I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Episode 42: Sherlock @PBS - Cumberbatch Returns

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Sherlock mania as at its heights. The second series of the BBC's <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO">Sherlock</a></i></b> is making its way to the U.S. shores currently, and fandom online and offline is continuing to grow.<br />
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On behalf of the show, Burt made his way to New York City on <a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2012/04/hung-about-and-screened-bruc.html">May 2, 2012 for the sneak preview</a> of the new season and question and answer time with some of the cast and crew of <i>Sherlock</i>, including Rebecca Eaton, Steven Moffat, Sue Vertue and of course, Benedict Cumberbatch. About 800 people crowded into a theatre after 10,000 applied for seats, and the reaction - including screams - were reminiscent of <a href="http://www.edsullivan.com/artists/the-beatles/">the Beatles coming to the Ed Sullivan Show</a> in the 1960s. And this is nothing new; Frank Sinatra garnered a similar reaction <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq_wus1KL6Q">at the Paramount in New York City</a> back in the 1940s. Thanks to Burt's courageous reporting, we have some clips from the event and the queue, as well as a question and answer session with the cast, in which we're able to hear and feel the excitement of the crowd.<br />
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We've witnessed the <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23believeinsherlock">#believeinsherlock</a> movement that arose from the BBC airing of the series and how the phenomenon has grown. We discuss a bit of that and we sing our own praises to Sherlock Holmes, in a manner of speaking.<br />
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And with such an enthusiastic new group of fans, it's inevitable that we would welcome them to the world of Sherlockians. The Editor's Gas-Lamp from the current issue of the <i><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/">Baker Street Journal</a></i>. (Vol 62, No. 1), titled "Consider yourself at home," is the perfect way to do so.<br />
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<b>Links:</b></h4>
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<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq_wus1KL6Q">Frank Sinatra causes a riot at the Paramount</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.edsullivan.com/artists/the-beatles/">The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock">Sherlock on PBS Masterpiece</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/twitter.html">#SherlockPBS Twitter events</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO">Pre-order your DVD of Sherlock: Season Two</a> (U.S.)</li>
<li>Sherlock Holmes comes to New York</li>
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<b>Listen now:</b></h4>
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Episode 42: Sherlock @PBS - Cumberbatch Returns

Sherlock mania as at its heights. The second series of the BBC's Sherlock is making its way to the U.S. shores currently, and fa...

