The Work In Progress Tag

Hello everyone!

Now that we are in 2019, I have a couple new year’s resolutions. One of them is to work on my WIP, my novel. So what better tag to start off the new year with than the W.I.P tag? Found this on The Shameful Narcissist‘s blog. Hope you guys enjoy.

And psst! No judging my work in progress. It’s still in progress.

1. What is the working title of your book?

The title, drumroll please, is The Case of the Drowned Mermaid. Add the bright lights and the confetti. And as of now, I’m pretty sure that will be the title of the finished product. I wanted the title to be reminiscent of classic murder mysteries, like ‘The Murder in the Rue Morgue.” Also, in the story, it’s the name the narrator dubs the case him and the Detective are investigating.

2. Where did the idea come from?

I’ve had the idea for my detective for about 5 years. When I entered college, I had an interest in mysteries and began reading the Sherlock Holmes stories. And then, I asked myself, “If I created a detective and sidekick, what would they be like?” Soon after, the detective and his partner were born. Sometimes, characters and ideas are born by asking yourself “what if?”

The idea for the actual murder in the murder mystery is a whole other story. This wasn’t going to be a simple point-and-shoot kind of mystery, those aren’t my Detective’s cup of tea. The more peculiar cases are more interesting, right? Next to my love of mysteries, there is an equal love of fantasy stories. I love fairytales and magic and “the strange and unusual”. I did a lot of research on the 1920s and freak shows at the time. And being a New Yorker, I’m a train ride away from Coney Island. A vague story line, centered around a dead sideshow performer, seemed to just fall into place. 

3. What genre does your book fall under?

Mystery/Detective fiction would be my WIP’s genre. I wanted it to be a twist on a classic murder mystery. My detective isn’t like typical detectives, nor is his partner like Watson. My mystery solving duo is complex, have flaws, and stray away from tradition.

Also, there’s a bit of romance, humor and historical fiction thrown into the pot too.

4. Which actors would play your characters in the movie adaptation?

Wow, hard to imagine my rough first draft as a full fledged movie. But sure, I’ll play along. I have two main characters and a list of suspects. This is a murder mystery after all. I’m just going to focus on those two. So, Detective H.B. Cooper is a long-in-the-tooth private detective, from Great Britain. Perceptive and irritable, he has a gifted memory and a crippled leg.  Now, I’m not sure who would play him in a movie. Maybe a bearded Ian McKellan?

On the other hand, I know exactly who would play the detective’s assistant, Oscar Fitzgerald. Andrew Garfield would be perfect. I always imagine Oscar with that cocky, playful smirk. He’s a young man, living it up in the 1920s. Sarcastic and cheeky, he looks after Mr. Cooper, in more ways than more. I like to think they make a pretty good team.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

How to condense my life’s work into one sentence. Hmm…

When a sideshow mermaid is found floating belly up, Detective H.B. Cooper and his associate, Oscar Fitzgerald, unravel a mystery surrounding her untimely death.

Peek your interest? Man, I hope so.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft?

That’s a complicated answer. See, I was working on one mystery, with the same cast of characters. Then, I basically started over. I changed the murder in my murder mystery. After I scraped a lot of written material, a new plot rose from the ashes.

My first draft, of about 20,000 words, was finished around Christmas. It took a decent couple of months. Participating in National Novel Writing Month really pushed me to write. Slowly, but surely, this little draft will grow into something bigger and better. So, short answer, a good six months, at least.

8. What other books will you compare your book to?

I feel as though my humble draft is unworthy and cannot be compared to published masterpieces. If I had to compare, It’d have to be a Hercule Poirot book.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

With a genuine interest in mysteries, I took a Detective Fiction class in Hunter college. There, I read all the greats, like Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Edgar Allen Poe, and Raymond Chandler. Those authors really inspired me to write a story like this.

10. What else about your book might pique a reader’s interest?

Lots of things, hopefully. Call me a perfectionist, but I hold myself to an unreachably high standard. And if I ever do achieve my goal, I want it to be real page turner.

• A Death at a Coney Island Sideshow
• The 1920s at it’s Best, and Worst
• An Unlikely Partnership
• A Detective with Golden Eyes and an Extraordinary Memory
• Suspicious Suspects
• The Anti Femme Fatale
• Sarcasm and Humor mixed with Mystery
• The Biggest Plot Twist Surprise Ending EVER 

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And there you have it. Let me know what you think of my novel idea. Be kind, all things start from somewhere. If you’ve got a Work In Progress, proudly show it off in the comments, I’d love to know what you guys are working on.

Write with Heart,

Lady Jabberwocky