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Hi! I’m Mike - I live in Notting Hill, London.
I’m writing a detective novel, imagining if my mum solved crimes with a robot.
Dot is a septuagenarian who was given a care robot by her son. She has affectionately named the robot Chip Wellington (because it “sounds sophisticated”).
Investment into companies building robot companions for elderly people is growing - see here, here, and here. I think we’ll see robot companions in our lifetime, taking care of our loved ones.
I have been thinking recently of my own parents, my mum and dad, and making sure they are alright and that they can retire comfortably.
I imagined what it would be like to buy a robot for my mum; she probably wouldn’t let it do anything around the house as she likes to stay busy, I thought.
The idea for the novel came when I asked my mum whether she would have a robot companion sit in the front seat of her car or put it in the boot.
She replied (firmly) “I would let HIM sit in the front with me, of course!”.
If my mum wouldn’t let him do any chores around the house, I wondered what they would get up to together.
My mum is very good at listening to other people’s conversations when we are in coffee shops, and good at peeking out of the window keeping an eye on neighbors. She is very observant, and would make a good detective.
From there I imagined what it might look like for my mum to solve crimes with her robot companion.
Peeking through the curtains, watching out for neighbors, checking for clues.
When I have time on the weekends or in evenings after work, I sit at Gails to write.
I set up this page to share chapter drafts as an accountability mechanism so that I keep writing.
Thank you for reading.