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by Scott Monty

"Holmes For the Second Time" [ABBE]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1Nx15_LisEJA91A12C0Dedhyb7i3mEXyNA7XaxuchkIg-yvvpMjx7UJQzO1jfADmfJg8Vq3MoGVW7dXQqKhOTQrq_MZVgcpyE8BDRXFMGAw-xq745HGryK1Ppe9RGs7i9JYYQG5h7-sA/s1600/Sherlock2-watson.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1Nx15_LisEJA91A12C0Dedhyb7i3mEXyNA7XaxuchkIg-yvvpMjx7UJQzO1jfADmfJg8Vq3MoGVW7dXQqKhOTQrq_MZVgcpyE8BDRXFMGAw-xq745HGryK1Ppe9RGs7i9JYYQG5h7-sA/s320/Sherlock2-watson.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><b>#SherlockPBS</b> - a "hashtag" as it's known in Twitter - is a phrase you should get used to. Because beginning on May 6, it's going to reach a fever pitch when the acclaimed series <a href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=sherlock%20season%20two&url=search-alias%3Dmovies-tv" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Sherlock</a> (starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Mark Gatiss, written by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss) returns to <a href="http://www.pbs.org/sherlock"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Masterpiece</span> on PBS</a> for its stunning second season.<br /><br />This <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/season2.html">second series</a> is expected to be even bigger than the first, as the stars have come into their own a bit and they and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_(TV_series)#Reception">the series has been critically acclaimed</a>. The second series also has the confidence of the creators, as the first was something of an experiment. Having ensured that the experimentation was indeed successful, they mined the Canon for the three most intriguing and popular stories for inspiration in season two. As Steven Moffat puts it in shorthand, this season consists of "the hound, the woman and the professor." More formally, those episodes consist of "<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/baskerville.html">The Hounds of Baskerville</a>," "<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/belgravia.html">A Scandal in Belgravia</a>" and "<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/reichenbach.html">The Reichenbach Fall</a>."<br /><br /><a name="more"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><object height="328" width="512"> <param name = "movie" value = "http://www-tc.pbs.org/s3/pbs.videoportal-prod.cdn/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf" >   </param><param name="flashvars" value="video=2227323320&player=viral&end=0&lr_admap=in:warnings:0;in:pbs:0" />   <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">  </param><param name = "allowscriptaccess" value = "always" >   </param><param name="wmode" value="transparent">  </param><embed src="http://www-tc.pbs.org/s3/pbs.videoportal-prod.cdn/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf" flashvars="video=2227323320&player=viral&end=0&lr_admap=in:warnings:0;in:pbs:0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" width="512" height="328" bgcolor="#000000"></embed></object><div style="background: transparent; color: grey; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: center; width: 512px;">Watch <a href="http://video.pbs.org/video/2227323320" style="color: #4eb2fe !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Sherlock Season 2: Three New Shows</a> on PBS. See more from <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/" style="color: #4eb2fe !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Masterpiece.</a></div></center><br /><div><br /></div>And once again, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/twitter.html">we've been asked by the fine people at PBS and <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Masterpiece</span></a> to host a Twitter chat. You may recall that we originally participated in the inaugural chat of the first season (<a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2010/10/more-to-me-than-twitter-illu.html">"More to Me Than The Twitter" [ILLU]</a>) and that it was quite a lot of fun - think of it as <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2011/02/must-see-twitter.html">a giant digital living room</a> in which commentary is flying fast and furious as the show airs. You can follow us at <a href="http://twitter.com/BakerStreetBlog"><b>@BakerStreetBlog</b></a> and we've set up <a href="http://www.tweetgrid.com/grid?l=2&q1=%23sherlockpbs&q2=from:masterpiecepbs%20OR%20from:PBS%20OR%20from:bakerstreetblog%20OR%20from:lklinger%20OR%20from:bakerstbabes%20OR%20from:lyndsayfaye&q3=your_username_here&htag=SherlockPbs">a dashboard that you can follow on Tweetgrid</a>.<br /><br />May 6 will simply mark the first of three consecutive Sunday evenings in which we'll participate in this exercise, beginning at 9:00 p.m. EDT through 10:30 p.m. EDT. The first episode of course, will be the famed "A Scandal in Belgravia," featuring "<a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2012/04/episode-41-woman.html">The Woman</a>" - an episode not to be missed. If you'd like a little more detail from the woman herself, Lara Pulver, you can catch the exclusive interview with her on <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2012/04/episode-41-woman.html">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, Episode 41</a>. Blackmail, a dominatrix, "brains are the new sexy," iPhone hacking and more.<br /><br />And we won't be alone as we twitter our way through the show - also assisting with the chat will be author and adventuress <a href="http://www.lyndsayfaye.com/">Lyndsay Faye</a>, BSI, ASH (<a href="http://twitter.com/LyndsayFaye">@LyndsayFaye</a>), the ever-enthusiastic podcasting and blogging team of <a href="http://www.bakerstreetbabes.com/">The Baker Street Babes</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/BakerStBabes">@BakerStBabes</a>), with the illustrious <a href="http://leslieklinger.com/">Leslie S. Klinger</a>, BSI, 2s (<a href="http://twitter.com/lklinger">@lklinger</a>) following things up three hours later on the west coast.<br /><br />We'll all be looking for your questions, insights and observations as we move through the episodes. Or if you don't have a Twitter account or would prefer to take it all in, you can just sit back and watch the tweets roll by. We look forward to joining you these next few Sundays.<br /><br /><br /><b>Helpful links:</b><br /><ul><li><span style="font-variant: small-caps;"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/sherlock">Masterpiece</a></span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/"> Sherlock</a> (main site)</li><li><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/season2.html">Sherlock: Season Two</a> (episodes)</li><li><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/observation.html">Sherlock Observation game</a> (fun!)</li><li><a href="http://is.gd/Fzfy0b">Tweetgrid tracking dashboard</a> (follow the conversation)</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004QOB8SO">Pre-order Sherlock: Season Two</a> (Amazon - affiliate link)</li><li><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2012/04/episode-41-woman.html">An interview with Lara Pulver</a> (IHOSE)</li></ul><br /><br /><i>When you make purchases from the links we share, it provides us with a stream of revenue to help keep this site running. Thank you for your generosity.</i><br />--<br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B004QOB8SO" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>

"Holmes For the Second Time" [ABBE]

#SherlockPBS - a "hashtag" as it's known in Twitter - is a phrase you should get used to. Because beginning on May 6, it'...

