REVIEW, INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Jackaby by William Ritter

JACKABY

By: William Ritter

Publication Date: September 16, 2014

“Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion–and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”

Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary–including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police–with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane–deny.

ABOUT WILLIAM

Reports of William Ritter’s birthplace are unreliable and varied, placing his hometown either in a series of mysterious Catacombs in Malta or in a quiet town in Oregon. His parents, it can be confirmed, raised him to value intelligence, creativity, and individuality. When reading aloud, they always did the voices.

At the University of Oregon, William made questionable choices, including willfully selecting classes for the interesting stories they promised, rather than for any practical application. When he wasn’t frivolously playing with words, he earned credits in such meaningful courses as Trampoline, Juggling, and Seventeenth Century Italian Longsword. These dubious decisions notwithstanding, he regrets nothing and now holds degrees in English and education with certificates in creative writing and folklore.

He currently teaches high school language arts, including reading and writing, mythology and heroes. He is a proud husband and father. When reading aloud, he always does the voices.

Jackaby is his first novel. It was born in the middle of the night and written on two different hemispheres. It has survived typhoons and hurricanes and was fostered into publication through the patient care of many hands.

We had the chance to chat with Mr. Ritter about Jackaby and all kinds of things! Check out the interview below!

Where did the idea for Jackaby come from?

Mostly I got my ideas from everything I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. Also, I made stuff up.

One of the biggest wells I came back to again and again was the world of folklore. I geek out over mythology and fables, and writing about a seer who investigates mysterious happenings gave me an excuse to work in elements from my favorite legends and lore, and to tell lots of fun stories within the story.

What is the weirdest thing you googled while researching for this book?

Nothing terribly odd. 19^th century paleontology and ladies’ fashion. Cryptozoological animals. Apotropaic herbs and charms. Pictures of ducks. All the usual stuff.

What was your favorite scene to write and why?

It’s fun to write the fantastic details and exciting plot points, but my heart is in the little human moments. I think my favorite scenes take place in Jackaby’s building between just a few characters. They’re still getting to know one another, figuring each other out—and I’m right there with them. I really love the characters I’ve gotten to know during my writing.

Did any of your characters surprise you by doing something you didn’t expect?

Constantly. They had emotions and perspectives that I didn’t always leave room for in my plot outlines, and they generally acted on those feelings in very natural ways—often contrary to my best laid plans.

Did you always know how the story would end or did things change as you wrote?

I had a fairly strong sense of the ending, but it middled differently than I had planned. Some of the best stuff came about as it changed and grew into itself, and even the things that I had planned all along took on more significance as a result of the unexpected material.

Will we be seeing a lot more in the world of Jackaby?

I’ll keep writing them if you keep reading them!

What are you currently reading? What are some of your favorite reads?

My latest happens to be my Algonquin Young Reader release-date twin, The Witch’s Boy by Kelly Barnhill. It’s marvelous— saturated with darkness and adventure and magic. I’ve also recently loved The Golem and the Jinni (Helen Wecker), and The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern). My favorite authors would have to be Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett.

Do you have a dream cast, because we would love to see this on the big screen!

I’ve fantasy cast the characters over and over, but they exist very clearly in my mind—so no actor lines up perfectly. Because Jackaby fits the Sherlock/Doctor Who archetype, I’ve heard a lot of Benedict Cumberbatch or David Tennant or Robert Downey Jr. suggestions for him, all of which are all fun—but I would much prefer an unknown to anyone who had played the type before. Any fan going into the story with strong expectations for Jackaby to be something he is not will sabotage their own experience. Better to let the characters be themselves.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Write for fun. Create projects that give you an excuse to do what you love. If you finish and it’s rubbish and nobody likes it, then all you’ve done is devote time to a positive, mentally stimulating exercise that brought you joy. If you finish and it’s actually good and people love it, then you will still have the passion to keep improving and working with it, rather than getting sick of it and longing to move on.

What’s next for you? Are you working on anything right now that you can tell us about?

