The Murderess and the Hangman - will she escape the hangman?

The-Murderess-and-the-Hangman on Facebook

Paul Morphy, Chess Player, World Champion!

Paul Morphy, Chess Player, World Champion! on Facebook

William Marwood - London hangman!

William Marwood on Facebook

Kate Webster - London murderess! - did she do it?

Kate Webster on Facebook

James Hogue, Princeton graduate, athlete, imposter!

James Hogue, Princeton graduate, athlete, imposter! on Facebook

The Ballad of Paul Morphy!

Check out the video below, the Ballad of Paul Morphy, a strange and haunting tribute to the famous chess player!

"This video is a tribute to the great chess genius Paul Morphy (1837-1884). The accompanying song is in the style of the old parlor songs of the Stephen Foster era and is delivered by Anchor Méjans. Some images are taken from "public domain" films at Prelinger Archive."

I discovered this video on YouTube and was struck by the uncanny similarities - especially the lines "retreating into dreams was his release." Yes, we're definitely dealing with the same Morphy!
Here are the lyrics:

Paul Morphy lived his life in black and white
For him there was no gray
No wrong nor right
Just strategy
Nights and days -
Confined by notes in squares upon a page

No friends to adore
Only royals and pawns
And there was no way out of his sad fate
No there was no way out of his sad fate
Alas alas alas for him -
checkmate

Paul Morphy wanted peace
But peace was scarce
Retreating into dreams was his release
Paul Morphy lived his life in black and white
For him there was no gray
No wrong nor right

No friends to adore
Only royals and pawns
And there was no way out of his sad fate
No there was no way out of his sad fate
Alas alas alas for him -
checkmate

Sing along!

Life of Paul Morphy!

You can read more about Morphy's life in my novel The Pride and the Sorrow.

The Knight of New Orleans - world chess in the crescent city!

The Knight of New Orleans on Facebook

Faulkner-Wisdom Competition - I am "Almost Finalist"!

I'm pleased to say The Pride and the Sorrow is an "Almost Finalist" in the 2008 Faulkner- Wisdom Competition. The competition is run by the Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society, and was judged by former Random House VP, Michael Murphy.

Thanks Faulkner Society!

Matt wins Unpublished Novel Competition!

Bookhabit.com is pleased to announce the winner of the inaugural Bookhabit Unpublished Competition is Matt Fullerty's The Pride and the Sorrow. Matt receives a US$5000 prize and is "thrilled" about winning the first Bookhabit competition. We will be posting an interview with Matt on Bookhabit.com shortly. Congratulations from Bookhabit! You can see full details with an endorsement of the novel at http://www.bookhabit.com/newsdetail.php?nid=48

The Pride and the Sorrow is the story of Paul Morphy (1837-1884), born in New Orleans as a chess prodigy, his famous journey through Europe and his ultimate downfall on and off the chessboard. He is celebrated in fashionable European society, honored by Napoleon III of France and Queen Victoria of England and returns to New Orleans a local celebrity, only to find Civil War looming, a storm brewing in his family and his own mind coming apart ...

The novel itself is available at http://bookhabit.com/book_details.php?book_id=459

Novel's first interview - thanks Clare!

A 23-minute interview with Matt is now available through http://www.reviewyak.com/ with Clare Tanner of the Bookhabit Show. "Every month over 20,000 listeners download our podcasts for The Bookhabit Show where we tell the author's story behind the story."

You will be punished!

Last weekend, I went with Katie to the newly opened National Museum of Crime and Punishment located in DC's Chinatown. While it's $18 to go round (compared to the free Smithsonian museums including the zoo), this new addition to DC's landscape of museums is well worth it!

The museum is impressive mainly because it combines the history of crime, mostly the state torture that passed as punishment, while profiling modern criminals up to the present. Naturally, England, this means the museum includes sophisticated ballistics and CSI-style techniques! But the best bits were the stories of human arrogance and folly in criminals causing their own downfall!

One case that still puzzles today is that of D. B. Cooper who hijacked and ransomed a Boeing 727 in the seventies, only to leap from the back with the money and never be seen again! Check out Cooper's story here! His tale suits the strain of consiracy running through American culture - was he a genius who escpaed the Feds? Or was he too smart for himself and was probably killed on landing or shortly afterwards?

Check out my novel The Murderess and the Hangman about a maid who kills her landlady for a few pieces of furniture here!

New Orleans - the beautiful!

Morphiana - who knew?

As a by-product of writing a novel centrered on the life of legendary chess player - forgotten by history - Paul Morphy of New Orleans, I developed a minor interest in collecting all things Morphy. Apparently this is known in the strange world of antique trading as Morphiana. Who knew such a thing even existed?

