About
Murder in the Mail: A Bloody Birthday
AU$ 5,247
67
A mystery told through letters, objects, and artworks physically posted to the reader over several weeks.
In this story, you are a character trying to solve the death of your cousin.
Naomi was killed at her own 18th birthday party, surrounded by friends and family. One of the party guests is the killer. You know it wasn't you, but was it your Aunt Adelle? Your old friend's new girlfriend? The quiet Laramie? Or Roshan (who is holding something back)?
Everyone has secrets, and their artworks and letters will help you figure out which secret got Naomi killed. Every piece of art is beautiful, but also holds clues that you can unravel to find out who murdered your cousin. . . before they kill again.
Please note: Artworks are available in high-quality A4 prints only.
Full list of contributors (many of these people are both writers and artists, but I've only listed them as artists if that's their role in "A Bloody Birthday"):
Barr, Julian: Writer
https://jbarrauthor.wordpress.com/
Banks, Felicity: Writer & Curator
https://felicitybanks.wordpress.com/
Bendon, Carmel: Writer
https://talesinthemist.com/author/carmelbendon/
Denman, Carolyn: Writer
http://carolyndenman.com/
Goodin, Laura E: Writer
http://www.lauraegoodin.com/
Hore, Phil: Writer
http://philhore.blogspot.com.au/
Lee, Adam: Artist
http://www.adamleephotography.com.au/
Lee, Annabelle: Artist
PublisherObscura.com
O'Meara, Shauna: Artist
https://theshaunacorner.wordpress.com/
Turgoose, Tash: Writer & Artist
www.tashturgoose.com
Van Order, Keely: Artist
http://keelyvanorder.com/
Virgo, Jane: Artist
https://csfg.wordpress.com/our-members-v2/jane-virgo/
Risks and challenges
The biggest problem with a story like this is postage. It costs a lot. Each story costs $17 in stamps alone.
Solution: Careful budgeting. Although this project is very much connected to and supported by Publisher Obscura (an imprint of Odyssey Books, who publishes my novels), the boss and I ultimately decided that I should take over the entire project (design, marketing, sourcing, packaging, and the big one FINANCING). That means it's my money on the line, but I'll also reap the lion's share of profits. Assuming there are profits.
The second problem is finding the audience. How do you market something so unique? (There are a few other similar projects, like Hunt A Killer, but it's not a normal part of life like coffee or novels.)
I travel to writing/pop culture/fan conferences very often, where I meet a lot of fantastic people who love the idea of something so unique. That's probably enough to scrape by financially. I also write a lot of interactive fiction, and in fact that's the community that inspired a lot of the design elements of the story (such as calling the reader "you" and making them a character in the story). That is a massive pool of readers who enjoy something a little different. If the story takes off, it will probably be because interactive fiction readers quickly grasp the concept and run with it. There are also a full dozen collaborators on this project. Every character has a different writer (under my direction), and every single writer either has books published or has books accepted for publication. The community of authors published by Odyssey is a very special crowd, and the majority are quite good at marketing their stories too. If nothing else, everyone has a mum... so that's another 12 copies sold.
The third problem is writing a story that makes sense, hides real clues in real art, and both satisfies and torments the reader.
This story is SO GOOD y'all. I can't wait to send out the first round!
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Funding period
- (59 days)