tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4961903762990028822024-03-07T04:34:15.546+01:00Anakina blogRita Carla Francesca Monticelli, author, translator, biologist and... dreamer.Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.comBlogger395125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-90901042745935490972024-02-27T15:30:00.010+01:002024-02-27T15:30:00.262+01:00Detective Shaw’s London: the London Eye<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvFRrvU9ZXKvtDC-QV93S4LHe1bYKnzoqIgft12_8xImh7Nb5F7p88uRjUVQIPHbhoTOtvy42yHDY06cjGwLKWUAQU2u5R2Zfg3szB2lg-4Z8daHcODHwpT_tA_jYFjtYhUuwN-vAiarxt1467QSKdCfCjww9tmn0O7bgsF-kcYBH1S9Y0RREDLjIGDWX/s600/LondonEye1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvFRrvU9ZXKvtDC-QV93S4LHe1bYKnzoqIgft12_8xImh7Nb5F7p88uRjUVQIPHbhoTOtvy42yHDY06cjGwLKWUAQU2u5R2Zfg3szB2lg-4Z8daHcODHwpT_tA_jYFjtYhUuwN-vAiarxt1467QSKdCfCjww9tmn0O7bgsF-kcYBH1S9Y0RREDLjIGDWX/s16000/LondonEye1.jpg" /></a></div>Leaving the
parliament building behind us and walking along Victoria Embankment, our gaze
is immediately caught by <b>an enormous white Ferris wheel</b> located on the
opposite side of the Thames, between Westminster and Hungerford bridges: the <b>London
Eye</b>.<br /><span lang="EN-GB">It is one
of London’s newest attractions. Built in 1999 and opened to the public in March
2000, <b>the London Eye is the largest Ferris wheel in Europe</b> and, until
the completion of the </span><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2023/10/detective-shaw-s-london-shard.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB">Shard</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">, it was also the highest point from
which you can admire the city.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Leaning
over the waters of the Thames, the London Eye is supported by an A-shaped
structure, the tie rods of which are anchored over a small area of the <b>Jubilee
Gardens</b>.<br /></span>If we cross
the river on Westminster Bridge and approach the wheel, we cannot help but
raise our nose more and more as we get closer to it, in an attempt to embrace
it entirely with our gaze. Although I have never boarded it (so far), in all my
trips to London following its construction (the photos in this article were
taken in 2008, except for the last one, which is from 2012) I found
myself every time admiring it from below with a <b>slight sense of vertigo</b>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The ticket
office is located in the building almost in front (a little to the right) of
the reception for boarding the cabins, in any case, given that it is the most
popular attraction in the city (<b>3.5 million of visitors in the year</b>), it
is advisable to <b>book your ticket online, </b></span><a href="https://www.londoneye.com/tickets-and-prices/saver-tickets/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">on the
official website</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">,
thus also obtaining a small discount.<br /></span>The
duration of the ride in one of the <b>thirty-two cabins</b> (equipped with
interactive guides), which move slowly enough to allow you to get on and off
without stopping them, is <b>thirty minutes</b> in total. It is undoubtedly an
exhilarating experience, provided that the weather conditions do not reduce
visibility.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndVtVwNi9LsOV_mfMUp-kkEwRZoXbfFSnC9F726K-LECPJfBEDQ2Hj8yuBM2zaZ296S0aU0WV6yZFK93c74rBrAzOT48vznJfztJZhkq5O6OCsCHNXxNSh0woHX5qWrULpTuq0rtyHMH6XhQSXQqSBgSU85o6b3K9xcLchA6-d1AJboAVNc18J5LWHvAE/s600/LondonEye2.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndVtVwNi9LsOV_mfMUp-kkEwRZoXbfFSnC9F726K-LECPJfBEDQ2Hj8yuBM2zaZ296S0aU0WV6yZFK93c74rBrAzOT48vznJfztJZhkq5O6OCsCHNXxNSh0woHX5qWrULpTuq0rtyHMH6XhQSXQqSBgSU85o6b3K9xcLchA6-d1AJboAVNc18J5LWHvAE/s16000/LondonEye2.jpg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">The
London Eye is managed by Merlin Entertainment</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> (the same one that manages </span><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2023/11/detective-shaw-s-london-madame-tussauds.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB">Madame
Tussauds</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">, but also
Gardaland in Italy!) and changes its official name every certain number of
years (variable) acquiring from time to time that of its sponsor.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">To get to
the London Eye, <b>the nearest Tube station is Waterloo</b>, but Charing Cross,
Embankment, and Westminster are quite close. The attraction also has a pier,
the <b>London Eye Pier</b>, where boats from <b>Thames Clippers and City
Cruises </b>stop.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxh8lQNy88istwqqk50OwiH3a3yxshyDosqaceJwOLzb6Ga8nCCTcvGfgZBjbJqgUjXb8-7zXZnlEB2jFOLWgLzdg1MwzYBYPI8jukvFWlplWSOoItidBW8D6_kFk_XcNnnNx9RJr6ClTYk6mZvkZk3yOU7KiD6hQ6idqjxwKHPcx-XKVWQ5qXDBkeXXv/s600/LondonEye3.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxh8lQNy88istwqqk50OwiH3a3yxshyDosqaceJwOLzb6Ga8nCCTcvGfgZBjbJqgUjXb8-7zXZnlEB2jFOLWgLzdg1MwzYBYPI8jukvFWlplWSOoItidBW8D6_kFk_XcNnnNx9RJr6ClTYk6mZvkZk3yOU7KiD6hQ6idqjxwKHPcx-XKVWQ5qXDBkeXXv/s16000/LondonEye3.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The <b>London
Eye</b> plays a very important role in the final book of the </span><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy.</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> In addition to being located exactly
on the opposite side of the Thames from the <b>Curtis Green Building</b> (new
headquarters of New Scotland Yard), and therefore visible even <b>from Eric’s
office</b>, the entire area in its immediate vicinity is <b>the location of a
dramatic action scene </b>in “</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#BTL"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Beyond the Limit</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">”, which involves one of the victims
of the <i>Plastic Surgeon</i>, but also Eric, DI Miriam Leroux (Murder
Investigation Team), Sergeant Mills (Murder Investigation Team) and PC Cora
Patel (a new character). However, I cannot tell you more without ruining the
surprise of discovering what will happen in this scene and, above all, how it
will end.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">At night,
the London Eye becomes even more beautiful</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> thanks to the coloured lights that illuminate
the wheel and the inside of the cabins.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-44899153686604355262024-01-29T15:30:00.013+01:002024-01-29T15:30:00.136+01:00Detective Shaw’s London: Covent Garden Market<p><span lang="EN-GB">One of the
most characteristic neighbourhoods of the City of Westminster, located in the
east of the </span><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2023/12/detective-shaw-london-west-end-savoy-theatre.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB">West End</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">, of which it constitutes the
beating heart, is <b>Covent Garden</b>. Its name derives from a distortion of
the term “<i>Convent Garden</i>” since between the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries the garden of a convent was there, but it is mostly associated with
two historical places found within it<b>: </b>the<b> Royal Opera House</b>,
which is often simply referred to as Covent Garden, and the <b>Covent Garden
Market</b>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrHxc9yLi-bDKKCXREaMMlnZ_-hA6rEBTc8HOrbOWig2yJlxOeO4RZXJ-drtE5xsgJD3YQwSf_JsReotR3j15nbjhly9RYBwqsmV8gOHDtJ4-YJTnOYbosLErFZ7kkrrZhZFIaKg3WmZH6y6bamv0E42I-CMx8wSvDx5SIqQoxKKQVJ_lWLdjX9ZSMwxv/s450/coventgardenmarket1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrHxc9yLi-bDKKCXREaMMlnZ_-hA6rEBTc8HOrbOWig2yJlxOeO4RZXJ-drtE5xsgJD3YQwSf_JsReotR3j15nbjhly9RYBwqsmV8gOHDtJ4-YJTnOYbosLErFZ7kkrrZhZFIaKg3WmZH6y6bamv0E42I-CMx8wSvDx5SIqQoxKKQVJ_lWLdjX9ZSMwxv/s16000/coventgardenmarket1.jpg" /></a></div>The latter
is located in the central square of the neighbourhood, and in the past hosted a
real market, the modern version of which was moved to Nine Elms (New Covent
Garden Market) in 1974. <b>The current Covent Garden Market is more of a
shopping centre</b>, which houses shops, restaurants, and a craft market,
called <a href="https://www.coventgarden.london/markets" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Apple Market</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">.</span><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">From a
historical point of view, <b>the first evidence of the existence of a market in
Covent Garden</b> can be traced back to <b>1654</b>, but the neoclassical
building which represents the current heart of the neighbourhood was built much
later: in 1830. In the 1960s, increased traffic became a major problem,
prompting the construction of a new building in Nine Elms and the relocation of
the market there in the following decade. <b>The old building was then
converted into the current shopping centre and reopened in 1980</b>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">For anyone
going to London <b>the Covent Garden Market is a stop not to be missed </b>to
spend some time listening to live music while drinking something cold or hot
(depending on the season), to try one of its restaurants, to make some
purchases or, simply, to stop and watch the cheerful comings and goings of
people who crowd it every day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Getting
there is easy since <b>on the Piccadilly Line there is a station called Covent
Garden</b>, which is a stone’s throw from the market. Another particularly
close station is <i>Leicester Square</i> on the Piccadilly Line and the
Northern Line.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ITHn8tTALQF9eulOt3tCemhAQ-mzzOx5rFV9D0ygukm24LxC22dBqoQT-0MlSq4ZnpLgUgm7GKJdr0G6jTgpMYSKC57lKYmhQYRWGFh-U_KGcNONzeR-pSt9ilctD_fEEag2cOj8A7YLmvMQyf_VCcEfx2pqWsE4pIjYPVqpwVqG4XjFBvO3gjtyrpwU/s600/coventgardenmarket2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ITHn8tTALQF9eulOt3tCemhAQ-mzzOx5rFV9D0ygukm24LxC22dBqoQT-0MlSq4ZnpLgUgm7GKJdr0G6jTgpMYSKC57lKYmhQYRWGFh-U_KGcNONzeR-pSt9ilctD_fEEag2cOj8A7YLmvMQyf_VCcEfx2pqWsE4pIjYPVqpwVqG4XjFBvO3gjtyrpwU/s16000/coventgardenmarket2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I happened
to go there almost every time I was in London (the photos date back to 2011)
and so I couldn’t help but mention it in the </span><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In
particular, the market is the place where a scene of the final book, “</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#BTL" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Beyond the Limit</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">”, takes place, in which <b>DCI George
Jankowski</b>, Eric’s colleague and also the head of another forensic team, <b>meets
a journalist, Burton Phillips</b>, who manages a judicial crime blog and who in
2014 <b>followed the trial against the man believed to be the serial killer
called “Plastic Surgeon”</b>. Although the man was convicted and is in prison,
the recent murder of a woman at </span><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2023/11/detective-shaw-s-london-madame-tussauds.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Madame
Tussauds</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> suggests
that the same killer is behind it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The
conversation between Jankowski and Phillips ideally takes place at one of the
tables visible in the second photo above. Precisely <b>this photo inspired me
to write the scene</b>, so much so that it is even possible to see the boy mentioned
at the beginning as he’s taking a photo of the musicians.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-48800742483083965892024-01-01T03:08:00.002+01:002024-02-01T02:53:41.133+01:00New year, new resolutions (?): 2024<p>The end of the year has arrived
again and with it the time to <b>take stock</b> and define some <b>goals</b>
for the one that is about to begin.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">But is it really necessary?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Bp7cG6kFN11oHXnsoFN7366BFgDzS-n7MMN9ZTvP_wEaxlmvEzdD3jUmWzpdCwQQ5t2d5Diuy9Zr2073IlWAIU4o1iNCIMNEWNVD4B-Fy_mlFZox2Dt8N_oUwGUfNCKcjVubQ5tq_ryLkkv-kR5dobfuFYgf59VipYKxvYMrzo3rUGFsbXVwY9QObl3m/s600/2024-1.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Bp7cG6kFN11oHXnsoFN7366BFgDzS-n7MMN9ZTvP_wEaxlmvEzdD3jUmWzpdCwQQ5t2d5Diuy9Zr2073IlWAIU4o1iNCIMNEWNVD4B-Fy_mlFZox2Dt8N_oUwGUfNCKcjVubQ5tq_ryLkkv-kR5dobfuFYgf59VipYKxvYMrzo3rUGFsbXVwY9QObl3m/s16000/2024-1.jpg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">I recently reorganised a good part
of the contents of my Italian blog and I realised that there were as many as
twelve posts dedicated to New Year’s resolutions, meaning that this is the
thirteenth year that I have decided to end by writing such an article. And I
wondered if it still makes sense to do it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Of course, it’s more of an <b>exercise
to refresh my thoughts on the things I did in the last twelve months</b>, but
it was originally thought as a way to encourage myself to continue my projects
related to writing and then publishing.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Although I completed pre-existing
publishing projects this year (I’ll tell you about them shortly), I didn’t
start any new ones since at least the end of 2020, when I finished writing and
published my last book in Italian.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">As I already mentioned to you a year
ago, in fact, <b>at the moment what I want most in the publishing field is to
finish everything I started, in order to draw a line on my work, before finally
understanding which direction to take my efforts in</b>. In short, I absolutely
need to complete past years’ resolutions once and for all before I can define
new ones.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">To this end in early 2023 I compiled
<b>a long list</b> that included them all, plus many other things I had been
considering for some time, but had never listed in one place, and from then on
I started to <b>address each point</b>, possibly in order, <b>and then cross it
out once completed</b>. The list contains something like <b>fifty items, some
of which have numerous </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">sub-items</b>.
So far <b>I have crossed out eighteen</b>, while six are in progress (some very
close to completion). </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">In short, the road is still long,
but I don’t consider it a problem as long as I continue to move forward.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Looking at the list now, it might
seem like I didn’t do much. In reality, some of the items include commitments
that are anything but quick, starting from the resolutions I had set for myself
at the end of 2022.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Do you remember them? There were
three in total.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The first, and most substantial one,
was <b>to complete the preparation and publication of the <a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank">Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy</a> in
English</b>. At the end of 2022 I had already published the new translation of “<b>The
Mentor</b>”, while, as I had planned, “<b>Syndrome</b>” and “<b>Beyond the
Limit</b>” were released <b>on 28 February and 31 May </b>respectively.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">As you can imagine, this way the
first five months of the year and a good part of the sixth were taken up with
all the preparation work, publishing and promotion.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJs3j9pUIRDtfmz87dQZovSIF_bd3wB-br1jfwO4spSEAoYX6AiCPsg6FM3UEN3AoxfZtUZVccih2N3M1U8h4ae9awlLy2xH4eO5F2IZH48uV38okX-_-Dcq65omomH_D-e0LpKyNfpkPxdVRaK6eERMs8xbNFV_n66PgifE2btxe4B-qRQRtgKJ_Wi2W_/s16000/2024-2.jpg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">I am very satisfied with the books,
both in terms of content and packaging.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Compared to the Italian versions I
made few changes to the covers, mainly concerning the font used for my name
and, in the paper editions, the spine, where both <b>my new logo</b> and <b>the
stylised lotus flower</b>, which represents the trilogy,<b> </b>are visible,
with the number of the volume inside it.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Also for these two books, I created <b>five
different editions</b> (one ebook and four in print, two of which in
hardcover), each of which required some modifications to meet the guidelines of
the different platforms. Furthermore, I have prepared some <b>promotional
images,</b> along the lines of the one created for “The Mentor”, which you can
see in this article.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The <b>promotion</b> went more or
less as I expected: <b>as long as I promoted the books, they sold well, as soon
as I stopped, they stopped too</b>. But unfortunately, this is the case in
general, even more so in a boundless market like the English-speaking one.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">But it was fun <b>to do a blog tour
and read the reviews of the bloggers</b> who participated or I contacted
separately: everyone seemed to enjoy the books. I have also followed with
interest the various promotional activities, in particular the paid
newsletters, among which I obtained an international <b>Bookbub Featured Deal</b>
(in the UK, Canada and Australia), which went better than I expected. Looking
at the numbers, I was pleased to notice that a good part of the readers who buy
the first book then proceed with the second and then with the third.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#BTL" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmoitpTvkizLKTX3PhNMLXQ1FsvgFNjaC0GXVYQMIRqT0f3NKPbxYk41I4agF6EXXZ88-a9Qi8Qi4z7P_pAIlWy0W_DZyQvB_KXALtN-ju4q9dBQvvrIxwPNzUyEFlehPCxW6b8VSMOPmV2983jTgND4cJD8kR1rbMFFhzjVW2K11bH6kM2LNWGxDJlJ7R/s16000/2024-3.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I didn’t expect to repeat the
success that “The Mentor” had had with AmazonCrossing in 2015</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, because this time I was alone, I couldn’t count on
the promotional push of Amazon Publishing, but <b>my main intent was to
complete the project to have the entire trilogy in English</b>, so as to allow
those who started reading it to get to the end of the story. Furthermore, only
by having it all in English could I then think of new ways to reach other
readers.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">In the first half of this year I
also tried to move towards one of my dreams, which will probably never come
true (although never say never!), that is <b>seeing something I wrote appear on
the (big or small) screen</b>. I tried it with the trilogy. I’ve seen some
interest in continental Europe, but there was zero in the UK, even though I’d
made a lot more contacts there over the past few years. Some producers have
even read the first book. One of them (from a production company based in
Germany) was even enthusiastic about it and considered optioning the book (or
the entire series). </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Unfortunately, as you can imagine,
since I didn’t tell you about it, in the end nothing happenes. I was a bit sad,
but I kind of expected it. Of course, an option doesn’t mean that a series
would then be made, but it would have been a personal satisfaction (as well as,
within certain limits, an economic one). </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">And that’s fine: the important thing
for me was to leave no stone unturned. <b>I’m happy I tried and I don’t rule
out trying again.</b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi544AoRUY17gERLkP3QFU1u7q2ZuTVXJfKJHfAh-SvBElkSxqOpwFMeaTnLYOeY6gpqkkrepS4pSQrLQmoYK8zJiQURuhKTUzZ1rx8odjexFqhoemOt5P-LdRCP7MdxYI60vqqGpazKSiNQoDXWx1yqKnTRa9_hge3jNdxboHG4LAuJqoFsXIcUMpx-Sgr/s450/2024-4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="450" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi544AoRUY17gERLkP3QFU1u7q2ZuTVXJfKJHfAh-SvBElkSxqOpwFMeaTnLYOeY6gpqkkrepS4pSQrLQmoYK8zJiQURuhKTUzZ1rx8odjexFqhoemOt5P-LdRCP7MdxYI60vqqGpazKSiNQoDXWx1yqKnTRa9_hge3jNdxboHG4LAuJqoFsXIcUMpx-Sgr/s320/2024-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">All this to tell you how half of
2023 has flown by.<br />And what happened in the other half?<br />Well, <b>I wasn’t able to finish
upgrading all my sites to make them mobile-friendly</b>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I’m still working on it, although at
least as far as <b>the main Italian website</b> (Anakina.net) is concerned I’m
very close to completing the work. At the moment you can’t see any of this on
the site as I’m revolutionising it and therefore <b>the changes will only go
online when everything is ready</b>. But its general structure is now complete.
I just have to finish adding the contents to some pages dedicated to my books
(specifically those for the various genres) and fill in the pages for the
events (which for now will only contain the past ones), extra contents (some of
which I still have to create) and contacts.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Creating <b>the English version</b>
should be relatively quick, given that the site will be the same but with the
graphic elements in English and the books available in this language, which are
only eight out of the total of fifteen in Italian (to which the books by
Richard J. Galloway which I translated into my language are added).</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Finally, I will still have to do <b>the
Italian website of Red Desert and the Aurora Chronicles</b>. The content will
not change, but I will simply create an alternative version usable for small
screens.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">In addition to that, I will also
have to do something similar for my website as a <b>freelance translator</b>.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">What else did I do in 2023?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I have continued to <b>update my old
books</b> to remove broken links and outdated information. This regarded my Italian
essay on self-publishing, “<b>Self-publishing lab. Il mestiere dell’autoeditore</b>”,
which by its nature would require updates every few months, but I’m at least
trying to update it once a year.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I then moved on to the <b>English
editions</b>, in particular to the books of the <b>Red Desert series</b>. Here,
in addition to updating the <i>front</i> and the <i>back matter</i> (i.e. the
pages before and after the text of the novel), I ventured into a <b>rereading </b>to
try to find some errors that the editor and proofreader missed. Obviously this
takes a little longer. However, <b>the first two books have been updated</b>
and the corrected versions are now online. I’m currently reviewing the last
chapter of the third one, so I plan to finish it by January. Then there remains
the fourth, which is the longest, but I can say that I will also be able to
complete this commitment in a short time.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Among the other things related to
publishing that I did this year was that every now and then <b>I tried to put
myself back in front of the white sheet</b>, even if with a certain reluctance
(to use a euphemism). It was more of an exercise which, in a handful of
sessions, led to the writing of the first two scenes of “<b>Evidence</b>”, i.e.
the <b>prequel novella of the Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy.</b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">But don’t get excited!</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">As I told you, I already have the
complete outline of this book. I limited myself to trying to turn the first two
points into written pages and I admit that making Miriam Leroux and PC Mills
(who was not yet a sergeant at that time) argue was fun. However, I don’t know
when or if I’ll move forward and I don’t want to make any commitments about it
as I’m not particularly dying to do so.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Then obviously there is everything
that does not concern writing and publishing, or even my job as translator
(which I usually do anyway).</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">There were <b>summer holidays</b>.
