How about urban fantasy? How about weird timeless urban fantasy where someone can be a sorceror AND own a telephone?
Do you enjoy mystery stories with charismatic detectives like Sherlock Holmes and Benoit Blanc?
DO YOU LIKE VAMPIRES?
For your consideration: Erasmus Monroe, Private Exsanguinator.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may be interested in the book (possibly books?) that I'm currently writing! More information can be found under the cut.
The Premise
EMPE is an anthology of short-to-mid-length mystery stories chronicling the investigations of an elusive and shadowy private investigator, who may or may not be undead. And murder isn't all that's on the table - we've got everything from missing jewels to arson to mysterious disappearances!
The Setting
As mentioned before, this is an urban fantasy! EMPE takes place in the fictional kingdom of Duncaster, primarily in the city of New Wessterspel, a bustling urban sprawl full of cramped apartments, shadowy alleyways, and dingy taverns. The general vibe of the setting is high fantasy, but with a strange combination of imagery and technology, pulling anywhere from the Renaissance to the Victorian era to the early 1950s.
The Characters
In addition to the same setting, this anthology is strung together by a cast of recurring characters! They include:
Of course, Mr. Monroe himself - a mysterious detective with an odd sort of charm and teeth that are just a bit too sharp.
"Erasmus's eyes flicked down to Arthur's hands, then travelled up his throat to settle once more on his face. He was having an exceedingly difficult time maintaining his focus. This was often the case with handsome and skittish men."
Inspector Beaumont, Erasmus's connection within the New Wessterspel police force, which is otherwise almost entirely incompetent.
"Despite his profession, which put him in all sorts of grim scenarios, Beaumont was a rather jovial man. If his grandfatherly eyes did not indicate this, his choice of accessory often would. Inspector Beaumont had a seemingly inexhaustible collection of outrageous neckties."
Erasmus's upstairs neighbor, Sybil, who assists him with intel.
"Good evening, Ras:
First things first, you'll find your money enclosed. I'm not taking it, and you can't make me. Ha-ha."
And quite a few more, including an enthusiastic curse specialist, a combination coroner and pathologist who is just super jazzed about Death, and a basement shoggoth!
Other Interesting Tidbits
A few more fun facts that are worth nothing:
Erasmus has the ability to taste memories through someone's blood. This usually comes in the form of cryptic flashes of imagery.
Erasmus and Sybil, due to their respective magical afflictions (one cannot be out during the day, the other cannot go out during the night), have never met face to face. As such, they almost exclusively communicate through handwritten notes passed under each other's doors. However, this has not stopped them from kindling a very close friendship. (Possibly more??)
Despite this being an urban fantasy, every crime Erasmus investigates is committed through almost exclusively mundane methods. (The fantasy elements of the setting are involved in other ways. After all, where would the fun of the mystery be if everyone just used magic for everything?) The police always jump to a magical explanation, which never ceases to annoy Erasmus.
If any of this is intriguing to you, I encourage you to stay tuned for updates, snippets, art, and more! Thanks for reading!
Despite living a mere floor away from one another, Sybil and Erasmus had never met face to face. Such meetings were near impossible for the both of them. Erasmus was typically asleep during most daylight hours, and could not venture outside without major precautions. On the other hand, Sybil was unable to leave their residence during the night, due to some magical affliction that Erasmus was not well-informed of. Despite these obstacles, the two of them had managed to kindle a friendship through occasional lengthy telephone calls and a great deal of hand-written notes passed under each other's doors, which was their primary method of communication. Sybil, coincidentally, was an editor at the Wessterspel Gazzette, so they were often able to access information and records that would be of great intrigue to Erasmus and his line of work.
The time was around half past four in the morning by the time Erasmus finally returned to his apartment, rushing through his front door and triple-checking that all the curtains were drawn and secured. It was rare that he was out this close to dawn, but this Hunt was shaping up to be very peculiar indeed. When he was satisfied with the security of the windows, he poured himself the first of what was to be many tumblers of a red, viscous liquid, and sat himself in the den.
"My apologies, Beaumont, if I do not trust this utterly useless force to act upon its purpose. These so-called officers are better suited for a staging of 'When The Foeman Bares His Steel' than a murder investigation."
"And therein lies the intrigue, Mr. Monroe. Where would the joy in life be without the unknown? I should think a man of your proclivities, professional and otherwise, would be more than acquainted with the thrill of the hunt."
Erasmus gave her a coy smirk. "I suppose you have me there."
"In a way, Mr. Monroe, I'm just as much of an investigator as you are. Your expertise is in crimes. Mine is in rumors."
