It’s long story, but the Amber Room is considered to be the eighth wonder of the world and has been missing since the Nazis hid it in 1944. It’s one of the most valuable missing treasures out there and looking for it has come at a high price.
Gil Cope – 21 September 2014
The Back Flap
Intrepid museum curator Jack Monroe, well known for his willingness to risk everything to recover lost art treasures, goes in search of the most exquisite treasure of all – the missing eighth wonder of the world – Amber Room – and in the process unearths a deeply hidden conspiracy by the Illuminati to bring down their centuries-old archenemy.
About the book
What is the book about?
At its core, The Amber Conspiracy is a murder mystery set against a hunt for the missing eighth wonder of the world – The Amber Room. It’s an arresting amalgam of international thriller, historic non-fiction and a heavy dose of intrigue. It’s perfect for those who like fast paced, action adventure stories dealing with secret societies and missing treasure. Oh – it also happens to have a great ending.
When did you start writing the book?
The Amber Conspiracy started out as a movie treatment for George Clooney. Through a series of events worthy of its own book – Amber got thrown out with George’s bathwater. Suffice to say – it was a low point because all indications were that George liked the story a lot. After picking myself up off the floor – I took the 18 page treatment and wrote it as a novel. There was a gap of a year and a half between when I wrote the treatment and started on the novel. This goes back several years now.
How long did it take you to write it?
It took about a month to write the treatment – which became the outline for the novel. The first draft took about a year, then another 3 or 4 months for revisions and polish. After that, I spent a couple months working with my editor on condensing, and finally another month for the final proofing and editing.
Where did you get the idea from?
I read a very small article in Condé Nast Traveler about the Amber Room. I had never heard about the Amber Room and found the story amazing. Most people I’ve talked to have never heard about the Amber Room, much less its storied history. It’s long story, but the Amber Room is considered to be the eighth wonder of the world and has been missing since the Nazis hid it in 1944. It’s one of the most valuable missing treasures out there and looking for it has come at a high price. There are 5 confirmed deaths surrounding the hunt for it. So you have a missing treasure worth millions, murder and intrigue, not to mention Nazis and …The Amber Conspiracy is born.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Yeah, all of it! One of the cool things about The Amber Conspiracy is that it’s rich with interesting details. I spent a great deal of time researching a wide spectrum of subjects – from torture devices used in the Inquisition to the what it was like to live in Paris under the Nazi occupation to the Temple des Serpents in Ouidah, Benin. Hell, I never even heard of Ouidah much less about the Voodoo Pope and his temple filled with pythons. But to answer the question directly – I didn’t really struggle with the story. That said, there were areas that took longer to get right due to the complexity of the narrative.
What came easily?
The ending. This is the type of story that in large measure is reliant on a great ending – so I started there. In fact, I wrote the ending well before I had worked out the complete story line.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
For the most part they are totally fictitious – though some more so than others.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Well that’s a tough one. I’m currently working on my next novel that’s a political thriller so I’m reading Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, and David Baldacci. I’m a big fan of Robert Ludlum, Nelson DeMille & Lee Child. I’m inspired by how detail oriented Tom Clancy’s writing is and no one is more atmospheric than Alan Furst, he’s a master.
Do you have a target reader?
That’s an easy one – my target reader would be anyone who loves a great international thriller/murder mystery with a one hell of an ending. Especially those who like secret societies and a story that is rich with historic elements.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I write in the early morning and try to write between 3 and 5 pages double spaced. It’s rare for me to write longer than 3 or 4 hours. At some point in the afternoon or early evening I read the days pages and make margin notes on the changes I’d like to make – but I leave that for morning.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
As I mentioned I had started with what I thought was a pretty detailed outline. It was by no means complete but it was a good road map. Once I came up with the idea to add the historic chapters I needed to do some additional timelines and story threads.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I edit as I go. There were plenty of times where I needed to stop for a day or two to get the story worked out in greater detail. I was steadfast in not leaving gaps – I wanted to get everything worked out as I went. That is why some days were more productive than others. If I was working on a particularly detail orientated scene I would do all the necessary research needed to get it down on paper. I know a lot of writers will leave blanks in order to keep the flow going – that’s just not how I’m wired. I need everything, big & small worked out before I move on.
Did you hire a professional editor?
The Amber Conspiracy was my first novel and I wasn’t sure if I could do it. Or rather – if I could do it well. So I came up with the idea of showing each chapter to two people whose opinion I trusted. One was my wife, the other was a close friend who happened to be an editor. The idea was that if they weren’t excited to read the next chapter I would stop. As it turns out they both liked the writing/story so I kept at it. The interesting thing about the process was that they both came at the story from different viewpoints. I relied on my wife to read it just for fun and the editor kept me on course with regards to story and character development. Then once all the re-writes were done I had a professional proof reader go through it a couple times to dot my I’s and cross my T’s.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I couldn’t write without music. Sometimes it’s just to help keep me relaxed other times it’s for inspiration. Being a cinematographer/director my writing style is very cinematic, so naturally I’m drawn to soundtracks, specifically the Bourne movies. John Powel is an amazing composer.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I did go with an agent – it didn’t work out that well. I think the timing was off. The publishing industry was trying to figure out how E publishing was going to change their paradigm. They were very reluctant to take on new authors.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
After going the agent route I made the decision to wait and let some time pass before self-publishing. I did this for two reasons, one – I wanted to distance myself from several books that came out right around the same time as mine and secondly, I wanted to wait and let E publishing take hold. I also had a prospective movie deal that I was waiting on, as it turned out, it fell through and cost me 6 months.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I did the design work myself. But, the choice of what would eventually become the final version was done with the help of a very close friend of mine who is – among other things – a very gifted graphic artist/designer. He kept pushing me. I don’t know how many revisions I made before I got his final blessing. I really couldn’t have done it without him.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I’ve been doing a huge push on Twitter. I came up with the Amber is… campaign. I try to post a new Amber is…tweet every other day with a link to The Amber Conspiracy website. I have 12K followers and hopefully that will translate into sales. I’m also working on an online treasure hunt as well as doing interviews and blog reviews. But yeah, there’s a great deal of taking it day by day as well. Thankfully, there are people such as yourself that make it easier than ever to self publish.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Do your research and if possible – try to have some fun along the way.
End of Interview:
For more, visit Gil’s website.
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