It happened again. I got sick after the project was completed.

When I was a theatre director, the opening nights became more and more challenging over the years — not because of the creative work, but because, after the final curtain, I fell sick almost every time.

Usually, the fever began to creep in during the interval, and by the end of the play, I’d be running at 38–39°C. Funnily enough, when I was running businesses, that never happened.

But now, after every book I write, I get the same nasty outcome: fever, sore throat, and a complete lack of energy. This year it has happened three times. After The Birthmark Murders went to Amazon, I spent three days in bed. It was horrible — but worse was still to come.

Handful took me down in June when I sent the final version to Amazon, waiting for the September release. And now The Triumvirate Murders is there, and after the Amazon deadline for changes closed last week, I developed a sore throat and fever on Friday. Now, on Monday, I’ve hardly recovered.

Thank heavens each episode has lasted only a couple of days — unlike my theatre years, when this energy collapse often went on for weeks. Maybe because now I don’t drink anything stronger than tea. Or maybe because I’m in the middle of a six-book series, and the real shit may hit the fan when the last one is done. Perhaps I’ll kick the bucket then.

On that note, to something slightly less depressing.

Last Thursday night, I listened to Michael Bennett. He is an award-winning crime writer, screenwriter, and a very good speaker. Schrödinger’s Books was full of people as he talked about his background and shared some little-known facts about his craft and novels.

I downloaded his first crime novel, Better the Blood

His protagonist, Senior Sergeant Hana Westerman, solves crimes in Auckland, and I cannot wait to start reading it once this fever and brain fog have gone.

Michael’s talk was fascinating. I didn’t know that he was the one who helped bring to light one of the most terrible injustices in New Zealand by writing his first book, In Dark Places. It details how an innocent but confused 17-year-old, Teina Pora, was jailed for 21 years for a murder he did not commit. That’s another book I’ll definitely read during the silly season — a reminder that oppression, injustice, and the misuse of power never sleep. Silly season or not.

Michael’s worldview resonated deeply with mine. As a Māori writer, he has experienced the legacy of colonial systemic biases — perhaps even too close. As a Finnish bloke, I can relate. One of the most shocking things I discovered after moving to New Zealand 19 years ago was the silent, cruel, camouflaged marginalisation of the original inhabitants of this country.

We like to think we are living in an Eldorado — but unfortunately, it is one only for those who happen to be white and born into a so-called Pākehā family.

The wait is over — almost

The Triumvirate Murders will be available globally on the 6th of December to celebrate Finland’s Independence Day.

1917 was a year of turmoil: Russia had a revolution, the Soviet Union was formed, and in that turbulent moment, the Finns took their chance and declared independence. I am grateful for that.

My grandfather was murdered by right-wing thugs in a prison camp in 1918, after the brutal civil war. My grandmother had to flee for her life to Russia, taking her three children with her. They stayed there until 1924, when it was safe to return to Finland.

My late father was six at the time, and he could still remember some things from that period. Unfortunately, my cousin and her husband burned my aunt’s detailed journals from that journey. She had been a teenager and remembered everything. Thankfully, there are still fragments of memories and facts from my father, his brother, and his sister. One day, I will write about that incredible journey.

Back to the Triumvirate. I chose to publish it on the 6th of December because the story begins at the President’s Independence Day reception, with Tuomas and Pekka taking centre stage in a rather interesting way. And the rest is a funny, gripping and revealing story of betrayal, power, and love.

I am quite proud of it.

And to support my fellow writers: why don’t you have a look at what they’re offering? Click the links and enjoy their stories, too.

Morgan Klein has written short stories available as an eBook. His collection is called Blurred Lens, and its stories cast a glimmer of rainbow light into the darkness. Get his short stories for free here.

Mike Player, whose novel Utopia is set in 1856. ‘In 1856, a gay gunslinger, a lesbian doctor disguised as a man, a boy pulp-fiction writer, and a wannabe assassin become mismatched colleagues in search of the fabled town of Utopia.’ If that little blurb doesn’t get you interested, I don’t know what will. Go and have a look on Amazon.

And now for the funny crescendo: the angelic singing group Life in 3D. Their version of the old John Denver classic Country Roads is, in my humble opinion, even better than the original. Enjoy:

Janus Lucky
www.januslucky.com

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