When an idea hit you, the best thing to do is to have a pad and pen ready to jot down whatever notes you'll want to take. As cliché as that sounds, it's true. I try to travel everywhere (now) with something to write on and with because honestly you never know when and where inspiration will take hold. For Billibub Baddings, that inspiration was not finishing a Sam Spade or Mike Hammer mystery nor was it the ending credits of a Humphrey Bogart-James Cagney film noir classic like Angels with Dirty Faces or The Roaring Twenties. And as Billibub Baddings is a spoof, the idea didn't come from the Steve Martin classic Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid or even a Bugs Bunny classic guest starring the pint-sized gangster Rocky (famous for his one liner "Sheddup!") and his lumbering sidekick Mugsy (famous for "Dayaaa, okay, Raackee!"). No, the inspiration came from the unlikeliest of places...

The man I have to thank for Billibub Baddings is none other than Leonard Nimoy.

images from the music video "Ballad of Bilbo Baggings"
Performed by Leonard Nimoy & Friends
Now Playing...everywhere on the Internet

Yes, Mr. Spock himself and a dear friend of mine from Seattle got my imagination going. Here's how it happened...

Anne Moya, the illustrator for The Fantasy Writer's Companion, and I have been friends for many years. We have shared everything between one another, save for bodily fluids as we are simply close friends. One thing we do share is a somewhat twisted sense of humor, but I always tip my hat to Anne as she finds photos, websites, and songs that are just shy of insane. One day I received from her a 90-minute cassette of novelty songs, comedy bits, and flat-out-slap-nuts-funny gag reels. I was on my way to rehearsal when a particular song caught my ear, a jovial diddy about J.R.R. Tolkien's Bilbo Baggins. This "Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" is just over a minute-and-a-half long...and it is the longest minute-and-a-half you can ever experience because the singer is completely and utterly tone deaf. I'm talking a voice that makes William Hung the next Andrea Bocelli! The song was so dreadful that, naturally, I had to hear it again...and as I was singing along the second time around, the name "Billibub Baddings" popped into my head. I stopped singing and said out-loud "And the Case of the Singing Sword."

Now here's the problem with getting an idea and writing it down while on the way to a rehearsal...you're "on the way" meaning, unless you're utilizing public transit, you're driving your car.

I don't utilize public transportation.

Al Capone

From THE CRIME LIBRARY: Al Capone

From THE HISTORY FILES: Al Capone

Robert DeNiro captured the essence of this infamous gangster in The Untouchables. Al Pacino took him to a new level by bringing him into the modern world in Scarface. John Gotti with his cars, suits, and high life wished he could have been him. Immortalized on television, the big screen, books, and even music, Al Capone remains "the ultimate gangster" who is open to interpretation. Was he a hero of the Chicago working man? Was he a monster? Along with Capone: The Man and The Era, these websites provided a look at a man who killed for profit, killed for pleasure, and killed for business, only to be brough down by tax evasion.

 

La Cosa Nostra

The Mafia in Sicilian History

Hey, smart guy—you t'ink you know all abou' La Cosa Nostra? Da Mob? Eh, faggedaboudit—wha' you t'ink is da Mafia ain' no beddah dan an episode a' da Sopranos or anudda night wit' Goodfellas. How 'bout you's just click on da links and learn sump'tin...dat is, if you's know wha's good fa ya?

 

 

www.baseball-reference.com

Lefty Grove

The Official Babe Ruth Website

Wrigley Field

Billi Baddings comes from a world of dragons, orcs, and wizards, and now he makes his home in a world of Pirates, Yankees, and Braves! Why wouldn't a dwarf get caught in the magic spell of America's pasttime? A sport with a mythology of its own, baseball plays a part in the character-building behind the four-foot-oneprivate detective, and with special thanks to author Walter H. Hunt the baseball stats and stars appearing in The Case of The Singing Sword are true to the game. Batter up. The bases are loaded.

 

Pepto Bismol

Chicago by 'L'

Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Newspapers of the Day

Was Pepto-Bismol around in the 1920's? Was the "L" running in Capone's day or was it being built then? Who was on the currency and coin when gangsters were wheeling and dealing? Were there other newspapers in Chicago besides The Sun-Times or The Tribune? These (and many other questions concerning Chicago's Roaring Twenties were asked by my editor, and it always made her breathe easier when I provided a website. As this is a Fantasy steeped in American History, some SERIOUS research was involved, not just on Capone and crime but on the life and times of The Windy City. Enjoy some of the trivia I discovered during Billi's first big case. You'll be surprised at what you'll find!

 

The Dictionary of American Slang

I could not have written Billibub Baddings without this. Why? Because when you are writing in 1920's Chicago and your tough-talking detective refers to a cup of coffee, does he call it a cup of "joe" or "java"? Featuring the dates of the word's first appearance, its meaning (good or bad), and slang-synonyms, this volume is a cornerstone for any writer who wants to write in a particular American History period and pepper their dialogue with the talk of the town. (And if you are curious...it's "java". "Joe" was not used for coffee until c.1940's...cool, huh?)

 

List of Ethnic Slurs

Gangsters are not nice people, let's face it. And sometimes, the dialogue gets colorful. This includes ethnic slurs, which were made by the gangsters...and the police...and the politicians (behind closed doors, of course...some things never change...) and while this website does not give a date as to when said slur was used, it did provide a handly cross-reference (not to mention a bit of shock) to The Dictionary of American Slang.

 

Radio Days: Mystery

The Original Old Time Radio

I nearly gave a friend of mine a heart attack when he read the ARC of Billibub Baddings and found glaring anachronisms concerning a passion of his: Old-Time Radio. Ironically, my editor also caught one of these mistakes (a reference to The Shadow) and so it was back to the Internet to do some last-minute research...followed by a few rewrites when radio was mentioned. Dodging a bullet and a battle-axe, I wanted to provide two incredible websites that served as my salvation in keeping my work honest.

 

Philip Marlowe

Sam Spade

The Unofficial Mickey Spillane Mike Hammer Website

I would be committing a crime worthy of Billi's attention if I did not mention these three hard-hitting gumheels. The "Holy Trinity" of fedora-wearing, heat-packing, steely-eyed private dicks, these websites go into the works of literature, film, and televsion centered around their cases, clues, and capers.

 

The Official Agatha Christie Website

So why would Billi find himself drawn by the mysteries of Agatha Christie, in particular the mysteries of Hercule Poirot? Perhaps it is because Poirot reminded him of an Elf in his "know-it-all" snobbery? Perhaps Poirot reminded him of his kinsmen in his waistline, a waistline the Belgian detective was quite proud of! Or perhaps it is because the author is a huge fan of actor David Suchet and his portrayal of Agatha Christie's particular detective...

 

Film Noir: Classic Images

While "film noir" is a particular film style of the 1940's, it did provide me with plenty of inspiration from its music and visuals that directors, actors, designers and cinematographers created. On this website, terrific moments of classic film noir are featured, including Joan Bennett in Scarlet Street—an image I used for my "Work in Progress" cover with Billibub's PDF samples.

 

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