Smoke And Mirrors

Babycakes

A fable, written for a publication to benefit People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). I think it makes its point. It's the only thing I've ever written that has disturbed me. Last year I came downstairs to find my son Michael listening to Warning: Contains Language, my spoken-word CD. "Babycakes' started as I arrived, and it caught me by surprise when I heard a voice I scarcely recognised as my own reading this aloud.

For the record, I wear a leather jacket and eat meat, but I am quite good with babies.

When I had the idea for this story, it was called "City of Angels". But around the time I actually began to write it, a Broadway show with that title appeared, so when the story was finished, I gave it a new name.

"Murder Mysteries" was written for Jessie Horsting at Midnight Graffiti magazine for her paperback anthology, also called, coincidentally, Midnight Graffiti. Pete Atkins, to whom I faxed draft after draft as I wrote and rewrote it, was invaluable as a sounding board and a paragon of patience and good humour.

I tried to play fair with the detective part of the story. There are clues everywhere. There's even one in the title.