D.C. Malcolm - Victorian Mystery Author

  Nothing could quite stir the imagination, quite like the bone-rattling wail of the foghorn. Did you know that one of the greatest inventions in the Maritimes was born out of poverty and heartbreak. In the 1850s, when Scottish immigrant Robert Foulis had walked the streets of Saint John, New Brunswick on a foggy evening. Can you imagine a pitch black freezing cold evening in the Bay of Fundy and the towering lighthouse's beam is nearly entirely consumed by the thick, impenetrable fog. Robert had concluded that a low sustained blast cutting through the mist was best. Thing is that chilling deep bellow tearing through the gloom wasn't just a technical thing, it became a life saving guardian. The true tragedy of this genius invention was that Foulis never patented it and died penniless. To a mystery author this kind of forgotten tragic genius with the haunting mechanical shriek is the perfect backdrop for secrets and murder.  Did you know that the worlds very first automated ste...

  The fog rolling off the Bay of Fundy has always been thick enough to hide a multitude of sins. Imagine walking down Prince William Street, collar turned up against the cold autumn rain, not entirely sure what waits around the next corner. From the bustling wharves of Market Slip to the opulent drawing rooms of the city's elite, writing a historical mystery is quite the puzzle. It also gives a stellar job of obscuring my plot holes. Let's pull back the curtain on my mid-project Check In, where we will navigate the twisty gas lit alleys in my Victorian Saint John Mystery.  Why This Short Novel Is Taking Over My Life: When I am writing, I am a bit of a perfectionist lately. I have to have everything as accurate as I possibly can. If I realize I make a mistake I go back immediately and fix it. I also dedicate most of my waking life to writing, and because of that, I am nearly half way through this rewrite for Before the Deception, this doesn't mean it is going to be the last,...

 Once on a sweltering June night in 1877, Saint John New Brunswick had faced an inferno that changed it's skyline forever. Walking the streets of modern day Saint John New Brunswick, is like walking through a living museum of the late 19th Century architecture. What had started as a small warehouse fire had quickly spread into a monstrous blaze and this beautiful downtown did not happen by accident but was born of tragedy. Yet, the true story of Saint John did not just speak of fire, but what happened when the embers cooled. This was how Canada's Loyalist City had risen from the ashes and reinvented itself.  The truth was that Victorian daily life in Saint John New Brunswick was actually defined by the bustling Maritime economy and a catastrophic turning point that was known as the Great Fire of 1877. After the fire devastated the growing city, by destroying sixteen hundred structures in a matter of hours, the wealthy helped rebuild the city from the ground up practically over...

Just as the fog rolls thick off the Bay of Fundy, so are the secrets brewing in my latest Manuscript, Before the Deception. Whether you are a long time reader, or new to the cobblestone streets of my fictional world there is nothing quite like a chilly maritime evening to inspire a tale of murder and mayhem. The gas lamps are lit, and I have some exciting dark updates to share regarding my Victorian Sleuths next adventure.  I had a busy week this week, and did not get much done writing wise, and was not able to post on my socials. However, after looking at the manuscript for Before the Deception, I have decided to bump it up from a Novella to a short novel. I am currently adding scenes and situations to amp up the mystery part of the story, which will change the word count drastically, so it will no longer be a novella. This may effect the release but only by a few weeks at most.  As for Guilty Deceptions, the rewrite is complete. I am allowing it to stew for a few weeks befor...