redbreastedbird

[redbreastedbird]

I’m going on tour! Link to tickets and full event details here - I hope I’ll see lots of you there!

[redbreastedbird]

When did Harold and Bertie start dating was it during mistletoe and murder before or after

Slightly before I think! They’re lowkey dating during it.

[redbreastedbird]

Hello tumblr. It is Hazel Wong's birthday.

goodbye tumblr.

@redbreastedbird

[redbreastedbird]

a redraw of something i made four years ago to recover when @clickingkeyboards wrote one of the most devastating fics that i will ever experience the misery of reading

characters from the Murder Most Unladylike series by @redbreastedbird

[redbreastedbird]

On a scale of one to ten how sad is A stocking full of spies going to be?

8? 7? It’s got BBC Christmas Special energy.

[redbreastedbird]

This is purely out of curiosity, but what did you comp MMU to when you queried?

You kind of created a new genre (okay, more brought a well established adult genre into a new age category, but my point still stands) and it's really hard to think of things you could have comp'd to twelve/thirteen years ago.

I called it ‘Agatha Christie meets Enid Blyton’ - because yes, there wasn’t much out there like it! I think in general it’s not a bad way forward when you’re comping - ‘X meets Y’ makes the thing you’re comping seem unique, but still gives readers an understanding of the elements your story has.

[redbreastedbird]

would you ever consider writing for YA or adults? just thinking because i feel like with that genre authors can delve into more darker topics, and explore certain different reasons for murder that you can’t rlly do with middle-grade.

tho ofc i love the middle-grade genre and i just want to say that i think you’re one of the authors that really expanded and popularised murder mysteries for children! so thank you for that!

just curious if that would be something you would be into, can’t wait for a stocking full of spies :)

Yes, yes I would. And that’s all I’ll say about that!

[redbreastedbird]

Will there be a fourth Ministry book?

Also,will Eric’s goose’s name be Gans or Schnabel.

Have a brilliant day or night!

Not at the moment - that may change, but my next contracted book isn’t for Ministry! I do have more stories I’d love to write about May, Eric and Nuala, and I think it will happen, but … it might take a while!

And Eric’s duck is called Turner. You’ll see why in the book!

[redbreastedbird]

I first discovered your books in 2016. Since then, I have discovered my queerness, maintained my love for literature, and am living out my dreams of studying creative writing at university.

I have one book set to be published in September. After that, I want to write a kids murder mystery series with a similar, comforting vibe to MMU.

Thank you for everything. You are such an amazing queer role model. I didn’t know why I felt such an abnormally strong connection to your books and characters at the time, but now I completely understand why ✨

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! This is so beautiful and I am so touched and so proud of you.

And proud to be part of the long tradition of people growing up to realise they loved a particular creator because they were queer, and then becoming a creator who the next generation will grow up to realise that they loved because they were queer, who then go on to be creators, who another generation will love because …

[redbreastedbird]

HELLO HI i have a plethora of (i.e. three) Questions

Some of my friends and I are rereading Spoonful of Murder, and we noticed Teddy Wong doesn't have a cantonese name included on the character list. Is this because Mr Wong got so excited at the prospect of Male Child he forgot to give his son a non-englishy name, or does he have one that you just didn't include in the book?

Why are some versions of the first two books named differently? I've seen a few alternative covers titled "murder is bad manners" and "poison is not polite" and I've just been assuming they're the current merican versions (i swear i read years ago that the first book was "murder most foul" in the us), but I'm not 100% sure. Although deeply strange, they're also hysterical, and I've found much joy in coming up with similar alternate titles for some of the other mmu books e.g. stabbing is Not super, pushing is Not proper, blunt force trauma is Bad.

Where was Lavinia during Arsenic for Tea? I've been wondering this since I was eight (embarrassingly long ago haha) and borrowed the book from the library for the first time, and I always found it odd that it her absence was kind of brushed over.

Okay thanks for your time GOODNIGHT

HELLO

1. Teddy doesn’t have a Chinese name yet as of ASOM! From what I understood in my research, you wouldn’t give babies proper names for the first year or so of their life. He of course would have one as of the Ministry series, though it’s never come up as he’s not part of the action - I need to ask my friend to help me name him!

2. The first two books had different names for their North American editions! This was at the request of my US publisher - but there was so much confusion, and a few instances where UK fans ordered the US editions thinking they were different books - that we decided to go with the UK titles for the rest of the series.

3. Poor Lavinia was not yet a proper part of the group in AFT. Not Daisy’s finest moment, but she didn’t invite her to her birthday. I explore this a bit more in the Christmas short story at the back of Mistletoe and Murder - it’s tough to be the fifth person in a group of five! But also, Daisy and the other girls have gotten much better about including her since AFT.

[redbreastedbird]

hi, have you ever thought about having murder most unladylike adapted into any sort of tv show or movie. if you have, or ever do, consider it, please please please let me know i'd absolutely love to be daisy

ty x

Wouldn’t that be a cool thing! I mean, I wish!

[redbreastedbird]

This is such good analysis that I hadn’t ever even thought of it consciously but as soon as I saw it I thought … you know what, this absolutely tracks.

Idk if this makes much sense but like

All the Shakespearean tragedies with their lovers and terrible deaths leading to Nuala associating death and romance, which is why she saw solving murders with May as romantic…if that’s anything

[redbreastedbird]

Okay question one since it's pride what are nulua, may and eric personalitys. Nulua i think is a pansexual one, may i think is uhh maybe straghit ally or bi and eric i think is aco ace(dont see him dating anyone or getting a love inteset) question two did Kitty found her true love in here,question 3 what happened to daisy family(except bertie, felix, aunt e and aunt lucy. And finall will Nulua may or eric get love interts or is it never gonna happen

Eric I think is up for debate, as I’m not sure he’s worked through those questions yet. I show Nuala being attracted to, or at least interested in, characters of different genders, so I think you’re right on that one … but May is absolutely not cishet. Her gender is somewhere between ‘pirate’ and ‘horrid little boy’ and her sexuality is … up for debate, she wouldn’t admit to being interested in ANYONE yet but that’s not entirely true.

[redbreastedbird]

Hey! If you like talking to me on here, have you heard that I’ve got a brand new newsletter debuting next week? It’s going to have updates, event details, book recommendations and general thoughts from me … you can sign up NOW here to get my words directly in your inbox every month.

[redbreastedbird]

MY MMU SHRINE!! I dont have all the books bc of lgbt conservatism... (muslim country)

@redbreastedbird !!

[redbreastedbird]

Happy Pride from the Murder Most Unladylike family all around the world. I hope that wherever you are, and whoever you are, my books can feel like home to you. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

[redbreastedbird]

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!

MMU pride!!!

I didn't draw all the characters but I plan to draw some more pride themed stuff this month so uh yeah expect more soon!

Putting that aside, I wish everyone a lovely, amazing, safe pride! Hearts to everyone!!

@redbreastedbird