I’m so happy to announce that the new book by myself and my dear friend and illustrator, Alexander Forbes—The Cursed Hermit—is here! The follow-up to our first book in the Hobtown Mystery Stories, The Cursed Hermit attempts to answer one of the unresolved questions from The Case of The Missing Men: why exactly is everyone in Hobtown so out of it?
Our story follows just two of our intrepid young sleuths, Pauline and Brennan, as they’re recruited to attend a winter-break extra credit program at the prestigious Knotty Pines school, a terrifying edifice high above Hobtown, where only the best and brightest are called on to attend. Little do they know, the school itself holds secrets of its own—evil, terrifying secrets! With the help of a ghost and a cantankerous hermit, our heroes go head-to-head against a handful of crazed classmates, their sinister Headmasters, and the centuries-old secret ruler of Hobtown!
WARNING: (MILD) SPOILERS BELOW
If Case of The Missing Men was the weirdo 2-hour pilot, The Cursed Hermit is the first proper episode of Hobtown Mystery Stories, our Christmas episode, and a psychic phantasmagoria, all rolled into one. Focusing on Pauline and her gift of ‘second sight’ lets us get pretty surreal, and including Brennan as her only friendly classmate means we get to have one of his ‘semi-hardboiled’ chapters where he gets to the bottom of things. For those of you wondering if your favourite detective characters—Sam, Dana, or Denny—are involved, the answer is yes, but mostly in a supporting role.
To those disappointed by this news, I’ll say this: there are going to be more Hobtown Mystery Stories, and all of our detectives are going to get their chance at bat! For now, Alex and I thought it was important to try and make a book that was different from the first one, especially in showcasing another part of Hobtown, with a smaller cast, and a few new characters. We were even considering calling this book THE CASE OF THE SOPHOMORE CURSE, but thought better once we got to know our new favourite character, The Hermit.
Talking about themes and subtext can really take away from the magic of a story, so I’ll keep it brief, but we are extremely proud of this book, and especially of its message. Being true to yourself, as an individual—and especially as an artist—is something we both believe in, and having the opportunity to create and share a story where our heroes fight back against dull-eyed conformity, the plague of mediocrity, and the spectre of colonialism means an awful lot to us.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us from our early days to today, Alex and I sincerely appreciate all of you. And thank you, most of all, to Alexander Forbes, my old friend, partner, and illustrator, who makes this story better than it could ever be without him, and who works tirelessly at making Hobtown come to life.
If you’re interested in getting a copy, visit your local bookstore or comic shop. It should be there, and if not, ask them to order it in for you!
We love these characters and this world so much, and it makes us so happy to be able to share a new chapter with you all. Thank you for coming back to Hobtown for a second visit.
