I am delighted to announce publication of four books this year. These developments caught me completely by surprise, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity the publishers have given me. *****
A few years ago I became fascinated by the mysterious death of the world chess champion, Alexander Alekhine, in 1946. It seemed likely that he had been murdered and even more likely that Portuguese authorities had engaged in a “cover-up.” There were plenty of potential suspects, yet none seemed overly convincing. Truly, this was a mystery worth of Sherlock Holmes!
The idea began to develop, and I summoned forth not the famous sleuth of Conan Doyle’s stories but that original detective’s 92-year-old grandson. Deductive reasoning prevailed, and Holmes solved yet another mystery.
My friend and former publisher, Bob Long, later suggested that I write comparable tales concerning the deaths of Paul Morphy and Bobby Fischer. These, in turn, led to other bizarre events in chess history: the death of Harry Nelson Pillsbury, the Lasker-Schlechter match for the world championship, and the game between Korchnoi and the spirit of Gaza Maroczy (through the medium, Robert Rollans). Finally, I drew on Jewish lore and created a ibbur who was somehow playing at grandmaster strength.
Russell Enterprises, the world’s largest dedicated publisher of chess books in North America, will release this collection later this year. The tentative title (subject to change) is The Sherlock Holmes Chess Mysteries, and the work will feature three generations of Holmes detectives, five generations of Watsons, and even the great-grandson of Dr. Moriarty for the challenges at hand.
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My mother, Ann Abelson, began a novel based on the life of Niccolo Paganini more than half a century ago. Unfortunately, she was unable to complete the project and left behind a sprawling manuscript. I was obliged to delete a good-sized chunk of text and interpolate some unifying material.
Satan’s Fiddler was accepted for release by StoneGarden, a print-on-demand publisher. Unfortunately, the company imploded almost immediately after the publication date. I then revised it further, and the novel sold as Paganini’s Fire, a digital release by Stay Thirsty. More recently (and at long last), Fomite Press has accepted the work and will publish it under yet another title in paperback. I have added a few more scenes and revised further, and Paganini Agitato will probably be available before summer, the finest version of all.
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The big news: I am thrilled to announce that White Bird Publications will release If Music Be the Food of Love, the first volume of my saga, The Passion of Elena Bianchi. It is a “dark-erotic, spiritual romance,” and I shall have much more to say about it in future posts. The second volume, Paradise Regained and Lost Again, is also slated for 2022 publication.