Mercury (Hg) is a heavy, silvery-white transition metal and the only element that remains liquid at standard room temperature and pressure. It is characterized by its high density, excellent electrical conductivity, and high surface tension, though its extreme toxicity requires rigorous handling precautions. As many students know, mercury is a strange substance found in science labs a few years ago. It is not used much now but the ‘fun’ part was watching it break up:
Mercury makes a brief appearance in MUTINY too:
[“Sweetman has a checkered record with foreign agencies as well,” she says, interrupting me. “We suspect he’s a double agent so you’ll need to be careful with him. He has influence, few close friends and lots of enemies. He’s teamed up with Dr. Hanover and the secure web is buzzing with messages between them. Our ciphers are working on them, but it’s like chasing mercury – we grab one bit of information that breaks into many, leaving us with more rabbit trails to follow.”
I gave a copy of MUTINY to a friend of mine and he mentioned that he was halfway through and found it amusing that his namesake – Warren – came to an abrupt end. I suggested that this was inevitable as the character was an annoying whistler, which is not an attribute in a crowded submarine. I let slip that this character was based on a real person – a family member with the exact flaw – though, recently, he has been quite refrained in his whistling tendencies. Perhaps that’s why he still lives happily among us?
It’s not cheap to write a thriller – or, at least, not in my case. The travel, accommodation, museum visits, research and reading all add up in terms of the dollars. My total came to around $US6000 and, to date, book sales have not put a dent in that. So, why do it? Because the idea was with me for some time and I could not kill it. The idea grew into a story that I felt should be told. And, now I’m here. Of course, I can claw back some of the expense with a tax write-off and the travel expanded to allow my wife and I to do other things, but the novel was uppermost the whole time. Every key location – Gibraltar, Dubrovnik, Split, Trieste, Seattle, Cartagena, Barcelona, Montpellier, London, et al – were observed through my writing lens and recaptured with my camera to help review in detail. Some readers may find there’s too much detail, but I attempted to trim it to stay relevant to the plot and not overwhelm it. You may ask if it was worth it? Of course and MUTINY is my happiest, most satisfying book. But, then, all authors prefer their second novel to their first, but only if they write more than one! I hope you enjoy it too.
A famous New Zealand photographer was at a London club and took part in a competition to find the best photo of a famous fountain. He won because his picture was the only one taken from inside the fountain looking out. His perspective was unique. In writing a novel, readers also enjoy a unique perspective. I was intrigued by an article on underwater cables in a small newspaper article back in 2019 and this lead to an overseas trip, visits to underwater museums, etc. and MUTINY is the end product – not quite a lifetime’s work, but a fair chunk out of it. Yes, POV – a unique perspective. I can think of another example – a lecture being given about rising sea levels. The presenter mentioned that a local city had recorded sea levels against a gauge at one of the wharves as evidence of them rising over the last 100 years. Then at question time, a gentleman raised his hand and asked, “Perhaps the wharf was sinking?” The audience laughed, and they laughed at Dr. Michael Hanover when he delivered a keynote to shake up the banking industry in MUTINY. Hanover’s perspective was different and challenging, and the stuffy-suited bankers didn’t like it and who could blame them. Enjoy MUTINY as this keynote unfolds a plot that might sink the banking industry or raise the sea level of complaints against it.
There’s an episode (Chapter 53) in MUTINY where two captains meet to discuss a special agent to help with an underwater mission. It’s a formal meeting, hosted by the Spanish captain who is hoping to impress his guest. As I was writing this piece is seemed natural to fall from formality into frolic. What unfolds is a seriously funny moment:
The Flying Fried Chicken
[He thrust his fork down. It punched through the duck and lodged in the table. He lifted his head high in laughter. “Now look what I’ve done – I’ve killed the golden duck.”
“Don’t you mean the golden goose?” Ted asked, unable to control himself.
“Ha, ha. Yes, I must be the goose that killed it.” He wrestled with his fork and it sprang free, flinging the duck over his shoulder. Lorenzo slapped his knee. “Did you see that? A new Olympic record for duck throwing. It must’ve traveled ten meters?”
“Oh,” Ted replied, wiping tears from his face. “I would suggest fifteen meters at a speed of twenty knots. You almost hit the waiter. He had to duck for the duck.”
The Spaniard lost control. His glass tipped and wine exploded from his lips in a spray that saturated the white tablecloth. The waiter moved to wipe him down.
“I guess we’re both ducks in the water now,” cried the Spaniard, breaking into a hyena laugh, and snorting each time he took a breath. He looked hilarious, with wine and food splattered down his dress shirt and an empty fork in his hand.]