I’m always bouncing a few ideas around, but the biggest is the next book in the Jackaby series, which is in the works in a big way. Book 2 will be published by Algonquin Young Readers as well, with loads more creatures and killers and bones and blood to enjoy. I’m also a teacher, so right now I’m gearing up for a new year of instructing brilliant and unpredictable readers, sharing stories, playing with words, and diving back into mythology and creative projects.

5 Favorites

Favorite Song (right now) – Fraggle Rock by Bison

Favorite Book (right now) – Terry Pratchett’s THUD

Favorite TV Show/Movie (right now) – Firefly

Favorite Word – Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

Favorite Snack – Blueberries

Thanks very much for having me! Happy reading!

Jaime’s Thoughts
Jackaby by William Ritter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up Jackaby, I just knew that I had to read it. The cover was what drew me in if I’m perfectly honest with you, but then I read Doctor Who meets Sherlock and I was honestly sold. While I don’t watch either of these shows on a regular basis, I was intrigued by the idea of a story that encompassed both.

Jackaby didn’t disappoint.

The setting is New Fiddleham, New England, 1892 and Abigail is just off a boat and looking for employment. She is turned away over and over until she meets R. F. Jackaby an investigator in dire need of an assistant. What Abigail quickly learns is that Jackaby investigates the strange and paranormal… not exactly what she was expecting!

The best part of this story for me were the characters. Jackaby is endearing in an awkward, to the point, eccentric kind of way and Abigail Rook is his perfect complement.

With a stinky toad, a ghost as a roommate and a former assistant who is now a duck, Jackaby is used to dealing with the weird stuff that normal people don’t notice. He’s got a keen eye for the supernatural and he’s a straight to the point kind of guy and he’s such an interesting and intriguing character and so fun to read about.

Abigail on the other hand is practical and on the run from her mundane life and looking for adventure. And she’s found it in working with Jackaby. Immediately she’s swept into Jackaby’s latest case… a serial murder is what the police think, but of course Jackaby has other suspicions and so the mystery begins.

While the mystery itself was a little predictable for me, it was still a fun and fast-paced read. There was plenty of action and I absolutely fell in love with the interactions between Abigail and Jackaby!

“Why don’t you have a little notebook?” I asked.

“What? A notebook?”

“Yes, for jotting down clues and leads and things. Terribly handy for a detective, I should think. Marlowe’s got one. It has a leather cover and flips up top-wise. I wouldn’t mind a notebook like that, myself. We should each have one. We’d look more like proper detectives, then.”

“Firstly,” Jackaby said with a sigh, “a ‘proper detective’ is about the last thing a good detective wants to look like, most of the time. Secondly, it isn’t a bad idea on the whole, but I’ve used notebooks and I found them entirely useless. I’ve give them to my assistants to type up, and none of them could ever decipher my handwriting. One of them rather rudely suggested it looked like the scribblings of a chimp.”

“Well then, you could always read it out for me to copy – or not copy it at all, just use it for your own reference.”

“Well, that’s no good.”

“Why not?”

“Because ‘chimp’ was generous. I can scarcely read a word I’ve written. I find it’s far simpler to skip the exercise entirely. I can dictate my findings to you at the end of the day in the comfort of the office.”

“Well, I should still like one, myself, someday. I think I would look quite sharp with a leather notebook. Oh, and a magnifying glass. I would feel much more like a detective with a magnifying glass.”

Those of you looking for some romance here might be disappointed. While there are some subtle hints of romance, it isn’t a big part of the story. Instead I loved the focus on the platonic friendship that was building between Abigail and Jackaby. I also really loved the secondary characters that Ritter introduces us to in Jenny, Charlie & Chief Inspector Marlowe.

While there are no additional books listed in goodreads right now, I can’t help but think that this book is the perfect set-up to a series revolving around these characters and the paranormal. I’m absolutely hoping that is the case! (AND YAY Will confirms more is coming above!!)

Fans of quirky, fun characters definitely need to pick this one up… I can absolutely see fans of Sherlock & Dr. Who enjoying this as stated in the summary and if you’re looking for something a bit different in the paranormal genre this definitely fits the bill!

Thank you to Algonquin books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!