I've browsed a number of sites but keep finding myself coming back to the same place. "I need to just speak to someone."
So this seemed a good place to find someone to help me out.
The situation is this:
I'm working on a yet untilted novel, a pre-Depression murder mystery. I had this brilliant idea that one of my main characters would be a taxidermist. This is where the proverbial brick wall came up. I know NOTHING about taxidermy, and the perfectionist in me wants to be sure I get it right.
If you'd be willing to help me out a little, it would be greatly appreciated. You can email me at the above address. I pretty much just need a Taxidermy for Beginners 101... Tools of the trade (as they would have been -then-, rather than now. I'm sure science has been good to this field as well), the general process, materials, basic terminology, that sort of thing.
Thanks in Advance!
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Steven Rodgers from Carnegie Mellon and John Janelli.
both are accomplished taxidermists as well as taxidermy historians.
they both frequent this site. so if you don't here from them soon, use the search button on their names and you should come up with email
addresses.
Anthony might object.
John Janelli would be a good choice, also try George Roof on this site who could give you more information than you could handle. Just make sure you make the Taxidermist the HERO and not the villain - we have enough bad PR already.
'The story will be about a taxidermist during hunting season when his phone rings non-stop and the callers only wants to know how much he charges and how fast his turnaround time is. Customers haunt him from last season whenever he opens his freezer doors and he can see the backlog of jobs. His only therapy is a web site where he can go and make post with other taxidermist 7/24 to avoid the pressure of daily life. His friends always tell him that they can never get hold of him because the line is always busy. He is tormented about getting a second phone line and fearing the extra monthly charge so he stays with one phone line and keeps hooked up daily to his life giving web site. He only signs off when he can no longer hold his head off of the monitor, and his half dozen neck snaps from jerking his head back gives him a hint that he should get to bed. He bags what and where he left off on the mount, and wakes up the next day and it starts all over again,,, like Bill Murray's movie) Ground hogs day.)
I forgot that the taxidermist solves a murder somewhere between customers and getting his work done. This murder happens when he is on his way to the States competition, when he tries to book in to his room, and there is still police and a crime scene in his room after they took the dead hooker out to the meat locker. The taxidermist is so bent on telling the hotel staff on how to remove the blood stains, and also tells the cornier that he could preserve the body longer if he would have used some stop rot. He talks to the police and ask questions about the murder, they tell him that she had many stab wounds, so he goes to the Funeral home to have a look at the job, and offers some good mounting and sewing techniques. Some how he knows who did it, and reports the perp to the police, goes to the competition, wins some ribbons, goes back home and it's,,,,, ground hogs day again.
if you're serious about wanting to create a taxidermist character, you'd think you could make the effort to buy a beginner's guide and teach yourself!
I could buy a book, yes, but there is a matter of efficiency. I could read through 3 books to find exactly what I want to know, or ask one question of someone with real life experience.
Thank you Mr. T for the insights to the busy life of a taxidermist, I will be sure to add the frustration factor when he is dragged into the messy ordeal.
To alleviate your fears, PA, he will not be a villian, though not a hero either, more like a reluctant participant in a larger game.
Perry, thank you for those names, I will deffinately run a search for their posts.