At 2015 New York Comic Con, Kristi had the chance to meet and chat with middle grade SFF author Jordan Stratford. Jordan’s publishing story is spectacularly unique because before The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency was even written, major publishing and franchise players were bidding for it due to a 2012 Kickstarter campaign that went viral. Since it’s release the first book in his middle grade series, The Case of the Missing Moonstone, starring a young Ada Lovelace and Mary Shelley, has been a critically acclaimed success. He also likes beer and is yet another Canadian taking over publishing.
This episode is brought to you by Black Dawn from Morgan L. Brautigan.
Piracy had been picking up.
Sure, the whole Region was growing, but no one expected this. Colony ships, commercial liners, individuals from all walks of life…no one was exempt from the attacks.
Planetary forces patrol their local space, but the vast emptiness between systems was where the danger lay. And there was nobody out there to help. Or was there?
A discarded project of human engineering, Coy Lamont has no home, no friends…and now no job. With literally nothing to lose, it enters a high stakes game that changes the course of its life. Quite unexpectedly, Coy has the means to save not only itself, but the rest of the inhabitants of the Beta Region from the growing pirate threat. But Coy discovers its creators’ control did not stop when it left their lab. And to conquer the pirates, it must first conquer itself.
In this episode, Kristi chats with Jordan Stratford about:
- The viral Kickstarter Campaign that started it all
- Mary Shelley, Ava Lovelace, and their appeal to young readers
- Adapting historical characters to fiction
- Writing for a young audience
You can find Jordan at his website and @jordanstratford.
The Case of The Missing Moonstone
Jordan Stratford imagines an alternate 1826, where Ada Lovelace (the world’s first computer programmer) and Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein) meet as girls and form a secret detective agency!
Lady Ada Byron, age eleven, is a genius. Isolated, awkward and a bit rude—but a genius. Mary Godwin, age fourteen, is a romantic. Adventurous, astute, and kind, Mary is to become Ada’s first true friend. And together, the girls conspire to form the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency—a secret constabulary for the apprehension of clever criminals. Their first case involves a stolen heirloom, a false confession, and an array of fishy suspects. But it’s no match for the deductive powers and bold hearts of Ada and Mary.
Mystery fans will love this tween girl riff on Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. History buffs will be delighted to see all the real figures who play a role in this story and appreciate the extensive backmatter that helps separate truth from fiction. Parents and educators hoping to promote the STEM fields for girls will be thrilled to have a series where two girls use math, science, and creative analytical thinking to solve crimes. But most espicially–emerging readers will love this series filled with humor, action, intrigue and wonderful artwork from Kelly Murphy.
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