Black and Redd: The Origin Story

It all began with a notebook. A beautiful and hardcover notebook. Black cover with a red spine. "Black n Red" printed on the cover. When I held it, I knew it was meant to be. At that moment, I could tell you nothing more than Black and Red were a dynamic duo solving crimes. So the notebook sat on my desk while I pondered away. Soon after, the Sherlock Holmes movie came out and I was busy rereading all my favorite Victorian mysteries. I only knew I wanted to write something Victorian myself, but I still wasn't sure.

That cold winter, our house lost power for days. No electric! No internet! No TV! Instead, I sat with my notebook and began writing by candlelight. I pictured a young woman, set against the strict Victorian culture while occupied with finding her father's killer. While I wanted Victorian England, I wanted something different than foggy London. I was tempted by Oxford, but it didn't feel right to me. Soon after, I was rereading my favorite Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey. Bath! The scandalous city rumored to cater to every whim of Lord Byron. While the inspiration wasn't Victorian, I finally had a home for Scarlet and Colby.

My darling duo essentially wrote themselves. Which seems to be author speak for the characterization happening very smoothly. I love independent Scarlet and rascal Colby. I could go on and on about their little nuances, but this is the origin story of the series. I'll ramble about them later...

After writing several chapters, I had started to picture the future of the series. I came up with a series of unique crimes and criminals, but something was missing. Black And Redd Mysteries was an easy name for the series itself, but what about the books? Our Fathers struck me because Scarlet kept saying it every other page. After scribbling out random names and a series of religious discussions with my parents, an idea struck me. I scribbled out The Lord's Prayer and began circling phrases. Into Temptation. From Evil. Our Daily Bread. Book titles! It seemed like an obvious answer, yet I was extremely proud of myself.

At the same time, I was trying to give this series its own unique twist. I was starting to get into steampunk at the time, so I naturally combined the two. Those ideas did not end well. Robots randomly filled pages with no purpose other than to make it steampunk. It bothered me, so I reverted back to the original and historical draft. I'd make my grand entry into steampunk eventually, but I didn't want it to hinder Scarlet and Colby.

As I said before, the first book is currently with a publisher and I'm slowly working on the rest of the series. I know how I want it all to end, but then again I don't want it to. I know that Scarlet would happily spend the rest of her life solving mysteries. Colby is not decided on the matter, and I agree with him there. We all will just have to wait and see.

So What are You Working on Today?

That is a hard question to answer. Right now, the writing of Elsewhere is a mad mix of anything. Currently, the Victorian Era is dominating the populace of my mind. Expect to see quite a lot of it in the upcoming days, months, years, decades...

I am proud to say that the first book of my "Black and Redd Mysteries" is currently being read by a publisher. Rejection or acceptance, that is an exciting step all on its own. Our Fathers is the first of my historical mystery series, which will take anywhere from 10 to 15 books. The Muse is great with coming up with crimes to solve, but that's all she wants to do right now. Set in the early/mid 1880s, Scarlet Black and Colby Redd are solving the wild crimes of Bath, England. The second book Into Temptation is outlined and I've written the first chapter. I have not have time for much else because the Muse is distracting me with my other main project.

The rest of my time is centered on an alternate reality where all the creatures of fantasy, like elves, dwarves, goblins, mermaids, and trolls, dwell in the Victorian era. The dawn of the industrial age woke them from their hidden realm and they are trying to coexist with steam powered industry. Right now, it's a series of both books and short stories covering the Hawke family and their associates hunting down the more dangerous monsters. One of these short stories is going to be published this year! I'm writing many other short stories with these characters while trying to adjust the first novel with all the changes I've made. I had wanted to work on the second book for this year's NaNoWriMo. The entire series a bigger project than I first imagined, but it's spectacular.

I also have a large number of intersecting high fantasy ideas, which I'm hoping to turn into the full history of this universe. I wrote some sci-fi too, but sadly the Muse isn't paying much attention to anything that isn't a fantasy or mystery. One of these days I'll finish them.

In the next few days, I'll post some more of the background between these two projects. I am honestly hoping this blog will help with my writing itself. It might sound a bit egotistical, but talking about my writing helps me actually write.

The Meaning of Elsewhere

When I first decided I wanted to be an author, my mother warned me about rejections. She told me I'd receive thousands all throughout my life. Her warning did nothing to ease the pain when those emails come in.

They told my that my writing wasn't what they were looking for. It belonged elsewhere. 

Over and over and over. It fed into every fear that I wasn't good enough. A second rate, low priority, nobody. I belonged elsewhere.

But I've decided that I'm reclaiming that word. Elsewhere isn't some forgotten void where I will sit in silence for the rest of my life. It's an otherworldly place, a home for me and all my characters. I do belong Elsewhere, but that isn't a condemnation. It's an adventure.