Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a political economist, public policy analyst, and author. I am also a history buff with a focus on the Italian Renaissance. My fascination with that time and place encouraged me to write my first historical novel, The City of Man. It is based on a true story with real characters drawn from the historical record. The two main characters are the fundamentalist preacher, Girolamo Savonarola, and his nemesis, the infamous political operator, Niccolo Machiavelli. A trilogy structured on Dante’s Divine Comedy, it is an epic tale of Savonarola’s fantastic rise and tragic fall, symbolizing a critical juncture in the conflict between Church and State in the Christian world. More dramatized history than historical fiction, the story integrates the art, religion, and politics of this glorious period.
I have written 3 other books: Saving Mona Lisa, a tale of love, betrayal and Renaissance genius; a policy book titled Common Cent$; and a modern version of the Renaissance story titled, In God We Trust. The last novel is set in modern Washington D.C. in the time period denoted by the dotcom bust, 9/11, and the initial stages of the Iraq War.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My last novel is In God We Trust: A Novel of American Politics. It was inspired by the historical parallels between the religious-political conflict in Renaissance Florence in the 15th century that was the subject of my first book, The City of Man, and the contemporary American political scene.
In God We Trust uses fictional characters to develop the story as a chronicle of our times. The protagonist is Dante Jefferson Washington – a smart, young, black, religious conservative seeking to make his mark on the Washington D.C. political stage. He is modeled on Machiavelli (but not in the way we might expect from our vernacular usage of the adjective Machiavellian).
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t believe my habits are unusual. The key is to develop a disciplined work schedule, day-by-day. My books are heavily researched, which is a reflection of my own historical curiosity – leave no stone unturned. Researching is the fun, discovery stage, writing the exciting part, and editing the excruciating, but necessary, task.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Umberto Eco’s In the Name of the Rose, Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Eliot’s Romola, Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, Irving Stone’s The Agony and the Ecstasy, Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being, anything by Fitzgerald/Hemingway.
What are you working on now?
I’m researching a futuristic novel that will be the natural extension of my thematic thread that weaves through The City of Man and In God We Trust. That theme is the timeless tension between hope and fear, faith and reason, that shapes the human psyche. Our future world, which is rather close in time, will be shaped by the control of data and information that will form the basis of artificial intelligence. It portends a world radically different from the one we live in today, but one we must navigate in the same ways we have through the centuries. The world constantly changes while human nature remains a constant.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon – author and product pages. The world is learning to browse the electronic world of books in the same way we have with bookstores and libraries.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write something worth writing – there is often little else reward. Use digital formats in creative ways that go beyond print.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be yourself, if you can figure out who that is. I love the John Lennon quote: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
What are you reading now?
I am reading Daniel Silva spy thrillers because my next book will be my first literary thriller.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Juggling words, words, and more words to try to make some sense.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Great Gatsby, The History of Civilization by Will Durant, Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Dante’s Divine Comedy.
Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Harrington Website
Michael Harrington Amazon Profile
Michael Harrington’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account