The True Lies blog has been quiet since late 2015. Research and write-ups of bin Laden’s missing years; extraordinary rendition and CIA black sites; and the never-ending MH370 search debacle were time consuming. Faced with the choice of being a full-time conspiracy blogger or a novelist, I chose to concentrate on writing and editing Sea of Lies. Now that Sea of Lies has launched in both eBook and paperback (US is out now; the UK will be later in August via Amazon), it’s time to resuscitate the blog. The problem is that I’m also a quarter of the way through the second book in the trilogy, Pack of Lies. If I don’t modify the blog format, I’m back to where I started.
The new blog format described below will allow me to write short blogs three to six times a month and then compile them into the True Lies newsletter once or twice a month. The revamped True Lies blog entries fall into five categories.
“Ready, Fire, Aim!”
My take on current conspiracies, with an emphasis on Asia and topics already on the True Lies radar screen. It’s neither a news digest nor a URL-based clippings service, just commentary on interesting stories in the conspiracy and skullduggery realms.
Thematic extracts from the Insider’s Guide to Sea of Lies
Within Sea of Lies are more than a dozen themes that lend themselves to clustering. In future we’ll feature a mix of light and serious topics with Sea of Lies goes the movies, the weapons of Sea of Lies, and pieces on money laundering, numbers stations, the CIA’s bad behavior, and other topics near and dear to the hearts of conspiracists.
As a member of True Lies nation, you have (or can download) the Insider’s Guide to Sea of Lies. The Insider’s Guide is designed to entertain as well as illuminate over 135 topics with over 110 illustrations over its 90 pages. It’s a light read ideally suited to porcelain companionship.
The Other Side
Anyone who writes fiction lives in perpetual dread of running out of time, ideas or energy while a project is still work-in-progress. I’ll be providing updates and the odd sneak preview of Pack of Lies while I draft, re-write and edit the project.
Locker Room Motivation
Every time I come across a quote that grabs my attention, I’ll reproduce it here.
Hue and Cry
There’s still a Comments section for leaving your thoughts and questions on the blog. But in Hue and Cry, I’ll reproduce the more interesting comments, answer questions or perhaps editorialize from time to time. I’ll try to get a the ball rolling and then invite True Lies subscribers to make this their own.
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In the next day or so, look for a blog in the new format. I’m still in shock over the success of the Kindle promotion that’s winding down: over 10,000 downloads and still counting!
Source: Jeevan William photo. Sea of Lies taking a break at the beach in Trincomalee.
Those of you with eagle eyes can see, “Book of the Year, 2016” on this plaque awarded by Dr. Boris Liedtke, chairman (and only member!) of the Luxembourg Singapore book club. It was a gag, but it’s sitting next to my TV nonetheless!