Verliege~review, interview and gripping writing exercise with Micheal Rivers

I knew I would love this book, and I was right.  I’ve enjoyed Micheal River’s other books and I was looking forward to the release of Verliege.

This story teller has an evocative style of writing. He will take you on a dark journey, yet it’s never too far from the light that seems to shine through, perhaps from the writer himself.

The tale begins in a secret prison; a luxurious jail for powerful and rich criminals.  This is where you learn of a murder and the curious circumstances surrounding the crime. You are quickly transported to a small old world town in Germany, where you will find the Castle Verliege. The descriptive prose pulls you in, making you feel the chill of the old castle, the musty smell of hidden secrets. 

However, this is more than a ghost story, it is a psychological thriller.  With every twist and turn, you are more entranced. There is unthinkable evil and violence, yet, like the trees that dot the orchard, love finds a way to blossom at the Castle Verliege.

When it ends, you will be haunted…for days.

Interview with Micheal Rivers

K- Thank you so much for joining us, Micheal.  You did it again.   Verliege is fabulous! Your books always provide so many intricate details, how did you research for this book, and was there any personal inspiration for this story?

M:  Thank you Kathleen, I am glad you enjoyed it. It is good to talk with you again. Verliege is an enigma wrapped in a puzzle as far as research is concerned. The castle itself is a combination of four to five different castles all in different countries. The actual castle you read about in the story is a construction of my own design. The prison, the castle and the characters are pure imagination with some research here and there to fortify them. The story was inspired by some old memories of some people I met many years ago and a few hauntingly good events of recent years. The politics involved as far as retaining dual citizenship and a few other things are not an unusual occurrence if the right people and money have been provided.

K: I know that you are a paranormal investigator and the founder of the Smokey Mountain Ghost Trackers.  I have to wonder if any of your scenes are based on real experiences?

M: Yes, as a matter of fact they are as well as the equipment described in the book. The smell of perfume without the presence of the person wearing it, the movement of the objects in the game room is indeed actual events from an investigation. The manner in which some of the investigation took place is the same as real time. There are many instances in the book that are taken from my archives of actual investigations.

K:  Can you describe your writing style?  What is a typical day in the life of Micheal Rivers… starting with the time you wake up, meals, beverages, everything in between & bedtime.

M: I use the Chicago manual of style straight up with a spark of insanity. A typical day for me! I don’t think I ever had a typical day. My body wakes up a piece at the time due to heavy mileage and way too many incidents in life. From there me and the dog drag ourselves through the front door cigarettes in hand and go for a walk. I think she walks me instead of the other way around.

I am a junk food lover and sandwiches are at the top of the list. I would rather eat a sandwich than have a big thick steak. If it has healthy written on it I try to avoid it at all cost. But when I am hungry anything is good I guess. I am very easy to please in that department. Pepsi is my all-time beverage. It is rare I drink alcohol, sweet tea is good, and a few other things as well. The day is usually full of surprises and never a dull moment. Once in awhile a spark of normalcy sneaks in and I get lost in thought. Bedtime is whenever I can sleep. Sleep is a very evasive thing most of the time. 

K: I appreciate a good sandwich, myself.  Rachel Ray makes some pretty incredible sandwiches on her show.

When this book is made into a movie, who would you like to see cast in the roles?

M: I don’t have a clue to be honest. There are so many that would look good in the parts, I say try them all and see who looks the best.

K: Are you in the mood for the “writing exercise”?

M: Sure, I’ll give it shot.

K: Okay, here is your scene.  Your mission, should you accept it, is to re-write the scene in your special style:

Anil sat quietly in the dark room, staring down into the amber liquid in the glass he held in his hand. He quickly swallowed the whiskey, in one gulp. Then he screamed out filthy obscenities, while he hurled the glass to the floor. He grimaced as a large glass shard bounced up and lodged in his bare ankle. He reached down and grabbed the glass shard, and pushed it deeply in to his skin, and then pulled the shard through his leg, all the way up to his knee. 

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

He screamed out in pain and then grabbed the glass shard and threw it back on the floor. He didn't notice the blood gushing down his leg and pooling on the floor. He felt a little better now. He had discovered that cutting himself seemed to calm him down. Sometimes he became so irate and agitated it took more than just a few cuts. It was starting to escalate. Like a drug, he needed more and more. The month before he was not able to soothe himself until he had sliced off his pinky finger

(Note: Just a, FYI: Anil is a bad guy. He was a jilted groom who vowed & took revenge in my book, ‘Hiren’s Magical Adventure’. )

M: Anil stood naked in the center of his room staring into a glass tumbler, gently rolling the liquid from side to side. He could barely see the amber liquid in the faint light coming in from the window next to his bed. Breathing deeply he could smell the aroma of a strong wine. How he loved the smell of this particular blend.

Bringing it slowly to his lips he opened his mouth and drained the glass in one easy gulp, grimacing at the bite of the thick liquid as it made its way down his throat. His rage became the better of him and he hurled the glass with all his might to the floor. “Damn them, how he hated those around him who had called themselves his friends.

The glass shattered sending razor sharp shards into his leg. One of the glass shards could not be called small by any means and had lodged itself into his skin just above his ankle. Reaching down he barely made a sound as he pulled the glass straight up slicing himself deeply from his ankle to his knee. He moaned softly. Who would understand that an act such as this would bring him such comfort?

The rage inside of him was building more with every breath he took. “She lied! He screamed into the darkness. “She said she loved me and has taken the arms of another.”

The blood was pooling around his feet, yet it was nothing to him. Over the months he had found he was able to cope with his anger by cutting himself. It had been a mere fortnight ago he had sliced off his little finger in a fit of jealous rage. Needing the relief he felt by disfiguring himself it was fast becoming not enough to sooth him. Tonight he would heal his soul in such a way he would be able to face life with a smile upon his face. Yes, tonight he would avenge himself by taking the life of another, a life belonging to someone who had betrayed him beyond words.

K: Wow!  I was not expecting that! You never disappoint, Micheal.  That was so twisted- it gave me palpitations! 

Thank you so much.  It was great chatting with you.  Can you please tell us what’s coming up and where we can find you on the web?

M: It is always good to talk with you and hope you come back soon. Thank you for sharing. Currently I am working on three novels at the same time. However I do not know exactly which one I will choose to release when the time is right. You can find me at michealrivers.com. Stop in and say hello. Drag up a chair and we’ll spend the day watching the world go by at a rate faster than a speeding snail at Darlington.

Buy 'Verliege' here.  
Follow Micheal on Twitter here.   
Visit Micheal's website here.