Sunday Snippet: Call of the Ripper

Kind of a weird week in flux. I keep getting a lot of stuff done but more things get added to the plate. Not complaining, the timing is just odd.

Had a solid week of viewing. I'm kind of jammed schedule-wise this upcoming week so I'm hoping to stay on my semi-normal schedule by watching ahead a little.

Got to watch two episodes of The Snoopy Show. This season seems a little less seasonal and I'm okay with that.

Started the new season of The Brokenwood Mysteries. As usual, an excellent premiere episode. Familiar faces with the secondary characters, which I completely love.

Finished up the second half of a two-part Silent Witness and started a new episode. This season is off to a roaring start with good episodes.

Watched the final episode of a Classic Who arc and should be starting a new multipart one this week. Hoping the daleks are gone for a bit.

Caught another episode of Most Terrifying Places in America. This one focused on cursed towns and ended up being more interesting than I anticipated.

I started Moon Knight and thoroughly enjoyed the first episode. My brother highly recommended the series and I'm excited to talk about it with him.

Watched an episode of The Hardy Boys and the danger is amping up. My one complaint for this season would be how the Fenton storyline is playing out. I'm also very iffy on the whole Joe plot points. I'm hoping there's a good explanation for why he's being a little butt.

Enjoyed an episode of Peak Practice. I have a feeling the next episode might have a lingering issue left over from this one.

Caught another MasterClass lesson with Roxane Gay. She talked about her writing tools and I got several good ideas from her.

Got the first episode The Babysitter's Club season two in and enjoyed it. This is a charming show and I'm sorry there's not going to be another season after this one.

Watched an episode of The Ready Room. The interview with Sonequa Martin-Green ended up being so terrific.

Enjoyed an episode of Chicago Med. I'm kind of wondering what's going on with April. I think the writers sell her short and that makes me sad because I love her character.

Finished up Tangled, a Passionflix original. I'll be starting season three of Driven this week and I'm looking forward to it.

I've started a rewatch of Batman: the Animated Series. I'll probably be doing a bunch of DC Comics shows, specifically Titans and Doom Patrol, in the near future. Again, my brother highly recommended so I'm giving them a whirl. But I have to start with my all-time fave, which is Batman: TAS.

Started a new-to-me series with the Agatha Christie Hour. The first episode ended up being enjoyable so I'll continue on. Looking forward to another episode.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Call of the Ripper, a modern-day romance with suspense elements added from the legend of Jack the Ripper.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Two 'Ripperologists' take a working vacation to experience the essence of Jack's madness. But when a modern day stalker takes an interest in their excursion, the call of the ripper hits a little too close for comfort.

And a snippety peek…

Sean removed his key from the lock and pushed his way inside the house. He'd barely cleared the foyer before Faith darted out from the living room and pounced.

After giving him a quick kiss, she spun away and whirled to grab her phone. "Can you do a video? My head is swimming with visuals from the letters." She opened the app they used.

He blinked. "Hi, Faith. We got the job with the Adders, thanks for asking." He held up takeout bags.

She gave him an owlish look. "Shit. Sorry. Got wrapped up in my blog posts and research and totally forgot about the Adders." Her face flushed and she took the food. "When do we start? And please don't be pissed. My brain is like a game of pong lately." Putting the takeout down, she grabbed a couple of plates.

Sean laughed. "I'm not mad, more grounding you back in reality. We start next week on cataloging their inventory." He helped get the meal plated up and settled across from her. "Let's eat and we'll do the video after?" He scooped up some lo mein and added some sesame chicken.

Faith dug into her rice and gave a nod. "That works." She poured some duck sauce on her eggroll. "I want some feedback from our regulars on the maps. Maybe they'll have some ideas on how to mesh the old with the current locations."

Sean chewed slowly, turning the idea over. "Yeah, okay. Maybe we can start with a quick rundown of what you posted. Did you add the images to your social media accounts?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. I can cross post and then add the video. I want to do real-time comments if possible. That way we can maybe work with the maps and get a better idea of where things are in Whitechapel."

He liked the way her brain worked—even when it pinged all over the place. "That's a good plan. Cross posting afterward will also open things up but the real-time comments should be golden." If he knew Faith, she'd end up creating a three-dimensional mock-up with her graphics program to share with their audience.

Faith nodded. "That's what I was thinking." She toyed with her food. "The math nerds will have fun figuring out the exact—or as closely as possible—locations of where the bodies were found from the historical map then move that to the current ones we have now." She set her chopsticks aside. "I'm can't wait to see what the modern grid looks like."

