Codename: The Ginger Wisp

So why do I have a blog? Last year, I tried to do NaNoWriMo and failed miserably. This year, my friend (who has asked to be identified as Jewy McJewison) told me about NaBloPoMo and I figured I could do that and fail less miserably. I realized I have very few plot ideas and I used them all last year writing a tenth of my novel. But for your enjoyment, here is the one minute summary of what I remember about my novel:

The Whitmores were this amazing family. They had attractive miens and were witty conversationalists. The father, Arthur Whitmore, was a dealer of art and antiques. He had glossy black hair, a thin mustache, and liked to drink brandy in a crystal snifter in the Whitmore’s well-appointed living room after dinner. The mother, Rose Whitmore, was a moderately-talented painter who liked to wear silk at all times. She was beautiful: blond hair that fell to her shoulders in waves and clear blue eyes that expressed a keen sense of humor. Of their three children, John was the oldest. He was captain of the soccer team and went to Harvard to study economics. The second child, Elizabeth, was class president, wore Dior, and had perfectly plucked eyebrows.

And then there was the youngest, George, who seemed to be sort of a genetic mishap. Unlike the rest of his family, he had moderate intelligence and weedy looks. He had a shock of thin, wild red hair and very pale skin. He was average at school, and his only chance at standing out came when he was cast as Frosty the Snowman in his 5th grade play. The production had reinterpreted the story as an avant garde piece with a lot of interpretive dance numbers. Unfortunately, he lost his balance during in the scene where the children are building Frosty and placing a carrot as his nose. The carrot was made by one of the moms who was a sculptress. She made it out of copper wire and blown glass. Also unfortunately, the carrot was rather sharp and George ended up being impaled in the shoulder. The play had to be stopped and George was known as Carrot Boy for the rest of his time in school.

George did make it through school okay though. He wasn’t popular but he was largely ignored. He entered the local high school and was doing okay until the end of his fall semester junior year. For Christmas, Arthur Whitmore liked to give his children pieces of art or antiques he picked up at his job. That semester George had been taking a class on the history of the Middle East. His father sent his a vase from the region that was hundreds of years old. Hoping to earn some extra credit, George showed it to his professor, who recognized it as one of the pieces looted from the Iraqi National Museum during the war.

The FBI tried to protect him, identifying him only as an anonymous source, but the press caught wind of the name used to describe him in sensitive documents. It was made up by a British investigator collaborating with the team, who was inspired by George’s wild hair and skinny, pale body. One headline after the four Whitmores were sentenced read “Long Prison Terms for Art Thieves Thanks to Ginger Wisp.” Without the slightest intention, George had sent his entire family to jail.

And I summarized that all from memory! To be continued when I remember more. I think I'll make it a Friday thing.