The Maltese Falcon has always been a cinematic personal favorite as has the literary tradition of the hard-boiled detective genre. While researching for an attempted sequel to a classic horror novel, the idea of mixing the two styles as homage became irresistible. Lloyd Brick and his shifty partner are engaged by a femme fatale in a wild-goose chase involving ancient Egyptian lore and cast of unsavory and even unnatural characters in pursuit of a relic that may have the power to bestow eternal life, but at what price?

While researching for an attempted sequel to a classic horror novel, other intriguing ideas came to mind that were too exciting to resist. The supernatural offers many avenues for exploration and expression. And combining alternative realities within the context of real-world characters and settings provides the opportunity for amusement and fanciful speculation for the writer and also, hopefully, the reader. What Music They Make is a speculation of how undead African American jazz musicians may have plied their trade down South. Their mission is not only to advance this new indigenous art...