“One emotion that sticks with you is the act of being dropped off… being dropped off is temporary, it’s the key distinction between that and being abandoned” (Prologue: Murder At Crimson Manor -Gabriel Romaguera).
These words echo in my mind as I explore the hidden secrets of the Crimson Manor, where I get introduced with dialogue of memorable, comic relief, and realistic characters, with the suspense of a murder mystery. These are the kinds of experiences one can get while reading Dr. Gabriel Romaguera’s latest novel Murder At Crimson Manor, published by the International Entrepreneurship Institute. From the book’s official description, this story centers on Lexi, a bright teenager who is trying to navigate through the problems of college life, which all of us Colegio students can relate, and dealing with normal colleague life, from getting her life together to dealing with peers who ghost it out during a group presentation. However, things take an interesting turn when Lexi’s interactions with her roommates turn out to be more than she can handle. In a recent book review of the novel, this work can be described as “hilariously dark, maybe even to a point of discomfort.”
(Official promo for the event)
The popularly used Chardón 326 was transformed into the venue of the Murder at Crimson Manor book talk, held on Thursday February 21, 2019. The room was decorated to match the novel’s red and black color aesthetic. The tables had light blue, black, or red clothes covering them, murder mystery candle on each, a display of the novel in the front of the room along with red streamers and balloons hanging on the room ceiling. While waiting for the audience to arrive, a slideshow containing comments on the novel was on display. Commentary ranged from “I could not put this book down,” sassy comebacks to Jen, and reflections on how the novel contemplates life and our social interactions with the people closest to us as we move on in our own journey.
(Picture by Ysabel Saige Hightower Gonzalez)
The beginning of the book talk was hosted by Prof. Edward Contreras where he gave an introduction to the book author, Dr. Gabriel Romaguera, an educator who “focuses on the concept of home to better define literature and reality” (back cover of Murder At Crimson Manor), which are key concepts to know when reading his novel. During the opening of the book talk, Prof. Contreras made a few acknowledgements in the audience, these include Prof. Robert Sherwin, a former director of the English Department at UPRM, the author’s family, his current and former students, undergraduates and graduate students of the English Department, and the general public.
(From left to right, Prof. Edward Contreras and Dr. Gabriel Romaguera. Picture by Ysabel Saige Hightower Gonzalez)
Dr. Romaguera begins the book talk by explaining that the novel, Murder At Crimson Manor, has been a project that started with a weird idea when he was studying in the University of Rhode Island. As the author explains, “at the time, Yale was looking for a professor in film studies, but they required a screenplay as a sample work. Thus the idea of the book came from experiences he lived as a student who has roommates who cause frustrations.” People tell him they can see how Dungeons and Dragons (DND) influenced his storytelling abilities as they find similarities between them when reading his writing.
(Picture by Ysabel Saige Hightower Gonzalez)
He started reading Chapter 4: “All Alone”, where he voiced the narrative of his characters, making the reading more enjoyable for the audience. A lot of the places and people in this book are inspired on real places and the author’s own experiences. Dr. Romaguera showed images of the real “Crimson Manor,” which was built in 1876 and was the house he used to live in back when he was completing his P.h.D. at the University of Rhode Island. He showed a wallpaper that had an image of a guy in a hot air balloon, pastel, red color, where the image and red theme of the novel drew inspiration from. Then, he explains how the characters in his novel are inspired by people he has meet during his graduate studies. Lexi was one of the author’s old roommates, where they developed a really close friendship, similar to a sibling relationship. Olivia is an actress in real life, and Nervan was the real live actress’s boyfriend at the time. There is no picture of Jen, in fact Jen does not know about the making of this work. Lastly, the cover art for the novel was designed by Graphic Designer Eira E. Figueroa Cordero.
(Picture of the original Crimson Manor. Picture by Ysabel Saige Hightower Gonzalez)
After the reading and some discussion about the plot lines, setting, and characterization of the novel, the author moved on to the question and answer session. The audience had a lot of engaging questions to ask, which cover pretty much what I was curious about in the novel. One question that was in everyone’s mind was if Dr. Romaguera intended to use his past experiences as inspiration to write the novel. Dr. Romaguera responded as a sort of venting exercise. He would often “put on the page what these horrible roommates of mine did. What parts do I want to keep of the real person and what I wanted to turn into fiction. Part of the dialogue was actually part of real conversations.” In other words, it is safe to say that part of the novel takes its ingenuity from reality, but the rest is purely fictional, such as the murder that in the novel.
Dr. Romaguera highlights that one can find inspiration in the weirdest moments, and to not be afraid of the outcome. “How do I say what needs to be said, you have all this information in your head it may come out as stiff and inorganic, keep it real with conversation. Don’t be scared to have things of your life happen, but you have to be creative when writing a murder scene.” As a follow up question, another audience member asked if he already had the idea of writing his novel as a dark comedy. He replied, “I knew there was murder, but I was not sure if to do it more serious or comedic because then readers don’t feel that balance. If you are going to change the tone, you have to make sure the rest of the chapter reflects that. Especially turning this work from a screenplay into a novel.” Dr. Romaguera did reveal he had planned an additional chapter, but then decided not to add it because it felt out of place.
(Picture by Ysabel Saige Hightower Gonzalez)
The Q&A session turned into a conversation as more people engaged in asking more questions on the characters. One of Dr. Romaguera’s former students asked if the perspective on the people on your novel changed. He replied, “I think I was a little bit too harsh on Jen, and it makes me miss them. I wrote it, and then revise it. It was a good 4 years between the original idea and the book. What made Olivia so unique, her personality traits and the way she interacts with the other characters, I begin putting those qualities of the character on the page, and remembering those conversations you had with that person, not just disregarding what they were in your life, but bringing that essence to life.”
I engaged in the conversation by asking what was the author’s inspiration for creating such an interesting prologue to the novel, with a metaphor that encompasses a far larger meaning within the novel. As Dr. Romaguera explained, besides adding a taste of philosophy in his work, he also wanted to give emphasis to the element of being dropped off during the novel, and things that are just left in the open, such as the idea that there might be a sequel to Murder At Crimson Manor. “They drop off Lexi at her parents’ house, and they drop off Jen at the dumpster, suggesting that those characters may come back.” There was also religious allegory and imagery at play as one reads the story and interactions between characters. For example, “we see Lexi going like “oh God really,” the attic being hell, she gets closer to God when she accidentally murders someone.”
(Picture by author of the article)
At the end, the author had a surprise for the special guests, and for the audience who asked questions. He gave us a Murder At Crimson Manor limited edition dark chocolate with cranberries and almonds with a fun message in the back that says “so you can enjoy a Dark Comedy.” These were manufactured by Bajaría Handcrafted Chocolates and made in Puerto Rico.
(Picture taken by author of the article and available at IG: problematicshopaholic)
Dr. Romaguera ends with the following statement: “I am in awe of all the people who came to be part of the presentation. Family, friends, students, all there to support my literary endeavors. There is an incredible moment where you finish your book and it’s ready to be published but ultimately you are kind of alone. On the day of the presentation, I got to share that moment with so many people and I thank all of them for being there.” He also has plans to publish an upcoming sequel to Murder At Crimson Manor by next year. This activity was possible thanks to the sponsorship of the Department of English at UPRM, and the help of undergraduate students from the student associations EDSA and PCSA.
(Picture by Ysabel Saige Hightower Gonzalez)
If you haven’t read Murder At Crimson Manor, then you are missing on a fantastic and witty murder mystery. To get your copy of the book, you can purchase it on Amazon, or drive to the bookstore La Casita Books & Gifts at Aguadilla Mall.