Ta-dah! I’ve finally finished the technical aspects of book-izing the second of my blog serials.
About the Novel
Murder at the Bijou – Three Ingredients-I is the second of my “three things” style of blog serials. As with the first serial, The Three Things Serial, a Little 1920s Story, it was a spontaneously written (“pantser”) serial. Everything in it — characters, setting, plot, was driven by things left by readers of the blog, episode by episode. However, this time the things were “ingredients” since it is a culinary mystery!
Pip returns as narrator. She has new friends for this adventure, as she has been “sentenced” to live with her grandmother until she learns to become a passable cook. As you can imagine, that does not sit well with our flapper. (Yes, I still need to write a blurb…)
Book Launch?
My “real job” doesn’t allow me time for marketing or promotions. I limit that to this blog. So you don’t see much fanfare with my books. However, I want to ask…
Is anyone interested in hosting me for a book launch post?
If so, please leave a comment to let me know. I’ll write something to be posted at your blog. Any takers?
See you Friday, or whenever you can visit this weekend, for the next episode of the current serial, Thistledown – Midsummer Bedlam. Until then, hugs on the wing!
No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.
Gotcha! Caught you blog reading. It’sGet Caught Reading Month— a nationwide campaign to remind people of all ages how much fun it is to read. Last year I did a zany series where an intrepid band of bloggers (and their pets!) tried to catch the illustrious Story Reading Ape in the act of reading. I’m rerunning those posts midweek, through May.
In case you didn’t know, Chris Graham is quite the story telling ape as well. You can get to know Chris better at his blog.
The Ape has honored us with a new short story! And he has included Pip, from The Three Things Serial Story. When I saw what Chris wrote I knew I had to make this a two-part post. So be looking for my part of this collaboration next weekend. Now without further ado, here’s a story from Chris Graham, the Story Reading Ape.
FORWARD to the PAST
Some weeks ago, while Chris, The Story Reading Ape was away, the Naughty Chimps took the opportunity to enjoy a bit of Nit Picking.
“You’ve been at the Honey Ants’ tree again, haven’t you, Cedric?”
“I suppose it’s the sticky clumps of hair that’s given the game away Malcolm?”
“Well, it wasn’t your ‘sweet nature’ – Har, Har”
Meanwhile, Aristotle the Scientific Genius, (Artie for short), was catching up with a bit of sleep.
He’d been working hard on the Time Machine he intended using to go back to the 1920’s and meet Paisley Idelle Peabody, aka Pip.
The main problem was, the darn thing only went forwards in time, and only returned back to one second after he’d left and about 19 miles to the west for some reason. So he had to drag the thing back home every time he used it.
This was a great source of amusement to the others.
So he was hoping that a good nap would help his overworked brain sort out all the possibilities and arrive at an answer.
Many Zzzzzz’s later…
Artie woke up suddenly to the sound of the other chimps calling out his name.
“Wake up Artie – There’s a visitor here to see you – says he’s made a special trip to talk to you!”
Artie yawned, stretched, fell off his branch, sat up on the grass, scratched his armpit and opened his eyes to see someone watching. Someone who looked like his old Granddad.
“About time too, you lazy young chimp. How anything ever got made by you is beyond me,” barked the old one.
“Wazzup Grandad? I wasn’t really asleep, I was deep in ponderating thought!”
“Mind your manners and don’t try that excuse on me, you young rascal. I know exactly what you do during your ‘ponderating’ moments – I’ve come to tell you to stop wasting your time trying to go back to the 1920s!”
“Wadyamean, wasting my time – when I’ve solved the problems, I’ll be FAMOUS.”
“Oh, you’ll be famous ok, but for being such a Silly Billy for taking so long to figure out where you’ve been going wrong!”
“What do YOU know about it then GRANDAD?”
“Because, I’m YOU, from the future!”
Artie just stared agog at the old chimp as a myriad of thoughts whizzed through his mind.
“If you’re ME from the future, then it means I’ve solved the problem of Time Travel – YIPPEE!”
“Not so fast Knucklehead – you’ll never be able to travel back any further than the time you first started the Machine.”
“I don’t understand, why can’t I travel back further?”
“Because no Time Machines existed before then, so there are no connections in the Time/Space Continuum for you to use beyond that time,” explained the Old Artie.
“So THAT’S why I’m able to go FORWARDS in time, but always return to one second after I’ve departed?”
“Yes, and that’s also why you and the Machine always end up about 19 miles away to the West.” Old Artie confirmed.
