For the Minds and Wills of Men was the FIRST PLACE fiction winner of the 2023 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author Jeff Lanier.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
For the Minds and Wills of Men, published Oct 16, 2022.
What’s the book’s first line?
Will Oxley had questioned his decision at times.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
A gripping, historical art mystery set in 1950s New York, For the Minds and Wills of Men is a story of art, love, and Cold War fear, suspicion, and betrayal. More than an art heist … with post-World War II New York, 1950s avant-garde art world, and the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings as background, For the Minds and Wills of Men tells the story of modern art and mid-century American politics. A perfect blend of political and art history, intense characters, and a beautiful love story.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
The 1950s New York art world and overall milieu of the Cold War inspired me, combined with a 1967 New York Times article that exposed prominent family Trusts and Foundations as CIA conduits to fund secret government programs as part of the Cold War strategy.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Years after his return from WWII, Will Oxley continues to struggle with nightmares of the war but finds solace in a small Monet landscape.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
The reader will be carried along by a wonderfully entertaining, skillfully developed, and compelling story of love, trust, and conspiracy all the while be captivated by an important moment in politics and art history and the ways they intermingled in the post-war McCarthy era.
Is this the first you’ve written?
Yes, this is my first novel.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
While writing the novel, I worked from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. every day, sometimes the words would come, sometimes they wouldn’t, but I knew if I wasn’t there and ready, I’d miss them when they did.