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by Scott Monty

"His Task Was Successfully Accomplished" [HOUN]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IleagafiVxm4r0kXs6jl2ZpQmwyExQcKbfFSdt4_QAl7wqsmExQpAXvdncFZaPl41yWn1QtMKLtTRRtXt_bbEQisxMSJddnxIm7HXH8n-r5cekyabIf8cq76Y09WlPR4snW4Ja4m22d6/s1600/Steampunk+Widomakr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IleagafiVxm4r0kXs6jl2ZpQmwyExQcKbfFSdt4_QAl7wqsmExQpAXvdncFZaPl41yWn1QtMKLtTRRtXt_bbEQisxMSJddnxIm7HXH8n-r5cekyabIf8cq76Y09WlPR4snW4Ja4m22d6/s200/Steampunk+Widomakr.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>We recently covered the <a href="http://steampunkholmes.com/">Steampunk Holmes</a> project underway at Kickstarter (<a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2012/04/decidedly-nautical-appearance-nobl.html">"A Decidedly Nautical Appearance" [NOBL]</a>). With support from a variety of sites such as <a href="http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2012/04/26/sherlock-holmes-gets-a-steampunk-makeover/">Geeks Are Sexy</a>, <a href="http://appadvice.com/appnn/2012/05/the-games-afoot-for-the-interactive-ipad-version-of-steampunk-holmes">AppAdvice</a> and the <a href="http://www.bakerstreetbabes.com/2012/04/episode-25-steampunk-holmes.html">Baker Street Babes</a>, there was certainly a good deal of attention drawn to the project, which needed $29,000 pledged by the deadline of May 3.<br /><br />When we wrote about the Steampunk Holmes Kickstarter, only a little more than 50% of the funds had been raised. Last evening, with 41 hours to go before the project pledge period ended, the project met its funding goals. In a note to backers, the team wrote:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent."<br />  <br />Steampunk Holmes is 100% funded. Thanks to all our fans and followers. Thanks to those who posted and tweeted and blogged about us. Thanks to YOU.<br /><br />We couldn't have done it without you.<br />   We can't wait to get started.<br />Any further funds will just go to make it better.</blockquote>As of the writing of this entry, there are 879 backers for a total of $29,905 pledged. What a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to what seemed like an insurmountable task just two days ago.<br /><br />If you contributed to the funds or passed along our original post, <u><b>we thank you</b></u> for playing an important part in helping to bring this very unique and exciting project to life. We look forward to bringing you further news of its development.<br /><br /><i></i><br />--

"His Task Was Successfully Accomplished" [HOUN]

We recently covered the Steampunk Holmes project underway at Kickstarter ( "A Decidedly Nautical Appearance" [NOBL] ). With suppo...

