Evolution of an Art Thief and the Law Game Blog Hop

Hey! I’m Jessie Chandler, and welcome to the fourth installment of The Law Game Blog Hop. Previously you heard from Gill McKnight and her novella, the Daughter of Baal. If you didn’t catch her installment on The Law Game Blog Hop, go here!

So maybe a year and a half ago, Jove Belle approached me about being part of a crime novella collection with her and some awesomely delightful folk. I thought, hey, why not?  Could be fun, and the company was terrific! Sharing space with Lee Winter, Jove herself, Gill McKnight, and Andi Marquette? Hell, yeah I was in.

I’d been chewing on a series idea for quite some time, and by quite some time I mean yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaars. The idea involved a woman with a tragic past who was out for justice and revenge. Along the way, for reasons not immediately revealed, she would hunt looted or stolen art and return it to the rightful owners. For a fair price, of course. I came to think of this as my Art Thief series. After a long brainstorming session with the inimitable Lori L. Lake, I roughed out basic ideas for six or seven books.

After I agreed to hop on The Law Game coaster, I stewed about what on earth I was going to write. Natch, I thought about the Art Thief. But how would I work that into a novella? Well, how’s about a prequel? Something that would set the stage, tell a little of the backstory that set Mikala Flynn on her life’s path? Yeah, that just might work. Thus, Evolution of an Art Thief was born.

I admit it was refreshing to write about characters I’d never met, in a location (New York City) that I’d never visited in my fiction. I hadn’t really written teenagers before and that was an adventure. I’m really excited to buckle down and start outlining the first novel in the series, which brings Flynn into present day. Soon. Very, very soon!

You can check out The Law Game here, and Evolution of an Art Thief here. Next up on The Law Game Blog Hop: on August 31st, the amazing Andi Marquette will talk about her novella If Looks Could Kill, which I think will be on Andi’s The Situation Room blog. You can hop hop hop to here!