnimystery News today, courtesy of Tor Books.

D. J.'s debut novel The Witch of Babylon (Tor Books, October 2012 hardcover and ebook formats) was short-listed for the Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger Award, and won a Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award for best unpublished novel.

We recently had a chance to talk to the author about her new book. And she's giving our readers a chance to win a copy of The Witch of Babylon; details below.

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Omnimystery News: You're introducing a new series character in The Witch of Babylon. Tell us a little more about him and the series.

Photo provided courtesy of
D. J. McIntosh

D. J. McIntosh: John Madison is a naturalized American born in Turkey, now a New York art dealer raised by his much older brother, a star scholar in archaeology. Madison has always felt second best next to his brother and in The Witch of Babylon, the first of a trilogy, Madison is reeling from grief over the car accident that took his brother's life. I see the trilogy as less of an individual series and more like three volumes of one book. Over the period encompassing the three volumes, Madison emerges out from under the shadow of his famous older brother to become his own man.

I consider the book to be a historical thriller, or maybe an antiquities thriller, set in contemporary times.

OMN: How did you approach developing the storyline?

DJM: I'm writing a male lead character, who is based in Iraq, a country I wasn't able to visit, and it includes a great deal of Mesopotamian history. That said, all three elements were instinctively where I wanted to go. The last two required a great deal of research — which I loved — and I was fortunate to be able to rely on the many photos and stories of journalists based in Iraq.

I write detailed outlines and synopses but not character studies. A good plot is vital to a satisfying thriller and for that, you need to know where you're going. Twists are also, I believe, vital to a good read and they don't usually come accidentally.

I did a great deal of fact checking and research. I relied on books, the internet and media articles. The research took years. But the subject matter fascinates me — alchemy and ancient Mesopotamia — so it was a labor of love, so to speak. The most challenging element was getting names and expressions in the Assyrian language correct. The most exciting was discovering how many bible stories had their origins in Mesopotamian mythology.

OMN: Iraq seems to be not only an important element to the story, but an integral one as well.

DJM: It is. I think the more convincing and well described the setting is, the richer and deeper the novel is. The setting is fundamentally important to the plot as a lot of action arises out of the particular elements of the location. This is especially true for antiquity thrillers where archaeological sites are featured.

I try to write cinematically as well, and always have images in my mind as I'm writing.

OMN: What about images of characters? If The Witch of Babylon were casting today for a film adaptation, who do you see as the lead actors?

DJM: For John Madison — Christian Bale (in his softer moments). For the female lead Laurel Vanderlin — Kirsten Stewart. And for the chief bad guy — Michael Madsen.

OMN: What kinds of books and movies do you enjoy reading and watching yourself?

DJM: Authors I admire are so numerous it would take pages to name them all but here are a few: Michael Koryta (The Ridge), Umberto Eco (The Name of the Rose), Michael Cox (The Meaning of Night), and Arturo Perez Reverte (The Club Dumas).

I love pretty much all suspense films (as opposed to action movies) where you spend most of the movie sitting on the edge of your seat. Some of my favorites are: Chinatown, Sleuth, Traffic, The Usual Suspects, Body of Lies.

OMN: How to you engage with readers?

DJM: I really enjoy live speaking engagements, especially those that are informal. There's nothing like getting a great dialogue and conversation going.

OMN: What about life outside of writing? Any hobbies or special interests?

DJM: I love music, listen to it a lot especially rock instrumental guitar. Music has a heavy influence on my writing and just coincidentally, my lead character loves it too! Enjoy going to museums and adore browsing through bookstores. All these pastimes find their way into my books.

I'm very fond of dogs and have always had them as pets. My top five favorites would be: Golden Retriever (predictable I know), Border Collie, West Highland White Terrier, Long Haired German Shepherd and Bernese Mountain Dog.

OMN: What's next for you?

DJM: I'm just finishing Book 2 in the trilogy called The Book of Lost Tales. In it, John Madison hunts for a rare 17th century Italian Anthology of Fairy Tales. As his quest deepens, he finds the dark origins of several famous fairy tales seem to come to life and lead to the ancient site of a Mesopotamian version of hell.

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D. J. (Dorothy) McIntosh is the former co-editor of the Crime Writers of Canada's newsletter, Fingerprints, and is a Toronto-based writer of novels and short mystery fiction.

When not staring at the proverbial computer screen, or walking her golden retriever, she indulges in the great venues that a big metropolis has to offer: films, galleries and museums and a special affection for any live music that features rock/blues guitar. In the summer, she swings to the polar opposite of this and spends four or so months enjoying the famous sunsets and wild beauty of Lake Huron shores at her cottage.

Learn more about the author and her trilogy of thrillers on her website, BabylonTrilogy.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

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The Witch of Babylon
D. J. McIntosh
A John Madison Thriller (1st in series)
Publisher: Tor Books

Out of the searing heat and sandstorms of the infamous summer of 2003 in Baghdad comes The Witch of Babylon, a gripping story rooted in ancient Assyrian lore and its little-known but profound significance for the world.

John Madison is a Turkish-American art dealer raised by his much older brother, Samuel, a mover and shaker in New York's art world. Caught between his brother's obsession with saving a priceless relic looted from Iraq's National Museum and a deadly game of revenge staged by his childhood friend, John must solve a puzzle to find the link between a modern-day witch and an ancient one.

Aided by Tomas, an archaeologist, and Ari, an Iraqi photojournalist — two men with their own secrets to hide — John races against time to decipher a biblical prophecy that leads to the dark history behind the science of alchemy. Kidnapped by villainous fortune hunters, John is returned to Iraq, where a fabulous treasure trove awaits discovery — if he can stay alive long enough to find it.

      

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For a chance to win a copy of The Witch of Babylon, courtesy of the publisher, visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "D. J. McIntosh: The Witch of Babylon" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code — 3874 — for a chance to win! (One entry per person; US residents only. Contest ends October 18th, 2012.)