This year too I wanted to go <b>to the mountains in July</b>. This time I spent
<b>a week in Vinschgau (Val Venosta)</b>, one of the few valleys in Trentino
South Tyrol that I had never visited. With my partner, we spent a week in <b>Schandlers</b>
(or rather in Kortsch, which is a hamlet of it) and from there we moved in
various directions to visit places such as <b>Lake Reschen</b> (the one with
the famous bell tower emerging from the water that is featured in the Netflix
series “Curon”; see the photo above), the <b>sources of the Adige</b>, <b>Glurns</b>, <b>Marienberg
Abbey</b>, the <b>Stelvio pass </b>(see the photo below), the <b>Schnalstal (Val Senales)</b>, <b>Meran</b>
and many others. </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">If you follow my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RitaCarlaFMonticelli" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>, you
will have seen the photos and videos. You can retrieve them more easily on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ladyanakina" target="_blank">my profile on Instagram</a>, also
by seeing the highlighted stories indicated as “Vacanze 2023”. If you are among
my friends on my personal Facebook profile, you can find a huge photo album (I
always exaggerate!).</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">It was a <b>truly relaxing week
surrounded by the peace of the mountains</b>, dedicated to very long (and often
tiring) walks in beautiful places, many of which were not at all crowded with
tourists. Indeed, when walking around the lakes or taking one of the many
routes you most often met local people, perhaps with a dog in tow, and then it
was all “Hallo”, “Bitteschön” and “Dankeschön” to greet each other, give way to
the other and say thank you. I must say that we were very good at camouflaging
ourselves, thanks to our appearance!</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMWXyyVoguPSChI3UhaUMaucrzcflrngK8Zls9D6S-r4zLcBmBrXtkXF_r80hsHnRotjAs6IhOysrF6LsR8p7UY57T1Wg6742yX0s1eayRVlwFYTJrdiecit4dyWBSXeCz44pVp-GIDGUzCYrsgQaHZIG8fOPpAxDExFUsaBs3qQ2ZBgCzKcddNVDsTwu/s600/2024-5.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMWXyyVoguPSChI3UhaUMaucrzcflrngK8Zls9D6S-r4zLcBmBrXtkXF_r80hsHnRotjAs6IhOysrF6LsR8p7UY57T1Wg6742yX0s1eayRVlwFYTJrdiecit4dyWBSXeCz44pVp-GIDGUzCYrsgQaHZIG8fOPpAxDExFUsaBs3qQ2ZBgCzKcddNVDsTwu/s16000/2024-5.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">And, since I’m talking about <b>German
language</b>, I can say that I’m happy that I managed to freshen it up a bit,
especially in the second half of the year. I’m still far from the level I was
about ten years ago, but I’m starting to see improvements. I also picked up a
book (so to speak, since it’s on Kindle) by a Swiss colleague. I downloaded it
several years ago and now I’m trying my hand at reading it. I’m going slowly
because I don’t remember several words that I used to know, but with the help
of the online dictionary and a little perseverance they are slowly returning.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I should do the same with French
too, but maybe we’ll talk about it later. One language at a time!</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The trick to doing this was to
incorporate studying into my routine before starting work. It wasn’t difficult,
because <b>studying languages is fun for me</b> (as is translating). The fact
that it is also useful doubles the satisfaction.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">And I was always able to incorporate
a bit of <b>physical activity</b> into my routine, which was one of my three
resolutions for the year.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I admit that I haven’t been exactly
consistent. I stopped several times for a couple of months, but lately I’ve
been managing to do it as soon as I get up, to wake up the body, while the head
is still a little asleep.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">But don’t imagine who knows how much
effort! I take it easy, after checking emails and notifications on my phone
(still in bed), after eating a banana (otherwise I’d pass out) and drinking some
fruit juice. Then I put myself in front of the TV and do a <b>Zumba </b>class,
which can last from a quarter of an hour to an hour. Now that the tennis season
has started again I will also get back to working out on my <b>exercise bike in
front of the TV</b>.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">And, speaking of <b>tennis</b>, just
like last year, this one I saw a lot of it, probably even more. I must say that
from this point of view <b>it was a very satisfying season for us Italian fans</b>
(thanks to Jannik Sinner and, of course, the winning of Davis Cup) and this
contributed to my general good mood, particularly in the last few months.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">But I didn’t just watch it from
home.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">In May, I attended the <b>ATP
Challenger 175</b> tournament that was organised here in Cagliari (<b>Sardegna
Open</b>) and, in September, I went to see the <b>group stage of the Davis Cup
in Bologna</b> (you can also find photos of it on Facebook and Instagram; see Lorenzo Sonego in the photo below) and I
also took the opportunity to be a bit of a tourist in the city.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I would have also liked to go to
Malaga for the finals (and, given how it went in the end, I regret I didn’t),
but, apart from the fact that choices have to be made (also for obvious
economic reasons), there was little time to organise the travel when they
finally made dedicated tickets available to fans of a specific national team.
The fact of living in Sardinia and having to take two flights, which are not
available every day, certainly doesn’t help, and is also one of the reasons
that tend to stop me from going to see tournaments around Europe. Often, in
fact, the flights don’t exist at all until a few months before the event when
tickets for the tournaments can no longer be found.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">However, the three days cheering for
Italy at the Unipol Arena were fantastic, apart from a certain discomfort caused
by the seats, which for a stay of even ten hours in a row can become quite
annoying. But for tennis you do this and more!</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmfKRwU5IoY5WxIEi9z47i-ZS-7ngvXrIUJpIN1BYZY4xpvEI7S3qH3mwK5kvRG-OOnEhHaEdjITk1ZVtXlUESlg5oAhnYup8CyxNMAme7lSEWR901HD25l3c24EkAwoIaatPhFsB4PRRcHH6_hKAYrPfYsgwBUpxtlCAmDLcHT7L3ep6TWn3-tcAwn-y/s600/2024-6.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmfKRwU5IoY5WxIEi9z47i-ZS-7ngvXrIUJpIN1BYZY4xpvEI7S3qH3mwK5kvRG-OOnEhHaEdjITk1ZVtXlUESlg5oAhnYup8CyxNMAme7lSEWR901HD25l3c24EkAwoIaatPhFsB4PRRcHH6_hKAYrPfYsgwBUpxtlCAmDLcHT7L3ep6TWn3-tcAwn-y/s16000/2024-6.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Well, I’d say that’s pretty much all
I’ve done this year.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">If you take a look at last year’s
article, you’ll notice that <b>I kept true to two out of three resolutions</b>,
that of completing the publication of the trilogy in English and promoting it
and that of doing physical activity.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Furthermore, I am well underway with
the third one, which is the upgrading of my websites. There is still a lot to
do here, but compared to a year ago the path is now clear. I just have to keep
working on it, one page at a time.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">What will be the resolutions for
2024?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I confess that this time I don’t
really feel like defining a precise list, since I would end up <b>putting
absolutely unnecessary pressure on myself</b>.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">My goal remains the same: <b>complete
that famous list I told you about</b>. I definitely can’t do it in a year, as
it includes some long-term goals, but I would like to at least finish the loose
ends.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">All right: let’s make a list!</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">1) <b>Complete the upgrading of my websites to make them suitable for browsing on mobile devices</b>, which is the only resolution from last year that remains pending. If I don’t get distracted by unexpected events, I think I can do it (hopefully!).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">2) </span><b style="text-indent: -24px;">Continue to do physical activity and remove the rust from my German</b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; text-indent: -24px;">. This resolution is easy, because it’s the fun part.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; text-indent: -24px;">3) </span><b style="text-indent: -24px;">Finally being able to put myself in front of the question “What do I do now?” and try to give me an answer</b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; text-indent: -24px;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Okay, this is a bit generic, but
that’s on purpose, also because this article is becoming too long to delve into
the topic in depth.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">In reality, the question has been
buzzing in my head for a while, and some possible answers are starting to
present themselves, but what I’m missing is the chance to get rid of unfinished
business first so as not to have to tackle new projects with only a few hours a
day available or maybe not even every day.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Among the various things that float
in my thoughts there is the desire to <b>dedicate more time to writing articles</b>,
which I have probably been carrying on since I started blogging in the
noughties, but I don’t want it to be a pastime, also because I have no spare time
at all. <b>It must be something more complex, with a purpose</b>, a bit like
the blog dedicated to self-publishing with which I promoted my essay in
2020-2021. I’m not talking about an open-ended project, as just the thought of
it makes me anxious! But <b>a short and limited writing experience, which
allows me to write without embarking on a new book</b>.<br /></span>The latter would require a mental
commitment of a very different level, which at the moment, and certainly as
long as I have something else to complete, I don’t feel like making.<br />We’ll see in the future!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">As always, I close by heartily
thanking all of you for the support you give me and I wish you a 2024 full of
satisfactions.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">If you like, tell me about your 2023
and your resolutions for 2024 in the comments, here or on social media.<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-GB">Have a good end and a good
beginning!</span></b></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com007100 Sassari SS, Italia40.7259269 8.555682612.415693063821152 -26.6005674 69.036160736178843 43.7119326tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-72883826007382798672023-12-21T15:30:00.010+01:002023-12-21T15:30:00.131+01:00Detective Shaw’s London: West End and Savoy Theatre<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nKzvWzQDjdINH1740PMRhiuKOn0Pq2TN1EhV2A5Ucv2DICxsLpIE8y8xLFtczbVh3uNskydE6yQTwvdVfaDfG2GdR7fnwBHjBO5O7NE1uG5gqocYJnk2SoZYVYEC0aWrEAPmHoE6JkpJdzV7MLzQX6z3BN25plba8fG543i3ACX4FwOMpQd3mGNOsku_/s450/westend-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nKzvWzQDjdINH1740PMRhiuKOn0Pq2TN1EhV2A5Ucv2DICxsLpIE8y8xLFtczbVh3uNskydE6yQTwvdVfaDfG2GdR7fnwBHjBO5O7NE1uG5gqocYJnk2SoZYVYEC0aWrEAPmHoE6JkpJdzV7MLzQX6z3BN25plba8fG543i3ACX4FwOMpQd3mGNOsku_/s16000/westend-1.jpg" /></a></div><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In London
there is an area that <b>occupies a large part of the City of Westminster and
the Borough of Camden Town</b>, and which is simply known by the name of <b>West
End</b> (photo of </span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgmiami/6988825852/in/photolist-bDzyrs-JwCzH-JwzJA-JwAvy-JwAsj-9NEwpU-8367w1-amZAug-9Nvxqd-8nvEyn-9NAsCc-6fNCyF-81FtLe-6fSXcE-bAMcAJ-6yy5uU-edV6Gu-aNYvtT-9M2DZZ-ixJLHY-aNZ3J2-dcDNnM-dgDFNC-cEdLN1-dQp5Kv-6fNEmt-3QKZGr-JwA9y-Jw" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">dgmiami</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, </span><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">CC BY-NC-ND 2.0</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">). This geographical reference
derives from its position with respect to the <b>City</b>, the ancient Roman
London, with which it borders to the east, so that in the past this had made it
the western end of the British capital. Now, however, <b>the West End is in
fact a substantial part of the centre</b> of the current London metropolis.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This is a
very large area, which includes several places described in previous articles
in this series: </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2023/02/detective-shaws-london-marylebone.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Marylebone</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">,
</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2022/12/detective-eric-shaw-trilogy-old-new-scotland-yard.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">New Scotland Yard</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (both old and new), and </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2023/07/detective-shaw-trilogy-london-leicester-square.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Leicester Square</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">. But throughout the world, the West End is mostly synonymous with <b>Theatreland</b>,
that is, the theatre area, which mainly occupies the neighbourhood of <b>Covent
Garden</b>. So much so that the terminology “<i>West End theatre</i>” exists to
define the practice of professional theatre in London, which, together with
Broadway theatre in New York, represents the pinnacle of global Anglophone
commercial theatre.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">More
generally, the West End is the hub of London entertainment, given the high
concentration of theatres, but also cinemas, restaurants and pubs, where you
eat, drink, and listen to live music.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">West End
was also <b>the first name of the British duo Pet Show Boys</b>, who later
dedicated the famous song “<i>West End Girls</i>” to this area.</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Among the
many theatres in the West End is the </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.savoy-theatre.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Savoy Theatre</span></a></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">(see photo of the interior of the
theatre, taken from </span><a href="https://westendtheatre.com/6543/theatres/savoy-theatre/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">WestendTheatre.com</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">), located in Savoy Court, an alley
which merges into <b>Strand</b>, the latter is one of the most famous streets
in London, which starting from Trafalgar Square reaches the edge of the City.
You can get there easily on foot from <b>Charing Cross Tube station or
Embankment Tube station</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Today’s
Savoy Theatre has the peculiarity of being <b>built below street level,</b> and
the hotel of the same name is located above it. Like most London theatres, <b>it
develops above all in height</b>, with two circles overlooking the stalls (in
total it comprises 1158 seats), <b>reducing the distance between spectators and
stage to a minimum</b>, and favouring the enjoyment of the show. Having been
there in person in 2008, to see the musical “<i>Never Forget</i>”, based on the
songs of Take That, I can confirm it! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinr6gR9lKoW3dIAGydaSgn519OHqoWKgPh0kkeqqIpET_Xg5xGKAqw-uZtpZZECyVk_4u5Q1IUrFsEvsNzwCLTFe4YhWgHklfR47JgfNgj9RP_Fp7JEqRCWKJjrYE8dCtDh3ASks9tMgg6pR3XQBBtzHUFWGvN0jV-cLk2eXHfv3vNStvNmKH8U6Ofz31T/s600/westend-2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinr6gR9lKoW3dIAGydaSgn519OHqoWKgPh0kkeqqIpET_Xg5xGKAqw-uZtpZZECyVk_4u5Q1IUrFsEvsNzwCLTFe4YhWgHklfR47JgfNgj9RP_Fp7JEqRCWKJjrYE8dCtDh3ASks9tMgg6pR3XQBBtzHUFWGvN0jV-cLk2eXHfv3vNStvNmKH8U6Ofz31T/s16000/westend-2.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The site of
the Savoy Theatre, however, has a history of reconstruction and renovation that
dates back well before <b>1881, when it first opened</b>. Previously, that same
site had had a very different intended use. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In 1246 the
<b>Savoy Palace</b> was built there for Peter, the Earl of Richmond, who had
been granted the land by King Henry III. Also, the title of Earl of Richmond had
been granted by the king to <b>Count Peter of Savoy</b>, uncle of his wife
(Eleanor of Provence), and the name Savoy which has survived to the present day
derives from him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Nothing
remained of that building in the first Savoy theatre, as it was burned down in
1831. Subsequently, <b>a hospital</b> was built on its ruins (1505) until the
latter was also destroyed by fire. <b>Only in 1881 would it become a theatre</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Since then
its interior was completely <b>rebuilt in 1929</b>, while its <b>subsequent
renovation, begun in 1990</b>, suffered a setback due to <b>yet another fire</b>.
<b>The last reopening dates back to 1993</b>, in its current form, with which
they tried as much as possible to reproduce its original structure.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The
performances nowadays are always <b>musicals</b>, some repeated for several
years in a row. You can purchase tickets directly from the </span><a href="http://www.savoy-theatre.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">official website of the theatre</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, but through some online agencies
you can often find discounted prices, which allow you to attend beautiful shows
with a limited expense.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The <b>West End</b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
often appears in the </span><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Detective Eric
Shaw Trilogy</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">,
however it only has a crucial role in the last book of the series, “<b>Beyond
the Limit</b>”, in which <b>we see DI Miriam Leroux and Sergeant Mills driving
on the Strand, and</b> we find another important character in <b>Covent Garden
Market</b> (but I will talk about this in the next article in the series), but
above all this area is literally <b>the scene of a crime</b>, which is
committed precisely in the Savoy packed with spectators.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In reality,
the crime would take place on a day (<b>on 22 May 2017</b>) in which there was
no performance, but this too is nothing more than one of my many <b>artistic
licences</b>.</span></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-74036247814997897942023-11-27T15:30:00.005+01:002023-11-27T15:30:00.132+01:00Detective Shaw’s London: Madame Tussauds<p><span lang="EN-GB">I have already talked about <b>Madame Tussauds</b> in
the article dedicated to the </span><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2023/02/detective-shaws-london-marylebone.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB">Marylebone district</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">
(which I invite you to read for more information), but I thought that <b>this
very famous wax museum</b> deserved another article entirely focused on it,
given the crucial role it plays in the final book of the </span><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB">Detective
Eric Shaw Trilogy</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">, “</span><b><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#BTL" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB">Beyond the Limit</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB">”.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3vNQ5koX_lkoqv-yRUcoVD8QTvY0Go9knD1DRNN5NN2kBaHJOcTrjwqd2RPuWBrTZIs9q7B094c39_jXRlSj80JP0GCqNDyBOpftKCeHBE0DFHmqjclzgufGcKteOhzTAeUPl67Il14Bwano94R-adWMZIMfwdmTtTuFW7P-XJahMLaQ9XlTl6ufpPR-/s600/madametussauds1.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3vNQ5koX_lkoqv-yRUcoVD8QTvY0Go9knD1DRNN5NN2kBaHJOcTrjwqd2RPuWBrTZIs9q7B094c39_jXRlSj80JP0GCqNDyBOpftKCeHBE0DFHmqjclzgufGcKteOhzTAeUPl67Il14Bwano94R-adWMZIMfwdmTtTuFW7P-XJahMLaQ9XlTl6ufpPR-/s16000/madametussauds1.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">It is part of a chain of wax museums, present in
twelve different cities around the world, but the first was precisely that of
London, founded by the <b>sculptor Marie Tussaud in 1835</b>, the year in which
she held the first exhibition of her collection. Currently, the Madame Tussauds
museum chain belongs to the English company <b>Merlin Entertainment</b>, which
among other things also owns <b>Gardaland</b> in Italy.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCztNvkR1qXsJ2R2A6iXHTouJPhj7eLg7cityZU9uyorygw4-rJy1UBfIokt71n_9dLX1G6Af7ktTVzEoK996eUkAN-mM9zHdVBlG3fdLZzxrGfnGT72k4Mo_aoUb0hFVITCpr590kH8K1tHbpPORiWBY_qPQjQ09Ciwk1A5tmiMYPnmGrJnzeZAh6PcHC/s450/madametussauds2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCztNvkR1qXsJ2R2A6iXHTouJPhj7eLg7cityZU9uyorygw4-rJy1UBfIokt71n_9dLX1G6Af7ktTVzEoK996eUkAN-mM9zHdVBlG3fdLZzxrGfnGT72k4Mo_aoUb0hFVITCpr590kH8K1tHbpPORiWBY_qPQjQ09Ciwk1A5tmiMYPnmGrJnzeZAh6PcHC/s16000/madametussauds2.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">I had the pleasure of visiting the museum twice at a
great distance in time: once in 1990 and once in 2011. Some parts of the
exhibition have not actually changed that much, especially those relating to
the reconstructions of scenes from the past, while <b>the waxworks of
contemporary celebrities always tend to reflect the fashions of the times</b>
and, perhaps, the ageing of public figures they represent. Among the historical
waxworks in particular, I cannot fail to mention “<b>Sleeping Beauty</b>”, which
seems to be the oldest still on display. It is the work of Tussaud’s teacher, <b>Doctor
Curtius</b>, and is dated 1765. This is characterised by a movement of the
chest which <b>simulates breathing</b>, just as if she were sleeping, and
represents Madame Du Barry.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJh16yL6rOfPcyKFg7LoOiUZNXIqjoy2eGhbFfLTTvH_3emR4k881d4Di8KZIzgc8THhbxLGkUSzpiLnEBAYt0ojjyWx7ixyViHxLtxGSFHDrU-P1knCcsmKgS4gPhVjgVSIoCB5q2pypfMf2aYFsyjkhkaFrHSWRyipm1VikqCklnwIKJ8hQ_r57b3sB/s339/madametussauds3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJh16yL6rOfPcyKFg7LoOiUZNXIqjoy2eGhbFfLTTvH_3emR4k881d4Di8KZIzgc8THhbxLGkUSzpiLnEBAYt0ojjyWx7ixyViHxLtxGSFHDrU-P1knCcsmKgS4gPhVjgVSIoCB5q2pypfMf2aYFsyjkhkaFrHSWRyipm1VikqCklnwIKJ8hQ_r57b3sB/s320/madametussauds3.jpg" width="189" /></a></div>The exhibition consists of a more or less obligatory
path in which different settings are encountered. A particular room is the
so-called <b>party room</b>, in which the waxworks are scattered in a large
space and would almost blend in with the visitors if they were also wearing
evening clothes. <span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Some are isolated, but others are <b>connected to
furnishing elements</b>. There is, for example<b>, George Clooney sitting at a
table</b> and visitors can sit next to or in front of him. And place their hand
on his. Another particular waxwork is that of <b>Julia Roberts</b>, who is <b>standing
behind a chair</b> often placed in front of a table (the arrangements change
according to needs), <b>with her hands resting on the backrest</b>. In a sense,
the chair is part of the waxwork, for without it poor Julia would fall forward.
And on this chair you can sit to take a photo with her.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">And precisely, <b>the waxwork of Julia Roberts</b> is
the protagonist of some scenes of “</span><b><a href="http://www.anakina.net/dblog/articolo.asp?articolo=749" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB">Beyond the Limit</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB">”. I won’t tell you how, but I’ll leave you the pleasure of discovering
it for yourself while reading the book.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">While imagining these scenes, I obviously had to <b>take
some licence</b> since the arrangement of the waxworks in the museum is changed
periodically, and I certainly couldn’t know what it would be on <b>21 May 2017</b>,
the day in which the scenes in question are set, given that I wrote them in
November 2016.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERuKctaIoRVI0YVxCQ5OhpG3njA2KZxane-Sl54-wvhtlyWxW57Cg4HAfDMv4KdY5oRyIXMuO6t2zE1Q_Wey3_SyNMJjPMgZDwmhZJXCJu2bKKPVvyOWTVDWLrKJu31IC5sjZFYYTGGw0BTp6veDX3iBjSYPREVUe6pFGzNXyFev2R-Ru_l1_FbSqJZZu/s300/madametussauds4.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="300" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERuKctaIoRVI0YVxCQ5OhpG3njA2KZxane-Sl54-wvhtlyWxW57Cg4HAfDMv4KdY5oRyIXMuO6t2zE1Q_Wey3_SyNMJjPMgZDwmhZJXCJu2bKKPVvyOWTVDWLrKJu31IC5sjZFYYTGGw0BTp6veDX3iBjSYPREVUe6pFGzNXyFev2R-Ru_l1_FbSqJZZu/s1600/madametussauds4.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span lang="EN-GB">Among the other waxworks that are <i>seen</i> (so to
speak) in the book there is precisely that of Clooney, but also that of <b>Nicole
Kidman</b>, <b>Helen Mirren</b>, <b>Johnny Depp</b>, and <b>Tom Cruise</b>, all
in the party room.</span><div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">The ticket to visit Madame Tussauds in London is quite
expensive</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> (at the time of writing, the basic one is 47 GBP), </span><a href="https://www.madametussauds.com/london/en/tickets/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB">but you can save some money by booking it online.</span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> Furthermore, it’s possible to combine it with other tourist
attractions, such as the London Eye (which I will talk about in another
article), paying a much lower amount than the sum of the two separate tickets.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7bpcqyvVgciD1pJebu_lBTJJzOhCBtC8QL2l7xaZtz0G1FdisdLch4VzFE8n1ebbSdXC9uPbWZOeRp4hicZDzi_0LxAUaUJh58g0op0Zs_a3_YQ2COi-xTlkiW19r1w4tg2K_GPEl2lCA6Bkpdyv6hCEJeTFplO59BeLT5m4jIy9ILc1tTPKYHpMR_30/s300/madametussauds5.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="300" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7bpcqyvVgciD1pJebu_lBTJJzOhCBtC8QL2l7xaZtz0G1FdisdLch4VzFE8n1ebbSdXC9uPbWZOeRp4hicZDzi_0LxAUaUJh58g0op0Zs_a3_YQ2COi-xTlkiW19r1w4tg2K_GPEl2lCA6Bkpdyv6hCEJeTFplO59BeLT5m4jIy9ILc1tTPKYHpMR_30/s1600/madametussauds5.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Inside Madame Tussauds, there is also a sort of <b>4D
cinema</b> (3D plus motion simulation), whose short shows are included in the
price.<p></p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">However, the funniest part of the visit is taking
photos with your idols, even <i>cheek to cheek</i>, and discovering that some
of them are shorter than you thought, or taller.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span lang="EN-GB">In the photos you can see me with <b>George,</b>
between <b>Helen and Nicole</b> (how tall she is!), with<b> Johnny</b>, with <b>Julia</b>,
and with <b>the legendary Bruce</b> (Wills).</span></div>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-84332086362802344782023-11-06T15:30:00.010+01:002023-11-06T15:30:00.132+01:00Detective Shaw’s London: Tower Bridge<p><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEituEAzk6j8YqbBG_Jygzzb6_ypT1OphhtpYcfChsCLcxoDBBMdzNmKS75pqsLqlmKGlOfQnZVPz2HYBt-Nu_asScc-y7V-hdh9BUx-AkWx62Q-vB9Y_kBJukbuojUnEWIwQ2NFie_1z0ybdj5Vd7ADeIDUQUz9Du59hfOZzHzO6eMPRFe4wqE9r9BR61il/s450/towerbridge-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEituEAzk6j8YqbBG_Jygzzb6_ypT1OphhtpYcfChsCLcxoDBBMdzNmKS75pqsLqlmKGlOfQnZVPz2HYBt-Nu_asScc-y7V-hdh9BUx-AkWx62Q-vB9Y_kBJukbuojUnEWIwQ2NFie_1z0ybdj5Vd7ADeIDUQUz9Du59hfOZzHzO6eMPRFe4wqE9r9BR61il/s16000/towerbridge-1.jpg" /></a></div>The bridge
over the Thames which more than any other <b>is considered a symbol of London</b>
is undoubtedly <b><a href="http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/"><span lang="EN-GB">Tower Bridge</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB">, so called because <b>it connects the village
of Southwark to the </b></span><b><a href="http://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/"><span lang="EN-GB">Tower of London</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB">, located on the western edge of the
borough of Tower Hamlets, on the border with the City.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Tower
Bridge is made up of <b>two towers</b>, connected by <b>a road</b>, which
constitutes the central span, and by <b>pedestrian walkways</b> running above
it. The former is made up of <b>two mobile portions</b>, which can be raised to
allow the passage of taller boats. On both sides there are as many spans, which
are proper <b>suspension bridges</b>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Its
construction was completed in 1894, and initially the opening mechanism was
powered by <b>steam engines, which remained in operation until 1976</b>.
