Creative Writing Commons^™

Are We Good Or Bad Or Somewhere In Between?: An Original Novel, Faith Lymburner

Honors Theses

This thesis is an original fantasy/crime/mystery novel that takes a look at the concept that no one is just good or bad; instead, everyone is somewhere in between. The process/challenges of writing my first novel and leading into writing a mystery/crime novel (this is the first draft).

The Wellington Affair: A Detective Story, Anakin Weston

Masters Theses

The week the heiress to the Wellington Family fortune returns to England, a series of strange events sweeps through the streets. The Wellington Diamond, unsurpassed by all of its kind, becomes the envy of more criminally-minded eyes and a plan is put into motion to steal it. Caught in the cross-fire, prospective writer Mark Verner is framed for the theft of the diamond but is saved from arrest by none other than the heiress herself. When the conspiracy to steal the jewel turns murderous, the only hope of the duo lies in the hands of the reluctant yet limitless detective …

Who Is Neil Wells?, Colin Anderson

Senior Theses

This creative writing thesis takes the form of a mystery novel by Colin Anderson.

The Resurrection Of Nora O'Brien, Abigail Elizabeth Benson

MSU Graduate Theses

There is a cave, hidden in the hills, that brings the dead back to life. Its power is the driving force behind the blood feud between the Walshes and the O’Briens that lasts for generations. Jeremiah Walsh, a young boy growing up just after the civil war, is entrusted with the location of the cave and its secrets. But when he kills to protect his family legacy, he is stricken with guilt and questions his loyalties. His story parallels Nora O’Brien’s, a teenage girl who moves to the Ozarks with her family after the death of her grandfather. As she …

Silver, Blood And Singing, Zachary J. Posey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Silver, Blood and Singing is a novel that is an exploration of the blurred lines between science fiction and fantasy in which the concepts of grief and mourning are explored. This thesis consists of a novel following two sisters and those around them as they try to come to terms with their grief. Along this journey they end up being opened up to worlds more dangerous and stranger than any they have come across before. As they explore these new worlds this functions as a place to examine the understanding of what it means to be a person and how …

The Talus, Carol Roddenberry

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Falling from a high place into an unknown abyss of strange characters and even stranger events takes readers far further than Humpty Dumpty and into a cats-cradle of mystery and humor. Jonah Tinderwunkel, the protagonist, mistakenly cast a curse upon himself at the age of fourteen. Now, twenty-eight years later he is a high-tech loner and loser who finds himself seeking help after a great fall. With a cracked cranium and smashed ankle (talus), he stumbles into a small Florida town off the beaten track—home to a mix of retired circus workers. As he recedes into a coma, his fate …

The Japanese Client: A Novel, Andrew Aulner

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The Japanese Client is a novel within the hardboiled, noir fiction genre, a style that emerged during the era of Prohibition and features morally conflicted heroes, complex plotlines, larger-than-life characters, and a general air of intrigue. Perhaps the most important element of the noir novel is its protagonist’s search for what is good and true while surrounded by cynicism and corruption. The novel centers on Rick Dale, a World War II veteran operating as a private detective in 1948 Omaha. Rick is hired by Mariko Meyer, a Japanese- American woman, to find her missing father. Along the way, the duo …

Fortune Glen, Breea N. Schutt

MSU Graduate Theses

A fairy may not be able to lie, but that doesn’t mean they’re always honest. Marine’s former classmate is dead—and this isn’t your typical 48-hour mystery. The crime scene is Fortune Glen, a realm populated by fairies who take great pride in their unique abilities, their inability to tell lies, and their peaceful behavior. Well, until now.

Marine is the only one who knows about this murder, and she plans to keep it that way— at least until she’s figured out who’s behind this travesty. When Marine is assigned a mission in the human realm, she does the unthinkable and …

The Wrong Side Of Yesterday, Jacob Hall

All NMU Master's Theses

These chapters start off a novel that follows Simon Jones, a man brought back to the city of Decatur, Illinois by the death of his sister. Simon is left taking care of Jeffrey, a ten-year-old boy with an arm that loses skin constantly and glows a dull white. While Simon and Jeffrey navigate their grief and uncertain futures, the city is rocked by a series of murders that target “divergents,” people with physical abnormalities like Jeffrey’s arm. The Wrong Side of Yesterday is a novel that uses elements of magical realism and mystery to explore issues of grief, disability, poverty, …

Llave, Brenda M. Reagan

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.