So recently, I just purchased - off ebay of course, it is the 21st century, the proof of which is the Beijing Olympics happening right now with the Communist Party, George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin all looking on (while Russia and Georgia fight a territorial war on their borders!) - and I quietly buy some Morphy stamps.

Who knew Mr. Morphy was such a celeb? Surely you've only really made it when they put your face on a stamp?

Paul Morphy's face on a stamp from Myanmar (formerly Burma) - in their 'Kings of Chess' series!

The Chess Players - your move, Devil!

The painting is called The Chess Players and is by the German Painter Moritz Retzsch (1779-1857). The devil is playing a young man for his soul - and despite having the white pieces - the young man is lost! The devil looks impatient to claim him and the angel ready to weep.

The moral - never play chess against the devil!

First Chapter Published!

Dear England, I'm pleased to say that online publisher Word Riot has kindly published the first chapter of my novel, The Pride and the Sorrow, with a nice endorsement at this link...Very nicely laid out too. Word Riot currently have about 9000 hits a month, so it's definitely pleasing to be part of their venture!

You can also download the first chapter for free here at Bookhabit.com, the New Zealand company currently promoting my book through their website. If you really want to hear me talk nonsense about the book, there's also an interview directly accessible here and at Review Yak.

Word Riot - good writing. no remorse!

Thanks Word Riot!

Novel's first review - thanks Geoff!

Geoff Cush, a member of the judging panel, had this to say about THE PRIDE AND THE SORROW :


"What made Matt Fullerty's writing stand out, from the very first sentence, was an unusually strong and individual way with words. Taking us into the vanished world of old America and Europe he uses a highly textured language to give an almost physical experience of being in that place and time. Drawing subtle lines between a society top-heavy with leisure and the profligate genius it produced in Morphy, he holds back the historical and personal reckoning while letting it gather and brood like the storm that finally washes away New Orleans. In my view this makes THE PRIDE AND THE SORROW a stand-out all rounder in the craft of literary fiction."

This smart-looking chap is Paul Morphy. You can follow this link to find out more about his New Orleans family. And to learn more about his formidable chess opponents with slideshows of the players click here!

Matt wins Unpublished Novel Competition!

Bookhabit.com is pleased to announce the winner of the inaugural Bookhabit Unpublished Competition is Matt Fullerty's The Pride and the Sorrow. Matt receives a US$5000 prize and is "thrilled" about winning the first Bookhabit competition. We will be posting an interview with Matt on Bookhabit.com shortly. Congratulations from Bookhabit!

You can see full details with an endorsement of the novel at http://bookhabit.com/competition/
The Pride and the Sorrow is the story of Paul Morphy (1837-1884), born in New Orleans as a chess prodigy, his famous journey through Europe and his ultimate downfall on and off the chessboard. He is celebrated in fashionable European society, honored by Napoleon III of France and Queen Victoria of England and returns to New Orleans a local celebrity, only to find Civil War looming, a storm brewing in his family and his own mind coming apart ...

The novel itself is available at http://www.bookhabit.com/competition

Kerouac House - I am Alternate!

I am pleased to say I am the alternate choice to live in Jack Kerouac's old house for 3 months! The Kerouac House in Orlando, Florida, is the house Kerouac lived in with his mother when On The Road was published, made him famous, and where he subsequently wrote The Dharma Bums!

If Brian Turner, the soldier-poet known for his 2005 poetry volume Here, Bullet decides not to live in the house (from June-August 2009), I am first alternate choice! Voila the house!

The Kerouac House is now run by the Kerouac Project of Orlando at http://www.kerouacproject.org/ Plus you can tour the Kerouac House here.

Voila the house!

Novel's first review - thanks Geoff!

Geoff Cush, a member of the judging panel, had this to say about THE PRIDE AND THE SORROW : "What made Matt Fullerty's writing stand out, from the very first sentence, was an unusually strong and individual way with words. Taking us into the vanished world of old America and Europe he uses a highly textured language to give an almost physical experience of being in that place and time. Drawing subtle lines between a society top-heavy with leisure and the profligate genius it produced in Morphy, he holds back the historical and personal reckoning while letting it gather and brood like the storm that finally washes away New Orleans. In my view this makes THE PRIDE AND THE SORROW a stand-out all rounder in the craft of literary fiction."

This smart-looking chap is Paul Morphy. You can follow this link to find out more about his New Orleans family. And to learn more about his formidable chess opponents with slideshows of the players click here!