Nowadays, these are replaced by the latest modern technologies, which allow <b>their
complete opening in just ninety seconds</b>.<br /></span>It is also
true, however, that the bridge is opened quite rarely (about a thousand times
in a year, therefore less than three per day), so much so that it is said that <b>seeing
it open brings good luck</b>. However, the Victorian engines are still present
within the structure and can be visited.<br />Pedestrians
can also access the <b>high-level walkways</b> (renovated in 2009), which have
a <b>glass floor</b>, and from there enjoy a fascinating view of the city and
the river. To do this they have to climb <b>almost three hundred steps</b>, but
they can also take a lift. The walkways often host special exhibitions and
other events.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjURIWpkqH-CFKJ8c35ljg1GY5sbfloEUzDdMtgFsvHMxJHjttWIhTu24FjxpmoJS01O5QE6KqqCS6G0qyXlcctuk5vNccFlcOzs46UFAkjQy5AmKTPvboqn-aOFvgTQVUk3irLCejl0Qs9329qwzXaDCl9bRkHgtpySgsHPTBWoTkp56RbENVcCirTJoQM/s600/towerbridge-2.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjURIWpkqH-CFKJ8c35ljg1GY5sbfloEUzDdMtgFsvHMxJHjttWIhTu24FjxpmoJS01O5QE6KqqCS6G0qyXlcctuk5vNccFlcOzs46UFAkjQy5AmKTPvboqn-aOFvgTQVUk3irLCejl0Qs9329qwzXaDCl9bRkHgtpySgsHPTBWoTkp56RbENVcCirTJoQM/s16000/towerbridge-2.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Access
to the Victorian walkways and engine rooms is included in the Tower Bridge
Exhibition</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> and is
possible upon payment of a ticket, which </span><a href="http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">can also be purchased online</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">. These are open every day of the year, except
for 24, 25, and 26 December.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yHBIddt5dxj4vASUVuOUdJVNR0i9lJxqhEzBYTf1AGq3yAiWl6s8U4bQ9mD9XVuIWWBi64FwWM4KZW1uWpcTpJzM68t9kZmxSETvl8zpyyZwHTXiw5SH4v8P0Wes6QReiw7Xd7xdCQkw5TSQzBkbqUXYzRc-JoPibSNz_t4byeGA8YmJLq0HpH0VBuri/s350/towerbridge-3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yHBIddt5dxj4vASUVuOUdJVNR0i9lJxqhEzBYTf1AGq3yAiWl6s8U4bQ9mD9XVuIWWBi64FwWM4KZW1uWpcTpJzM68t9kZmxSETvl8zpyyZwHTXiw5SH4v8P0Wes6QReiw7Xd7xdCQkw5TSQzBkbqUXYzRc-JoPibSNz_t4byeGA8YmJLq0HpH0VBuri/s16000/towerbridge-3.jpg" /></a></div>Tower
Bridge underwent a four-year renovation from 2008 to make it ready for the <b>Olympics
</b>and <b>Paralympics</b>, <b>which were held in London in 2012</b>. In
conjunction with these events, their symbols were respectively suspended from
the walkways (as you can see in the photos taken by me in August 2012 with the
five Olympic rings).<br />For some
strange reason, Tower Bridge is often called London Bridge, in reality this is
a mistake, since <b>London Bridge is another very distinct bridge</b>.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">You can <b>get
to Tower Bridge</b> from the <b>Tower Hill</b> Tube station, from which you can
also easily reach the <b>Tower of London</b>, where you can visit, among other
things, the <b>English Crown Jewels</b>.<br /></span><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ngG5tVxKmXuj3sz9JrCbzKLDizQi48TfsOuVHK170J87PM3XYiPpRKgqWX07FRjs9o3CjQuRdKW7QGcZsmV-6MJZdigOgv7BevyM-aM5-aQAt8MCv7LyCo26bfyEix9RfoArhUnidYPqbcLIfUF2UhZAMMMGMf5vpcH0fzlue9N9ii3GUNAQabjd13Se/s1337/cover-ebook-900.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ngG5tVxKmXuj3sz9JrCbzKLDizQi48TfsOuVHK170J87PM3XYiPpRKgqWX07FRjs9o3CjQuRdKW7QGcZsmV-6MJZdigOgv7BevyM-aM5-aQAt8MCv7LyCo26bfyEix9RfoArhUnidYPqbcLIfUF2UhZAMMMGMf5vpcH0fzlue9N9ii3GUNAQabjd13Se/s320/cover-ebook-900.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>The
monument is actually a real castle which in the past also served as a <b>prison</b>
(until 1952) and where prisoners were executed, but in its history it had many
other functions, including that of a royal residence. For more information on
the Tower of London, I recommend you visit <a href="http://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/"><span lang="EN-GB">its official website</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">, where it is also possible to
purchase entrance tickets online with a small discount on the price.<br /></span><span lang="EN-GB"><br />If,
however, you want to get to Tower Bridge from Southwark, you have to get off at
<b>London Bridge</b> station, which is very close to </span><b><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2023/10/detective-shaw-s-london-shard.html"><span lang="EN-GB">The Shard</span></a></b><b> </b><span lang="EN-GB">(in the third photo in the
background, while in the foreground there is a part of the Tower of London;
this photo was also taken by me in August 2012).</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Tower
Bridge also makes an appearance in the </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Detective Eric Shaw
Trilogy,</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> and in
particular in “</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Syndrome</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">”. This happens in the same scene where </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2023/10/detective-shaw-s-london-shard.html"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Shard</span></a></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">appears, during which <b>DI Miriam
Leroux and Sergeant Mills</b> are the protagonists of a spectacular (in the
minds of those who imagine it, hopefully!) <b>car chase</b> ending in an
accident on the bridge. To find out who the two police officers were chasing
and whether the fugitive was then caught, you will have to read the book.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-77776476159137740102023-10-09T15:30:00.015+02:002023-10-31T01:46:52.544+01:00Detective Shaw’s London: The Shard<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIE09dI7XwAyYNuDgZZS9SMbENtM4p6JXWhL5rIEsOpXUROYFQ9XQeB8hCmLJ6xmq5GbHnTcsvdYX-YlOqZtlWiJI82gYkbCzkpBY_0BvpE75RftDVeUwwBd4I_tWzK7L_TaBUlKgG-sv-R8M9URWUD4zXaA_qEwCAGMko-V0qigouaOSTCKElBXSLeao-/s300/shard-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="300" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIE09dI7XwAyYNuDgZZS9SMbENtM4p6JXWhL5rIEsOpXUROYFQ9XQeB8hCmLJ6xmq5GbHnTcsvdYX-YlOqZtlWiJI82gYkbCzkpBY_0BvpE75RftDVeUwwBd4I_tWzK7L_TaBUlKgG-sv-R8M9URWUD4zXaA_qEwCAGMko-V0qigouaOSTCKElBXSLeao-/s1600/shard-1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span lang="EN-GB">In
Southwark, not far from the Thames and the City, located on the opposite side
of the river, there is <b>the tallest skyscraper in London, third in Europe</b>:
</span><b><a href="https://www.the-shard.com/"><span lang="EN-GB">The Shard</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB">, also called <i>Shard of Glass</i> and <i>32
London Bridge</i>, which derives from its address (32 London Bridge Street).</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">There is
a lot of Italy in this tower</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> with the shape of an irregular pyramid completely covered in glass: it
was designed by the well-known Genoese architect </span><b><a href="http://www.rpbw.com/"><span lang="EN-GB">Renzo Piano</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB">. Its construction began in 2009 and <b>finished
in July 2012</b>, although it only opened the following year.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The last
time I was in London was August 2012, for the Olympics, not long after its
inauguration on 5 July of the same year, and I was able to admire it from afar,
as I wandered near the Tower of London, in the City. The photo above was taken
by me during my short stay (the one below is by </span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27300860"><span lang="EN-GB">Cmglee</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">). But I didn’t get close to it, and therefore I
didn’t have the opportunity to visit it. However, it is on the list of
attractions of this city that I intend to see more closely or perhaps inside
sooner or later.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-3ZY3TM010qgoixlmUCNuRGJiY9v2TgXCqw1uulaix9vCEmgYxgz_Zs_gTd5pO6wJuGcHMR010D5d12ey3zKWyPxLVLYQDKzWoA4-5924pOgbKIesO_dVnUyX36d1oMTCmyZFJ2bFdAUAExnxQ72BYLz3C7sCrNkxMI1znnai90XQnl_ov_dUb1YlQn0/s600/shard-2.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-3ZY3TM010qgoixlmUCNuRGJiY9v2TgXCqw1uulaix9vCEmgYxgz_Zs_gTd5pO6wJuGcHMR010D5d12ey3zKWyPxLVLYQDKzWoA4-5924pOgbKIesO_dVnUyX36d1oMTCmyZFJ2bFdAUAExnxQ72BYLz3C7sCrNkxMI1znnai90XQnl_ov_dUb1YlQn0/s16000/shard-2.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The
building is almost <b>310 meters</b> high and includes <b>87 floors, of which 72
are habitable</b>. Inside, it houses a variety of premises, including offices,
luxury flats, a shopping centre, restaurants, bars, and <b>a five-star hotel, </b></span><b><a href="http://www.shangri-la.com/london/shangrila/about/"><span lang="EN-GB">Shangri-La</span></a></b><b><span lang="EN-GB">, which includes 202 rooms</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> and occupies floors 34 to 52.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-HGWnVEWz19Z4D0l33nhEui7bjbIwr4MpWG4I5S9s4x020ajPxcNtGb6pdCjl16kdqbTfLTvV3vicpTbT0RlBmH4n9xR46GRvOp0FvwDYl3mDWUrR20cxo4xF2dTJymCw1uEExDSm6_Y8AVtjZnhR4UGkGY02mzw_4xgmZE1T373c1OaXhO7r9wGC_GT/s1337/cover-ebook-900.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-HGWnVEWz19Z4D0l33nhEui7bjbIwr4MpWG4I5S9s4x020ajPxcNtGb6pdCjl16kdqbTfLTvV3vicpTbT0RlBmH4n9xR46GRvOp0FvwDYl3mDWUrR20cxo4xF2dTJymCw1uEExDSm6_Y8AVtjZnhR4UGkGY02mzw_4xgmZE1T373c1OaXhO7r9wGC_GT/s320/cover-ebook-900.jpg" width="215" /></a></b></div><b><br />Floor 69
and the terrace on 72 offer an unrivalled panoramic view </b><span lang="EN-GB">of the metropolis which allows you
to see 360 degrees <b>up to approximately 60 km away</b>.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">These are <b>open
to the public</b>. The visit is quite expensive, but you can save something </span><a href="https://www.theviewfromtheshard.com/"><span lang="EN-GB">by booking it online</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">. For those who live in London or plan to stay there for a long time,
there is also the possibility of purchasing an annual ticket which allows you
to go up to the terrace every day.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The Shard
appears in two scenes of “</span><b><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S"><span lang="EN-GB">Syndrome</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB">”, the second book in the </span><b><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><span lang="EN-GB">Detective
Eric Shaw</span></a></b><b> </b><span lang="EN-GB">trilogy. Both concern a character <b>wanted
by the police</b>.<br /></span>The first
takes place inside one of the flats where this character is hiding (I won’t say
his name to avoid spoilers about the book).<br />The second features <b>DI Miriam Leroux and
Sergeant Mills</b> sitting in a police car near the entrance to the Shangri-La.
The identification of the suspect will lead to a chase through the busy streets
of the city, up to another attraction which I will talk about in the next
article.</p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-56741314905027069432023-09-04T15:30:00.007+02:002023-10-31T01:46:38.091+01:00Detective Shaw’s London: Notting Hill<p><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ySBcT3ORhbu_cqqVH8mr9EWXUZb9FhzxZE7ZdJMxPWQ24uBqYynWyBAsaW2b60xukY5Pdx3elBFSiSs6WnDjo2jSNpbiJ0OLNaX7SiI_0s5S1z6va6z5sw3BHmUXNjNwi90VfWBXi91k41JcwTi7Qg8ZR8KupKtNUSFRMLNhWTuOeLnYk-xOYv7HPx7T/s350/nottinghill-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="350" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ySBcT3ORhbu_cqqVH8mr9EWXUZb9FhzxZE7ZdJMxPWQ24uBqYynWyBAsaW2b60xukY5Pdx3elBFSiSs6WnDjo2jSNpbiJ0OLNaX7SiI_0s5S1z6va6z5sw3BHmUXNjNwi90VfWBXi91k41JcwTi7Qg8ZR8KupKtNUSFRMLNhWTuOeLnYk-xOYv7HPx7T/s320/nottinghill-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Located in
north-western London and almost completely crossed by Portobello Road, <b>Notting
Hill is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating and famous districts of the
British capital</b>. It’s no coincidence that it is the location of numerous
novels and films. Among the latter, the best known is undoubtedly the 1999
romantic comedy that bears the same name of the district (“<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0125439/"><span lang="EN-GB">Notting Hill</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB">”) starring <b>Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts</b>.<br /></span>It is
obviously a tourist destination, but very popular with Londoners too, thanks to
the abundance of <b>designer shops</b>, particularly in <b>Westbourne Grove</b>,
and the <b>numerous pubs and restaurants</b>.<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Its most
characteristic street is <b>Portobello Road</b>, which with its <b>colourful
facades</b> hosts the famous <b>antiques and fresh food market</b>. Here are
also some locations used during the </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.portobellofilmfestival.com/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Portobello Film
Festival</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, an
international independent film festival founded in 1996 where every year more
than 700 films <b>are screened for the first time</b>. And moreover, <b>George
Orwell</b> lived in this street.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Since 1966,
every year in August the district has also been the scene of the <b>Notting
Hill Carnival</b>, a real <b>Caribbean costumed party</b> that pours into the
streets, attracting millions of people, and which represents <b>one of the
biggest street festivals in the world</b>. The event passes through the central
part of Westbourne Grove.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzCPPwvNZwgh07ki8-3m90zAiMnGv-o7TGAu3yuUEAquOlnBFgmCCBt7lc9n1_mHgRGtPU6KjcWYmLaIsEXS4u4Uzadx79sgFq1za91CLezrxyX_yubapS1whnHljEwgNYZRZo6Y1B8RnFe4A2i5YVLmqhQvWcEmfwJ370kBeSESVO6WaI8O-6cWBOSoV/s600/nottinghill-2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzCPPwvNZwgh07ki8-3m90zAiMnGv-o7TGAu3yuUEAquOlnBFgmCCBt7lc9n1_mHgRGtPU6KjcWYmLaIsEXS4u4Uzadx79sgFq1za91CLezrxyX_yubapS1whnHljEwgNYZRZo6Y1B8RnFe4A2i5YVLmqhQvWcEmfwJ370kBeSESVO6WaI8O-6cWBOSoV/s16000/nottinghill-2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As you
might guess from the name, <b>Notting Hill stands on a little hill</b>, which
reaches its summit in the middle of Ladbroke Grove. However, it has no official
boundaries. It is located within the <b>Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea</b>,
but is close to the boundary with the City of Westminster, so <b>at a stone’s throw
from Paddington train station</b> and not far from many other central London
attractions.<br /></span>But if you
don’t want to walk, you can reach <b>one of the five Tube stations</b> inside
it: Kensal Green, Westbourne Park, Ladbroke Grove, Latimer Road, and Notting
Hill Gate.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8q6XHQ6kizfTOLdVeNEcG9fqlbi74n6AlDs43VEnvEvS9AilBkH4p10ZJOkhnH0NSgUqq878F2mehDRSJvpkAarkxXSuenonxT0Pmym1BtbiKJaEPufwXMmiM6oTZJx0ihzjHC7gUSw3h5A75mcr4jAsSrDPeaMxdkPhY9Bvy8Ef__e4MkU3KuI9S9xbJ/s350/nottinghill-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="350" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8q6XHQ6kizfTOLdVeNEcG9fqlbi74n6AlDs43VEnvEvS9AilBkH4p10ZJOkhnH0NSgUqq878F2mehDRSJvpkAarkxXSuenonxT0Pmym1BtbiKJaEPufwXMmiM6oTZJx0ihzjHC7gUSw3h5A75mcr4jAsSrDPeaMxdkPhY9Bvy8Ef__e4MkU3KuI9S9xbJ/s320/nottinghill-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">What is
considered the key area of Notting Hill is <b>North Kensington</b>,
characterised by a constant renewal of the population, largely made up of
immigrants, which make it <b>one of the most cosmopolitan areas in the world</b>.
This is where the most violent acts of the <b>Notting Hill race riots of 1958</b>
took place, but it is also where its carnival began and where most of the
scenes in the film starring Grant and Roberts were filmed.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Up until a
few years ago, among the numerous and well-known restaurants in Notting Hill
there was one in particular: an Italian restaurant called <b>Negozio Classica</b>,
even if the name in Italian doesn’t sound good at all, and it’s not clear what
it means. It was wedged into a building <b>at the corner of Portobello Road and
Westbourne Grove</b> and was characterised by a red facade with shop windows on
both walls, from which it was possible to see the inside of the place and its
patrons, but several tables were arranged outside, too. More precisely, it was
a<b> winery</b>, where, however, you could also eat <b>dishes from Tuscan
cuisine</b>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSq0a2Xnb-o7BRtjeUDlOHXNxyM4KUwpkpSsaVYvdlC9qBu2EoFSUBLBJvM4eBiJetar92Mx0EWdk5FsdY6E_7DA1AgpZhTCAowTwjjNpmK4N8ju7WSDNuCedrHtJDF2-CNmhjxjTiqzprBz4IBK_J3vvAJV5wZYW8mJkZeuMzIHKL7WHkx5bvEZAHMvb/s1337/cover-ebook-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSq0a2Xnb-o7BRtjeUDlOHXNxyM4KUwpkpSsaVYvdlC9qBu2EoFSUBLBJvM4eBiJetar92Mx0EWdk5FsdY6E_7DA1AgpZhTCAowTwjjNpmK4N8ju7WSDNuCedrHtJDF2-CNmhjxjTiqzprBz4IBK_J3vvAJV5wZYW8mJkZeuMzIHKL7WHkx5bvEZAHMvb/s320/cover-ebook-900.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The
restaurant <b><span style="color: black;">Negozio Classica</span></b><span style="color: black;"> </span>makes an appearance in the second book of the </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Detective
Eric Shaw Trilogy</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">,
“</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Syndrome</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">” (set in 2016), in a scene where <b>Eric Shaw
has lunch with his friend Catherine Foulger</b> and discusses with her some
serious facts (<i>mysterious illnesses and an attempted murder</i>) which took
place in the <b>St Nicholas Hospital </b>(which in reality does not exist). <b>The
dishes mentioned in the scene were actually present on the menu of the
restaurant</b>, but the two characters have no way of enjoying them properly,
since their conversation leads to an argument. The name of the restaurant is
not actually shown in the scene, although its description and location details
allow for easy identification. However, it is then mentioned later in the book.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The place used
to open at 3.30 p.m., so <b>in theory people didn’t go there precisely to have
lunch</b>. In fact, I took an artistic licence here, but the place looked so
nice that I really wanted to set a scene there. We also know that Eric is
always so absorbed in his work that he often finds himself eating at
unconventional hours, when he remembers to do so, so he may have gone there
shortly after its opening. Who knows?<br /></span>I’ve never
been to this place, but <b>Eric thinks the food is good</b>. It’s really a
shame it doesn’t exist anymore!</p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661312.396645259842209 -26.0345887 66.051036940157786 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-77537205191185175502023-08-07T15:30:00.012+02:002023-10-31T01:46:23.769+01:00Detective Shaw’s London: Italian Gardens and Hyde Park<p><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrfzK4v4_cOlS8k5AOT9v22gE1QZDtxrsjZq9LD9dF2ZUHV1f4BT-R52ucCT2sEZEyLp8dCb6TdmUjmoTcLSKCWrFUVphfHO9aIXqPSUcVJF4OOUYJRgBCdXrGwkNLN0RBH1b3p5juF5XTnz0wX5kjaKAwQI4o1DTbQpBr_hshq3v0k2xEp7JJPvaPBEY/s450/italian-hyde-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrfzK4v4_cOlS8k5AOT9v22gE1QZDtxrsjZq9LD9dF2ZUHV1f4BT-R52ucCT2sEZEyLp8dCb6TdmUjmoTcLSKCWrFUVphfHO9aIXqPSUcVJF4OOUYJRgBCdXrGwkNLN0RBH1b3p5juF5XTnz0wX5kjaKAwQI4o1DTbQpBr_hshq3v0k2xEp7JJPvaPBEY/s16000/italian-hyde-1.jpg" /></a></div>The <b><a href="https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks"><span lang="EN-GB">Royal Parks</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB"> are among the most atmospheric places in
London. Some of these are located in the centre of the British capital, yet if
you walk inside them, you lose the perception of the swarm of people and cars
that are just a few hundred metres away. Immersed in greenery, among flowers
and watercourses, you cannot see or hear the nearby metropolitan chaos. The
illusion of being in a wild territory is broken by <b>the paths, the well-kept
lawns and plants, the statues, and the wonderful fountains</b>.<br /></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Particularly
fine among the latter are those found in the </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens/things-to-see-and-do/gardens-and-landscapes/italian-gardens"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Italian
Gardens</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">,
situated at the point where the <b>Kensington Gardens</b> adjoin <b>Hyde Park</b>,
north of the <b>Long Water</b> basin. You can get there through the entrance
called <b>Lancaster Gate</b>, which is near the Tube station with the same
name.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Built in
1861, they are said to have been <b>a gift from Prince Albert to Queen Victoria</b>.
