Cold Water the first adventure
Sam's first adventure takes him literally into the murky depths of the Amsterdam canals as he joins in the hunt for the mysterious Nile organisation. In a race against time Sam must decide who to trust.
The story behind Cold Water
An surprising start
With my love of France I had always imagined Sam's journey starting in France and so when I started writing the first adventure in the canal lined Dutch capital I was as surprised as anyone! But in reality that was a decision like all the good ones when writing down to a single character and without giving to much away I could never had imagined the blonde haired femme fatale of the story anywhere but in Amsterdam.
My own love of Amsterdam comes from, I'm ashamed to say, only two previous visits. The first as a young nineteen year old student and then as a slightly more mature parent. Two different experiences I can tell you. But there is something about the historic city with its busy waterways and unique buildings that lend themselves to a good story.
It is from my most recent trip from which my locations and ideas for Cold Water have come from. Not for the first time have I dragged my footsore family around museums, galleries and random streets in the name of a holiday!
Building the story
The story of Cold Water came pretty easily once I had established the main cast of characters. From the dwarf Interpol Agent Karl Vogt to the devious Duka brothers it became a task of simply sticking the pieces together as they made their way through the city.
Only one location proved difficult to locate and that was always the headquarters of the Nile. As in most of my writings I always try to use real places but in this case finding a suitable lair was proving difficult.
Thankfully it was the failure of the Amsterdam Park and Ride system that resolved my conundrum. Take it from me driving a motorhome in the city of bikes is not one for the faint hearted. But after being too tall for three P&R's it was only down to the inspiration of my wife to follow signs for a campsite in the hope of finding some advice did we find the quiet Zeeburgereiland island.
Just like Interpol we simply could not find the Nile!
The final stages
I had hoped to finish writing the first draft of the book while in the Netherlands but not for the first time the demands of parent hood meant more time was dedicated to playing Bluey than writing. Although that was still better than my own holiday reading at that time - 'A beginners guide to big data' (joys of my professional life)
Instead it was another month before I was able to share Sam's adventure with my inner circle of first readers and then the waiting began. Waiting for feedback - which was good. Waiting for proof reading - which was needed. Waiting for an agent to buy into the the vision - which was unbelievable. Until now the idea can become a reality.
Behind the pen
Amsterdam always seemed to be buzzing, as if the constant movement of the water, along with never ending cyclists, were the blood vessels of a living creature. He’d visited plenty of major cities but he’d never quite found anywhere like here
