A few years ago the board of the public library in a village on Chicago’s North Shore decided to publish a novella for use in fund-raising for the library. Specifically, the novella was to be a mystery, set in and around the library. The two of us, both Chicago mystery writers, were commissioned to author the work. Or, more accurately, the board asked Libby and she, thinking it would be interesting and fun (and maybe a little less work) to make it a joint effort, asked David to co-author the novella. Neither of us had ever co-written a story with another author.
As it turned out, collaborating on this project was great fun for both of us (although the “less work” part is highly questionable). We wrote alternate chapters, editing and re-editing each other’s work, and plotting and re-plotting as we went. The finished product, a work of about 20,000 words called The Last Page, was a great hit with both the library board and the then director of the library. (The director was just about to retire at the time and was a delightfully good sport who was, in fact, treated rather unkindly in our story).
The work was accepted and publication plans began, but circumstances—most notably a world-wide financial crisis—intervened. Along with that came a new library director and some new board members, and…well…they might get to it one day. Meanwhile, we hold the copyright, and you hold The Last Page in your hand, digitally speaking. Enjoy.
Libby Fischer Hellmann
David J. Walker