Solve by Christmas Part II - Amber Schamel -Giveaway

We were introduced to this book a few weeks ago when Amber shared the Story Behind the Story of SOLVE BY CHRISTMAS.  Today, Amber is sharing another fun part of writing this delightful mystery, including an excerpt.

What’s a Hero Without a Sidekick?

by Amber Schamel

Most of the time, it’s the main hero that gets all of the credit. But when you think about it, who would the Lone Ranger be without Tonto? Or Robin Hood without his Merry Men? Batman without Robin? Or Sherlock without Watson? The sidekicks are a HUGE part of the story and the success of the hero.

I’m going to be honest. For me, one of the main things that makes the hero so cool, is the dedicated and loyal sidekick. The fact that he’s got these people who trust him enough to go along with his hairbrained ideas, or follow him to the end of the earth, and stick with him through thick and thin, makes him a better guy than he was by himself. I mean, if his band of followers are willing to risk their necks to get him out of trouble, he’s gotta be a great person, right? Oh, and then there’s those times when the hero is so distracted or in a tizzy that he can’t see the solution staring him in the face, so he needs that sidekick to point it out to him. *sigh* 

Sidekicks are so much fun.

When I started writing a mystery, I knew my detective would need a sidekick. And I had SO much fun crafting this ornery character. Denny is a seventeen-year-old errand boy who works for the same company as my hero. He’s one of those unlikely sidekicks that Jasper absolutely loathes…until later, of course. Denny is so much fun that he almost steals the show from my grumpy, logical detective, but I really needed someone to balance him out. Denny does that well. I just have to give you a sneak peek at one of the very first hero/sidekick scenes in the book.

A shrill wind batted at Jasper’s overcoat as he opened the black iron gate of the Montgomery Apartments. Already someone had wrapped evergreen boughs along the top. He slipped through and trotted up the steps to the main entrance. Yanking the door open, he ducked inside and then shut out the draft.

“Hello, Detective Hollock. It’s about time you got here.”

Jasper whirled around, his overcoat thwacking the errand boy’s long legs. “Denny? What are you doing here?”

“Mr. Rudin said you were working on an important case, so I dropped by to see if you needed anything. Where have you been?”

The nerve of this boy. Choosing to ignore the insolent question, Jasper changed the subject. “Do you make a habit of stalking all of Mr. Rudin’s employees?”

“No, sir, just you. Although I think I’d be good at it.” A dimple appeared in the boy’s cheek, and his eyes squinted with his grin. “Company spy is almost like a company detective, right?”

Lord, give me patience. If this boy weren’t an orphan, Jasper would have boxed his ears and thrown him out with a good warning to get back to his duties. With a shake of his head, he made for the stairs.

Denny followed. “Is the case difficult? Does it have to do with Charlie’s note this morning? I saw you poking around the lab. Do you think someone stole something?”

“Look, Denny, I don’t mean to be rude, but this is classified information. Don’t you have errands to run or something?”

“I just finished one for Mr. Stosch. That’s why I was next door. I couldn’t be so close without popping in to see if you needed anything.”

Jasper paused in front of his apartment door and clicked the key in the lock. “I do need something.”

Denny’s brown eyes lit up. “Sure! What can I do for you?”

“Leave me alone.”

He yanked open the door, passed through, and would have shut it just as quick if the boy hadn’t lodged his shoe in the doorframe. “Can’t do that, detective. You need me.”

“I? Need you?” Jasper coughed in an attempt to hold back laughter.

“Sure. You can’t solve the cases without me.”

Amused, Jasper clasped his hands behind him to play along. “Pray tell, why would a detective need a nosy errand boy to solve a crime?”

“I’m smart—you know that. And fast. I can get information, run errands, sweet talk records out of the pretty lady in the employment department, and I scurry all over town. So I could keep tabs on a lot of things. An incognito informant, if you will.”

Jasper bit his lip. How old was this kid? Seventeen? He’d been reading too many of those ridiculous Doyle novels, that’s what. Well, he had to admit the boy was creative.

“Besides, every good detective needs a sidekick. What would Sherlock Holmes be without Watson? And, face it, what other choices do you have?”

“Nice try, kid. Get back to work.” He flipped Denny a quarter and shut the door. He waited to hear the boy’s tread fade away, but the shadow under the door didn’t move.

“Okay, we’ll talk later.” Denny’s voice muffled through beyond the door. “I’m sure you need some time to think it over.”

Ha! Gotta hand it to the kid for being persistent. He was so persistent that he talked me into offering a giveaway of Solve by Christmas in his honor with this post. 

So, answer the question below to get your name in the drawing for an ebook copy!

***Who is your favorite sidekick? (Can be book or movie/TV show.)***

Answer Amber's question in the comments section below for your chance to win her free eBook copy, being sure to leave your contact information so we can notify you in case you win. Ends one week from today (Tuesday, Nov 14, 2017) at Midnight, CST.

HAVE FUN!