The Haunted Pillarbox - Middle Grade Novel
Overview:
The Haunted Pillarbox is a middle grade novel for kids 11-12. After a few years of stops and starts, the book is finally done and I can introduce Penny Dreadful to the world. I have planned two other books to ultimately make Penny's story a trilogy.
I am currently looking for publishers or agents who might be interested in books about plucky 12-year-old detectives and grumpy haunted pillar boxes. Please contact me and I would be happy to speak to you further about the novel.
Below is an “elevator-pitch” for those who like that sort of thing…
The Haunted Pillar Box is an anti-mystery, a postmodern adventure novel for middle grade kids with active imaginations. At its heart is Penny Dreadful, a young girl who desperately wants to be a detective and sets out to prove that a notorious pillar box haunting the East End of London is a hoax. Penny is at times over-confident in her abilities and like many 12-year-olds, thinks she is invincible. Over the course of one Autumn day in London in 1924, we are introduced to murderous crows, belligerent children and scheming adults. By the end of the novel, Penny learns to accept help from others and to in turn offer her help.
The concept art presented here is a “behind-the-scenes” look at the novel’s overall development. These illustrations has informed my writing and in turn, the writing reflects the visual direction I have moved toward.
Personal work
Read an excerpt from the book:
Penny made an abrupt turn at the 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 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 a 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 as the shrieking of crows reached a crescendo.
Penny burst through the door of the shop, the murder of crows right behind her. They were screeching 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 as the 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 while crows flew into one another trying to avoid the broom.
The shopkeeper bounded over to the shop entrance still wielding the broom as if it 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, no 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.