A comic book writer solves copy-cat comic book crimes for the LAPD with the help of her drag queen best friend.
Doesn’t that sound amazing? That’s Meghan Scott Molin’s debut novel, The Frame-Up. It gets better — check out this cover:
Meghan got the idea for the book from a dream. She explains: “I had a dream about my best friend directing a squad of Drag Queen models through San Diego Comic Con to catch a killer. I woke up (literally) laughing out loud, told my husband and we both agreed I needed to write it down. It evolved into a story in my head, and BOOM. MG Martin et al were born!”
She says the book is super (deliciously?) nerdy. It has “alllllll the nerd jokes, all the time.” And if Meghan were to spend time with her characters, they would go to something nerdy, like a Harry Potter party, or a Star Wars movie marathon. Or maybe just sit and read comics together.
This book was a Pitch Wars book, which means I automatically love it (and for those who don’t know Pitch Wars, it means that Meghan’s manuscript was picked in a mentoring contest and edited with an experienced writer before she queried it. I’m a Pitch Wars mentor this year.). Between her first draft in 2016, Pitch Wars, her agent, and her editor, Meghan says the book went through at least five major revisions.
Meghan became serious about writing when her first son was born with medical complications, and she had to quit her job to care for him. Her interests are broad: “I have my Masters in Architecture, and a minor in Opera. I have two small kids, a dog, a cat, and two horses! I also am a professional wedding photographer because I like to do all the things, and never sleep.”
Here’s a bit more about the book:
Michael-Grace is sure she landed her job as a comic book writer because she has a man’s name, but her purple hair and take-no- prisoners attitude have helped her keep it. She lives and breathes geek culture, designing costumes and attending drag shows in her spare time. Time that disappears when her beloved comics begin coming to life. Someone in LA is re-creating comic panels using real-life crime scenes. MG recognizes the calling-card of her favorite hero, and it’s not too long before the LAPD is literally knocking at her door for her expertise. Her agreement to help has everything to with the chance to chase down a real life vigilante hero, and nothing to do with Detective Matteo Kildaire, or his gorgeous hazel eyes. Nothing at all.
When the string of crimes take a sinister jump off-script and clues point to there being a dirty cop in Matteo's inner circle, MG has to decide who to trust in this cat-and- mouse game. A game that gets dicier when she becomes a suspect. Lies and intrigue build up faster than her color-safe shampoo can handle, and she's soon trapped by the secrets she's keeping from her friends, and the Detective she’s falling for. A trail of clues leads her to San Diego Comic Con, a thirty-year- old murder, and the fact that the dirty cop she chases could also be the very drug lord Matteo is searching for - a true comic book villain. MG is left with no choice but to devise a fierce and fashionable plan to catch their villain, with a little help from her friends.
Intrigued? Pre-order here!
And learn more about Meghan here:
https://www.facebook.com/meghanscottmolinauthor
Twitter: @megfuzzle
