Short story sneak preview
Extract from the contessa’s memoirs
Welcome to the free newsletter of David (D. V.) Bishop, author of the Cesare Aldo historical thrillers set in Renaissance Italy. This time I’m giving you a sneak preview of a new short story I’ve been writing…
Free events tonight & tomorrow
I have two in-person events this week in Scotland. Tonight (Tuesday November 19th) I’m at The Book Nook in Stewarton from 7pm where I’ll be in conversation with fellow author Douglas Skelton. The event is called Renaissance Revelations: An Evening with D. V. Bishop, and you can still book tickets here.
Tomorrow night (Wednesday November 20th) I’m at Paisley Central Library from 7pm for Future Cops to Renaissance Killers: An Evening with D. V, Bishop. This is a free event as part of Book Week Scotland and you can book tickets here.
Next week on Friday Novemebr 29th I’m at Waterstones Braehead from 6-8pm signing books alongside crime writing legends Denise Mina and Lin Anderson. More details about this late night shopping event are here.
A sneak preview
I’ve been working on a new short story as an exclusive reward for everyone who subscribes to this newsletter. Called All Then There Were Nuns, it is an extract from the memoirs of Cesare Aldo’s frenemy Contessa Valentine Coltello. For those who haven’t encountered her yet, she first appears in the fourth Aldo novel A Divine Fury and will loom large in next year’s Aldo thriller Carnival of Lies. Coltello is Venice’s spymaster in Florence, but that only captures a small part of who and what she is.
Below is the opening of this new short story to whet your appetites. I plan to distribute the complete tale to all subscribers in the next week or two as a PDF. Hope you enjoy this taste of the contessa and her hi-jinks…
An extract from the memoirs of Contessa Valentine Coltello
I have been called many things in my life: girl, orphan, whore, courtesan, bride, wife, widow, seductress, spy, enemy, even suspect. Some of those descriptions were accurate, some merely masks I wore for a time because they suited my purpose. But I truly never expected to find myself at the entrance of a Florentine convent and orphanage, dressed in the habit of a nun.
Yes, I was presenting myself to the world as a woman of God.
The situation seemed so unlikely I still find it hard to believe. Such pretences are sometimes necessary, if there is no other way to achieve a particular task. In this case, my reason for becoming a nun was entirely to help others. Well, mostly to help others; after all, can anyone truly say their actions are entirely without self-interest?
My tale begins with a woman coming to Palazzo Coltello for help. For all Florence’s wealth and beauty, it has no lack of those needing alms. What made this noteworthy was my visitor claimed to be a childhood friend of mine. Odder still, she wore the habit of a nun, and gave her name as Suor Maria Angelica. The woman begged for an audience, calling me by a name I had long since abandoned. When my maggiordomo Pozzo offered coin instead, this nun spat on the ground – far from the usual behaviour for a bride of God. Pozzo dismissed her before coming to me with an account of this unexpected visitor, laughing as he did.
I, however, was not amused. I sent Pozzo to find her and bring her back. He opened his mouth to protest, but knew better than to question my judgement. It was near nightfall when he returned, ushering the supposed nun into my salone. I made Pozzo apologise for his earlier behaviour before sending my maggiordomo away. Only when he had left did I or my guest permit our true feelings to show . . .
The complete short story is coming soon!
PS All credit for the story’s name goes to fellow writer Liz King who suggested it as a working title for the second Aldo novel, The Darkest Sin. Alas, the novel was too dark in tone for such a glorious pun, so it has finally found a good home on this story.
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You know, if Aldo was a tv series, the Contessa would definitely get her own spin-off
Hi David, thanks for mailing the story. Just curious: you're distributing it for free. So what does Pan Macmillan get out it? And how does the deal with work out? Since it's free, you won't get royalties. So I assume they gave you a per-word rate. Is that correct? Would love to know, unless of course, these are confidential.