The gardens consist of four Carrara marble basins, adorned with fountains,
statues, and urns. North of the pools is the <b>Pump House</b>, which once
contained the steam engine that powered the fountains. And the pillar sticking
out of the roof is nothing more than a smokestack. The basins are home to <b>beautiful
swans</b>, which allow themselves to be observed carelessly by Londoners and
tourists who stroll beside them or sit on the benches located all around.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Italian
Gardens have also appeared in famous films such as “</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/Name?tt0317198"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Bridget Jones: The
Edge of Reason</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJFhKDOuWMkTAhiW_jO6qGikJRwuHVF0vPOI36w9IvsLbFoqAzmmYQR4z_WowPFXQG7kkX-vZbElLmDzuiZkj5j6xIzWFgefkYn351EVBlEM4PsxHq2vUlH4yz84K_I2UAGMw5tHogyCv4QphKaHqakeVGSkxgSwJaVrxG-qllLc5c85hGFitE6IlUWYu/s600/italian-hyde-2.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJFhKDOuWMkTAhiW_jO6qGikJRwuHVF0vPOI36w9IvsLbFoqAzmmYQR4z_WowPFXQG7kkX-vZbElLmDzuiZkj5j6xIzWFgefkYn351EVBlEM4PsxHq2vUlH4yz84K_I2UAGMw5tHogyCv4QphKaHqakeVGSkxgSwJaVrxG-qllLc5c85hGFitE6IlUWYu/s16000/italian-hyde-2.jpg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Moving
eastward, the immense </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Hyde Park</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> begins, with a <b>total area of 253
hectares</b>, bisected by <b>Serpentine Lake</b>. Its dimensions are such that
it is really easy to lose your sense of direction if you don’t follow the
indications and maps distributed in numerous signs inside it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">It contains
numerous places of tourist interest, starting with the <b>two triumphal arches</b>
located to the southeast and northeast: <b>Wellington Arch</b> and <b>Marble
Arch</b>. Near the latter is the <b>Speakers’ Corner</b>, where people,
especially on weekends, still give speeches to express their opinions. To the
south is the <b>memorial to Lady Diana</b> and to the southeast the one to the <b>victims
of the holocaust</b> and the <b>London bombings of 7 July 2005</b>. <a name="OLE_LINK1">Also, to the southeast, is the <b>Rose Garden</b>, which is
especially beautiful to see in early summer.</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzNLuxDdlu0kZH1cr99hEycqTGtElEnCImvM0-lAlGN9NOLTD1L8nu1AReJnezTdvZhSsA9M725P78TivdphaazpHWvmlI3AY1ZgUCfff7c7dUQ7uVo4vqpeAftLcspGdp8WA4RGbdPmIj3W550XBoR1IJsrQlJPH00FBxLrc1vTRz_CunnxRWEyK77P3/s600/italian-hyde-3.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzNLuxDdlu0kZH1cr99hEycqTGtElEnCImvM0-lAlGN9NOLTD1L8nu1AReJnezTdvZhSsA9M725P78TivdphaazpHWvmlI3AY1ZgUCfff7c7dUQ7uVo4vqpeAftLcspGdp8WA4RGbdPmIj3W550XBoR1IJsrQlJPH00FBxLrc1vTRz_CunnxRWEyK77P3/s16000/italian-hyde-3.jpg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">The park is
also the only one <b>controlled by the Metropolitan Police</b>, which has their
own station inside it. There are also deck chairs and umbrellas, a sports
centre dedicated to tennis, boat rental services, commercial premises, bars,
other sports fields, and playgrounds. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6e6g9RqN_lNsJDnBnTQL9OjsXlAB0uabYOnoJp5vgpH-RNAcOmhOO8fUS-eQL7pvj7ivkpCMoOkqX6FcgLwwBC8ACUSJqXzx93VQa-0wKnT9CdS0BB_Tt_gtRpZaVKRlvuJ6jaXKfcrXBbCd9GBKV9C_E8S-66BMHZV9DECXf6CYESgdTF_egznyVcsl/s1337/cover-ebook-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6e6g9RqN_lNsJDnBnTQL9OjsXlAB0uabYOnoJp5vgpH-RNAcOmhOO8fUS-eQL7pvj7ivkpCMoOkqX6FcgLwwBC8ACUSJqXzx93VQa-0wKnT9CdS0BB_Tt_gtRpZaVKRlvuJ6jaXKfcrXBbCd9GBKV9C_E8S-66BMHZV9DECXf6CYESgdTF_egznyVcsl/s320/cover-ebook-900.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>Furthermore, the park is often the scene
of <b>important rock and pop concerts</b>, including artists like The Rolling
Stones, Pink Floyd, and Madonna. In it, in particular, one of the most famous
concerts of <b>Queen was held in 1976 with 225,000 spectators</b>.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Hyde Park
was also one of the venues for the <b>London 2012 Olympic Games</b>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The<b>
Italian Gardens </b>and <b>Hyde Park</b> make their appearance in the second
book of the </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Detective Eric Shaw trilogy</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, “</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Syndrome</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">”. A young prostitute realises she
is being followed by a man for whom she did a small illegal job and hides near
the <b>Pump House of the Italian Gardens</b>, then runs away towards <b>Hyde
Park</b>, heading to a playground, to ask for help, but she will soon find
death. Later, we see <b>Adele Pennington</b>, <b>Jane Hall</b> and <b>Miriam
Leroux</b> at the crime scene, where Adele spots someone who may be the
suspect.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-49940964585741993982023-07-12T15:30:00.011+02:002023-10-31T01:46:12.693+01:00Detective Shaw’s London: Leicester Square<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFFCe0XPvcpsrvyFiwyQkhG7RxuClBxGlgoJBfvLlgJrmN8YQpdEBbaMb5x9wzrFbpWv2M24blqz9yrJ7lTkHPttQN8Zj1a3DD5xuGXl2RG9Xxx9JNMiKx5fsEopHouh_LDZT8553sVnN6L3VxTtNtfcGedwnN3_X0cuiLNd4nI84cvmwoxlMMuC_MjLm/s440/leicestersquare-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFFCe0XPvcpsrvyFiwyQkhG7RxuClBxGlgoJBfvLlgJrmN8YQpdEBbaMb5x9wzrFbpWv2M24blqz9yrJ7lTkHPttQN8Zj1a3DD5xuGXl2RG9Xxx9JNMiKx5fsEopHouh_LDZT8553sVnN6L3VxTtNtfcGedwnN3_X0cuiLNd4nI84cvmwoxlMMuC_MjLm/s320/leicestersquare-1.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>Any fan of
the big screen visiting London can’t help but visit <b>Leicester Square</b>.
This pedestrian area is in fact home to two major cinemas in the United
Kingdom: the <b>Odeon Leicester Square</b> and the <b>Empire Leicester Square</b>
(which includes 9 theatres, one of which has the largest screen in the
country). The Odeon West End used to be there too, but now it’s closed, while
nearby is the <b>Prince Charles</b>, which is a repertory cinema.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This
peculiarity means that this square often sees <b>important actors and directors
parading in front of the public</b> and media representatives on the occasion
of the <b>European or even world premieres</b> of important films. I myself
once, in the autumn of 2004, while passing by Leicester Square by chance, came
across the UK Premiere of<b> “</b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0333766/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Garden State</span></a></b><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">” as part of the London Film
Festival </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">and saw <b>Zach
Braff</b> and a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">freezing</i> <b>Natalie
Portman</b> on the red carpet.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Leicester
Square is located in the <b>West End</b> (in the <b>City of Westminster</b>),
right in the heart of London. Within walking distance it is surrounded by other
places of tourist interest such as <b>Trafalgar Square</b>, which the </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">National Gallery</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> overlooks (entrance to the
permanent exhibition is free), and <b>Piccadilly Circus</b>, with its famous <b>statue
of Eros</b>. In the centre of the square is <b>a small park</b>, which was
renovated in 2012 for the Olympics.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Many
restaurants of the most varied nationalities</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> dot the entire area, which is particularly
busy at night during the weekend and in general in the summer. And then there
are the <b>West End theatres</b> (about forty in all <i>Theatreland</i>), where
famous musicals are staged for several years in a row. The last one I saw was “<i>Chicago</i>”
in 2011 (yes, it’s been a while). Tickets can be a bit expensive, but if you
buy them in advance on the web you can get away with a few tens of pounds.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Right near
the square there is the <b>Leicester Square Theatre</b>, which, initially built
as a church in 1955, became a location for live music concerts in the 1960s,
changing its name several times. In 1976, when it was still called Notre Dame
Hall, it hosted one of the first <b>Sex Pistols</b> concerts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The casino <b>Hippodrome
</b>and the headquarters of <b>Global Radio</b>, inside which there are eight
radio stations, also overlook the square.<br /></span>Leicester
Square is also one of the places in London where events are organised on the
occasion of the <b>Chinese New Year</b>.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZ8L6ENXb5mOukmVJoy17vj5oefjgg1VhdoA5l15WQ5itkdFpU_K9W9VgAlWkfBwtUFKpGc4gvmMb2skkJpC9jSbwLE397lCqzYvU8pcAxIKRAkvkZCGUyCfD5rGfHN6ISUqQh9KJnRXzrkeI6ghCXgVBcHtkIO2t-ZfFTszsbCaQhB550Wr0BssPpIVb/s600/leicestersquare-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZ8L6ENXb5mOukmVJoy17vj5oefjgg1VhdoA5l15WQ5itkdFpU_K9W9VgAlWkfBwtUFKpGc4gvmMb2skkJpC9jSbwLE397lCqzYvU8pcAxIKRAkvkZCGUyCfD5rGfHN6ISUqQh9KJnRXzrkeI6ghCXgVBcHtkIO2t-ZfFTszsbCaQhB550Wr0BssPpIVb/s16000/leicestersquare-2.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The nearest
<b>Tube station</b> is called <b>Leicester Square,</b> and in “</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Mentor</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">” (the first book in the </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Detective
Shaw trilogy</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">) <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">DCI <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Eric
Shaw and Adele Pennington </span></b>actually arrived at it on a Saturday in
June 2014, and then went to eat at a nearby restaurant. That impromptu date would
mark the transition from a simple working relationship to the beginning of
something else between the young forensic investigator and her boss.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">After
dinner, they would sit on a low wall, <b>exactly in the same spot where I sat in
August 2012</b>, a few months before writing the first draft of the novel, and
took the second photo you see in this article.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I really
think that, the next time I go to London and stroll in Leicester Square, I’ll
look around almost hoping to see them passing by.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-18862690500693049632023-05-31T12:30:00.008+02:002023-05-31T12:30:00.132+02:00Detective Shaw’s destiny is revealed in “Beyond the Limit”<p>It’s time
to find out how it ends.<br /><b><span lang="EN-GB">Beyond the Limit</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">, the final book in the <b><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw">Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy</a></b>,
is out today.</span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyH07sTNGgzW0A_qcSK3IZhYlKBYn1zXQxy9y1G-oeY6AbWneorBmO-JpR4H6347_b5oFzX6Mv-CTZi0Djokeru9aZyyQMkzTZBXQ5GXozNCus_EGj6S8MKe4EyxqhZzeWv8KY_RzuvERFFSC_hzM65NiUtmMx3p6GW30NKMOP-F-A0greCs8jGeJINg/s600/BTL-Ad-3devices-600.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyH07sTNGgzW0A_qcSK3IZhYlKBYn1zXQxy9y1G-oeY6AbWneorBmO-JpR4H6347_b5oFzX6Mv-CTZi0Djokeru9aZyyQMkzTZBXQ5GXozNCus_EGj6S8MKe4EyxqhZzeWv8KY_RzuvERFFSC_hzM65NiUtmMx3p6GW30NKMOP-F-A0greCs8jGeJINg/s16000/BTL-Ad-3devices-600.jpg" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">How far would you go to protect a secret?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Eleven
months have passed after the events narrated in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Syndrome</i>.<br /></span>In addition
to involving the reader in the hunt for a heinous serial killer through some of
the most famous glimpses of London, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beyond the Limit</i></b> is also the final
act of the evolution of Eric’s character. Once convinced that bending the rules
to bring criminals to justice was still right, Eric sees that belief falter as
he finds himself justifying the crimes of his pupil, who has only ever killed
murderers. Now he too will be forced to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">deal
with the darkest part of his soul</b>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">You can
download the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ebook version</b> or
purchase one of the print editions (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">paperback
and hardcover</b>) directly from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">your
favourite online store</b> around the world.<br /></span>A complete
list of links is available on the website dedicated to the trilogy:<br /><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">www.anakina.net/ericshaw</span></b></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The price
starts from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">£3.99/$4.99/€4.99 for the
ebook edition</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Click or tap here to purchase the book!</span></b></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">You can
also order it at your favourite <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Waterstones</b>
(UK) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Barnes & Noble</b> (USA)
bricks-and-mortar store.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Official
description of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beyond the Limit</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 35.4pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><blockquote>The lifeless body of a woman wearing an evening
dress is discovered in the party room of the wax museum. Everything would
suggest suicide, but DCI Eric Shaw, team chief at the Forensic Services of
Scotland Yard who’s investigating the scene with crime scene investigator Adele
Pennington, immediately notices a few similarities with the case of a serial
killer nicknamed Plastic Surgeon, closed three years ago with the arrest of
Robert Graham.<br />Perhaps someone is emulating Graham, or he had
an accomplice, but there is a third possibility that especially concerns Eric,
who, being convinced of Graham’s guilt, tampered with the physical evidence to
ensure his conviction.<br />What if he made a mistake and sent the wrong
person to jail?<br />After eleven months, and despite her
reluctance, he once again finds himself working with DI Miriam Leroux from the
Murder Investigation Teams. Now they have to race against time to follow the
trail of the elusive murderer.<br />This is possibly Shaw’s final major case before
a promotion to superintendent. The other contender for advancement being DCI
George Jankowski, a man who is not afraid to weed out the dirty secrets of
others to get what he wants.<br />And Eric and his pupil hide an unspeakable
secret.<br /> <br />
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The destiny of DCI Eric Shaw is about to be
fulfilled.</span></b></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></b></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></b></p></blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Click or tap here to purchase the book!</span></b></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I wish you
happy reading and I hope you’re enjoying the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw">Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy</a></b>!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-91079365996662480012023-05-09T15:30:00.013+02:002023-05-09T21:44:45.573+02:00Detective Shaw’s London: Buckingham Palace<p><span lang="EN-GB">In the
centre of the British capital, in the heart of the <b>City of Westminster</b>,
surrounded on three sides by <b>Buckingham Palace Gardens</b>, <b>Green Park</b>
and <b>St James’s Park</b>, we find <b>the official residence of the sovereign
of the United Kingdom: </b></span><b><a href="https://www.royal.uk/royal-residences-buckingham-palace"><span lang="EN-GB">Buckingham
Palace</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB">, also
simply called <i>The Palace</i>.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5FAUkOkYnerrsSodPYYJkdPKPKuTWOMn3hIF7NUoFG0oae7DaSx08_oWZ6jK2uPGOfdHNMC0kwtIVTI711oKSLeQREQCDVaNC0ugyzMmVaehTElJKKy8tEy6uRM21OqDpi0P6btDOfoqzUZhhq8bXmhr7OWVud5dZRtnRgGd0gTLNdHeeGOSFN5AOg/s600/buckingham-2.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5FAUkOkYnerrsSodPYYJkdPKPKuTWOMn3hIF7NUoFG0oae7DaSx08_oWZ6jK2uPGOfdHNMC0kwtIVTI711oKSLeQREQCDVaNC0ugyzMmVaehTElJKKy8tEy6uRM21OqDpi0P6btDOfoqzUZhhq8bXmhr7OWVud5dZRtnRgGd0gTLNdHeeGOSFN5AOg/s16000/buckingham-2.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Despite
being a relatively young building, its de facto name is used to refer to the
British monarchy itself.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The palace fulfils
this role <b>since 1837</b> and is also the administrative office of the
monarch, </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_III"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">King Charles III</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">. It covers <b>an area of 77,000 m2</b>
and includes something like <b>775 rooms</b>.<br /></span>Just in
front of it stands the <b>Victoria Memorial</b>, a huge sculpture depicting <b>Queen
Victoria</b> on one side and angels on the other three, all surmounted by a
statue of winged victory surrounded by two seated figures. Beyond this monument
starts the long street called <b>The Mall</b> which connects the building to
the <b>Admiralty Arch</b>, beyond which is <b>Trafalgar Square</b>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Buckingham
Palace is undoubtedly <b>an important tourist destination</b> for those
visiting London. <b>During the summer the State Rooms, which are 19, are open
to the public.<br /></b></span><span lang="EN-GB">It is
possible to obtain more information on the visit of the <i>State Rooms</i>, of
the <i>Royal Mews</i> and the <i>Queen’s Gallery</i> on the website site of the
</span><b><a href="https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/the-state-rooms-buckingham-palace"><span lang="EN-GB">Royal Collection</span></a><a name="_Hlt133616636"></a></b><span lang="EN-GB">, where you can also book tickets and find out about current
exhibitions.</span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVowM9qhAqjvN-oGVGKJp1e6J-fnFU5oR9qfmYVLQgo6ZhYVH1gA-S994WwARyTAdeAuzRoTLBX3hZOHbuw_1wNQaBeFCx-xEjrvxgR8HOD-QO2KCoZpCPlhjxfwfaYz7WT-vwmNSTk4DYkqgo3bbucOVW85tcUK-zbWhjdrn9FdKcGPADH97L_C-wA/s450/buckingham-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVowM9qhAqjvN-oGVGKJp1e6J-fnFU5oR9qfmYVLQgo6ZhYVH1gA-S994WwARyTAdeAuzRoTLBX3hZOHbuw_1wNQaBeFCx-xEjrvxgR8HOD-QO2KCoZpCPlhjxfwfaYz7WT-vwmNSTk4DYkqgo3bbucOVW85tcUK-zbWhjdrn9FdKcGPADH97L_C-wA/s16000/buckingham-1.jpg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">But a
ceremony that particularly attracts tourists throughout the year is <b>the
changing of the guard</b>, a real parade that takes place between the square in
front of the palace and its internal courtyard.<br /><span lang="EN-GB">The photo on the left was taken by me during one of these events in 2008, but you can see more in the
</span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishmonarchy/albums/72157631533918524"><span lang="EN-GB">official profile of the British Monarchy on Flickr</span></a><a name="_Hlt133616727"></a><span lang="EN-GB">, to realize how suggestive they can be.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The
Palace, The Mall, Green Park and the Changing of the Guard</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> also appear in “</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Mentor</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">”, in one of the posts on <b><i>Mina’s
blog</i></b>, where our serial killer walks on the long street and finds
herself in the crowd of tourists, while tailing Christopher Garnish. The
sequence then continues and reaches its epilogue in </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2023/03/detective-shaw-london-holloway.html"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Holloway</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">.<br /></span><span lang="EN-GB">Buckingham
Palace is also very close to the </span><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2022/12/detective-eric-shaw-trilogy-old-new-scotland-yard.html"><span lang="EN-GB">former site of <b>New Scotland Yard</b></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"> and <b>St James’s Park Tube station</b>,
which, again in “</span><b><a href="http://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><span lang="EN-GB">The Mentor</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB">”, is the scene of <b>a chase</b> of Garnish
himself by Eric Shaw and DI Miriam Leroux.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The whole
area surrounding the palace includes other <b>places of tourist interest</b>,
such as <b>10 Downing Street</b> (home of the Prime Minister), the Houses of
Parliament with its famous <b>Big Ben</b>, the </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.westminster-abbey.org/visit-us"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlt133617095;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Westminster Abbey</span></a><!--[if !supportNestedAnchors]--><a name="_Hlt133617095"></a><!--[endif]--></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> and the </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.westminstercathedral.org.uk/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Westminster Cathedral</span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlt133617120;"></span></a><!--[if !supportNestedAnchors]--><a name="_Hlt133617120"></a><!--[endif]--></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (the Catholic one; appearing in another book of mine, “<i>The Isle of
Gaia</i>”, not available in English yet).</span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lQPc47nbH_dH8i3XLvrnNaszchsPvsFuosW1alE7PLlDz9JrYssuwMC1spfy5o2sQAqsNt80-2LR23Zhe62Wva5D1MuQEOLIcmIjfX8cUNm3Xu33A83jXhamy71XSznUECCKdDcg9-wKIWjO-w2OJrL2M0ahOXB89dsqrUkXE_EFK79CD4bDog7Rzg/s250/buckingham-3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="250" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lQPc47nbH_dH8i3XLvrnNaszchsPvsFuosW1alE7PLlDz9JrYssuwMC1spfy5o2sQAqsNt80-2LR23Zhe62Wva5D1MuQEOLIcmIjfX8cUNm3Xu33A83jXhamy71XSznUECCKdDcg9-wKIWjO-w2OJrL2M0ahOXB89dsqrUkXE_EFK79CD4bDog7Rzg/s1600/buckingham-3.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">Contrary to
what many believe, <b>Buckingham Palace does not belong to the King</b>, but it
is a state asset, however <b>the presence of the monarch is signalled by the
waving of the royal standard </b>(as in the photo that shows me in front of the
palace in 2011 and in that of winged victory; it cannot be distinguished well
because it is small, but I assure you that the flag that you see waving is
actually the standard). In his absence, since 1997, this has been replaced by
the flag of the United Kingdom, the <i>Union Flag</i>, which is flown at
half-mast in the event of royal or national mourning.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In addition
to every changing of the guard, which especially on Sundays attracts many
people, the square in front of the palace was <b>invaded by a much larger crowd</b>
during the <b>Coronation</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">of King Charles
III</b> on 6 May <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2023</b>, and
previously during the <b>Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2002</b> (50
years of reign), the <b>Diamond Jubilee in 2012</b> (60 years of reign) and the
<b>Platinum Jubilee in 2022</b> (70 years of reign), celebrated a few months
before her death.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Concerts
were organized during these events, and some artists played on the roof of the
building for the jubilees. Notably in 2002, <b>Brian May, guitarist of Queen</b>
(the band, not Elizabeth!),</span><a href="https://youtu.be/t7tIRRRSMk0"><span color="windowtext" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">played
the UK national anthem from the rooftop <span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlt133617367;">“</span><i>God
Save The Queen</i>”</span></a><!--[if !supportNestedAnchors]--><a name="_Hlt133617367"></a><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (lately changed into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">God Save The
King</i>), the song with which the British band usually concludes each of its
concerts, accompanied by Roger Taylor and other musicians on stage in the
square.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-11064018149815688882023-03-30T15:30:00.009+02:002023-03-30T15:30:00.173+02:00Detective Shaw’s London: Holloway<p><a name="OLE_LINK1"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiRvLO65vT5JaIBXf4U6T_cYYsuonNbnDU9rNjcp4lrMAno75F-Ra8fBEYJs6oc92Sjf-y9A8rT_4PYtV_8uhS9FQX01B3CY_MlznTkptgj9am3zfBVdLFeSwe4v02a3jjigHvzkqwPZT00ErKKiIM5wzpoKLdfDLmI8TCCJ14uItg26VJ8ulS69WbQ/s450/Holloway-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="450" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiRvLO65vT5JaIBXf4U6T_cYYsuonNbnDU9rNjcp4lrMAno75F-Ra8fBEYJs6oc92Sjf-y9A8rT_4PYtV_8uhS9FQX01B3CY_MlznTkptgj9am3zfBVdLFeSwe4v02a3jjigHvzkqwPZT00ErKKiIM5wzpoKLdfDLmI8TCCJ14uItg26VJ8ulS69WbQ/s320/Holloway-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>On the edge of the <b>Borough of Islington</b> lies <b>the district of
Holloway</b>, which is one of the most densely populated in London and home to
a multicultural population. It is crossed by <b>Holloway Road</b>, which is
part of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A1_road_(Great_Britain)"><b><span lang="EN-GB">A1</span></b></a><span lang="EN-GB">,
<b>Britain’s longest numbered road</b> (actually outside the city it becomes a
motorway).</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The district, which is mostly residential, has
no particular tourist attractions, with the exception of the stadium of the <b>Arsenal
football team</b>, the<b> </b></span></span><a href="https://www.arsenal.com/emirates-stadium/get-to-emirates-stadium"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Emirates Stadium</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
(in the first photo, where you can also find me, and in detail in the photos
below, both taken in March 2011), which with its 60,000 seats is <b>the third
largest in London</b>, after <i>Wembley</i> (I went there the following year for
the Olympics) and that of <i>Twickenham</i> (where, however, rugby is played).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The <b>Emirates Stadium is located exactly in
Ashburton Grove</b>, the name by which it was called before taking that of the
sponsor (Emirate Airlines), in the same area where a scene from “</span></span><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Mentor</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">” narrated in <b>Mina’s blog</b>
takes place.<br /></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">During the scene, <b>our favourite serial killer
follows Christopher Garnish</b> to the house where he is hiding, where she
risks being seen by PC Mills (who in “</span><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Syndrome</span></b></a><span lang="EN-GB">” we find out he was promoted to the
rank of sergeant), also on the trail of the suspect in the murders. The
characters arrive in the area, however, from <b>Arsenal Tube station</b>, which
is in the adjacent Highbury district.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">The house where Garnish is really exists</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">.
