Behind the Scenes of “The Pearl Caper”

How “The Pearl Caper” started is a mystery. I do not remember how the idea for an animal mystery with a few drops of Agatha Christie and a dash of the movie “Clue” came into my mind. I voraciously read Christie novels when I was young (too young, perhaps, as they were also the origin of some nightmares!), and even my name was lightly inspired by an actress in the classic film version of Christie’s “Death on the Nile,” Lauren Bacall. I do, however, remember the characters coming quickly and fully formed, so much so that I illustrated the whole story myself, and eagerly showed my friends, who thought I was a little batty. In the best of ways of course. 

I loved illustrating the characters the most, and the wall of portraits with each character’s name and unique attire gave me ideas on how each might speak if I were reading it aloud (you can see my originals below!). I couldn’t wait to have my instructors and colleagues read it at my MFA program for writing for children!

The mystery took a twist here— “Pearl Caper” had a tepid-at-best reception from my instructor, as anthropomorphic animal stories were not seen as desirable in the children’s book market, and probably even less so when set in a classic armchair mystery setting. Luckily, my fellow writers and colleagues found some magic in the story, and helped me see it was worth pursuing to see where the Lady Plumel and Inspector Squawk mystery would take me. In particular, two of my dearest colleagues (and favorite writers for that matter, as both are incredibly accomplished) encouraged me to follow the string of pearls to the story’s end. And I’m so thankful to them that I did. One of my writer friends called it “Clue for kids,” and the idea took hold. 

In the meantime, a new generation had discovered Agatha Christie in the Kenneth Branagh films “Murder on the Orient Express,” and “Death on the Nile,” as well as the combination of humor, pathos, mystery, and thrills in the “Knives Out” trilogy, which made the armchair mystery new again. In children’s publishing, everything from anthropomorphic crayons to dump trucks made their way back to the shelves of new children’s fiction. It might not have been the right time for “The Pearl Caper” then, but now it was ready for its close-up.

Outfitted in the most stunning fashions by our illustrator, Natalia Gubanova, the characters of “The Pearl Caper” strutted across the page once more. Natalia had wanted to be a dress designer when she was young, and her talent and flair for it, had she pursued it instead of illustration, is evident! While the characters were cloaked in elegance, the film format made the story sing, and allowed for a great deal of comic theatrical acting that was very fun to perform. We hope you enjoy, and that you crack the case of “The Pearl Caper”! 

“The Pearl Caper”: https://youtu.be/nr503fyUfe0