An Interview with Author Timothy Miller

Timothy Miller has a brand-new novel out entitled The Strange Case of the Dutch Painter, and we here at Nerds That Geek had the distinct honor of sitting down with Timothy to discuss his new book, it’s Sherlock Holmes inspiration and the craft of creative writing.
 
Nerds That Geek: This is the second installment in your “Strange Case” mystery series. Why did you choose Vincent van Gogh for Holmes’ latest case?
 
Timothy Miller: It was more that I choose Holmes for the Van Gogh investigation. I became intrigued by his story, and certain discrepancies I saw, or imagined in it—was he really mad? Did he cut his ear off? Did he actually commit suicide? If you start to look at a story from a different angle—well,  I finally felt I had to call on Mr. Holmes to help me discover the truth. He’s a far more logical thinker than I am.
 
NTG: Are you an art aficionado yourself, or did you end up doing a lot of research on the Impressionist era? You’ve included a lot of very interesting facts on the period.
 
Timothy Miller: Both. I’ve always had an interest in art—and in art forgery and theft, but this novel required a huge amount of research over several years, beginning all the way back when the internet meant AOL. I had to hit the stacks. I even bought the entire set of Van Gogh’s letters, which is lost now somewhere in San Francisco. It actually became easier and easier as more information migrated online (including the letters) and as later research tied in with my idle conjectures.
 
NTG: Do you think Sherlock Holmes would have good taste in art? Why / why not?
 
Timothy Miller: Watson claimed that he had dreadful taste in art, but then Watson was something of a Philistine himself. But I think Holmes would have been more apt to analyze art, to try to derive clues from it rather than simply enjoy it. I think he would have been more comfortable with abstract art, Kandinsky, for instance, which would have allowed his mind. to release its grip, the same way that improvisation on the violin did.
 
NTG: Why do you think Holmes forever holds a staple as one of our all-time-favorite detectives of all time?
 
Timothy Miller: Because he can never be fully known, so he’s very much open to interpretation. Writers talk so much about character arcs these days. I think characters without arcs, who remain unchanging from story to story—Robin Hood to James Bond—tend to become icons. It’s the mystery that makes them appealing. A bit like gods.
 
NTG: Of course, we loved Holmes in print, but we’re also curious if you have a favorite movie or series on the detective? Always looking for recommendations here at Nerds that Geek!
 
Timothy Miller: The truth is, and you’re going to hate me, I don’t care greatly for most of the movies. I mean, Basil Rathbone IS Sherlock Holmes, but the writing was not up to par. The Granada series always felt a bit stilted, as if it were trying to be too faithful. Benedict Cumberbatch is brilliant, but can you really take Sherlock out of the Victorian fog? That said, I have a weakness for Nichol Williamson in The Seven Per Cent Solution. And I have a secret heart throb in Jeremy Irons, who played the Great Detective in an SNL skit some years back.
 
NTG: We saw that you are a screenwriter as well – where did you get your start?
 
Timothy Miller: Well, you might say I’m still hoping to get my start, if you mean Hollywood. I’ve only done a couple of indie productions which more or less fell into my lap. But if you want to know what my first screenplay was, it was called Art in the Blood, later (much later) rewritten as this same novel, The Strange Case of the Dutch Painter. Which, by the way, I could do nothing with, as Sherlock Holmes was still very much under lock and key by his estate at the time. I waited.
 
NTG: Is there a unique story or genre that you haven’t tackled yet?
 
Timothy Miller: Oh, yes. There’s the story of the theft of the Mona Lisa… and Picasso’s involvement. I want to tackle it like a Cubist painting, showing all sides at once, and including some of the characters from this novel. And there’s a hard-boiled detective story I want to meld with the Pirandellian.
 
NTG: In regarding Timothy Miller the author… what’s next for Sherlock?
 
Timothy Miller: Well, about a month ago, I had a pat answer for that, a novel I was working on that takes place near the end of Holmes’s career that involves the curse of King Tut. But--and my editor won’t be pleased to hear this—I’ve been seized by a new story that takes place at the beginning of Holmes’s career, and involves a fellow named Ebenezer Scrooge. So… I’ll keep you posted.

​This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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Author Timothy Miller