If you read its description in the book, after following the route taken from
the station, and glance at Ashburton Grove with the street view on </span><a href="https://www.google.it/maps/place/Emirates+Stadium,+Hornsey+Rd,+London+N7+7AJ,+Regno+Unito/@51.5567096,-0.1058631,18z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x48761b7645295e3b:0x3600713c8382cf90"><span lang="EN-GB">Google
Maps</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">,
perhaps you might be able to spot it.</span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34RRC2dMpu-2ovl_133kyq_HgmSyReRqv_ECrXKiTqumdiZKbsupjvcS9LDmhUFzTuI7feALlf1sha3c11Se57D68hDle8CDBFyXbvlu8ciwM5QheafomLULnNqaDAWA9EyE-ffzZKyh023X10wnVHLihnW0Vz03ZkLEC7w6KxC2QO495EofIecaLZA/s600/Holloway-2.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34RRC2dMpu-2ovl_133kyq_HgmSyReRqv_ECrXKiTqumdiZKbsupjvcS9LDmhUFzTuI7feALlf1sha3c11Se57D68hDle8CDBFyXbvlu8ciwM5QheafomLULnNqaDAWA9EyE-ffzZKyh023X10wnVHLihnW0Vz03ZkLEC7w6KxC2QO495EofIecaLZA/s16000/Holloway-2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Holloway also returns in “</span><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Syndrome</span></b></a><span lang="EN-GB">”, this time to show a scene where <b>DCI
George Jankowski meets a police informant</b>. The detective in charge of the
forensics team dealing with crimes taking place in <b>Islington</b> (a
colleague of Eric’s in the same rank, <i>Detective Chief Inspector</i>) is near
<b>Holloway Road Tube station</b> and follows the informant with his car into a
side street.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSOc58PNbc2CG0kBSXrVSJBGUbQaM5-kvowhyDrDuwkEkvmz87MxhL4Q_2VsDxZ-6EHOGNccY8SyBj9Nay9ySvxfvbKh0cCkjvu0TqbWEbscLQ8XYwJ6UKpkehlLUa3NSO-qUeq1pgbMx6fKRTMcEvUMPCp1CnLug5nus1gw31l-hmf8LILD57PFl5A/s350/Holloway-3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="350" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSOc58PNbc2CG0kBSXrVSJBGUbQaM5-kvowhyDrDuwkEkvmz87MxhL4Q_2VsDxZ-6EHOGNccY8SyBj9Nay9ySvxfvbKh0cCkjvu0TqbWEbscLQ8XYwJ6UKpkehlLUa3NSO-qUeq1pgbMx6fKRTMcEvUMPCp1CnLug5nus1gw31l-hmf8LILD57PFl5A/s320/Holloway-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Two more interesting places are mentioned in
the scene. The first is the <b>North Campus of </b><a href="http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">London Metropolitan University</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (in the third photo, by </span></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/53921762@N00"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Alan Stanton</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, you can see the Orion Building which
is part of it). The university is also called simply London Met and includes a
second campus in the City.<br /></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">The second is <b>The Studios Islington</b> (now
called </span><a href="https://www.studiosholloway.com/"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Studios Holloway</span></b></a><span lang="EN-GB">)
and it is a complex that includes offices, commercial premises, restaurants,
and creative spaces.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In “</span></span><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Syndrome</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">”, I also tell something more about
the history of the Holloway district. In this regard, I mention the fact that
it was the scene of <b>a famous real crime</b> at the beginning of the last
century: <b>the bloody murder of Cora Crippen by her husband</b>, even if it is
now questioned whether he was the murderer (later sentenced to death and
executed). Unfortunately, the truth will never be known.<br /></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">I reported it in the novel also because I had
the pleasure of reading a book that narrates it in parallel with the biography
of Guglielmo Marconi. I am referring to “</span><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2015/06/thunderstruck-erik-larson.html"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Thunderstruck</span></b></a><span lang="EN-GB">”
by <b>Erik Larson</b>, a fictionalised essay that narrates how <b>thanks to the
radio-telegraph invented by Marconi</b> the police managed to capture Hawley
Harvey Crippen, who was fleeing to America with his lover. The captain of the
ocean liner in which he was travelling warned Scotland Yard, and Crippen found
the police waiting for him upon his arrival in Canada, one step away from being
able to disappear forever.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Holloway was also the home of </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Adams"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Douglas Adams</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, author of “</span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">”, and is still home to many
artists, journalists, authors and other people who work in television and film
industries, including <b>actress </b></span></span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2546012/"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Kaya Scodelario</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, star of the <b>Maze Runner</b>
series and of the fifth film in the <b>Pirates of the Caribbean</b> series
(with Johnny Depp).<br /></span></span><b><span lang="EN-GB">HMP Holloway</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">
<b>Prison</b>, which later became a women’s
prison, is also infamous because <b>Oscar Wilde</b> served in it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFg7MX5wn1Oq5DGJrlzw8OLBg8_k_idSKDRIHetbnglq8uDCQYD7kd30GP7xoYxIowWylZENfNOpUTqiZ55dE_tyBQulw_y6piPE36zVfMq8T7UvyDizisrKwpPEFosbyFV0MB5-aaMIYsWHMZSJTN5xqLxuVfn3dRvzJbAHXOG2GgHOPyFNvG-bHQw/s2720/S-Ad-3devices.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1844" data-original-width="2720" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFg7MX5wn1Oq5DGJrlzw8OLBg8_k_idSKDRIHetbnglq8uDCQYD7kd30GP7xoYxIowWylZENfNOpUTqiZ55dE_tyBQulw_y6piPE36zVfMq8T7UvyDizisrKwpPEFosbyFV0MB5-aaMIYsWHMZSJTN5xqLxuVfn3dRvzJbAHXOG2GgHOPyFNvG-bHQw/s320/S-Ad-3devices.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In the fiction of “</span></span><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Syndrome</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">”, <b>Holloway is also home to the
Murphy family</b>, who own a chain of pubs and a drug trafficking network. <b>I
hope the Irish don’t hate me</b> for choosing surnames and names that bring
Ireland to mind, even if this is never specified in the book. As I said, this
is absolutely fictional. I don’t actually know if there are a lot of Irish (or
descendants) in Holloway, but I made sure <b>there is no pub named Murphy’s Den</b>.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">It is also a coincidence that, in both books, the
bad guy has to do with Holloway. </span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I swear I did not
notice this until I finished writing the first draft of the second book!</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-4833149125556452182023-02-28T15:30:00.011+01:002023-02-28T18:02:12.506+01:00Detective Eric Shaw returns in “Syndrome”<p><span>It’s time to find out what happens next.<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Syndrome</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">, the sequel to the
international bestseller <i>The Mentor</i> and
book 2 in the </span><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy</span></b></a><span lang="EN-GB">, is finally here
for you to read it.</span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1bax8eyWkBJjRhY1GFv-5w1-fnqqpkCxw4aGksRI1QvsKxEGdaIlja4M3Xs0Z98_39cdfGsqVP3OE6lriJO7rQr0VF0C2IjT2gJB6ynsnZNjx8jiwX-MamgO8xJJjVjg4wW5oa68Lx_Mn4mGgsxVf6JGFVNnyLWNOi08oEUAryF8Alsi0XK45L4NLg/s2720/S-Ad-3devices.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1844" data-original-width="2720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1bax8eyWkBJjRhY1GFv-5w1-fnqqpkCxw4aGksRI1QvsKxEGdaIlja4M3Xs0Z98_39cdfGsqVP3OE6lriJO7rQr0VF0C2IjT2gJB6ynsnZNjx8jiwX-MamgO8xJJjVjg4wW5oa68Lx_Mn4mGgsxVf6JGFVNnyLWNOi08oEUAryF8Alsi0XK45L4NLg/w640-h434/S-Ad-3devices.jpg" width="600" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">What is the difference between
dedication and obsession?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Two years have passed, and new murders bring DCI Shaw and Mina together
again.<br /></span><span>In addition to proposing two intertwined investigative cases personally
involving the main characters, </span><b><i>Syndrome</i> </b><span>develops the dilemma with
which </span><i>The Mentor</i><span> ended. It shows the
protagonist’s inability to consider the crimes of his pupil totally wrong
because, as a child, she had witnessed the massacre of her family.<br /></span><span>This will lead him to closely observe the thin line separating good from
evil, knowing full well that if he ever crosses it, </span><b>he will never be able to go back</b><span>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">You can download the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ebook
version</b> or purchase one of the print editions (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">paperback and hardcover</b>) directly from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">your favourite online store</b> around the world.<br /></span><span>A complete list of links is available on the website dedicated to the
trilogy:<br /></span><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">www.anakina.net/ericshaw</span></b></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The price starts from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">£3.99/$4.99/€4.99
for the ebook edition</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Click or tap here to purchase the book!</span></b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">You can also order it at your favourite <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Waterstones</b> (UK) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Barnes
& Noble</b> (USA) bricks-and-mortar store.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Official description of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Syndrome</i></b>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 35.4pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">While investigating the murder
of two known offenders with connections to a notorious, recently escaped London
drug trafficker, the Scotland Yard forensic team headed by DCI Eric Shaw
becomes involved in a child abuse case. A nurse had accused a mother of a
series of violent, feverish attacks on her ten-year-old son, Jimmy. The woman
would exasperate the condition of her child to draw the attention and
compassion of health workers at the hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 35.4pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Eric learned of this
accusation by chance because he is dating Catherine Foulger, the paediatrician
looking after the child. She is an old flame, and he is seeing her again in the
hope of putting some order back in his life after discovering the identity of
the serial killer nicknamed Black Death.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 35.4pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">But this is a relationship his
former partner Adele Pennington, still working as an investigator in Forensic
Services, has not really accepted.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 35.4pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 35.4pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">DCI
Eric Shaw returns.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Click or tap here to purchase the book!</span></b></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">But there’s more to it.<br /></span><span>The </span><b>final book</b><span> in the </span><i>Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy</i><span>, </span><b><i>Beyond
the Limit</i></b><span>, is now </span><b>available for
pre-order</b><span> in most online stores, too!<br /></span><span>It’ll be published on </span><b>31 May 2023</b><span>.</span></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-41785945860637585682023-02-21T11:30:00.009+01:002023-02-21T11:30:00.162+01:00Join “The Mentor” and “Syndrome” on tour!<p>Starting
from today, <b>The Mentor and Syndrome are
on tour!<br /></b>You can
find them in many book blogs and bookstagrammers’ profiles around the web.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The two
books will be featured with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">reviews, excerpts, and interviews</b>.<br /></span>Join us on
tour for some fun and to learn more about the first two books in the <b><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank">Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy</a></b>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><b>The first week, 21-27 February, is dedicated to
</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank">The Mentor</a></i><b>.<br /></b></span>Here are
the tour stops.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJZGcS6RmIrkadmcDOFVQL8PP3IGXkjxsZELEtgqZUPMuHWSYRiM3GEDW00QgdjSK8EQmvrX0T3Skh7AvNujUXsjcqonXdseMTKYRJFLF1zbBn8eVmkxsVnWeetIaMU4dCTiRII0PTYf5ShGK0s8KwZq5FU0XTyBjA--zaDAS72zXHPGZ2EHuJn2nxw/s1640/The%20Mentor%20Tour%20Poster%20Week%201.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJZGcS6RmIrkadmcDOFVQL8PP3IGXkjxsZELEtgqZUPMuHWSYRiM3GEDW00QgdjSK8EQmvrX0T3Skh7AvNujUXsjcqonXdseMTKYRJFLF1zbBn8eVmkxsVnWeetIaMU4dCTiRII0PTYf5ShGK0s8KwZq5FU0XTyBjA--zaDAS72zXHPGZ2EHuJn2nxw/w640-h360/The%20Mentor%20Tour%20Poster%20Week%201.png" width="600" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><b>The second week, 28 February-6 March, is
dedicated to </b><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S" target="_blank">Syndrome</a></i><b>.<br /></b>Here are
the tour stops.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcio6CWAj_vAYz6ZUyVZXeBrCXUj2RK56NnhjeF6HYcNaDV3xaQzOczOT6f68uEDpa2dzM27EYhDhUyMnftoQfwlOHLwaDTIfJndgKkadGoEDsd6AYOa89JDoNTdTraS4lXuCBulTTx0VyDhFpslPTZJhHLK8g4zq5cIGxHHLhL8sM1McVIwOKc-NajQ/s1640/Syndrome%20Tour%20Poster%20Week%202.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcio6CWAj_vAYz6ZUyVZXeBrCXUj2RK56NnhjeF6HYcNaDV3xaQzOczOT6f68uEDpa2dzM27EYhDhUyMnftoQfwlOHLwaDTIfJndgKkadGoEDsd6AYOa89JDoNTdTraS4lXuCBulTTx0VyDhFpslPTZJhHLK8g4zq5cIGxHHLhL8sM1McVIwOKc-NajQ/w640-h360/Syndrome%20Tour%20Poster%20Week%202.png" width="600" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>Thank you so
much</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://zooloosbooktours.co.uk/the-mentor-and-syndrome-by-rita-carla-francesca-monticelli" target="_blank">Zoolo’s Book Tours</a></b>, for arranging this great double book tour.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">And <b>thanks
to all bloggers and bookstagrammers</b> who decided to hosting a tour stop for my
books.<br />H</span>ere they
are.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://aknightsreads.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">A Knight’s Reads</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://www.instagram.com/book_a_holic_17" target="_blank">book_a_holic_17</a> (IG)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://kcmw86.wixsite.com/bookworm86" target="_blank">Bookworm86</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://www.instagram.com/dreaming_of_selfcare" target="_blank">dreaming_of_selfcare</a>
(IG)<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://www.jazzybookreviews.com/" target="_blank">Jazzy Book Reviews</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://www.instagram.com/leannebookstagram" target="_blank">leannebookstagram</a> (IG) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/pause_theframe" target="_blank"><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">pause_theframe</span></a></span><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;"> (IG)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/penfoldlayla" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">penfoldlayla</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (IG)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://portable-magic.com/" target="_blank">Portable Magic</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://prdgreads.home.blog/" target="_blank">prdg reads</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://sharonbeyondthebooks.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Sharon Beyond The Books</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/staceywh_17" target="_blank">Staceywh_17</a> (IG)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://suewallace747.wixsite.com/suewallace74" target="_blank">Sue loves to read</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://eclecticreview.com/" target="_blank">The Eclectic Review</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">See you on
tour!</span></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-62393018395698391662023-02-03T15:30:00.011+01:002023-02-03T15:30:00.175+01:00Detective Shaw’s London: Marylebone<p><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsZKt01jLji_pHEZPd9bjUWcVnwwJwCEex8PrSKXg-NORQurmow5JswnxKVObiWRtk6o5Bxsto0fzYIkY-tqbxx2RXBMH-SAuQzE2G7jV5pJ9bJ5iKo_q_ZVcfGBZxx6ef9ZUZ-ZWsWyFmT7Qf_nlflCfsaiYX2iWgaulzE_8FY0-gjnEvpvQFR9TqQ/s450/marylebone1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="450" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsZKt01jLji_pHEZPd9bjUWcVnwwJwCEex8PrSKXg-NORQurmow5JswnxKVObiWRtk6o5Bxsto0fzYIkY-tqbxx2RXBMH-SAuQzE2G7jV5pJ9bJ5iKo_q_ZVcfGBZxx6ef9ZUZ-ZWsWyFmT7Qf_nlflCfsaiYX2iWgaulzE_8FY0-gjnEvpvQFR9TqQ/s320/marylebone1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Wedged between Regent’s Park to the north and the famous
Oxford Street to the south, <a href="https://www.google.it/maps/place/Marylebone,+Londra,+Regno+Unito/@51.5212807,-0.158658,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x48761acdd1a19cab:0xcb5f9c8d1d676f0a?hl=it"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Marylebone</span></b></a><b> </b><span lang="EN-GB">is in central London, within the
City of Westminster. It is mainly <b>a residential area</b>, although there are
also some diplomatic buildings (consulates) located there. Over the years it
has been home to <b>various famous people</b>, such as John Lennon, Paul
McCartney, Ringo Starr, <b>the author HG Wells </b>(in the photo the plaque
indicating his home), Jimi Hendrix, Madonna (at the time of her marriage to Guy
Ritchie) and many others, but perhaps <b>its most famous resident</b>, if only
in fiction, <b>was and always will be Sherlock Holmes</b>.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Indeed, in this district, there is the address <b>221B
Baker Street</b>, which <b>Arthur Conan Doyle</b> gave as the residence of the
protagonist of his detective stories (though the statue in the photo is outside
Baker Street Station).<br /></span><span lang="EN-GB">Obviously, Holmes’s house never existed; in fact, <b>Baker
Street did not even reach that number</b> at the time of the novels’
publication, but now the same street houses the </span><a href="http://www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk/"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Sherlock Holmes Museum</span></b></a><span lang="EN-GB">. It is not exactly at number 221B (it is located between 237 and 241),
but since 1990 after a long dispute, the museum has obtained it to become its
official address, despite this altering the numbering of the street.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Willing somehow to pay homage to the character created
by Arthur Conan Doyle, I put <b>DCI Eric Shaw’s home </b>(equally imaginary)<b>
</b>in a side street of Baker Street called <b>York Street</b>.<br /></span><span lang="EN-GB">Another reason for my choice is that I know Marylebone
very well, as every time I go to London I stay in a hotel in Gloucester Place
called </span><a href="http://london-hotel82.com/"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Hotel
82</span></b></a><span lang="EN-GB">.<br /></span>In addition to being a nice hotel and not costing
much, despite being a four-star hotel (and anyone who has been to the British
capital at least once <i>knows how important the category of a hotel is to
avoid nasty surprises concerning cleanliness!</i>), it has the peculiarity of
being a five-minute walk from the stop of the EasyBus shuttle <b>to Stansted
airport</b> and at the same time in an area, precisely Marylebone, from which,
if you are not afraid to walk a bit, <b>you can basically visit the whole of
central London on foot</b>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqYkMz7Dil1dp9t3AOUzFVbcNCdi3_c1KASsN6ge7SkeQqMefgdFmFNopyiB7qiUMh4rvrk8KG38uVswmMbN0nzZJNrlhVmGDN4LGh3DWMmwK0GTaxlnVeARD9lWRp0TE5oqslx0FClJf3zj9_zasX6aFRt7bxItyN_6M2j1ZxKJ-SR3flwrBZyMWrw/s364/marylebone2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqYkMz7Dil1dp9t3AOUzFVbcNCdi3_c1KASsN6ge7SkeQqMefgdFmFNopyiB7qiUMh4rvrk8KG38uVswmMbN0nzZJNrlhVmGDN4LGh3DWMmwK0GTaxlnVeARD9lWRp0TE5oqslx0FClJf3zj9_zasX6aFRt7bxItyN_6M2j1ZxKJ-SR3flwrBZyMWrw/s320/marylebone2.jpg" width="176" /></a></div>In fact, moving south along <b>Gloucester Place</b>
(which then continues into Portman Street) or the parallel <b>Baker Street</b>
you arrive at <b>the famous shopping street, Oxford Street</b>, directly next
to the <b>department stores of </b><a href="http://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/content/store/london"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Selfridges</span></b></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.<br /></span>From there, moving west, you soon reach the edge of
Marylebone, marked by <b>Marble Arch</b>, from which the enormous <b>Hyde Park</b>
begins. If you go east instead, you reach <b>Oxford Circus</b>, then you can
take Regent’s Street, and in no time at all you arrive at <b>Piccadilly Circus</b>. <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But let’s go back to the heart of Marylebone, where
the home of another character from the <b>Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy</b> is
located, namely <b>that of Adele Pennington, exactly in Dorset Street</b>. This
street is also a cross street of Gloucester Place and Baker Street, and for a
stretch it runs parallel to York Street (with another street between the two).
