Between the previous post, FB, Twitter, Tumblr, and in-person conversations, the votes for “Golden Age Detective Fantasy” and “Whodunit Fantasy” are split pretty much evenly, with one extra suggestion of “Roaring ’20s Detective Fantasy.” So I still haven’t come to a conclusion as to what name I should coin for this specific sub-genre of “detective fiction in the style of Christie, Sayers, Allingham, etc, with a splash of magic.”
The points for “Golden Age Detective Fantasy”:
- Evocative
- Specific
- Intriguing even for readers who aren’t familiar with mystery sub-genres
- Sounds more alluring than Whodunit Fantasy
Points for “Whodunit Fantasy”:
- Short and snappy
- Easily understood even if readers aren’t familiar with mystery sub-genres
- Covers more ground than Golden Age Detective Fantasy
- Since “Golden Age Detective Fiction” is technically only used for authors who were writing during that between-wars era, Whodunit Fantasy is a more correct name
How’s a poor hapless author to decide? I know it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but it would be nice to have a name to put on back copy and on the series page of the website. I’m still mulling it over!
In other writing news, I’ve had a great deal of fun recently concocting a magical wardrobe for Maia created in-story by Helen. There are practical aspects: dresses that fold to no larger than a handkerchief, and when unfolded are wrinkle free! Dresses with pockets that can hold more than a handbag and yet don’t alter the line of the dress! Then there are the decorative aspects: embroidery that literally sparkles; the ability to alter a hemline or neckline or change the sleeves from long to short with simply the correct word to release the spell.
I try not to go too overboard describing clothing in the books, because too many details can take a reader right out of the story, but it is sooo tempting when I have so many wonderful options to use as inspiration!
This is just a tiny sampling of the patterns I’ve been drooling over these last couple of weeks. If my next blog post sheepishly admits that I broke down and made myself a 1920s dress, you’ll know why. I can justify it all as research, right?
If you are an author, what sort of fun rabbit trails does your research tend to take you down? If you are a reader, what bits of extra detail are your favorite to read about in a story? And for both parties, if you haven’t already, please weigh in on whether you prefer “Golden Age Detective Fantasy” or “Whodunit Fantasy”!
Oh, I could just see you in one of those dresses! Incidentally, there’s a term for that (dressing in quasi-historical clothes for every day): it’s called history bounding. I found it on Youtube the other day.
As for the rabbit trails, you know how deeply I can go down that hole… I think my first writing-related rabbit trail of that kind was when I was writing my first book, and researching “How do you cook on an open fire?” ended up with me getting myself a cast iron dutch oven for Christmas.
That’s always the danger of researching, when it results in new hobbies or talents! And YES, I’ve loved watching history bounding-type videos this winter, they have really inspired me to get back into sewing. Though so far I haven’t had great success–I made an 1890s walking skirt that I ended up hating. Onward and upward, though! Next project is a modern sundress to wear at my sister-in-law’s wedding, and then maybe a 1940s spring dress. Then maybe a 1920s dress!