Harry and his flowers

PI Harry Kenmare - the tough hard-boiled PI, who loves his drink and his women, and the more the better.  And he's not averse to some serious violence when he feels some scumbag truly deserves it.

And he likes flowers???

This is a quite deliberate character trait I gave Harry, as paradoxical as it may seem.  Just as my website, despite being that of a crime author, is full of photos of colourful flowers and foliage.  Again, deliberately so.  Does it seem strange?

Apart from my own love of flowers, it is quite simply my desire to balance the darkness and noir in my writing with some beauty and colour.  I want my readers to feel the darkness when that is in the story, but also to have some respite, hence the flowers, trees, and colours throughout Harry's World.

I guess it is my own unique take on hard-boiled noir: I want to hit the darkest of dark, but also to see some beauty shining through.  Life's a balance, after all.

Now, if you've read Harry's World, you'll be familiar with the fragrance of night jessamine (Harry's favourite) and the purple flowers of the jacaranda trees.
Well, here in Sydney the jacarandas are in full bloom (see my next blog) and my night jessamine shrub on our balcony has broken into bloom this week and the smell is truly magnificent.  The white flowers of the night jessamine may not look impressive, but their aroma is truly one of Nature's wonders.  But you have to wait until after dark!
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Cheers.
ABP