The Giddy, Wind-in-Your-Hair Thrill of Writing By Kate Hannigan
Eleven-year-old Nell Warne couldn’t have
imagined what awaits her when she arrives on her long-lost aunt’s doorstep,
lugging a heavy sack of sorrows.
Much to Nell’s surprise, her aunt is a detective,
working for the world-famous Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency! Nell
quickly makes herself indispensable to Aunt Kate…and not just by helping out
with household chores. As her aunt travels around the country solving
mysteries, Nell must crack codes, wear disguises, and spy on nefarious
criminals.
With nation-changing events simmering in
the background as Abraham Lincoln heads for the White House, Aunt Kate is
working on the biggest case of her life. But Nell is quietly working on a case
of her own: the mystery of what really happened the night her best friend left
town.
Based on the extraordinary true story of
America’s first female detective, Kate Warne, The Detective’s Assistant is full
of feats of daring and danger, bold action, and newfound courage.
I write for
children, and my first mystery for young readers, The Detective’s Assistant http://www.amazon.com/Detectives-Assistant-Kate-Hannigan/dp/0316403512/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425668735&sr=8-1&keywords=the+detective%27s+assistant,
came out this month. It’s about America’s first female detective, who was hired
by Allan Pinkerton to join his National Detective Agency in 1856.
When I first
stumbled onto Kate Warne’s name and a sentence or so about her, I knew I had
something. That it eventually would become a middle-grade novel – fictional
history with mystery – wasn’t so clear.
But reading
about Kate Warne’s role as a Pinkerton detective thrilled me. I dove into
Pinkerton’s accounts of his cases, written later in his career as he reflected
on his life’s work. And as I learned more about her – that she dressed up as a
fortuneteller to snag a suspected killer, that she posed as a Southern belle, a
wife of a jailed forger, and more – I became obsessed.
Just as readers
are always looking for that amazing book that keeps them up all night turning
pages, I think writers are perpetually in search of the fascinating story to
tell. And as I dug deeper into Kate Warne’s adventures as a Pinkerton
operative, I got that giddy, wind-in-the-hair rush of excitement.
I used to work
in newspapers, so the fear of being scooped was hammered into me. I set a
Google alert to inform me of any reference to Kate Warne on the web, worrying
that if I’d found her interesting, some other writer was probably penning her
story too. Sure enough, a Canadian production company was working on a TV show
featuring Kate Warne and the Pinkertons http://www.broadcastingcable.com/thewire/pinkertons-tv-series-set-air-canada/137146.
I had to act fast!
I began to get
up before the birds, neglect my family, ignore the dog, skip bathing or any
other task that took me away from my laptop! I visited Kate Warne’s gravesite
here in Chicago, strolled the Chicago History Museum for inspiration. I wrote
as if a pack of wolves were at my heels. And once I finished, I urged my agent
to get the manuscript out into the world quickly.
That it’s now on
bookstore shelves brings me real happiness. And I have more writing projects on
my plate that excite me, more ideas bouncing around my head and taking shape.
But I don’t know that I will ever have the same exhilaration again that I felt
in creating The Detective’s Assistant.
Maybe it’s called a writer’s high. Or a manic phase. Or just sheer joy.
Whatever the
name for it, I loved every minute. And I hope readers get a sense of that
excitement when they turn the pages and meet the story’s characters, both
fictional and real.
Do you have an inspirational historical
figure who has captured your interest? Would you consider writing about her or
him?
TAGLINE:
Chicago author
Kate Hannigan writes fiction and non-fiction for young readers. When she’s not
shuttling family members to ballet, soccer, or fencing practice, she can be
found writing and researching her next books. Visit her online at KateHannigan.com.
http://KateHannigan.com
Comments