One Image, Two Story Ideas: Racecars
Jen and Tina love writing prompts. Sometimes they turn into stories, sometimes they just get our creative juices flowing. Either way, they’re a lot of fun.
Jen’s Idea
These are fun cars, so I wanted to give them a fun story. I began thinking of my favorite cars and drivers in fiction and kept coming back to Mr. Toad, the fun-loving and scatterbrained character from The Wind and the Willows.
The Wind in the Willows is in the public domain, so Mr. Toad is fair game for writers.* I imagined him setting up shop as a private investigator after his success chasing the stoats and weasels from Toad Hall. It would be in keeping with Mr. Toad’s character to forget the role of his friends Mr. Badger, Rat, and Mole in that adventure, but he’d need them to stay on task.
* Kij Johnson’s The River Bank: A Sequel to Kenneth Grahame's 'The Wind in the Willows' is a joy from start to finish for any fans of Kenneth Grahame’s story.
Tina’s Idea
These cars belong on the Autobahn in Germany or deadly hairpin turns in Monaco, but I went cozy on this photo prompt. I love sportscars and I love yellow. I could picture Bianca, my protagonist from my Batavia-on-Hudson series, driving around the village in the little Renault on the right. So, I couldn’t resist placing them in a small village in a cozy story.
Jen’s Back Cover
A wave of lawlessness seems to have taken hold of the river bank: laundry disappearing from the lines, canned pears stolen from the grocery and, most shocking of all, Mr. Badger’s very special walking stick has been broken to bits.
Mr. Toad announces his intention to get to the bottom of things and, much to the surprise of his friends Mole and Rat, manages to find the perpetrator. High on his success, Mr. Toad advertises his services as a private detective and clients begin calling at Toad Hall.
But Mr. Toad soon bores of the job and leaves Mole and Rat to finish up his cases. With the help of Mr. Badger, they manage to satisfy Mr. Toad’s customers and close up shop once and for all.
They are about to depart on a boating holiday when a young Stoat arrives with information about a robbery that hasn’t yet occurred. They try to beg off, but the Stoat insists they are the only ones who can prevent a robbery on the scale never before seen in the Wild Wood.
Tina’s Back Cover
In a quaint village nestled in the countryside, two vintage sports cars have gone missing. The cars are owned by the wealthy collector and local curmudgeon Arthur Roper.
The town of Silver Leaf has no crime to speak of and is stunned by the theft. Even if no one likes Arthur, they are shocked that something like this could happen in their village. The police are stumped, and it seems the cars have vanished without a trace. That is, until a local librarian and vintage car enthusiast takes it upon herself to investigate. Melody Meadows has always admired Arthur’s cars, and takes it personally that they have been targeted.
Melody is a talker and a charmer. She has a way with words, but mostly she has a way with listening. Everyone loves to confide in her, so Melody starts asking questions.
She learns that the cars were last seen at a nearby weekly vintage car meet. Arthur’s nephew and chauffeur arranges to have them on display there every week. Last Thursday, Buddy decided to take the night off and had his college roommate deliver the cars. Melody also learns that Arthur suspects Buddy is skimming cash from his uncle’s desk drawer.
As Melody delves deeper into the investigation, she discovers a web of secrets and lies. There are hidden rivalries, jealousies, and even romance. Buddy’s roommate Zach has a long rap sheet, Buddy’s girlfriend Bambi is a gold digger, Arthur’s oldest friend Malcolm resents Arthur’s financial success. And Arthur’s ex-wife Celeste has never recovered from their divorce when Arthur cut her off from her large monthly allowance.
Melody’s best friend is an antiquarian and has a talent for research and fact-finding. With her help, Melody uncovers the most unlikely motive behind the car theft and traces the cars to a deserted parking garage. Before she has a chance to call the police, she is confronted by the thief who will do anything to protect his identity.
Will Melody be able to talk herself out of this one?
Tina’s Response
Jen’s imagination is on full display here. I loved The Wind in the Willows when I was a child – oh so many moons ago – and I envy how Jen manages to invite us back to that world of our childhood so seamlessly.
Jen’s Response
I see the start of a great new series here! Tina is a master at weaving the interlocking relationships that make village life so complicated, and I would love to follow this new detective as she unravels the secrets bubbling beneath the surface in Silver Leaf. I also keep coming back to the antiquarian friend. I hope she becomes a sidekick Tina writes into the series.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash