And so it begins. They've hardly finished their first case and already their next one has found them. I'd love to tell you all about the first one, and how it worked out, and if everyone made it out entirely intact, if you will, but Barnabas and Wilfred would be quite cross with me if I did that. It is their story to tell, of course, so I shall let them tell it. Hopefully, the wait will not be too long!
Barnabas and Wilfred have just begun working on their new case (that is to say, I have just begun the telling of the case...) Where they'll go I cannot say, but I can say that they will be frightened and brave and silly and clever and everything in between, because that is who they are and that is how they do things. Wish our heroes good luck, and tot snel!
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Just finished reading this fabulous trilogy. Take one part historical fiction, one part fantasy, one part mystery, then add a nice dollop of feminist sensibility along with a sprinkling of dry wit and you'll have the essence of these books. I won't say too much (to avoid spoiling the story for everyone!) but the series is a smart mystery that will keep you hopping and the heroines are flawed-yet-utterly-lovable, each in her own way. I couldn't put them down and am eager to read the rest of Libba's books. They all look lovely!
http://libbabray.com/the-gemma-doyle-trilogy So the other day I threw a bunch of stuff in a crock pot and the result was this magical soup. Since I basically made it up as I went feel free to substitute/add/remove ingredients like crazy. Just let me know if you do something different and it comes out awesome! Take: 7 cups water 2 cubes veggie boullion (I used Masset 7 but any brand will do) 4 oz. ocra (I used frozen but fresh would be good too) 4 oz. lima beans (trust me, they won't be yucky when you're done!) 1/2 onion, chopped into itty bitty pieces 1/4 bag of baby carrots, chopped like the onions (I used baby rainbow carrots, but if you can't find those regular baby carrots or just plain old regular-sized carrots would work) 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp garlic powder a couple shakes of red pepper flakes, if you like spicy Dump all of that in the crock pot, turn it on high, then leave it alone for two hours. (Or put it all in a big pot, turn the stove on medium-low, let it simmer for two hours). After two hours, take: 1/2 roll of vegan sausage (I used Lightlife vegan sausage style veggie grounds)...really any vegan sausage will do). 1 can cannelli beans (or great northern beans, or kidney beans, or black beans. If you want to go absolutely crazy maybe some lentils would be good). Fry the sausage and beans in a pan, then throw it in with the rest of the soup. Let it cook for another hour. Boom. Done. Yummy. :-) “Look here!” said Wilfred, brandishing a letter that had only moments before arrived with the post. “It’s from Cornwall.”
“Cornwall, you say?” said Barnabas, looking up from the fire (into which he had been staring for the past half hour, trying and failing to sort out the details of a particularly complicated case which he had been hired to solve quite some time ago; the client in question was more than a little disgruntled at the delay in discovering the truth and was indeed threatening to cease payment if Barnabas could not come up with an answer to his problem at once). “Cornwall?” Barnabas repeated anxiously. He was glad of the distraction from his worries, but the arrival of the post always made him nervous. One never knew whether it were to be good tidings or bad one would find inside any given envelope. “Is it from Mrs. Helen Hopwood?” He squinted at Wilfred as though he might be able to read the writing upon the letter from his chair before the hearth to his assistant’s position at the desk, ten feet away. “Indeed it is from Mrs. Hopwood,” said Wilfred, looking about the desk for a letter opener. “Well, what does it say?” asked Barnabas impatiently. “Has she written to thank us for solving her case? Has the constable arrested the butler, as I suggested?” Wilfred, having successfully located the letter opener, extracted the letter and began to read. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened once more, but no sound came out. “Come on then,” urged Barnabas. “Whatever is the matter with you? You look a bit upset, like a fish without water.” He paused, considering. “Is something amiss? Did the butler escape? Oh, do say that ne’er-do-well didn’t get away?” “Oh dear,” said Wilfred carefully. He disliked upsetting his employer, and the news contained in the letter was of the most distressing sort indeed. “That is not exactly what is the matter.” “What is it then?” demanded Barnabas. “Mrs. Hopwood is quite well, I hope? Oh, please tell me that she is well! Or is she perhaps in need of our further assistance?” Barnabas stared at his assistant with hopeful eyes, and Wilfred sighed as he realized there was nothing for it but to tell his employer the terrible developments that were detailed in the letter. “It’s just, well, it seems that Mrs. Hopwood is quite dead,” he said at last. “Dead, you say?” Shocked, Barnabas’s face reddened, and he blinked rapidly. “Dead?” he repeated. Wilfred nodded, and Barnabas shook his head sadly. “Such awful news! Poor Mrs. Hopwood. She is, uh, well, she was, an amiable lady. This is a heartbreaking development, I must say.” Barnabas slumped in his chair and stared morosely at the floor. “She was most kind,” agreed Wilfred. “How did she, ah, perish?” asked Barnabas. “It was murder,” replied Wilfred. “Just as she feared when she hired us.” “So the butler got to her after all, even after we exposed his foul plans! But they caught him, I hope?” said Barnabas, looking up. “He musn't get away with it.” “Ah, yes, well…” began Wilfred. “Ah yes well, what?” said Barnabas. “They did catch him?” “Er, no,” said Wilfred. “That is, they did catch the murderer. Only it was not the butler who was the perpetrator.” “Not the butler!” sputtered Barnabas. “But all of the evidence pointed straight to him!” “Most definitely,” agreed Wilfred. “Still, poor Mrs. Hopwood was killed by her cousin. He was caught in the act, it seems.” “So it was the cousin all along?” asked Barnabas, his voice quiet with shame. “Not the butler, as I thought?” “So it would seem,” said Wilfred. “But truly, the butler really did seem guilty. Anyone would have thought so. No one would have suspected the cousin, I’m sure.” “Oh,” said Barnabas, looking chagrined. “Oh dear. Oh dear indeed.” Ummm, Mr. Tew? Yes, you. You can come out now. No, really, it's quite alright. You can stop hiding. Now there's a good fellow.
Introducing....Barnabas Tew! Barnabas is (or was, I should say, being as he lives (lived) in Victorian London) the bravest, wittiest, most outstandingly clever detective to have lived. Ever. Or, at least, he wishes he was. In truth, he struggles a bit with the bravery bit. And the wit. And his cleverness could use some work. But he has heart, and that can make all the difference, can't it? So why am I going on about Barnabas Tew, this struggling aspiring detective extraordinaire? Why, because he (along with his ubiquitous sidekick, Wilfred) has just come to life, that's why! Barnabas and Wilfred have just wrapped up their first adventure (with an arguable degree of success, leaving really only a very few dead people in their wake, which was not entirely their fault, of course!). Now they are searching for their forever home (i.e. an agent or good indie publisher). Alas, finding the right home for one's beloved characters is a process that takes time and patience (and patience is not a quality I can be accused of having), but hopefully our intrepid (sort of) heroes will be finding their way to a bookstore near you in the not-too-distant future. Until then, this will be a place for you get to know Barnabas a bit more. I'll also give updates on my upcoming short stories (mustn't neglect the little ones simply because a great big novel has been brought into the family!), along with various observations on writing, life, and perhaps a vegan recipe or two. Tot ziens for now, groetjes! Columbkill |
AuthorWriter of ghosts and devils and all things of mythological genesis. And sometimes, those things have a sense of humor... Archives
August 2018
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