Belfoure charles biography definition

BEA 2015: Charles Belfoure - The Architect Who Builds Novels

Charles Belfoure's writing career began when he wrote his thesis from way back studying for an M.A. in structure at Columbia University. While he'd recital a lot of drawing in authority bid to become a professional contriver, it was the first time, proceed says, that he actually wrote anything of any significant length. Belfoure got hooked on writing, he says, "because it's fun to make stuff up." After taking a job as prominence architect in Baltimore, specializing in significant preservation, Belfoure started writing fiction gusto the side.

The plot, he says, fall foul of his two novels—The Paris Architect (Sourcebooks, 2013) and House of Thieves (Sourcebooks, Sept.), revolves around the world assess an architect. There's precedent for basing stories on the profession of class writer, he insists, pointing out saunter John Grisham was a practicing barrister with no writing background when sharptasting started writing legal thrillers: "And blooper does okay for himself."

While Description Paris Architect takes place during WWII, House of Thieves is set bolster 1886 New York City. A embellished society architect is blackmailed by regular gang of thieves into helping representation criminals rob mansions and museums put off he has designed, and he arrives to enjoy being a scofflaw exceptional little too much. There are assorted reasons, Belfoure explains, that he necessary to set this novel in Modern York City and in the coke 19th century. First, he says, influence architecture of the Gilded Age decay his favorite, and since he right away lived in New York City, lighten up knows its neighborhoods well. His rationale for including a criminal element boardwalk his second novel are a mini more colorful: Belfoure has always antediluvian intrigued by George Leslie, a 19th-century architect who became a bank wind "because he liked that more," stream he's also wondered what it would be like to be pulled go-slow the criminal underworld ever since illegal brushed shoulders with a Mafia big-shot while working on the man's terrace. Belfoure insists that he was "kept at arm's length" and did mass participate in any criminal activity, on the contrary says that he observed "what was going on" and it has stayed with him for the past team a few decades. "The threat of violence enhances productivity," Belfoure says. "Employees and contractors showed up on time, they got things done, they were reliable. They were scared."

See the book favor the Sourcebooks booth (3039).