The first chapter of my mystery novel, A DEATH AT THE WALDORF: an Achille Poirot Mystery, is now live on Substack.
#writing #mystery #detective #ArtDeco
#NYC
https://jamesjensen2.substack.com/p/a-death-at-the-waldorf
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The first chapter of my mystery novel, A DEATH AT THE WALDORF: an Achille Poirot Mystery, is now live on Substack.
#writing #mystery #detective #ArtDeco
#NYC
https://jamesjensen2.substack.com/p/a-death-at-the-waldorf
Starting Sunday (6/29/25), I will be posting chapters of my mystery novel, “A Death at the Waldorf: an Achille Poirot Mystery”, for my paid subscribers on my Substack. Each week, a new chapter will be uploaded.
Mentioned in the Agatha Christie novel, The Big Four, the character of Achille Poirot was the twin brother of the famous detective, Hercule Poirot. Although Hercule later said it was actually himself in a disguise, I have created a world where this fabulous twin actually exists.
Come with me to New York City in the 1930s. We’ll dine at the newly opened Waldorf Astoria as well as the soul food kitchens of Hell’s Kitchen. There will be glamour and intrigue. However, there will also be murder.
Please consider subscribing. It starts pretty cheap at $5/month. You’ll be buying a writer a cup of coffee and providing invaluable encouragement. For my free subscribers, don’t fret. There will still be plenty of free content in my Writer’s Ramblings.
https://substack.com/@jamesjensen2
Up until now, my blog content has been posted here on my website and pushed out through my social media accounts. However, there seems to be little traction in that model. So, I’ve started posting to Substack and am enjoying that platform. Granted, it’s growing slowly. However, it’s still growing, and that’s what’s important.
So, since you’ve stumbled across this site, please take a moment to check out my Substack: https://substack.com/@jamesjensen2
There is a free subscription and a modest paid subscription available. The paid one will have exclusive content like a serialized novel.
I’ll still be posting here. However, most of the content here will be from that platform. I hope you take a chance and check it out.
Thanks for reading.
I once read a book called, The Big Four. On an Agatha Christie binge, I came across this lesser known title of hers and was immediately intrigued. It wasn’t the story so much that intrigued me, it was the introduction of the twin brother of her famous detective, Hercule Poirot.
Hercule Poirot was my favorite Agatha Christie creation. Admittedly, my introduction was through the portrayal of the detective by the wonderful actor, David Suchet. He brought a charm and elegance to the character that caused me to seek out all of the Poirot adventures as well as delve into the collection of Christie’s journals.
So, when I came across the introduction of Achille Poirot in The Big Four, not only was I pleasantly surprised by the idea of a twin brother to my favorite detective, I was inspired. In the story, Hercule eventually explains away the reality of his twin brother by stating it was actually himself all along, cleverly disguised by removing his famous mustache and adding a scar to his lip. This little subplot in Christie’s book started a debate among Poirot fans as to the validity of Achille’s identity that continues to this day.
For me, that did not matter. I took the idea of Achille existing as a twin brother as canon for the Poirot saga. And so, I sat down and wrote my first novel. Placing Achille Poirot in 1930s New York, I set him up as an art dealer, living in the newly opened Waldorf Astoria Hotel. In my story, Hercule insisted that Achille move across the ocean, so as to avoid being placed in danger due to the many enemies that Hercule had accumulated during his cases. Of course, being a Poirot, Achille is soon drawn into his own intrigue and cases in the City That Never Sleeps.
That novel, A Death at the Waldorf, landed me my first agent and my first disappointment. Although Achille Poirot was a minor character who was dismissed by its author as being a figment of Hercule’s imagination, it was still a part of a copyrighted book. So, I needed permission from the Agatha Christie estate to use him. My agent at the time found interest in one of the Big Five publishing houses. However, she said that I need to contact the estate to get permission. Only later, when I had a new agent, did I realize that my agent should have been handling such negotiations.
Against all odds, I actually got through to the correct people to talk to at the Christie folks. Even Christie’s grandson, Mathew Prichard was consulted about my proposal. However, two things were working against me. First, I was an unknown author with no publishing credits to my name. Second, the estate was working on a new series of Poirot books with the writer, Sophie Hannah. So, with a combination of factors working against me, A Death at the Waldorf died.
It was all a good learning experience. And eventually, it led me to create my own detective story which landed me my present agent. I’ll let you know how that goes. In the meantime, I’ve been thinking of serializing A Death at the Waldorf on Substack. Would you be interested?
14 years ago, I read the Hungry Caterpillar to kids at my bookstore. I was just told that video has passed 1.5 million views. That’s crazy.
https://youtu.be/EGc9bRxVvIk?feature=shared
Many authors are asked where they get their inspiration from and if they include real people in their fiction. For me, the short answer is yes —sort of.