Sean finished up his meal and pushed away from the table. "I'll get the room ready. Let's use my phone. I'll tether the laptop and maybe get some screenshots of the comments when they come in." He paused a moment. "Want me to help clean up first?"

She shooed him away. "Nope. I'll get this then be right in." Gathering up their dishes, she started rinsing the plates.

Sean cocked his head, studying her for several seconds. Energy all but oozed from her pores. He loved the quiet intensity she had for the things she cared about it. By tomorrow, she'd be focused on the Adder project and putting together spreadsheets for their household inventory and getting preliminary estimates in case they decided to go to auction.

But she'd dive back into the depths of Whitechapel in her spare time.

And she'd probably have the nightmares to show for it.

This story took a few tries to find its footing but I'm so happy with where it's going. It doesn't dive too deeply into Jack the Ripper lore but having that as the backdrop adds exactly what I've been looking for.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Call of the Ripper

Happy December! The most wonderful, crazy time of the year is in full swing. I'm excited for the holiday and really need to get my house cleaned up so we can actually celebrate. LOL

The mega-crossover of DC shows occurred this week and it did not disappoint. So many things happened with interesting pairings and twisty turns. Supergirl and Arrow kicked off the fun and the crazy times spilled over into The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. Great to see some familiar and new faces. I won't get into much more, but the double wedding ended up being a surprise for me. YAY!

Riverdale continues to go places I don't expect. I have such a love / hate relationship with this show. I'm actually so happy we didn't have any Lodge parent appearances. I loved Hermione last season but this season I'm very "meh" about her. I also loved getting some insight into Sheriff Keller's personal life. I'm not necessarily a big Mayor McCoy fan, but I like the interesting twist with them. I also, somewhat shockingly, liked the beginning of Chuck's redemption. I'll stay tuned to see if that comes to anything.

I need to catch up with Gotham. I had way too much work to get through and took a full break from television on Thursday.

I did manage to catch up with Murdoch Mysteries yesterday and enjoyed both episodes I needed to see.

I'm still watching holiday movies on the Hallmark channels and should get started on television episodes this week. I'll probably begin with the Doctor Who specials. That's kind of my thing; I always begin with those.

That's it for this week's television wrap-up. Tonight's post is from Call of the Ripper, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of write a story where the characters are investigating Jack the Ripper.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Two 'Ripperologists' take a working vacation to experience the essence of Jack's madness. But when a modern day stalker takes an interest in their excursion, the call of the ripper hits a little too close for comfort.

And a snippety peek…

"Sean! Come look at this." Faith turned the laptop toward the hall where Sean would enter from.

He moved closer, bending down to get a good review of the images she found. "We haven't seen these before, have we?"

The pictures were scans of old letters talking about the murders.

She shook her head. "No. And see, there's a Whitechapel address on them." Giddy excitement filled her.

Sean took the computer and settled down beside her. "In the murder area?" He enlarged the picture.

Faith shook her head. "Don't know yet. I'll start comparing maps with the address and maybe use current satellite imagery." Her fingers itched to get started.

Sean chuckled. "Which is my cue to get the hell out of your way and let you get started." He passed the laptop over. "I have a meeting with the Adders. Should be able to nail down the job and get it scheduled for fall." He got up and crossed over to the coatrack.

The relentless rain hadn't stopped for over twenty-four hours.

Faith waved him off and dived into researching the address on the letters.

Two hours later, she growled her frustration and opened a browser tab for her blog.

I love research. That said, going back over one hundred years and trying to "see" what once was is so damned hard. Between old maps and current satellite details, the jumble created in my brain is making it impossible to get a good picture of what the streets of Whitechapel were like during the Ripper's reign of terror.

She posted a scan of the maps along with a captured image of the street level view.

The good news is… after I verify some information I'll have some new details and the usual speculation that goes along with it. Until then… wish me luck.

And pray I don't go insane during the process.

Watch your backs,

Faith

She clicked on update and waited for the post to upload. At least the short entry helped clear her head. And checking comments from her followers would provide a distraction when the grid lines started blurring again.

Her lips curved. "No doubt the regulars will have a bunch of suggestions, too." She had the best audience.

Like-minded people whose fascination with the morbid and macabre rivaled hers. They loved the adventures Faith dragged Sean into—late night library runs, collector and estate sales, and Faith's personal favorite, the candid discussions Sean filmed. They got a lot of traffic from those, especially when Faith offered up real-time commenting from viewers.

The key in the door gave her a reason to take a longer break. Maybe bouncing some ideas off Sean would shake the cobwebs loose.

Oddly enough, this one has been fun to brainstorm and write. I'm looking forward to seeing how everything comes together.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin