Interview with John Brinling - Author of Ghost of a Flea with a Giveaway

How long did it take you to write The Ghost of a Flea?

About six months. I wrote it back in 1975 when I was living in Wiltshire, England in a 300 year old farmhouse. We had just gotten married and finished work on an IT assignment in Italy and decided to take some time off to indulge ourselves. It was a fabulous 2 years even though it rained all the time.

 Roger and Peggy are very intriguing characters. If you could see them on the big screen, whom do you envision playing them?

A difficult question. Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie.

 Are any of your characters based on anyone you know?

I am Roger. Peggy is my dream girl. Some of the incidents and background material are drawn from my consulting work and living in NYC during the 1970s.

What books are on your nightstand or ereader that you are currently reading?

 Most of my time currently is spent writing and reading magazines, blogs, etc. The novel I'm working my way through is Patricia Cornwell's "All That Remains." I love action/adventure and mysteries/thrillers.
The Ghost of a Flea is a famous painting. What came first - the painting or the book? I guess my statement is unclear. Did you write the book first and incorporate the painting or vice versa?

I've always been interested in painting and visited the museums in England regularly. I knew about William Blake and his work for years and that painting always intrigued me, as much for the title as the actual work. I had numerous post cards of the painting and when I sat down to write the book I kept seeing those post cards and that title kept coming to mind. Use of the title/painting just flowed into the writing of the book. I always associated the image with Gideon.

Are you currently working on another novel? Can you share with us anything about it?

I have several novels and several short stories in the works. A short story titled "His First Kill" will be published very shortly as an ebook. One novel that was tentatively titled "Alone" needs to be retitled since that title is currently on the best sellers' list by another writer. It is a family drama where the son is mugged and hospitalized with a severe brain injury. How the family--poor, simple people--copes with the tragedy and the son's introspection as he slips into a coma is explored. The question becomes: Is the son better off alive or dead? And who should make that decision?

GHOST OF A FLEA

Time: 1975.

Location: New York City.

The murder of Roger’s musician friend, Gideon Whiting, turns Roger’s world up-side-down. His wife, Natalie, lies to him. His best friend, Ted, lies to him. His boss and U.S. Senate candidate, Charlie Holt, lies to him. And Lieutenant Tarrington, a homicide detective, is convinced Roger killed Gideon—but is Tarrington who he claims to be, or is he lying, too?

Peggy Curtis, the blond bombshell who dropped into Roger’s life one snowy night after he left Gideon’s apartment, might be the only person who can unravel the Gordian knot facing Roger, yet she has serious credibility problems, and is the last person he would want to rely on with his life and freedom on the line.

The drug cartel masterminding much of the chaos seeks an address book it thinks Roger took from Gideon. As their ruthless pursuit intensifies, the police learn of the book and join the chase. The problem is, Roger doesn’t have what they want and he must get it before they decide he is expendable.

One Minding Spot reader will win their own copy of The Ghost of a Flea.

If you are willing to write a review if you win, then please leave a comment with your email.

Winner will be selected by randomizer.org on February 26th.