“Earth revolves around the Sun at a speed of about 18.5 miles/sec (30 km/sec), plus, it rotates at about 0.25 miles/sec (0.46 km/sec),” Old RT explained, “Add the two together and the Earth has moved forwards AND rotated, about 18.75 miles in that one second”.
Young Artie’s legs gave way and he sat down with a thud. “So, I’ll never get to actually meet Pip?”, he cried plaintively.
“I’m afraid not – however, you CAN keep up date with her adventures, by tuning into Teagan’s blog every week and reading her ‘Little 1920’s Stories’ books.”
“That’s why I decided to risk everything by coming back to stop you wasting any more time on the Machine – I regret not spending more time reading.”
“But what will happen to YOU if I stop working on the Time Machine?” asked Young Artie.
“I’ll cease to exist as I currently am, but YOU will become a better old version when you reach my age” laughed Old Artie before he suddenly disappeared with a soft popping sound.
Nowadays, young Artie can often be found reading Teagan’s blog posts and books, as the Time Machine slowly gathers dust, termites and vines…
“Hey, Teagan! Come on and wake up. Look, I know that nasty allergy-asthma thing has made you pos-i-lutely miserable for the past month. I know you’re exhausted from it, but get your head back to the Jazz Age. It’s me, Pip! Oh, horsefeathers!”
“Miss! Whatever is the matter? I could hear you all the way in my submarine… But the writer isn’t going to hear you. Her creative thoughts are as displaced as my scull.”
“Hey mister, who do you think you are, wriggling those bushy blonde eyebrows at me? But I guess you are sort of a sheik, in your own way. Oh, but poor Artie! Did you hear all that. The poor thing, trying so hard to meet me.”
“Now, now… surely it can’t be that bad. Although Artie does rather remind me of someone I once knew. Although that fellow’s complexion had an purplish cast… But wait. What’s that they have under all those vines? Oh my! Is that really a time machine? My dear, I am most intrigued. I think this situation warrants closer examination.”
“Oh, you are the cat’s pajamas, Mister erm…?”
“Cornelis Drebel, at your service, miss.”
***
The beginning
***
Lord have mercy… It looks like my characters are crossing over story-lines and conspiring on their own. Stay tuned for next time. Same flapper time. Same flapper channel. Mega hugs!
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All images are either the property of the author or from Pinterest unless stated otherwise.
It’s hump day and I needed a boost to get me through the rest of the week. I avoid midweek posts, but I thought this might give me the lift I need. When this song popped into my head (again) I knew I had to share. Because I’m getting ready, ready, ready for the takeoff! What I mean is the launch of Murder at the Bijou, Three Ingredients-I.
It’s a Roaring Twenties culinary mystery. It was spontaneously written as a “pantser” serial here at this blog. Everything, event, and character in the story was inspired by things or ingredients the readers of this blog sent. Now, as I’m closer and closer to takeoff I wanted to show you my concept of the characters.
Cast of Characters
Pip
The Three Things gave us Pip (Paisley Idelle Peabody), the narrator of both story-lines. I was so fond of Pip, a flapper and aspiring “modern woman,” that I kept her around for The Three Ingredients. I added her grandmother, Granny Phanny, and the fledgling catering business so that we could have the culinary mystery theme. The rest of the story is inspired by your ingredients.
The moment I stumbled upon a photo of a very young Lucille Ball, I imagined the voice of grown-up Lucy as Pip, telling the stories of her youth.
Granny Phanny
Phanny Irene Peabody. Granny is actually a “Pip” too. Her given name was Phanny Irene, and when she married into the Peabody family her initials became P.I.P.
I never found a photo that seemed like Phanny to me. I only had a vague image of her in my mind, a woman with delicate features, but a backbone of steel. However, in a photo of Margaret Sanger, I saw Granny’s kind heartedness, firm resolve, and spunk.
From this point, I’ve listed the characters in order of their appearance in the story.
Alastair Wong
The very first ingredient (geoduck) was the inspiration for Alastair Wong. The Wongs immigrated to the United States from England, and Alastair has a faint British accent. Neither he nor his parents had ever been to China, though they dreamed of visiting and faithfully passed down family recipes used at Wong’s Chinese, their restaurant. Alastair is a talented businessman and chef.
Long time followers of this blog will recall that there are two Alastair Wongs. The first one you meet is the younger. Later, in Copper, the Alchemist, and the Woman in Trousers, you meet his grandfather, Alastair Wong the elder.
I had a small crush on Alastair, so his prolonged absence during the serial should show you that it really is guided by your ingredients. :o)
I think a vintage photo of Sessue Hayakawa could be Alastair — if I could find one of him in a less somber, brooding mood. Alastair certainly has a serious side but he also has a beautiful, ready smile.
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Arabella Wong
Alastair’s mother, Arabella also appeared in Episode-1 and she is mentioned a few times afterward. However, the ingredients haven’t led to a larger part for her… At least they haven’t yet. Only the ingredients can say!
A vintage Vogue magazine cover made me think of Arabella’s graceful elegance, though there has been little opportunity to describe her.
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Byron and/or Bradley Binghamton
The Binghamton brothers are actually “walk on” parts. However, when I started looking for character images, I wasn’t sure where the ingredients might take them. So I’ve included them anyway.
Byron is the owner of the Bijou Theatre. That setting is where our storyline began, when “the dead man” was found. Bradley Binghamton, Byron’s lookalike brother is seen much later. They were minor characters, but necessary to the story just the same. Something tells me that there might be some sadness in the history of the brothers, and this shot of David Niven in “The Bishop’s Wife” could be either of the lookalike brothers.
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Cracker Jack Daddy
Jack Daddy was a minor character who was fundamental to the storyline. His nickname was Cracker Jack because he was a skilled safecracker and a mobster. Maybe he was not 100% bad if he was Cracker the Parrot’s “daddy.” However, I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure.
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Cinnamon Bun
When I received “cinnamon” as an ingredient we got Cinnamon Bun, a Flemish Giant Rabbit with reddish fur. You recently saw his back-story in the vignette, Granny Phanny and the Giant Rabbit. The veterinarian, Vincent Vale gave him to Granny Phanny. She adores the oversized bunny, and so does Cracker the Parrot, who often brings Cinnamon Bun treats.
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Dabney Daniels
We also meet Detective Dabney Daniels of Savannah’s finest. The moment I saw a vintage ad for Arrow shirts, I had an image for Dabney. He has known Granny Fanny for some time, and helps her with heavier work around her cottage. Dabney seems to take an interest in Pip, letting her ride along for part of the murder investigation and work at cataloging evidence. Is Granny trying to push the two together?
Detective Daniels has been patient with Cracker, even thought the parrot bit his ear. He shows concern for Granny, and for his fellow law enforcement officers. Though he seems emotionally distant to Pip’s way of thinking.
Vincent Vale
Our veterinarian is Vincent Vale. He has broad knowledge and training for a veterinarian of that era, including acupuncture.
Vincent seems like a gentle soul. He rescued both Cinnamon Bun and later Cracker. Together, he and his wife Veronica built an impressive medical facility for animals of all types. Who else would I imagine as Vincent Vale but “All Creatures Great and Small” actor, Christopher Timothy.
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Cracker
The ingredients included “graham cracker” and of course that gave us Cracker the parrot. Granny Phanny resisted liking that “nasty bird” for quite a while. But Cracker’s unexpected devotion to the injured Marshal Moses Myrick won Granny over.
Cracker is a most unusual and clever bird. The one thing we can expect from this parrot is the unexpected. Cracker learned many things related to the various mysteries in this storyline through her association with Cracker Jack Daddy, her late owner. When Vincent Vale examined her, he said Cracker was about 40 years old, so we can only guess at the scope of the parrot’s life experiences.
She definitely has opinions about the humans in the story. Cracker took a dislike to Dabney Daniels, perhaps associating him with the death of her “daddy.” But she loved Moses Myrick and the rabbit, Cinnamon Bun from the very start. It took her a while to win Granny Phanny’s affection, but she did. Cracker seems to like Pip and the poodle, Cotton. And she at least tolerates Hank Hertz. However she shakes her foot as an expression for her disdain of “The Joker.”
Veronica Vale
The pantser writing of this serial also brought us the wife of Vincent Vale. Mrs. Veronica Vale is an accomplished medical doctor and surgeon who has traveled widely. She is the most accomplished woman Pip has ever met. At Pip’s determination to be a “modern woman” Granny introduced her to “the real deal.” Veronica’s intelligence is matched by her good nature and sense of humor. Both the doctors Vale are caring, generous people.
She performed emergency surgery on Marshal Myrick after he was ambushed by the bootleggers. Vincent is a veterinarian, rather than a “people doctor” but he proved his skill too during the operation. Granny revealed yet another skill, acting as surgical nurse.