In short, the two characters really live a short distance from each other.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A coincidence? Those who read the books know the
answer to this question.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I chose these two streets in particular because I
happened to walk on them often and their names are impressed in my mind. And
they seemed to me <b>nice places for my characters to live</b>.<br /></span><span lang="EN-GB">It is actually a far from cheap residential area and,
in fact, a fellow writer (and friend), </span><a href="http://eraniapinnera.com/"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Stefania Mattana</span></b></a><span lang="EN-GB">, who lives near London, after reading “</span><span class="CollegamentoInternet"><b><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><span lang="EN-GB">The Mentor</span></a></b></span><span lang="EN-GB">” commented that <b>Eric and Adele must be rich to live there!<br /></b></span>Well, actually from the book it emerges that <b>Adele
is doing quite well</b> and, reading that <b>Eric</b>, in addition to having that house, a nice car, a cottage in the
country, also pays alimony for his son Brian (from his ex-wife Crystal), you
can infer that <b>he too must have some money aside</b>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But on the other hand, being fictional characters, why
not let them live in a nice place?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Moreover, those same streets are the scene (in “</span><span class="CollegamentoInternet"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Mentor</span></a></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">”) of the <b>beginning of a car chase</b>, which however ends outside
the neighbourhood.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzg9nOYZYGrFa44y0rTek7CzCnOiXtfKuMvzbEIXruMboBQjlVT05GUiIkmgoEgpIkNLNppyRSrxFRTE1MB1b1Nv9Plmt7o8PmyuNI27Gu58_5ukM0KgSN5l7_VZUMv6LrjoX4LuC-0Twj5pOa9wn2Fp90w0xOWyN68uzrqi1FHtkUWU-hpDNFdUKPRQ/s350/marylebone3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="350" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzg9nOYZYGrFa44y0rTek7CzCnOiXtfKuMvzbEIXruMboBQjlVT05GUiIkmgoEgpIkNLNppyRSrxFRTE1MB1b1Nv9Plmt7o8PmyuNI27Gu58_5ukM0KgSN5l7_VZUMv6LrjoX4LuC-0Twj5pOa9wn2Fp90w0xOWyN68uzrqi1FHtkUWU-hpDNFdUKPRQ/s320/marylebone3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Finally, Marylebone hosts another important tourist
attraction, which in my opinion anyone who goes to London should visit: <a href="https://www.madametussauds.co.uk/london/en/"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the
beautiful Madame Tussauds waxworks museum</span></b></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.<br /></span>I’ve been there twice, more than twenty years apart
from each other, and the second time I found it completely different from the
first, but always very funny (in the photo I am with <b>Sherlock Holmes played
by Robert Downey Jr</b>, well, of course it’s his waxwork copy).<br />Admission is unfortunately <b>very expensive</b>, but
as for all places of tourist interest in London there is <b>a way to visit it
by spending much less</b>, i.e. on the museum’s official website, where you can
buy discounted tickets especially in certain times of the year. For example,
last time I went there, I spent just £15 to enter during the last hour it was
open on a specific day.<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After all, <b>an hour is absolutely enough to visit it</b>,
take some beautiful photos and not be tempted to buy too many souvenirs!</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-91939290407329134112022-12-31T15:30:00.010+01:002022-12-31T15:30:00.180+01:00New year, new resolutions: 2023<p>This thing
of <b>reviewing the year that just passed</b> is getting a little stressful.
Could it be because the further we go on the more it seems that twelve months
go by in a flash?<br />Okay,
kidding!<br />It’s not
that stressful. On the contrary, <b>it’s actually useful for me to collect my
ideas</b>, realising that deep down (very deep down) I did something again this
year and therefore giving myself a virtual pat on the back, thanks to which it’s
easier for me to continue to carry on my many resolutions.<br />Then,
thinking about it, this 2022 seemed a little longer than the previous ones.
Just a wee bit, huh! Without exaggerating.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7zYrfBN9TpHTJhosJcgzirnlHShb8PLPNAYxWX3RCPcDOVnm2VjInOeiq-2DMryx_Zt0W2tXQHyUsM0R4sK605QzwOux465sn_Q4Kv_twGm1qFk60cyHVf8ZoLnzKonPsLGsipLVPpboxeGy1KODmAJI2kJrMm48E0nnrCSkkEQjZP56mHOe1714QSg/s450/2023-01%5B1%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7zYrfBN9TpHTJhosJcgzirnlHShb8PLPNAYxWX3RCPcDOVnm2VjInOeiq-2DMryx_Zt0W2tXQHyUsM0R4sK605QzwOux465sn_Q4Kv_twGm1qFk60cyHVf8ZoLnzKonPsLGsipLVPpboxeGy1KODmAJI2kJrMm48E0nnrCSkkEQjZP56mHOe1714QSg/s16000/2023-01%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a></div><p>But let us
leave these pseudo-philosophical (?) considerations aside and return to the
facts. <b>You may be wondering whether or not I managed to complete the
resolutions I declared a year ago.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal">To tell the
truth, I made this task quite simple, since I had only one resolution, that is
to complete the <b>preparation of the English version of <a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank">the Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy</a></b>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Well, the
first book in the series, “<b><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank">TheMentor</a></b>”, <b>was released on 30 November. </b>The editions of the
second, “<b><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S" target="_blank">Syndrome</a></b>”, are
all ready and the book is already available for pre-order. <b>It will be
published on 28 February 2023</b>. Some editions of the third, “<b><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#BTL" target="_blank">Beyond the Limit</a></b>”, are also
ready and available for pre-order. I still have to finish preparing the print
ones, but there is no particular hurry, since <b>the publication date is 31 May
2023</b>.<br /></span>So I can
say that, as regards the preparation of the books and their publication, <b>I
have respected my intentions</b>. Yay!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><b>On the
promotion front, however, I’m a bit behind.<br /></b></span>In an ideal
world, I should have had all the editions ready and available for pre-order as
early as August, so that I could use the following three months to arrange the
promotion and arrive prepared for the release of the first book.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><b>Of
course, we don’t live in an ideal world.<br /></b></span>In reality,
I only received the manuscript of the last book from my English proof-reader in
May. I worked hard to complete the corrections and finally, after the umpteenth
re-reading (also of the previous books), I found myself with the final version
of the text.<br />And then summer arrived, with so many things to do (like going in holidays) and
at the same time a lot of translation work to do.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cHJqiDfmw3ef3i5xncsXT1AYUOOdkytx07_zJcHnQlutZ6c6K_sMUXgaobvmA09jOtl2Tv26iBVxBThLPTW5bczi2sjsM7Bp_t2r0f-kbweDNal6IzjbA7A1Wjx_h2G0HteHWlhyShkS0DO8v0v0r9ezYXlJlMOBUMIMnA2s9tv3j91SH8VRPGGEfA/s16000/2023-02%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Moreover, I
started <b>updating all the e-book editions of my books</b>, in order to have a
single epub version, with all the latest information inside, including all the
necessary links (some didn’t work anymore). It was a job I had been carrying
out since the beginning of the year and in some cases I also had to update the
print versions.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Then, in
May, I <b>started experimenting with the possibility of making hardcover
editions</b>, so that I was prepared for when I would have to use this format
with the English trilogy.<br /></span>The object
of my experiment was “<b><a href="https://www.anakina.net/affinita" target="_blank">Affinità d’intenti</a></b>”
(Italian book), which, being my shortest novel, allowed me to create a version
in this format at <b>an acceptable printing and list price</b>.<br />For the occasion,
I made a brand new cover <b>based on the concept of the old one, but this time
using photos</b>. In particular, I used two shots by a Dutch photographer who
lives in Sicily. This new cover has also become the official one for the e-book.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">By the way,
for the occasion, <b>I created my new logo</b>, which for now you can only see
in the site icon on your browser and in a few other real (including the
aforementioned hardcover edition) or virtual (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ladyanakina" target="_blank">like my YouTube channel</a>)
places.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The next
step was <b>adapting the cover also to the English edition, “<a href="https://www.anakina.net/kindred" target="_blank">Kindred Intentions</a>”</b>, both for
the e-book and for the hardcover version. I also used it to create a second paperback
edition, which is distributed via Ingram.<br /></span><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2022/08/hardback-kindred-intentions.html" target="_blank">You can find out more about this edition and see some photos of the Italian one in the article you can find at this link</a>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The point
is, in August I found myself with only the manuscripts of the trilogy in
English in my hands and some ideas for adapting their covers (starting from
their Italian version).<br /></span>Since, in
order to do things, you also need to know what you have to do, I sat down in
front of a blank sheet (actually, a OneNote page) and <b>drew up a detailed
list of everything I should do to preparing books for publication and promoting
them</b>. Some entries then gave rise to new adjoining lists, until I finally
got <b>a real plan</b>, which is still in progress.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQFDsEJmm4nMYETACcomyYK_vA2fjc8BJFRJ4Xv3BShEuk_b2ZgX-nMXaEFSACpBh4Ug6q-aUPbh0CmxUzCh1FdTOIcleOC3qV8r71vuygOonKc2qpSllHJHK2bI1WSNaplLk9tb4wHWphUzQRn1fB6iUNzRIkqYtNI_EgQjRSEqlZj6cYqo72Zh7cg/s400/2023-03%5B1%5D.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQFDsEJmm4nMYETACcomyYK_vA2fjc8BJFRJ4Xv3BShEuk_b2ZgX-nMXaEFSACpBh4Ug6q-aUPbh0CmxUzCh1FdTOIcleOC3qV8r71vuygOonKc2qpSllHJHK2bI1WSNaplLk9tb4wHWphUzQRn1fB6iUNzRIkqYtNI_EgQjRSEqlZj6cYqo72Zh7cg/s16000/2023-03%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a></div>At that
point it was already September and I had to prepare my “<b>Self-publishing laboratory</b>”
(a workshop) and a lecture for “<b>Scienza & Fantascienza</b>” (Science
& Science Fiction), which I would then give in October.<br /><b><span lang="EN-GB">At the
beginning of October I finally returned to Varese to personally teach the
workshop at the University of Insubria</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">, after three years. How nice it was to be able
to look students in the eye again!</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">(The first
photo was taken in Varese, and you can see me together with Sara Simoni, a
former student of my laboratory and now a fellow author.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">And two
weeks later, <b>I attended the conference</b>, albeit remotely, since it was
not possible to organise it during my short stay in Lombardy.<br /></span><a href="https://ladyanakina.blogspot.com/2022/11/self-publishing-varese-science-fiction.html" target="_blank">I have dedicated a separate article to the workshop and the conference that, if you wish, you can read at this link</a>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">All this
talk was to say that, basically, I turned around, and it was already November.
And I was supposed to publish the first book within a month. <b>Argh!<br /></b></span>At that
point, I really had to work hard.<br />Just think
that the book has <b>only one e-book version</b>, but <b>five different paper
editions</b>, each with a slightly different cover (two in the hardcover
version and three in the paperback version). This is due to the fact that I
have used multiple platforms to ensure that the book gets the widest possible
distribution. It’s just that each platform has slightly different templates
even for books in the same size.<br />In short, a
long work!<br /><b><span lang="EN-GB">But I’m
glad I did it, because the covers came out really well.</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> <a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank">Check them out on the English trilogy mini website at this link</a>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">However,
all of this meant that I could only start promoting seriously after the release
of “<b><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank">The Mentor</a></b>”, so <b>three
months later</b>, compared to the original plan.<br /></span><span lang="EN-GB"><b>Fortunately,
self-produced books never expire.<br /></b></span>So my main
occupation at the moment is <b>planning promotions and testing advertising
platforms</b>. I hope to see the first outcomes of all this work before the
publication of the second book, in order to have a good domino effect on the
third.<br />At the same
time, <b>I’m exploring other possibilities to exploit my rights</b>, but I don’t
want to go into details now. I’ll tell you more about it in the future if I see
any opportunities materialise.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As you may
have noticed, <b>I didn’t mention any prequel to the</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">trilogy</b> (“<b>La prova</b>”, which in English would be “<b>Evidence</b>”).
Well, as I feared, I didn’t have the time to deal with it at all. Not that I
really wanted to write it, mind you, but even if I had fancied it a little, it
wouldn’t have been of any use.<br /></span>I have not
completely ruled out the possibility of writing it in the near future, also
because <b>I always have the outline of the book ready in the drawer</b> (it is
<b>literally</b> in a handwritten sheet stored in a drawer), but if I just want
to think of doing that, I must first complete the work started with the
trilogy. We will see!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">On the
positive side, of the many entries on those lists that I mentioned earlier, at
least half <b>have been crossed out</b>, which means I’m starting to see the
light at the end of the tunnel.<br /></span>I swear you
I can hardly believe it!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEN1nxIhZWFWbIAofixTL86W4N2MhZwwSz2ZSPY5J67N0aHhV5bvuQswxhsSYDY7kRjCUaBD25Z-ioguNhG30CD7aKAL6w6jKN774OGxwyW9D806ac9lrSvrrS1H5vcDCwAKRofBve11CVe2NbqrlNKCroVHmjyDoCz5ETnkbHKJlmNLrUtVuZjof8A/s450/2023-4%5B1%5D.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEN1nxIhZWFWbIAofixTL86W4N2MhZwwSz2ZSPY5J67N0aHhV5bvuQswxhsSYDY7kRjCUaBD25Z-ioguNhG30CD7aKAL6w6jKN774OGxwyW9D806ac9lrSvrrS1H5vcDCwAKRofBve11CVe2NbqrlNKCroVHmjyDoCz5ETnkbHKJlmNLrUtVuZjof8A/s16000/2023-4%5B1%5D.JPG" /></a></div>It must
also be said, however, that <b>I didn’t spend twelve months always working in
front of the PC.</b> Apart from the fact that obviously in the summer, I <b>spent
a lot of time by the sea</b> (and here the summer lasts from May to October),
in July I went in holidays away from Sardinia (it was about time!) and,
incredibly, I set foot abroad, even if only for a few hours.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I spent
a wonderful week in South Tyrol, in particular in Puster Valley, from which I
made a dutiful stop in Austria.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">(The
adjacent photo was taken on the cable car that connects Valdaora to the top of
Plan de Corones, in the one below you can recognize the Three Peaks of Lavaredo
taken from the observation point near Dobbiaco.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The word <i>wonderful</i>,
however, is absolutely reductive in describing how well I was during this
holiday. You should know that I stayed there for a long time with my parents
for the first time when I was still little more than a child (we are talking
about more than three decades ago), <b>in a small village called Villabassa</b>
(Niederdorf). I went there again in the mid-90s and then not anymore until last
July. I was in South Tyrol again in the 2000s: once in 2001 for two days in
Bressanone (to attend a concert) and then a few days in 2007 in Val Gardena,
where Cagliari (the football team) was in retreat.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Well, when
I set foot there again after a long time, I was delighted to discover that <b>Villabassa
hasn’t changed at all</b>. After thoses decades, I remembered everything, I
recognised every street (it’s not exactly a metropolis!) and I felt again that
great feeling of peace that only the mountain can give you, combined in this
case with pleasant reminiscences of <b>a time of my life which was certainly
much more carefree than the present</b>.<br /></span>We had been
there for less than a day when my partner and I said to each other: we have to
come back!<br />And I
really think we will.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">And if you’re
curious to know how I spent the remaining time of 2022, in addition to the time
spent dealing with my publishing business, translations, my beach life, and my
holidays in the mountains, well, <b>I spent it watching lots of tennis!<br /></b></span>Eh, yes, it
seems that this <i>addiction </i>of mine, which I already mentioned a year ago,
continues. But on the other hand, if you have by chance kept an eye on my
Facebook page or my Twitter profile or my Instagram stories, you were certainly
already aware of it.<br />On the
contrary, this December of <i>abstinence</i> (!) was quite hard. However, <b>I
consoled myself with figure skating</b> (!!) and, obviously, with football,
even if Cagliari has been making us suffer a bit in recent years.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Furthermore,
there was no shortage of good films and especially good TV series to surround
everything, with the addition of some good books, even if not many (lately I’ve
been reading very little).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">And
finally, not content with the need to use English more and more, <b>I decided
to freshen up my German</b>, now limping after years of little use, even in
translations. I’ve been getting back to it little by little since last spring,
without much haste. I’d like to bring it back at least to the level it was
about ten years ago, to be able to exploit it more in my job as translator (and
not only, as I did in July, <b>to eavesdrop undisturbed</b> the conversations
between the hotel owner and German-speaking customers during my stay in South
Tyrol).<br /></span>Since I’m
here, it wouldn’t hurt if I did the same with French, too.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Am I
forgetting anything?<br /></span>Ah yes,
also this year <b>I attended some MOOCs</b> (massive open online courses) on <a href="https://www.futurelearn.com/" target="_blank">FutureLearn</a>: three in all. I find it
more and more difficult to find something interesting that I haven’t already
attended, but I don’t give up and keep looking.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_JPirzcKjIFj2d8hHKkwDrcsYvQptUEonF1dYstcPsBDDpkcJcBZ2LaizVaNRQYNZAM3rAXilti9_8mIIFL6qIp_yuKrdYAkqVbJMVKUsPPMB7pA575WbGxbSQG9CVwT8wqW4SyZTwcjesMgOJpnWIR44hTzq7A9eZ-Njd_Mbmm_w5rwbiYaeLqvSIg/s600/2023-05%5B1%5D.JPG"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_JPirzcKjIFj2d8hHKkwDrcsYvQptUEonF1dYstcPsBDDpkcJcBZ2LaizVaNRQYNZAM3rAXilti9_8mIIFL6qIp_yuKrdYAkqVbJMVKUsPPMB7pA575WbGxbSQG9CVwT8wqW4SyZTwcjesMgOJpnWIR44hTzq7A9eZ-Njd_Mbmm_w5rwbiYaeLqvSIg/s16000/2023-05%5B1%5D.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Okay, let’s
say that the report of the year that is about to end, albeit a bit chaotic, can
be defined as complete. Now only the last part remains: <b>setting resolutions
for next year</b>.</p><p class="MsoNormal">And this
time too I intend to limit myself to the essentials.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Finishing preparing and publishing the English edition of the Detective
Eric Shaw Trilogy</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">.
And being able to get as much as possible from the promotion, without however
feeling too much disappointed if I can’t reach as many readers as I would like.<br />
I admit that for me it is already a success to be able to publish it, after all
the work done to translate it. Once it’s there for the English-speaking public,
I’ll have something tangible to work with to make the most of its rights.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Finishing updating all my sites to be mobile friendly and introducing new
graphics, with my new logo</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">. I had already started doing this in 2021. Then, during 2022, I created
mini websites for the English editions of my books (including the <a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank">trilogy</a> and <a href="http://www.reddesert.eu/" target="_blank">Red Desert</a>). Now I have to convert the main
one both in Italian (<a href="https://www.anakina.net/" target="_blank">Anakina.net</a>) and in
English (<a href="http://www.anakina.eu/" target="_blank">Anakina.Eu</a>) and the Italian one
dedicated to the <a href="http://www.desertorosso.net/" target="_blank">Aurora Saga</a> (or
maybe I’ll call it Aurora Chronicles). <br />
I should also take a new official photo, since the one I use now is more than
eight years old.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Doing more physical activity</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">. I really want to take this as a serious
commitment.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">If all goes
as expected, I should complete the first two resolutions in less than a year,
considering that they are both underway. This means that there will be time for
more, but I absolutely don’t want to make plans about it.<br />
In fact, one of my greatest wishes is <b>completing everything, really
everything, that I’m doing and finding myself one day with zero projects
started.</b> And at that point deciding, based on how I feel at that moment,
which will be the next one to dedicate myself to.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><b>Will it
happen in 2023?<br /></b></span>We’ll see
and, hopefully, in a year’s time I’ll tell you all about it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">That’s all
for this year, too.<br /></span>As usual, I
close by thanking all of you who follow me: family, friends, readers,
colleagues, and collaborators.<br /><b><span lang="EN-GB">Heartfelt
thanks for the support you give me.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">If you
want, <b>tell me in the comments</b> of this article, or of the social networks
where I’m sharing it, how your 2022 went and what you intend to do in 2023.<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-GB">Have a
good end and a good beginning!</span></b></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-21214008925798758712022-12-27T15:30:00.001+01:002023-02-02T23:09:43.687+01:00Detective Shaw’s London: old New Scotland Yard<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhL4Y4-Q4qDuoOK-iSPUVFFnAS9e-IJvzRlo74O_ttA7FsQEdKdUtQKKtS93HlmoVownCjB8cdsIZQgcDfeB57kuC0IwZM_XZvUQnIxPczhevMFETRlS3Ls5nr-NimboPQjjCASjTCoZfn_-MQWiX_6WCwhD1YIN3PPazX7g4P5qWmgvIv_2uY8kY09w/s450/newscotlandyard1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="450" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhL4Y4-Q4qDuoOK-iSPUVFFnAS9e-IJvzRlo74O_ttA7FsQEdKdUtQKKtS93HlmoVownCjB8cdsIZQgcDfeB57kuC0IwZM_XZvUQnIxPczhevMFETRlS3Ls5nr-NimboPQjjCASjTCoZfn_-MQWiX_6WCwhD1YIN3PPazX7g4P5qWmgvIv_2uY8kY09w/s320/newscotlandyard1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In common
use <b>the term Scotland Yard is another way to define the Metropolitan Police
of London</b>, also called <i>Met</i>, which has jurisdiction over the area
called <b>Greater London</b> (excluding the City, which has its own police),
but it actually means the building where it is based, the full name of which is
<b>New Scotland Yard</b>, often referred to simply as the <i>Yard</i>. This
denomination originates from the address of the first police headquarters in
Great Scotland Yard (1829), although the main entrance was at 4 Whitehall, and
followed the <b>moves first to Victoria Embankment</b> (1890), with the
addition of the adjective “New”, then<b> to Broadway</b> (1967) and finally <b>again
to Victoria Embankment</b> (from 2016).<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In the
previous headquarters of the London police there was the famous <b>rotating
sign</b> (see images), which had become a real tourist attraction (in fact I
too <b>could not resist the temptation to take a picture</b> in front of it in
the 2011). But the building at 10 Broadway was abandoned by the Metropolitan
Police <b>in late 2016</b>. It had, in fact, already been sold since 2014 to
the Abu Dhabi Financial Group (ADFG), although it was still in use. As part of
a real estate redevelopment for the police force, <b>the headquarters was
relocated, along with its rotating sign, to the Curtis Green Building</b>
(again on Victoria Embankment) after it underwent a refurbishment.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINIEn95pDzoy0nUj76AgZmvD7euT85UA8rpFbssrjymY8ODfzqSqxPMY6jSgx9aXypcqSMYRmFu1jLauPBfp3YHTCmFlHeKCqT_nLuQiOyECnMRoL9yp-tEGINniqwohyeFkz-X97Zk5tAg6hCgV2gF5MdAVlmvnTICvSWr4Gfe9GKoe64Jn6m5-z3w/s350/newscotlandyard2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="350" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINIEn95pDzoy0nUj76AgZmvD7euT85UA8rpFbssrjymY8ODfzqSqxPMY6jSgx9aXypcqSMYRmFu1jLauPBfp3YHTCmFlHeKCqT_nLuQiOyECnMRoL9yp-tEGINniqwohyeFkz-X97Zk5tAg6hCgV2gF5MdAVlmvnTICvSWr4Gfe9GKoe64Jn6m5-z3w/s320/newscotlandyard2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>You have no
idea <b>how many problems</b> these latest developments, whose timing was far
from certain, created me during the writing of “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Syndrome</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">”, until its publication, which took
place in 2016, and during the writing of the last book in the trilogy, “<b>Beyond
the Limit</b>”, published in 2017.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Having to <b>write
books set a few months after they were written</b>, I found myself having to <b>guess
about the future</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">“</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Mentor</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">” luckily was published before the
Broadway building was sold, but for “</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Syndrome</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">”, I was forced to sift through the
news on the internet to <b>figure out when the move to Curtis Green would take
place</b>. Needless to say, the information was scarce and often contradictory.