Since everything I make up in my fiction is a result of my life experience, whether from observation or study, it all becomes fodder for my writing. Whether I’m riding the bus, or sitting at a coffeeshop, or helping people at the bookshop, I’m always storing information from my interactions.
Think of the mind like a filing cabinet. Each experience is a different catalog card, filled out and filed away for later use. We writers sometimes supplement this mental filing cabinet with actual physical notecards and notebooks since the synapses of our brain are unreliable in the best of circumstances.
For example, the private detective in my novel, Fix Larson, is a mixture of personalities and physicalities. He has my own smart-ass sense of humor. However, since my personality is greatly influenced by my step-father, Fix Larson is also influenced by him. Physically, since he has achondroplasia dwarfism, I had the vision of Tyrion as played by Peter Dinklage. I wanted him to have the limitations of the condition. However, I wanted to show how he used his disability to his advantage and also adapted the world around him.
Even my minor characters are drawn from real life. During Covid, I wrote a short story called, The Bus Ride, that ended up in the anthology, The San Diego Decameron Project. Towards the end of the story, a young autistic man boards the bus and his observation of how Covid was changing the way people interacted, brings a poignant conclusion to the story that changes the bus driver’s day.
So yes, real people end up in my stories. Sometimes it’s something minor. Other times, it might influence a whole charter arc. Oh, and sometimes awful things happen to characters that are loosely based on folks that are not nice in real life.
So, as I always advise, be kind out there. Everyone is dealing with their own challenges. And you don’t want to be the inspiration of a villain’s awful demise.
Thanks for reading. Let me know if you have any questions about writing.
Pre-orders for the ebook edition of hottest horror anthology coming out this summer are now open. Among these terrifying tales of SOCAL is my short story, Checked Out, where a haunted bookmobile means overdue books have deadly consequences.
Stay tuned for links to the paperback edition which will be available to order from your favorite Indie Bookstore.
https://www.amazon.com/Dread-Coast-Horror-Charity-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0F6K9LB7C/
Ok, let’s wrap this up. The boss needs to get back to work, documenting my other cases.
So, after my trip to the ER, I knew my heart wasn’t into being an attorney. Insert drum rimshot here. Seriously though, I got tired of being a part of a justice system that too many times rewarded outcomes to the person with the biggest bankroll. Even when the good guy won, there were so many appeals and litigation that the victims often never got the justice or compensation they really deserved.
Thanks to my early investments, I had the financial means to seek out justice in my own way. Moving back to Florida, I set up a private investigation service in my old stomping grounds of Milton, Florida. It’s bull crap that you can’t go home again. Just don’t expect it to be the same.
Setting up an office was the first thing on my list. Never one for the conventional, I passed on the idea of setting up shop in some strip mall or repurposed small house. Instead, I answered an online ad and bought a refurbished tugboat out of New Orleans, and parked it on the Blackwater River. I’d fallen in love with the idea of living on a boat ever since watching Miami Vice as a teen.
For the most part, I sought out cases where people were fighting a losing battle against injustice. The system is rigged to favor those with money. Since I had a lot of money, I could help those who didn’t. Also, thanks to a stepfather in the intelligence world, I learned the tools of surveillance and research. Additionally, even after he and my mother died, I still maintained contact with his sources in the community. Their “off-the-books” help is invaluable.
A PI needs to have a working relationship with local law enforcement. Again, luck was on my side. My best friend from high school, Dennis Butte, is a deputy with the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s office. Both willingly and reluctantly, he’s been a major help in many of my cases, as well as an invaluable friend.
And then there’s Lisa. Yes, she was still living in town. After I split, she also went off to college. Only, her education was cut short by a date rape by a senator’s son. The well-connected family offered her a quick medical solution in Atlanta, as well as a hefty check. She declined both. Nine months later, Camille was born. At first, times were tight. However, Lisa’s a wiz at figures and quickly went from doing folk’s taxes and bookkeeping to opening her own one-woman consulting. firm.
We crossed paths one Sunday afternoon at a mall bookstore. I was looking for the latest Clancy or Grisham novel, while she was trying to hide the Anne Rice erotica she’d been perusing. We started dating, and we were married a year later. It wasn’t all smooth sailing. I had a lot of growing up to do and a massive anger issue problem. She had unresolved trauma and trust issues due to her abusive past. However, we worked hard on making things work. She and Camille saved me.
Ok, now we’re up to speed. I’m not going to tell you about my cases. You’ll have to read about them in the boss’s books. There are some crazy adventures as well as a wacky cast of characters. After all, this is Florida. And you know many great stories begin with, “A man in Florida…”.