Marshal Moses Myrick
One of the ingredients was “peas”… and we got Moses Myrick. Go figure, right? That’s just how my brain works. Pip was distrustful when she unexpectedly learned that he’d known her grandmother for a long time, and apparently quite well. So her first reaction to Marshal Myrick was less than positive, “He was very polite and all, but I couldn’t help thinking what beady little eyes he had. Green eyes… like little peas!”
I saw an ad for a vintage detective story, and thought the man could easily be Moses Myrick. He wins Pip over, and Cracker likes him right away. He seems to have an affinity for the parrot… and a history with Granny Fanny.
Queenie Wetson
The Queen of Clubs is introduced halfway into the story. I was looking for a vintage queen of clubs card, when I found celebrity playing cards. Guess whose picture was on the queen of clubs? Joan Crawford. From that moment, there was no other choice for Queenie Wetson.
Hank Hertz
A reader wasn’t thinking when leaving ingredients for me. I faced a challenge. I try not to put restrictions on your ingredients, but one of the items was microwave. I knew it was meant as the microwave ovens we use today, but as I suspected, my research showed they had not been invented in the 1920’s. However, scientists had long known about microwaves. That gave us a new character, Hank Hertz.
Our Hank is the fictional grandson of Heinrich Hertz, who proved the existence of radio waves back in the late 1880s. So the “microwave” ingredient gave us Hank, who is a wizard with the police radio. It also led to more layers in the mystery — Since the gangsters were using open radio transmissions (microwave brought us to radio waves) they used code names.
As I visualized Savannah’s youngest policeman I thought of a TV actor who could easily play Hank — a slightly younger version of Hugo Johnstone-Burt who played Hugh Collins on “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.”
Daisy
In a planned (or technically correct) story I would not add new players so late in the tale. However, the spontaneity unexpectedly led me to new characters — including Daisy. Also called The Dainty Dish, Daisy was the second Mrs. Henry Kingston. Her story was a local legend, according to which she was given to him as a payment for a gambling debt, but Kingston fell madly in love with her. Her story line continued into the next serial.
Mr. Farceur
The domineering major domo was also introduced late in the story. At first I saw him as a stodgy old man… but then the ingredients suggested that he could be an interesting complication to the story. That’s also when his name came along. Maybe his name, Farceur, is significant, or maybe it’s a red herring — only the ingredients know for sure!
For a moment he had been a nameless, faceless butler. When a classic anime character pinged into my mind, I indulged myself with the image of “Black Butler” Sebastian Michaelis. How could I resist?
***
So there you have it — most of the characters for the soon to be “book-ized” Murder at the Bijou, Three Ingredients-I. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful Wednesday!
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All images are either the property of the author or from Pinterest unless stated otherwise.
In my novella, The Three Things Serial – a Little 1920s Story, Pip dubs one of her friends “the astronaut man.” That character is Andy Avis and he writes science fiction stories (hence Pip’s nickname for him). He happens to have a gigantic crush on Mona.
In the novella, Andy is working on a re-imagining of A Princess of Mars. That is a science fantasy novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Andy would cast Mona in the titular part as Dejah Thoris.
Now, that is not the focus of the novella — it is a very small aspect of the story. However, I thought it would be fun to let you know more about it. Science Fiction was coming into its own in the Jazz Age with silent films.
Edgar Rice Burroughs, of course, became famous before the 1920s. He publishedA Princess of Mars in 1912. If you are interested, you can get the book free at Project Gutenberg. YouTube boasts several offerings of the entire seven hour audio book as well.
I can imagine Pip having all kinds of crazy dreams after reading Andy’s screenplay.
The red and green Martian armies likely battled through Pip’s slumber. She might have drifted from the Edgar Rice Burroughs vision of Mars to become the Queen of Space in “Aelita, Queen of Mars” and fall in love with an earth man (who probably looked a lot like Frankie).
Or she might have dreamed of going to a futuristic city with all her friends, Andy, Mona, Boris, and Frankie. “Just Imagine” how they might have envisioned the year 1980. (No, this video is not from the 20s, but it is from 1930. Full movie.)
They sort of missed the mark there, but I guess that depends on how you look at it. However, I continue to be intrigued by the number of modern ideas that existed in Pip’s day.
They didn’t have concession stands inside theaters back then, but there was likely a snack bar or cafe next door. Some movie houses allowed vendors to hawk popcorn or peanuts in the aisles. Horsefeathers, they probably munched on Cracker Jacks!
Here’s a recipe for Cracker Jacks from Add a Pinch, in case you don’t have a box handy.
Thanks for taking this little jaunt through present-future-past with me. Mega hugs!
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
All images are either the property of the author or from Pinterest unless stated otherwise.
