Ethan asks a great question . . .
Dear Mr.Preller,-I really like your Jigsaw Jones mystery novels, but I have a few questions:-1. In Jigsaw Jones #23 The Case of the Perfect Prank it says: “Mila had been my partner for years.” Why years? Have they solved mysteries together since grade Kindergarten?-2. Why is Jigsaw always in grade 2?-Ethan
I replied:
Ethan,
Thanks for your email.-Yes, Mila and Jigsaw have been friends for a long time, and they did crack their first case back in kindergarten. I haven’t written that story yet, but maybe someday I will.-Illustration by Jamie Smith.-When I started the series, the stories kind of cycled through the school year. After a few books, when it looked like the series was a success and my publisher wanted more titles, I asked my editor: What now? Does he go into 3rd grade?-She said, No, he stays in 2nd grade.-Forever? I asked.-Forever, she told me.-I said, Well, what about Thanksgiving? It’s already happened in this series.-She told me that I could and should write about that time of year again, but each time would be like the first time. Just basically pretend the other books hadn’t been written.-Pretty confusing, because with each book the series accumulates new information on all these characters. Mila has a stepmother named Alice, for example, Bigs Maloney’s father works as a florist, and so on, so I’ve had to recognize that the books happened, certain facts have been established, while simultaneously pretending that the stories never occurred. Weird stuff. Add a Comment