Once I established that it would not take place before June 2016, <b>I limited
myself to mentioning the imminent move</b> in the novel. For the next one,
however, the matter became more complicated.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">“<b><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#BTL" target="_blank">Beyond the Limit</a></b>” is set at the<b> end of May 2017</b>. In theory, the transfer
should have been finished by then, but I wasn’t at all certain of this in
November and December 2016, when I wrote the first draft. <b>I was forced to
choose to show that my characters were already in the new location</b>, then
just before the book’s publication, I had to make sure it was the truth and
possibly prepare to edit some passages of the text.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgWMSaa-DNTffmlQI0OBlAf0hpFkdog59UJ7O9qtgg6wPoRVhNCagJIj0lKvq6GmST6JXiAuMBhePaPndvIYhQr4oRHbnmi_Hmo1XSOmbawzCOqkO59slAUYO_wO1ftVX5Q1ITk9MqarBwI_smBWPkZdwdqtj6OE7MkEb7Ig9kja1wmAgUY-6ec_ejw/s350/newscotlandyardcurtis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="350" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgWMSaa-DNTffmlQI0OBlAf0hpFkdog59UJ7O9qtgg6wPoRVhNCagJIj0lKvq6GmST6JXiAuMBhePaPndvIYhQr4oRHbnmi_Hmo1XSOmbawzCOqkO59slAUYO_wO1ftVX5Q1ITk9MqarBwI_smBWPkZdwdqtj6OE7MkEb7Ig9kja1wmAgUY-6ec_ejw/s320/newscotlandyardcurtis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Then there
was <b>a second problem</b>. The old New Scotland Yard housed <b>one of the
three forensic science laboratories of the Metropolitan Police</b>, which is
the one where Detective Shaw’s team works in my trilogy. Considering that the
Curtis Green is a smaller building (the picture is an illustration showing its
expected look after the refurbishment), that the police were looking to cut
costs, and that the refurbishment of the laboratory located in Lambeth was
among their projects, <b>I really had no idea if the place of work of my
characters would be moved to the new headquarters or elsewhere or merged with
another laboratory</b>. Having found no further information on this, before
working on the book, I had to <b>pick one option and stick with it</b>. The
easiest thing was to talk about a simple move to the Curtis Green Building. If
that were the truth, fine. Otherwise, <b>it would have become just another of
the many artistic licences</b> I took while creating this story!<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">But let’s
go back to the old location, the one on Broadway. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">It also
included <b>the Crime Museum</b>, also known as the <b>Black Museum</b>, which
contained, among the various exhibits, some <b>letters presumably written by
Jack the Ripper</b>. This was moved to the Curtis Green Building. Unfortunately,
it is not open to the public; only police officers from all over the UK can
visit it by appointment.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHMNY2jeRdhTtZrnL13CBZTMOaNSNmhDelFJON7QCDQwEmXgP4s5LSgPt3hQGnY9iDYyqrr6tiinZgNCsklVxLgjXB6enYvT8_gcwNPRXBaUy9-7M6q6cQWGCIInuQ7JjU4l92qq61mlvKh-Q3vpJB5vHFzEP75jydtmGbBnBQiCUDEZFFrExY51tNg/s600/newscotlandyard3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHMNY2jeRdhTtZrnL13CBZTMOaNSNmhDelFJON7QCDQwEmXgP4s5LSgPt3hQGnY9iDYyqrr6tiinZgNCsklVxLgjXB6enYvT8_gcwNPRXBaUy9-7M6q6cQWGCIInuQ7JjU4l92qq61mlvKh-Q3vpJB5vHFzEP75jydtmGbBnBQiCUDEZFFrExY51tNg/s16000/newscotlandyard3.jpg" /></a></div><span lang="EN-GB"><br />The area
where the old <b>New Scotland Yard</b> was located is nevertheless very <b>interesting
from a tourist point of view</b>. It is practically midway between <b>Westminster
Abbey</b>, which is a stone’s throw from the <b>Parliament</b>, and the <b>Westminster
Cathedral</b> (the latter is Catholic), connected by busy Victoria Street. The
nearest Tube station is <b>St James’s Park </b>(which is mentioned in “</span><b><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><span lang="EN-GB">The Mentor</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB">”), on Broadway itself and near the
park of the same name.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I honestly
have no idea what the inside of the old <b>New Scotland Yard</b> looked like.
In describing the forensic science lab in “</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Mentor</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">” and “</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw#S"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Syndrome</span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">”, I <b>relied on my imagination</b>,
but during my latest search, I found <b>a Daily Mail article showing old photos
of the inside of the building dating back to 1967</b>, when the police moved
in. </span><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2867571/Crates-criminal-records-giant-maps-London-state-art-teleprinters-New-Scotland-Yard-sold-370m-pictures-Met-Police-HQ-like-opened-doors.html"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">You can find them at this link.</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> They are truly images from other
times that depict <b>archives full of paper, huge switchboards</b>, <b>enormous
maps</b>, and <b>automatic teletypewriters</b>, which at the time were the
state-of-art of technology.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Who knows
how it had become in more recent times. Perhaps somewhere <b>there was a
state-of-the-art computer</b> (or maybe a futuristic one!) and a nerdy forensic
investigator, like <b>Martin Stern</b>, walking around the department in a
Darth Vader t-shirt. Or there was the office of <b>a detective chief inspector,
like Eric Shaw</b>, with a semi-transparent door through which he peered at a <b>young
colleague, like Adele Pennington</b>. Or perhaps there was a meeting room, with
a table, a screen and many chairs, where together with the detective of a
Murder Investigation Team, like <b>Miriam Leroux</b>, everyone <b>discussed
clues and physical evidence</b> to find out the identity of the killer.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I don’t
know if there was any of this, but I still like to think so.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-84987400926272957582022-11-30T12:00:00.033+01:002023-02-13T21:21:15.039+01:00“The Mentor” is back!<p>After seven
years, a new edition of my bestselling crime thriller <b>The Mentor</b> is out.<br />With a <b>new cover and a brand-new translation</b>
in British English, the first book in the <b><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank">Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy</a></b> is
finally available for you to read it.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1844" data-original-width="2478" height="445" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCYd2ltS1Pj7UlpopnI6gGdAZPO62Cdc6mI4QoftFg9VoBEvRFWgVMryYKmDGDSLGBs_jepPiI43Q0jAPLpSulGHpx-zbG-QIkntnY8oQTa6Z9YWuGf4LT_Z0sE7dpHAIpAjkwuWLsEE6xuDWjX11fVNvPO_zHKaNFP-pjWR3FDVVEFVhYKv8Od168Q/w640-h475/TM-3D-devices.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">What if someone you love is a serial killer?</span></b></p>
<p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Mentor</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> is a crime/psychological thriller
set in London whose main character is DCI Eric Shaw, a Scotland Yard forensic
team chief who investigates a series of murders that seem related to a cold
case involving a person he cares for.<br /></span>The border
between investigation and crime becomes blurred in a story that isn’t exactly
about finding the culprit, but rather observing how the main character decides
to react to his <b>shocking findings</b>.</p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">You can
download the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ebook version</b> or
purchase one of the print editions (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">paperback
and hardcover</b>) directly from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">your
favourite online store</b> around the world.<br /></span>A complete
list of links is available on the website dedicated to the trilogy:<br /><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank"><b>www.anakina.net/ericshaw</b></a></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The price
starts from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">£3.99/$4.99/€4.99 for the
ebook edition</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Click or tap here to purchase the book!</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">You can
also order it at your favourite <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Waterstones</b>
(UK) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Barnes & Noble</b> (USA)
bricks-and-mortar store.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Official
description of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mentor</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></b></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Twenty years ago Eric saved her.<br /></span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB">Who will save him now?</span></b></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">DCI Eric
Shaw, leading a forensic team at Scotland Yard, together with DI Miriam Leroux
from a Murder Investigation Team, is investigating the death of a known
offender. Killed by two gunshots: one to his neck, execution style, but
preceded by another to his groin, implying a more personal motive.<br /></span>Shaw’s
attention at work is often distracted by a young forensic investigator, Adele
Pennington, who is a beautiful woman over two decades his junior. However, his
attraction to her is unreciprocated.<br />Meanwhile,
unbeknownst to the London police, an anonymous blog describes the details of a
very similar crime. The author of the blog signs herself as Mina, like one of
the victims in a case Shaw investigated many years ago.</p>
<p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Meet DCI Eric Shaw . . . and his pupil.</span></b></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: medium; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/ericshaw" target="_blank">Click or tap here to purchase the book!</a></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">But there’s
more to it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Book 2</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Detective
Eric Shaw Trilogy</i>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Syndrome</i></b>, is now <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">available for pre-order</b> in most online
stores, too!<br />
It’ll be published on <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">28 February 2023</b>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-4629626739813546112022-11-08T00:21:00.003+01:002022-11-08T00:21:48.895+01:00Self-publishing in Varese and “Scienza & Fantascienza 2022”<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIsAc2_5qGP-uUk_66ProH0o8Em3rVFr-sunEUYNfs4DAVEua7GMdx4yVQtXQLt53K8S4DaHFc9L2fOtz2PXaHMW3A-rvadECBmEbVxR5hLY1S5TFxhd0U3nnc_xWUCgnYypFgtCmDoKIEg75QzRhE9G7Ir25uAD7Kp6E6Q5bb7ghvVR0MEJIxbM-B7g/s319/Varese-resoconto2022-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="200" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIsAc2_5qGP-uUk_66ProH0o8Em3rVFr-sunEUYNfs4DAVEua7GMdx4yVQtXQLt53K8S4DaHFc9L2fOtz2PXaHMW3A-rvadECBmEbVxR5hLY1S5TFxhd0U3nnc_xWUCgnYypFgtCmDoKIEg75QzRhE9G7Ir25uAD7Kp6E6Q5bb7ghvVR0MEJIxbM-B7g/s1600/Varese-resoconto2022-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>After three years of absence due to the pandemic, at the beginning of
October I finally <b>returned to Varese</b> to teach my “<b>Self-publishing
laboratory in multimedia systems</b>” at the <b>University of Insubria.</b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It was great to visit the campus again and be in the classroom with the
students. In fact, even if teaching at a distance has obvious advantages for
those like me who live so far from the place where they teach, first of all of
an economic nature, <b>being able to interact in person makes the experience
much more rewarding</b>, both for the teacher and for the students. Seeing
understanding or doubt in their eyes makes you immediately understand if what
you are communicating is being received correctly. Furthermore, the students
themselves are more inclined to ask questions and interact, since each of their
interventions is made easier by the use of a gesture or a facial expression
that unfortunately is not visible remotely.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">What made everything more pleasant was the good weather that welcomed me
in Varese, which reduced the classic <b>trauma of the transition from swimsuit
to coat</b> that each time characterises my autumn visits to this Lombard city.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRW3ktQRbNbK2Dtoo_jXhOgUi98BH-EVbZaeSI3AVmqkA7Zl2Pxe8iROg4m22CQ3JzgdL2elOR9SgPBqMdqLj9I2asJcg1x86p036-jCdd3eoJJbtaWPY2s8h8_2RVfXIJzv6JgwQhP84zON46jEAbTTLXSyeeGnL-ZuGWiYWu7UcAXZYuDGMLB-GKg/s319/Varese-resoconto2022-2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="200" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRW3ktQRbNbK2Dtoo_jXhOgUi98BH-EVbZaeSI3AVmqkA7Zl2Pxe8iROg4m22CQ3JzgdL2elOR9SgPBqMdqLj9I2asJcg1x86p036-jCdd3eoJJbtaWPY2s8h8_2RVfXIJzv6JgwQhP84zON46jEAbTTLXSyeeGnL-ZuGWiYWu7UcAXZYuDGMLB-GKg/s1600/Varese-resoconto2022-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>This year, moreover, the laboratory has reached a real <b>participation
record, with 37 students eligible to receive credits/points</b>, plus an
auditor. The previous record of 24 in 2020 has been disintegrated to say the
least. And this time the laboratory was not taught remotely, with the students
who appeared as present while they were comfortably at home. I admit that on
one occasion I feared that there was no room for everyone in the classroom! I
was particularly pleased with this also because this record was accompanied by
the commitment of the participants, demonstrated by the <b>beautiful projects
presented in the last lesson</b>.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As always, it has ranged between different literary genres, from
thriller to fantasy, from children’s book to cookbook, up to a culinary-tourist
guide of Italy. In short, there was no lack of imagination, and the two
imaginary book covers shown in this article are just a small example.<br /></span>But in general, the students showed some interest in the subject. And it
was a pity to have had to condense the arguments in just sixteen hours, a time
that allows you to do just a rundown on the world of self-publishing without
being able to dwell on some aspects that could have stimulated the <b>discussion
with the participants</b>, in particular with those whose interest went beyond
the mere achievement of eligibility to receive training credits or seminar
points.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Also on this occasion, during my stay in Varese, I was given the
opportunity by Professor Paolo Musso to talk about self-publishing for two
hours during one of his lessons in the course of “<b>Science and science fiction
in media and literature</b>”, which is also<b> the only university teaching in
Italy on science fiction. </b>Instead, unfortunately I wasn’t<b> </b>able to
participate in person in one of the <b>conferences of “Scienza &
Fantascienza”</b> (Science & Science Fiction, which is linked to the
course), since they started two weeks later. However, I played the role of <b>remote
speaker</b> (the image below is a screenshot from Teams, through which I was
connected directly from Mars… er… from Cagliari!).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOaqvm3EXHt8zASqOozSjvYhagHzeAbStxdAvv5GfWoU1hzxmnx2IH-4xiD-M4Q22b6A7eNHYVYF545CLmyggV4VXxmBtmYjqWPCNMkXH04vbusMYaMWt8xrVaqyJR1RCfJOWvdhp6whpJ8oTTXlHaDLHudvQUCeRszNsWthiDDX2rbHxKqo5Z1nmHXA/s600/Varese-resoconto2022-3.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOaqvm3EXHt8zASqOozSjvYhagHzeAbStxdAvv5GfWoU1hzxmnx2IH-4xiD-M4Q22b6A7eNHYVYF545CLmyggV4VXxmBtmYjqWPCNMkXH04vbusMYaMWt8xrVaqyJR1RCfJOWvdhp6whpJ8oTTXlHaDLHudvQUCeRszNsWthiDDX2rbHxKqo5Z1nmHXA/s16000/Varese-resoconto2022-3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">In fact, <b>on 25 October there was the inaugural meeting of 2022</b>,
in which space was given to the celebration of the <b>tenth anniversary of this
series of conferences and of the course</b>, and I was able to give my
contribution via Teams. Together with me, in person or remotely, eight other
speakers participated: the aforementioned Paolo Musso, Giulio Facchetti
(president of the degree course in Communication Sciences), Paolo Luca
Bernardini (former director of DiSUIT), Nicoletta Sabadini (current director of
DiSUIT), Rosanna Pozzi (professor of Italian literature at the Liceo
Scientifico “Tosi” in Busto Arsizio), Gianfranco Lucchi (administrator of the
science fiction website UraniaMania), Tea C. Blanc (journalist and science
fiction blogger) and Antonio Serra (creator of “Nathan Never” for Sergio
Bonelli Editore).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Each of us speakers contributed to celebrating this important
anniversary in their own way.<br /></span>Specifically, I explained <b>the particular importance that the
relationship between science and science fiction has for me precisely as the
author of hard science fiction novels</b>, that is, of that subgenre of science
fiction in which importance is given to <b>scientific plausibility</b> of what
is narrated. And in the four times that I have attended this series of
conferences, I have treated this subject (scientific plausibility in science
fiction) from different angles.<br />In<b> 2014,</b> I told how I had tried to imagine <b>credible aliens</b>.
In <b>2018,</b> I focused on how <b>Mars and its colonisation</b> are treated
in science fiction and especially in my books. I did something similar in <b>2019</b>
in reference to the <b>Moon</b>. While in <b>2020</b>, the year in which all
the conferences were held remotely, the topic was that of <b>viruses</b> and
their positive and negative influence as an element<b> of conflict within science
fiction</b>, and obviously in “<b><a href="http://www.reddesert.eu" target="_blank">Red Desert</a></b>”, too.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In my books, adding real science in the story serves essentially two
purposes. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The first is precisely that of the <b>plausibility of the events
narrated</b>. This need stems from my scientific background. The <b>scientist</b>
who is still in me claims to provide an explanation for everything around her.
So, when I started writing science fiction (Red Desert and the following
books), I spontaneously imagined <b>a reality set in the near future that would
find a possible confirmation in current scientific knowledge</b>, while taking
into account the possible technological evolution in 50 years.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">To this is added my professional deformation as a <b>teacher</b> (I used
to teach at university a long time ago, and now I do it precisely at Insubria)
which pushes me towards an informative intent. I don’t use real science just to
tell a plausible story, but also to leave something for the reader.<br /></span>I love to read books that, in addition to providing fun, teach me
something, and these are the books I want to write (it often applies to those
in other genres). My intent is to be able to <b>offer knowledge while
entertaining</b>, so that this knowledge remains even after reading. On the
other hand, my stories are in turn inspired by my readings of novels, essays,
and articles, typically scientific ones, as well as by the fruition of audiovisual
contents that have in some way expanded my knowledge, as well as entertained
me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Then maybe, when I write, I go and double-check the sources (many of
which are reported in a short bibliography) to try to be accurate or at least
to avoid writing something that is clearly wrong. I’m not interested in going
into overly technical details, but I prefer to give an <b>informative cut</b>,
making sure to maintain some plausibility. When I insert scientific details,
the purpose is to give a sense of authenticity to the story, but at the same
time, I make sure that they are vague enough to avoid running the risk of
misusing them within the fiction.<br /></span>In fact, what I do is mix them with completely fictional ones. The
mixture of the two means that often <b>the reader is not able to recognise accurately
the boundary between reality and fiction</b>, that is, precisely, between
science and science fiction.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">These are some of the aspects I talked about in my short speech. However,
the entire conference was recorded and will be made available soon. In due
course I will inform you through my usual channels (Facebook page and other
social media) and I will add the link or, if possible, the video to this
article.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Finally, <b>I want to thank</b> <b>Paolo Musso</b> once again for the
invitation and <b>all the students</b>, both those who attended the conference
and, above all, those in my laboratory. I hope that what they have learned will
somehow be useful to them in the future, and maybe that someone one day decides
to venture into self-publishing for real!</span></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-15169105672743272532022-08-03T21:54:00.004+02:002022-08-03T23:59:05.379+02:00A new deluxe hardback edition for “Kindred Intentions”<p>“<b>Kindred Intentions</b>”, the English
edition of my <b>action thriller</b>
“Affinità d’intenti”, was published six years ago. It was a slightly different
novel from my previous ones, as it was the result of a sudden idea and a very
quick first draft.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmEh39CYlRwuwN2uPb77xKeNnW91jx4M_6kvorLuQyMA2-tH8ex0zFd_gK9azrR84p8zjO3x7vXNFqdaqdhoyjQMDGF1yuZ9uO4DlBRbwhJ6FyRP6oyENadd2R6QlzQO3d-gVAPPriakpZiEd7Y8Q9nuljKIw7FKNiewjnwvuI1JZOXrCzTW6duiWbw/s1200/Hardback-3D.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmEh39CYlRwuwN2uPb77xKeNnW91jx4M_6kvorLuQyMA2-tH8ex0zFd_gK9azrR84p8zjO3x7vXNFqdaqdhoyjQMDGF1yuZ9uO4DlBRbwhJ6FyRP6oyENadd2R6QlzQO3d-gVAPPriakpZiEd7Y8Q9nuljKIw7FKNiewjnwvuI1JZOXrCzTW6duiWbw/w640-h426/Hardback-3D.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">It was the
end of October 2013 when I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo again. It’s a
challenge against yourself to write 50,000 words of a novel between November
1st and November 30th. The year before I had succeeded with “The Mentor” (of
course, I mean the original Italian version of it), the first draft of which I
had then completed in the following month, starting from an idea that had been
in my head since 2010 and that I had had time to elaborate. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">But in 2013, I didn’t have the faintest
idea what to write.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I don’t
remember exactly when it happened, but at a certain point, I imagined the
opening scene of “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kindred Intentions</b>”,
which starts with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">a bullet brushing the
head of the protagonist</b>. After thinking about it a bit, I was able to
identify the end of the story, but I was missing everything in between!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Therefore,
I threw myself into writing, following a bit the suggestions of the characters
(Amelia Jennings and Mike Connor), who find themselves <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">in a situation of danger after another</b>, with few pauses, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">many people killed</b> and a lot of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">black humour</b>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I completed
the first draft on 28 November, that is, in just 28 days. I remember that I was
so inspired that I was able to produce about 2000 words in just over an hour,
so I didn’t have to work so hard to get to the end. Looking back now, it seems
impossible to me. The details of the events unfolded in my mind from one day to
the next. And it’s no coincidence that this fast-paced novel unfolds <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">in a span of just 24 hours</b>. It doesn’t leave
you the time to think, just as I hardly had any when I wrote it, and therefore
it tends to surprise the reader with its twists and turns.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKODEYUmvC4uZx22rkDQue65Yh6QvPFsTkj7hbvCCzM4qu11FuREhZZTlSUqB0m1V-Z9yoGiGM1pJ-JKpJfC1i6FX8XUo3yGo2vXXXPRitGsNpwAkRvIMxIGLclq8zlh2NMvgEi0CdTg748Nvnif-KuRo32vQUtYtgyt8-GeMH1xc4g_dUxoqILikFgg/s600/affinita-hardback-04%5B1%5D.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="90" data-original-width="600" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKODEYUmvC4uZx22rkDQue65Yh6QvPFsTkj7hbvCCzM4qu11FuREhZZTlSUqB0m1V-Z9yoGiGM1pJ-JKpJfC1i6FX8XUo3yGo2vXXXPRitGsNpwAkRvIMxIGLclq8zlh2NMvgEi0CdTg748Nvnif-KuRo32vQUtYtgyt8-GeMH1xc4g_dUxoqILikFgg/w640-h96/affinita-hardback-04%5B1%5D.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, seven years after the Italian publication, I decided to revise this book to propose
it in <b>a new edition</b> (the changes
concern only the extra texts, not the novel), with <b>a brand-new cover</b> and a new
format: <b>hardback</b>.<br />Being not
particularly long and not belonging to any series, it was the best choice to
start experimenting with this format.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKbfn6noQFDusVFgClsNaKWI0SFFvg4EL7B8WZtrUGiWlguETG1Rc3SsFcoatGnmyvqxNlfMdlG6IgL-cRp7Eng8EloFWJp8I7IsADAwbUTA7IkqYkb36JGN94ZIoc-9Tvm_H_Dv8NeQxEE1ikzMsZ5kGagz8HjVMyL82bhqb1tjFCrvdlfWl7846JQ/s269/affinita-hardback-03%5B1%5D.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="200" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKbfn6noQFDusVFgClsNaKWI0SFFvg4EL7B8WZtrUGiWlguETG1Rc3SsFcoatGnmyvqxNlfMdlG6IgL-cRp7Eng8EloFWJp8I7IsADAwbUTA7IkqYkb36JGN94ZIoc-9Tvm_H_Dv8NeQxEE1ikzMsZ5kGagz8HjVMyL82bhqb1tjFCrvdlfWl7846JQ/s1600/affinita-hardback-03%5B1%5D.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />I took the
opportunity to rework the concept behind the original cover, this time using <b>photos</b>. In this regard, I used the
shots by <b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sandrowphotography/" target="_blank">Sandro Williams Photography</a></b> and <b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/razahaza/" target="_blank">Aleksey Sokolenko</a></b>, bringing
them together in a new graphic composition.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The result
is what you see in the first picture.<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-GB">The other photos are from the Italian edition
in hardback, but the English one is identical, except for the language.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">That symbol
at the base of the spine is the icon version of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">my new logo</b>, which will soon appear also on my website, both in
this way and in its extended version.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I also
added <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">graphic elements</b> inside; in
particular, I inserted a small image in the colophon, in the chapter numbers and
the drop cap at the beginning of each of them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">My
intention was to create a book that was also beautiful to look at as well as to
read. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">And maybe to make it a good gift
idea for a thriller enthusiast!</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb46KNlZaJ2kct06EP92TMBY9NFAxLpJavMb41IoSL36kyGBZqv_F0m-xsA9cR60bVD8P_p_0uFBchJOjlaeji1m4OrqyDIdqXebv6PZ7n8kX3LykdC4KC9Wwz2zTXwUQ2E2ZR9NmsTHqAiM9MYZUfMxEDo4MZIhVrPr8DTlZ_liY84SniE50foBeZEg/s404/affinita-hardback-05%5B1%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb46KNlZaJ2kct06EP92TMBY9NFAxLpJavMb41IoSL36kyGBZqv_F0m-xsA9cR60bVD8P_p_0uFBchJOjlaeji1m4OrqyDIdqXebv6PZ7n8kX3LykdC4KC9Wwz2zTXwUQ2E2ZR9NmsTHqAiM9MYZUfMxEDo4MZIhVrPr8DTlZ_liY84SniE50foBeZEg/s320/affinita-hardback-05%5B1%5D.jpg" width="238" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRiQ_Q6AErlyIwe4EghYDoosiCgjDsKhYDAQSKUd3_65OAIVe5ek3Crwl5CN2STPRhbBq0ovtFS43B7bH7FLaS1LZ7ZRxDNssmDHC0o_EiYRR-Bz_5CbI3JJ0x_lxHHd0PWrY1wxGSMR8kEeQ-5YRCl5z9zCxaqjH293HHcLDvd9_GHXGtTe3HAP-aQ/s404/affinita-hardback-06%5B1%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRiQ_Q6AErlyIwe4EghYDoosiCgjDsKhYDAQSKUd3_65OAIVe5ek3Crwl5CN2STPRhbBq0ovtFS43B7bH7FLaS1LZ7ZRxDNssmDHC0o_EiYRR-Bz_5CbI3JJ0x_lxHHd0PWrY1wxGSMR8kEeQ-5YRCl5z9zCxaqjH293HHcLDvd9_GHXGtTe3HAP-aQ/s320/affinita-hardback-06%5B1%5D.jpg" width="238" /></a> </div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><b>The new hardback edition can be purchased for $17/£13/€16
at </b><a href="https://mybook.to/intentionsHB/opt/1?iguid=yHvtyZnq8E-Px53pYgXzrg&ireferrer=https%3a%2f%2fanakina.net%2f" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Amazon</a><b> and $17 at </b><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kindred-intentions-rita-carla-francesca-monticelli/1123711449?ean=9798765588888" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Barnes
& Noble</a><b>.<br /></b></span>As for the
e-book, this too was updated to the new edition, both its content and cover, and
is always available at major retailers.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The old
cover, which I am fond of, since I drew it myself, remains in the first paperback
edition from 2015.</span></p><p></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-30342676040799154812022-07-04T15:30:00.005+02:002022-07-04T16:38:32.758+02:00Irony, twists and turns, and ancient mysteries in “Saranythia Part 3 - The Secrets of the Margspakr”<p><i><span lang="EN-GB">We get to the heart of “<b>Saranythia</b>” in this third part of the story. The protagonists begin
a journey that will lead them to encounter ancient mysteries, not forgetting to
entertain the readers.<br /></span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB">The reading flows pleasantly between irony and
twists, while the story unfolds on three narrative lines that intertwine with
each other.<br /></span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB">While in the first two parts we got acquainted
with new and old characters and witnessed what brought them to this point in
the story, in “<b><a href="https://amzn.to/3AnEIVP">The Secrets of the Margspakr</a></b>” the action
moves faster, keeping you glued to the pages, and the various previously
introduced elements begin to interact with each other and take on a clear place
in the plot.<br /></span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB">There is no shortage of moments of hilarity,
thanks to the edgy jokes of some characters and, above all, to the gags of the
twins Erik and Dag.<br /></span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB">As always, Richard J. Galloway manages to merge
elements from the fantastic that seem to belong to magic or supernatural with
real science, used as an explanation of the same elements. It’s very fascinating
how he explains a real physical phenomenon, related to the behaviour of light,
and then uses it as the basis for the extraordinary theory of the nature of the
universe proposed by one of the characters.<br /></span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB">In short, an exciting reading that has one
flaw: having to wait for the publication of the next volume to finally know how
the story will end!<br /></span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB">In the meantime, I asked Richard to introduce
the book in his own way and to answer some of my questions.<br /></span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB">Here’s what he told me.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwR0sxq4Zp0kQd2wz_pN9Hir2aKsdzp4AAiHPUafabVKgIp_Zm66Q7zRHAGQ9Cl7RZdcglgrml57jUdcAynSEjRpFXrgX9cTRxXXTvedA2QEGWg3O5U8Jwz3VBl7sqORgmtYZFC1TPfj7WzYIidOxRu2gFA-vW2JphR-OCjgXCnhQHuRhP0wA507bN1g/s600/saranythia3-articolo%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwR0sxq4Zp0kQd2wz_pN9Hir2aKsdzp4AAiHPUafabVKgIp_Zm66Q7zRHAGQ9Cl7RZdcglgrml57jUdcAynSEjRpFXrgX9cTRxXXTvedA2QEGWg3O5U8Jwz3VBl7sqORgmtYZFC1TPfj7WzYIidOxRu2gFA-vW2JphR-OCjgXCnhQHuRhP0wA507bN1g/s16000/saranythia3-articolo%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Time passes.
