Authors Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine introduced their steampunk characters to the world in the novel, “Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel.” The story focused on two very different agents of the Ministry; action-seeking field agent Eliza Braun and archivist Wellington Books.Phoenix provided plenty of adventure, a bit of backstory, and mountains of mayhem and mystery for the MOPO duo.
Like many authors who enjoy their characters (I’m looking at you, J.A. Konrath), Morris couldn’t fight the temptation to write short stories accompanying the novels that feature the MOPO agents. One of his recent offerings is titled “A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences: A Holiday Tale from the Archives.” aka “In the Spirit of Christmas.”
The story begins on Christmas Eve, 1895.
Wellington is amazed at the appearance of three full body apparitions; ghosts of the past, present and Christmas yet to come. Containing the first two ghosts was a piece of cake. The third ghost…not so much. Fortunately, the daring duo of Books and Braun manage to save one frightened Ebeneezer Scrooge. Their reward – a bill for property damage and a note that they had failed to capture the initial poltergeist; one Jacob Marley. Some setup, huh?
Morris introduces the characters of Books and Braun in this story well. The entire read is very self-sufficient. Fans of the MOPO novels will welcome a new look at the agents, but readers don’t have to be familiar with the other material to appreciate this work. The longer stories rely somewhat on learning about Books and Braun, but this short provides just enough hint of their origins to make them likeable. As for Scrooge, well, ask yourself this: “If he kept on being the Scrooge without karmic retribution, what would he deserve?”
Morris and Ballantine represent the rare duo of husband and wife writing partners. They are delightful hosts at writing groups and conventions, and are passionate about their work, and their characters. Morris teaches aspiring writers on the value of podcasts and book trailers. His blog and links to his podcasts can be found here. They’re both VERY active on Facebook. Trust me.
All the best,nK
