Project In Development: The Haunted Pillarbox
Overview:
The Haunted Pillarbox is a metafictional detective/adventure novel for middle grade readers, ages 8-12. The concept art presented here is a “behind-the-scenes” look at the novel’s overall development. The final book will include text and illustrations.
Personal work
Read an excerpt from the book:
Penny abruptly turned a corner near Headlam Street and ran down a darkened alleyway. She could hear the crows screeching from behind. She looked over her shoulder to see a dozen or more of the crows fly past, like darts speeding toward a target. Some crows made the sharp turn and careened down the alley toward her, their wings flapping franticly. Penny ran swiftly through the zig-zagging alley, jumping over puddles and discarded rubbish, through billows of steam spewing from ventilation shafts. The alley ended abruptly at small side street, and Penny turned sharply at the corner, desperate to evade the crows. But they were relentless, following close behind. Penny spotted a small shop with a giant crooked door and lavishly curtained windows at the end of the side street. She ran towards the shop, as fast as she was able, her panic at its zenith, the shrieking of crows reaching an apex.
Penny burst through the door of the shop, a mob of crows close behind her. They were skreiching in unison as they shot through the entrance. Behind the shop’s front counter, a woman wearing a purple riding hat adorned with poppies, blissfully ate a cheese and pickle sandwich. The crows chaotically circled between shelves and display cases, their cries deafening. A few crows crashed into walls or smashed against the storefront windows sending feathers in all directions. Papers flew off the front counter as the crows sailed past. Some crows landed on the floor, bouncing around and cawing furiously. Penny ducked behind a display case near the front of the store, crows swooping down, inches above her head. The shopkeeper tossed her sandwich aside and leapt over the front counter. She grabbed a broom that was leaning against a wall and began making great arcs in the air with the brush end. Crows flew into one another to avoid the broom.
The shopkeeper bounded over to the shop entrance still wielding the broom as if were a sword meant to vanquish an oncoming enemy. She threw the door open wide, aiming the broom toward the entrance.
“No crows in here! Can’t you read the sign!” the woman shouted, pointing at a sign above the door that read:
No Crows, Cats or Rats Allowed. Also, Dogs of a Particular Disposition and Odor.
The crows began flying out the front door of the shop. A few of the crows that circled constantly at the back of the shop, took heed of her warning and made their way out as well. Penny looked up briefly as the last crow left, cawing angrily as it exited. The door’s tiny bell chimed merrily when the shopkeeper slammed it shut.