Memories of events fade.<br />Half
remembered history, blurred by embellishment, becomes myth.<br />More time
passes. Generations of people are born and pass on.<br />Myth
becomes diluted, sanitised, and relegated to long ago tales of heroes and kings.<br />Epic events
of the past reduced to half remembered bedtime stories from childhood. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">And so it was with The Margspakr.</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> To some, they were Wisemen from
ancient times, advising the hero before battle and healing him afterwards, the
basis of stories from their early years.<br /></span>Others,
like the Red Friars of the Saratarian Order, knew who The Margspakr really
were, but not what they did. To them, The Margspakr were an unsolved mystery, a
secret society who vanished without trace, taking their secrets with them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">For Amantarra, a journey beckons.</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> A trap? That’s a good probability,
but as a new player reveals himself, there seems no alternative other than to
walk into it. It’s on this journey that they find evidence of The Margspakr,
along with some of their secrets.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Stories
from Earth hold their own mysteries, which the new player is very interested in.
He claims to have explanations for the true origins of ghosts and twisted causality,
but <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">how exactly do you win a medal for
falling off a beer crate?</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/4194paiLUoL.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="500" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/4194paiLUoL.jpg" width="329" /></a></i></div><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">With this third part of “Saranythia” we get
over the mid-point of the story. At the end of the previous part, a twist had
pushed the protagonists to a new course of events, namely to embark on a long
journey to visit the Witch of Fossrauf. And it is precisely around the journey
that this part of the story develops, which is joined by a couple of fascinating characters: the twins Dag and Erik, unbeatable warriors, but also
great talkers.<br /></i><i><span lang="EN-GB">Did you draw inspiration from something or
someone in particular in creating these two characters?</span></i><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Dag and Erik,
yes, they had an interesting evolution which started with their opening argument
as to which name should be introduced first. An argument that very quickly
descends into farce. This opening salvo was based on the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tweedledee and Tweedledum</b> characters played by Matt Lucas in the
2010 film Alice in Wonderland. So, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dag
and Erik are identical twins born into a world where mind reading is the norm</b>.
It was obvious to me that they would grow to be two minds as one. They don’t perform
well when they are separated, but together, in a fight, they are unbeatable two
on two. Similarly, their explanation of why they are coming on the expedition to
visit the witch appears almost scripted, with one warrior finishing the other’s
sentences as they work towards a common goal.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">After immersing ourselves in the medieval
context of Setergard (except for some bits of Bruwnan technology), in the third
part of “Saranythia”, as your readers can already guess from the cover of the
book, our protagonists come across some advanced technologies. One of the most
fascinating aspects is the way Pheenar’s characters react to technologies whose
functioning is beyond their comprehension. And their reactions are funny, but
most of all they seem realistic.<br /></span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB">How do you put yourself in their shoes? Does it
come spontaneously or do you use any particular tricks to identify with them?</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The premise
on which the story is based is that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">to
primitive cultures all advanced technology looks like magic, or in the case of the
peoples of Pheenar, divine</b>. The Bruwnan technologies to which they are
exposed are gifts from their God and not meant to be understood. The visitors
from Earth bring new objects to be marvelled at, and as they are not divine,
possibly understood. The reactions of the locals to things we take for granted
is entirely spontaneous, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I’m very good
at getting hold of the wrong end of the stick</b>. The humour comes from the
complete misunderstanding of what they are being shown. Commander Vartii has a
particular fascination with how things work, but he tends get overwhelmed by
concepts, seeing things as a whole instead of breaking them up into more
understandable component parts. Thus, the ropes, pulleys, and counterweights of
a simple lifting platform fill him with awe and wonder. It’s through his eyes I
introduce the fact that the people of Pheenar were once more advanced than they
are now.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Let’s talk about the Margspakr. This is an Old
Norse word, right?<br /></span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB">Tell us a little more about its origin and why
you decided to give such a name to these figures from the past that appear in
the book.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Yes, it is
Old Norse. “Margspakr”, this can be broken down into two parts: “Marg” (a shortened
version of “Margr”) – meaning many, and “Spakr” – meaning “Wise”, so its
literal translation is “Many Wise” or taken as a whole, “Very Wise”. I’ve taken
the liberty of applying it to a collective to give the meaning “Wise men”.<br /></span>Why Old
Norse? Well, <b>16.3% of my DNA is
Scandinavian, so I decided to release my inner Viking by basing the society on Pheenar
very loosely around Old Norse culture</b>, well the names at least anyway. This
decision was clinched by a partially one-sided conversation I had with my
dentist on the strange sounding place names we have here in the North East of
England. Not being from the region she was curious about their origin and was
fascinated to learn, between pauses in the drilling, that they were Norse.<br />“Fossrauf”
is also Old Norse, “Foss” – meaning “Waterfall”, and “Rauf” – meaning “Hole”.
So now you know that our intrepid band are travelling to “Waterfall Hole” to visit
the Witch. If you’re wondering about “Setergard” it means “Mountain Pasture
Farm”.</p>
<span><a name='more'></a></span><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.anakina.net/public/Richard200.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="200" height="212" src="https://www.anakina.net/public/Richard200.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Raised amid
the heavy industry of the north-east of England on a diet of Star Trek, Doctor
Who and fantasy novels, <b>RICHARD J.
GALLOWAY</b> rebelled against his school<span lang="EN-GB">’</span>s assumption that heavy industrial work
would be his vocation. Having exhausted the only apparent option, the careers
master would despair. “If you don’t want to work in the steelworks, where do
you want to work?” His reply was always, “I don’t know.” The industry he
finished up in would not materialise for another ten years. No wonder the
master struggled. From school, via drawing office and architecture, eventually
he found himself working with large computer systems.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Career
aside, the thread that bound it all together has been fantasy. He has never
lost his fascination with the imagery that a good story invokes. After all, it
had shown him worlds beyond this one, and possibilities beyond the steelworks.
It continues to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Richard
still lives in the north-east of England with his wife, family, and a large cat
called Beano. The heavy industry has shrunk, but Richard’s world of fantasy has
grown. He often wonders what advice he would have been given if the careers
master had read the occasional bit of science fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Richard’s
first novel <a href="http://amzn.to/2iD4HD1">Amantarra</a> was published in
2013, followed in 2017, 2018 and 2021 by the first three parts of its sequel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saranythia</i>: <a href="http://amzn.to/2zRLwJL">The Gates of Setergard</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2ujzEyS">The Varton</a>, and <a href="https://amzn.to/3AnEIVP">The Secrets of the Margspakr</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3AjCJSB">All his books are available at Amazon and
included in Kindle Unlimited.</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Visit
Richard online at: <a href="https://www.richardjgalloway.com/">www.richardjgalloway.com</a><br /></span>And follow
him on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/rjgallowayauthor">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/rjgalloway1">Twitter</a>.</p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com007100 Sassari SS, Italia40.7259269 8.555682612.415693063821152 -26.6005674 69.036160736178843 43.7119326tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-25000031851999790672022-06-17T15:30:00.005+02:002022-06-17T15:30:00.177+02:00Lucy in the Sky<p>The film is
inspired by the true story of <b>Lisa Nowak</b>, a former NASA astronaut who
was arrested for attacking the girlfriend (also an astronaut) of another
astronaut with whom she’d had an affair.</p>
<center><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_poNrHLENKgyOW73Z4SNb8GtEeBjCq_qVewnIbYWspjlpZ6FOK_8ORcvGdUVNrl_jqe1isI5Ew8UZtSdnAKoiHVSGlKjuXTYMi6WuXCL9uxSbgee0Kbhn6DNdKoK-zu2CmfFXYcym_--oDT_R8XUXyDYbQddXA9t16zNGS51XD_kE2h22x6rMja65A/s1200/LucyInTheSky.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="1200" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_poNrHLENKgyOW73Z4SNb8GtEeBjCq_qVewnIbYWspjlpZ6FOK_8ORcvGdUVNrl_jqe1isI5Ew8UZtSdnAKoiHVSGlKjuXTYMi6WuXCL9uxSbgee0Kbhn6DNdKoK-zu2CmfFXYcym_--oDT_R8XUXyDYbQddXA9t16zNGS51XD_kE2h22x6rMja65A/w400-h225/LucyInTheSky.jpg" width="600" /></a></center><br />
<p>In the
film, the protagonist, played by <b>Natalie Portman</b>, is called Lucy Cola, a
highly trained astronaut, who thanks to hard work and evident talent is
selected for a ten-day mission on board the ISS (International Space Station).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">On
returning, however, Lucy feels changed.</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> Everyday life on Earth seems to her empty and
useless compared to the experience she lived. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Her
husband, who works as PR at NASA, is unable to understand the psychological
change she has undergone. And so she, who in the meantime continues to train to
be able to participate as soon as possible in another mission, befriends Mark
Goodwin (played by <b>Jon Hamm</b>, that one from Mad Men), also an astronaut
(divorced and with two young daughters), and two other colleagues, finding in
them for the first time <b>people who share the same mood</b>. Mark’s
friendship, in particular, leads to an affair, in which however she seems more
interested than he is.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I can’t
tell you more to avoid any spoilers, as the cinematic story, despite having the
same ending as the real one, gives its own interpretation to subsequent events.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I have to
say that I really enjoyed the film, and I’m pretty surprised that I only found
negative reviews on the web. I believe that this is <b>a beautiful
psychological analysis of a character offered to the public by exploiting the
potential of cinema</b>. In this regard, the director’s choices are quite
original. For example, the choice of <b>continuously changing the aspect ratio
of the image</b> to contrast the expanded vision (of the cinema screen) of
being in space, or even just of living situations that bring back the thought
to that experience, to the 4:3 of TV used to narrate that silly everyday life
in which Lucy can no longer find her own dimension.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">But what is
particularly beautiful is Lucy and the way Portman portrayed her. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I felt a lot
of empathy towards her. Although her behaviour in the end was obviously
exaggerated (and in any case it does not seem to correspond to the real facts),
I could understand the exasperation she felt in <b>feeling alone and betrayed
as a woman in a world of men who accuse her of being “too much emotional”</b>
(even if in her work she is precise and cold as none of them know how to be),
in having lost everything that mattered to her (returning to space and a family
person very dear to her).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I believe
that anyone who has had great disappointments in life (in the private or
professional domain) can understand the state of mind of those who, <b>having
reached the apex of something</b>, feel ill-suited to returning to “normality”,
as if they feel like <b>an alien trapped in a monotonous and insignificant
world</b>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In short, I
loved it.<br /></span><a href="https://amzn.to/3zI6hcb" target="_blank">If <b>psychological
dramas with an astronautical background</b> appeal to you, I suggest you watch
it.</a></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-16172054587862785012022-04-27T15:30:00.001+02:002022-04-27T15:30:00.183+02:00Angels Flight - Michael Connelly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbAz-PWHQZqz_bcdS_O6KaII86jyTFdTOTjKCeCHphZnmORxiJ4StZDqidcnKgpVU4Yh1EtQQttuooiiyuEB6cCong_2hpR01zybShvFoaAg54EGe0SaeKkPxgqzMzY85n6IOI8TNSQPw7SgrQPJLB-vA-cI5shr_ULHRY70yuGLc5a8W0PCLDNBdwg/s475/angelsflight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="289" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbAz-PWHQZqz_bcdS_O6KaII86jyTFdTOTjKCeCHphZnmORxiJ4StZDqidcnKgpVU4Yh1EtQQttuooiiyuEB6cCong_2hpR01zybShvFoaAg54EGe0SaeKkPxgqzMzY85n6IOI8TNSQPw7SgrQPJLB-vA-cI5shr_ULHRY70yuGLc5a8W0PCLDNBdwg/s320/angelsflight.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">**** A
formidable and very human detective, who however revels in his own misfortunes</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Harry Bosch
is undoubtedly one of the best literary detectives I have ever come across.
Since the first book of this series, “The Black Echo”, I immediately found
myself in tune with him, with his tearing apart the rules to find the culprit,
with his weaknesses and his sad past. What makes these novels by Connelly real
crime thrillers is the way in which the protagonist is personally involved in
the cases he works in, so much so that the cases themselves are a tool of
conflict that contributes to the evolution of the character. The problem
arises, however, when the series gets longer and, in order to continue to have
a protagonist who takes some personal demons with him (i.e. a flawed hero),
every time that in a novel his life seems to take a positive turn, in the next
one, what he got has to fall apart.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">It was what
I feared would happen in “Angels Flight”, which is why after I finished reading
“Trunk Music”, featuring a happy ending, I hesitated for years before going on.
Unfortunately, I had already bought the book; otherwise, I would have stopped
at the previous one.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Obviously,
my bad feeling has come true.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In “Angels
Flight”, we see Bosch dealing with a murder that took place on the Angels
Flight funicular. The victim is a black lawyer who is famous for cases against
the police.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As always,
Connelly expertly mixes fictional events and characters with real ones, giving
us a realistic picture of social tension in Los Angeles in the late 1990s. What
I particularly appreciate about this author is precisely the care he puts into
detail, a sign of in-depth research work and a remarkable understanding of the
subject. In this credible context, our Bosch moves, navigating among the press,
colleagues who get in the way, intolerance towards the rules and the people who
are under investigations. He does it as always with wit, following the evidence
and his own intuition, and also risking his neck.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In this
novel in particular, investigations lead him to discover inconvenient and
unspeakable truths, which tend to lead him astray. The culprit will eventually
turn up. I admit that I had guessed their identity simply by ruling out the
others. But here the author adds a master stroke, giving us an unexpected and
dramatic ending, and at the same time a perfect one.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">What I
didn’t like about this book, however, concerns the personal sphere relating to
Bosch. As I imagined, the balance and happiness he finally achieved
unexpectedly (and perhaps too easily) in the previous book are immediately
shattered, and eventually he finds himself back to where he started. His
character undergoes an involution whose purpose is to make sure he is the same
flawed hero in later novels (which I have no intention of reading).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In
particular, I did not appreciate the evanescence of an important character like
Eleanor Wish, who in the first book of the series was crucial in defining Bosch
in the eyes of readers, but who both in “Hard Music” and “The Spider” looks
more like a soulless puppet, whose purpose is to bring him up and then make him
fall again (poor Bosch!). It’s a shame, because I liked Eleanor, and she
deserved a lot more substance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><div><a href="https://amzn.to/39jn3Dn" target="_blank">Angels Flight</a> at Amazon.</div>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496190376299002882.post-27392878987470791472022-03-18T15:30:00.004+01:002022-03-18T15:30:00.197+01:00The Prometheus Deception - Robert Ludlum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3qgB36j" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="275" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjO1rdF9RWHDNjXPOwh6lkrJ_yOzHoQHgFaZjtYRFx9_ylnNgAZVjIyX8SsQMM1-ui7hDqUCXkCa46Zj3ZTgue8LreDR3_dnUKwo6NpRbIEaWStgkJwDDpRrf0mf1zkCYN0ct2-NeL315Py84-7mDHQThy-2NHiBFy-C627o8or6IdO0JwoVOuXSIr1Xw=s320" width="176" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">***** Prophetic</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">I really
like Ludlum’s books, although I realize how the author often reuses the same
types of characters (especially the protagonist, who, in the end, is always the
same) and the same themes. He has the ability, however, to readjust them to
situations, settings, and plots that manage to maintain a certain amount of
originality. In particular, I am fascinated by his older works, precisely
because they show a present that is very different from the current one and in
which a spy’s (or similar figure) life was made a little easier by the fact
that technology did not permeate every aspect of reality. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">“The
Prometheus Deception”, on the other hand, is one of Ludlum’s last books (the
penultimate, if I’m not mistaken), in fact, it is from 2000, so while reading
it, you find yourself inside a more familiar reality. This is even more true
thanks to the author’s ability to imagine invasive privacy technologies that,
unfortunately, have largely become reality. The incredible thing is that he
wrote about it before the 11/9 attack happened, but at times you get the
impression that he had the chance to peek into the future to get inspiration.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">To tell the
truth, I guess Ludlum didn’t really believe that what happens in his book had a
chance to come true. His was obviously a creative endeavour. Often a writer
shows extreme scenarios just for the sake of trying to imagine the consequences
and to create a conflict where throwing their characters almost in jeopardy, to
see how they cope. In doing so, however, he was nothing short of prophetic.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Sure, it’s
a long book with a truly complex plot, unfolding through a series of characters’
turnarounds and twists around every corner. On the other hand, the word “deception”
in the title gives you a hint about that. You have to be patient and go all the
way to be able to put all the threads together. When there are a few pages to
go, it really seems all lost for the protagonists, but even then, there will be
a nice twist, which will change everything, again.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://amzn.to/3qgB36j" target="_blank">The Prometheus</a> Deception at Amazon.</span></p><p></p>Rita Carla Francesca Monticellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15964352924463232998noreply@blogger.com0Cagliari CA, Italia39.2238411 9.121661310.913607263821156 -26.0345887 67.534074936178854 44.2779113