Just as society gained from Disney's being allowed to use the stories and characters of Sleeping Beauty or The Little Mermaid, we would similarly gain from new artists being able to give us new takes on Disney stories and characters.

Or mashups - perhaps your Columbo novel could feature Mickey Mouse...

Your Columbo novel is probably awful. (No offense.) But there's someone out there who would have written a great one.

None taken.

Let me tell you about it. There are three interleaved narratives.

One is about an elderly actor who played the TV role for so long that he's no longer sure if he's an actor or the actual detective. The second is about a real life police detective called Frank Columbo who is plagued by his identity with the fictional detective and who he resembles in almost every particular. The third is about the actual Columbo.

All three are simultaneously solving different murders, all of which have their exposition up front - in the classic Columbo style.