In Chapter 73, Claudine meets up with Ravi, a grad student at MIT. Ravi is a computer geek and much of the detail here is from my time teaching in Portland, OR. with high school students. I ran a computer class and one of my students was very clever indeed. Ravi is a projected image of this student, mixed with my time in Sri Lanka. In terms of MUTINY this is a chapter that pauses the action and provides detail that will surface later in an unexpected way. Meanwhile, sit back – relax – and let the moment at MIT soak in…
Killian Court, MIT
[They continued chatting as they walked through Killian Court and down a path towards the Charles River.
“Look,” exclaimed Ravi. A rowing eight moved like an arrow, their oars dipping in unison, smooth and composed, blade tips flashing white. The hull lifted as the blades gripped the water, then settled back when the oars came up for air.
“Beautiful and mathematical…so much elliptical rhythm…a sport in poetic motion,” muttered Ravi, his eyes following every stroke. He was working on a formula for the loci of the blades – interlocked and flattened ellipses?
Claudine interrupted. “What’s on your mind?” she asked, as the skiff vanished around a bend downstream.
“I was watching the rowers and it reminded me of a book I read, called ‘Boys in the Boat’.”
“I don’t understand?
“The story is a true story about a ragtag rowing crew from the University of Washington. The young boys were mainly farmers and had never been in a skiff before. After long hours of training, they discover a place where their rowing is almost effortless, reaching a place of beauty and fluid motion that transcends effort. They grow into an unbeatable Olympic team with each rower working in unison with the other. The boat responds by seemingly flying along and defying the water resistance.”
“Do you know,” said Claudine, with her arm on his, “that I also dream to have a team working for me like that one day.”
“I’m sure you will,” he replied. “What work do you do?”
“Oh, just film and underwater cinematography. We’re a small company based in Trieste.”
Ravi laughed. “I don’t believe you. You wouldn’t come all this way to talk about movies.”
She paused and watched the rowers for a while, unsure what to say. When she did, it was, “Why MIT, Ravi?”
He remembered the day as vividly as the question; a warm, fall day with crumpled leaves splashed across the campus lawns, and the institute’s pale dome appearing to be on fire in the New England sunset. It was a day that seemed to stand still, lost in a space-time vacuum, until it was broken by her voice.
“Why MIT?” she repeated.]
Why indeed. I suggest you invest in MUTINY to discover the answer for yourself.
The advantage of self-publishing is the ability to update the manuscript and launch the improved version at short notice.
I’m pleased to announce that the new MUTINY paperback has been uploaded to Amazon and the new Kindle version will follow in a few days. The main changes include:
Fixed a few grammatical and spelling errors that had slipped past my Beta Readers and me. Approx. 10 in total. On a side note, I dislike any errors in a novel, though they can be difficult to spot. Some readers don’t mind, but sloppy writing can affect the experience of reading. In saying this, no novel is perfect.
Improved dialogue (e.g. “we are” –> “we’re”) and one major plot element fixed. I try to sound out the dialogue to hear if it is correct (normal speech).
More detail added in a few places – for example, bugging a room in Chapter 22.
Reduced word count by eliminating unnecessary text and a few paragraphs. My motto is, “If it is awkward reading, get rid of it.”The overall effect is, I hope, a tighter novel that is better reading and more polished. When the new Kindle version is uploaded I will be offering a free download for my readers.
From time to time submarines punch through the North Pole ice to test their operational readiness in harsh conditions, and to check equipment, notably sonar. It’s a cat-and-mouse game at this remote part of the world as a cold war continues to unfold inside the Arctic Circle. In MUTINY, a submarine surfaces at the North Pole in the worst possible conditions – winter – and the discovery by the crew that they, and their mission, are under threat. Don’t worry if you are not much of a submarine fan – there’s more action above the waves in MUTINY than below.
A quick AI on this questions resolves to: “Good novels generally do not leave readers hanging at the end – they provide a satisfying, complete narrative arc. While cliffhangers are useful in series to build anticipation, a good book should resolve its main plot, avoiding the feeling that the author just arbitrarily stopped writing.” And, I mostly agree, unless a novel is part of a series. However, I want to add a small disclaimer. In MUTINY, there is one glaring and unresolved plot element (in Chapter Two) that is not resolved – one the occurs early on and is briefly revisited by the lead protagonist. This element does not get answers and the reader may well be wondering “who done it”. Was this deliberate or did I just not work out a solution? Or, did I plan it this way to open the door to a sequel? Aha, there you have it, dear reader and may the mystery continue for now.
I have a friend who is an avid reader and gave her a copy of MUTINY just a few days ago. She writes (unedited),
“Wow Chris, you have written a real page turner. I found it hard to put down. I was fascinated by your interpretation of an end- times event taken from the pages of Revelation and delivered through Dr Michael Hanover’s speech. Most people reading this would consider it all science fiction and have no clue that this is soon to come upon the world. Your knowledge of submarine operation and the digital world is astounding.
Thank you for giving me the privilege of reading your masterpiece.” Margaret
