Okay, I have no idea what that means, but I will tell you simply that my wife and I have decided to retire (for the time being, at least) from the murder mystery business. Thanks to all the crew members, staff and management of the River Street Riverboat Company for making the last 14 years very enjoyable for our company.

Thanks, of course, to all the actors and actresses through the years. Some were only in the show for a season or two, but most of the actors were with me for more than 10 years. It’s been a pleasure working with all of them.

Thanks to the audiences over the years for making Murder Afloat a success. The Girl Scouts of America who visited Savannah and made sure that the show was included in their activities were especially loyal.

I haven’t given much thought to what I should do with the website; whether to devote it to a discussion of riverboat mysteries, fiction content, or to turn it into a company where you could order real-life hits on your enemies. I’m not sure of the legalities of that, so if you have any other suggestions please contact us. We’ll still be getting our messages from here. (You can leave comments below.)

Because of the two major films shot in Savannah last year, Miley Cyrus’ The Last Song, and Robert Redford’s The Conspirator, the script for this season’s show centered around the film industry. It was particularly rewarding to have a select few film fans comment on the many little film-related “inside jokes.” Particularly, the two who recognized one character’s name, Carl LaFong, as a nod to the immortal W.C. Fields. Other name references in our script included Alan Smithee, a pseudonym used by directors who do not wish to be connected with a film, and Wilhelm Scream, a particular sound effect used in scores of films. Each of these references were caught by two other attentive film fans.

I’m not sure what the theme of the 2011 show will be just yet, so be sure to check back later. As usual, I probably won’t spill the beans, be as I indicated above, we like repeat visitors.

Of course, I guess I should also tell you another tradition of Murder Afloat: the title of the script has absolutely nothing to do with the story. Really. But back in 1990, our first season, someone asked the name of the “play.” We answered “Murder Afloat.” That didn’t seem to satisfy this potential customer, who continued, “That’s the company’s name. What’s the name of the play?” So my wife and I made one up on the spot. It was Never Had a Prayer.

Last year’s show was about a therapy group who were on a social outing on the boat. The title was One Potato II. There were of course, no potatoes in the story. Not even French fries. Other titles over the years include Jungle Boy’s Secret Treasure, Professor Ming’s Roman Holiday, The Life and Times of Lance Boyle – Private Eye, and Old Doc Shepard Takes a Bride. Need I say there were no treasures, professor’s, private eyes or old docs in any of those shows?

But now you do know the title of this year’s show, and that’s something. When you come to the show this season, mention it to one of our actors and we may teach you the secret handshake!

A published author with several books to her credit contacted us to provide information about how our cruise worked. Her intention was to have a large part of the story take place during a Murder Afloat cruise. Her main character was to have become involved in a real life historical mystery as a result of the show. The author even traveled up to Savannah to meet with us and take a cruise to experience the show first-hand. This novel has been outlined, but the author has shelved the project for now.

A very successful Hollywood writer/producer contacted us through one of her researchers for information about these types of mystery shows. She was working on a screenplay which would have used a similar cruise as a backdrop for a romantic comedy. This project, likewise was shelved.

Man, this show business stuff is heart-breaking!