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by Scott Monty

"A Decidedly Nautical Appearance" [NOBL]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu30KbaCekJgIjjbGgmbMz7RlermOp5vqbFgEytK9Svj4kqVA3-E1N1-A_U7UDHYxXRqIbKYx7tooS54HYDdNGdH4PX7QW8C27LqHmziFqBlqsc-e-ySDfhfF9cfvh1BfIEza3VBDQRGiM/s1600/SH_portrait_porder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu30KbaCekJgIjjbGgmbMz7RlermOp5vqbFgEytK9Svj4kqVA3-E1N1-A_U7UDHYxXRqIbKYx7tooS54HYDdNGdH4PX7QW8C27LqHmziFqBlqsc-e-ySDfhfF9cfvh1BfIEza3VBDQRGiM/s200/SH_portrait_porder.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>Your help is needed.<br /><br />There is a Kickstarter project called <b><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/369012565/steampunk-holmes-for-the-ipad">Steampunk Holmes</a></b> that has but three days left of fundraising and is just beyond the 50% mark. We have more information on how you can help below.<br /><br />If you're not familiar with Kickstarter, it's a platform by which people with ideas can seek small amounts of funding from their communities, thus kickstarting their projects. But projects don't get funded unless the goals of the campaigns are met. And if you're not familiar with <a href="http://www.steampunk.com/what-is-steampunk/">Steampunk</a>, it's a genre that incorporates elements of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, horror, and speculative fiction, usually in a Victorian or Old West setting.<br /><br />In this case, we have a passionate group of individuals, namely author P.C. Martin and the Noble Beast team led by Richard Monson-Haefel who are proposing to write <b>a series of seven books across a variety of media</b> - the Web, e-readers (Kindle, Nook, iBooks, etc.), audio players, tablets (Galaxy Tab, iPad, etc.), and print. The first in the series will be <a href="http://www.steampunkholmes.com/">Steampunk Holmes: The Legacy of the Nautilus</a>.<br /><br />The plot sounds quite exicting:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The series starts in the year 1885, when Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are called in by Sherlock’s sister, Mycroft Holmes, to help find the stolen plans of a very advanced submarine, the Nautilus, recovered from the watery grave of the most notorious terrorist of the British Empire, Captain Nemo.   Who stole the plans and what will they do with them? This is a job for the world's greatest Amateur Detective and his trusty bionic sidekick. </blockquote><br /><a name="more"></a>When one thinks about it, it makes perfect sense: A Jules Verne-inspired creation meeting a plot similar to "The Bruce-Partington Plans." The fascinating part will be how this all rolls out across a variety of platforms. According to the creators, multi-channel publishing will give readers a choice in how they consume content.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySA_MiW6BbYYV17t24DE1VyzYUjO8k3weBqWo4SEem1xUDF5sGmxnH-KCSevfIx7YkMyIMEeaXYyPxRDgHgAmqFLjeIrk3lYPiT9_DMV47azacsK7GAIphAl77At2QM6Oh0_A2emRzl9r/s1600/Masthead+with+ACD+Seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySA_MiW6BbYYV17t24DE1VyzYUjO8k3weBqWo4SEem1xUDF5sGmxnH-KCSevfIx7YkMyIMEeaXYyPxRDgHgAmqFLjeIrk3lYPiT9_DMV47azacsK7GAIphAl77At2QM6Oh0_A2emRzl9r/s640/Masthead+with+ACD+Seal.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">A complete edition of every book in the series will be published on each of the following platforms:<br /><ul><li><b>The Web Edition</b></li>- A yearly subscription gives you access to the fist interactive novella as well as the seven planned sequels. </ul><ul><li><b>The Tablet Edition</b></li>- Initially developed for the iPad, we plan to eventually create interactive editions for Android and other Tablets. </ul><ul><li><b>The eReader Edition</b></li>- for those folks who just want to read the text on their Kindle, Sony, or other eReader we'll have an edition for them too. </ul><ul><li><b>The Audiobook Edition</b></li>- for those readers who love to listen to audiobooks while driving or cleaning the house, we have a dramatized audiobook that is about two shakes from being completed. </ul><ul><li><b>The Print Edition</b></li>- We love to curl up with a paper book as much as the next person and so we'll have an illustrated printed edition as well.</ul></blockquote>And here's a preview for what you can expect from them (email and RSS readers, please click through to view the video):<br /><br /><br /><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360px" src="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/369012565/steampunk-holmes-for-the-ipad/widget/video.html" width="480px"></iframe></center><br /><br />If you'd like to get more information, their site <b><a href="http://www.steampunkholmes.com/">Steampunk Holmes</a></b> and their Twitter account <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/SteamHolmes"><b>@SteamHolmes</b></a>, are two valuable resources, as well as <b><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/369012565/steampunk-holmes-for-the-ipad">the Kickstarter page</a></b> that describes the project in great detail.<br /><br />But for an even more valuable resource, we thought we should go straight to the Steampunk Holmes team, as represented by Richard Monson-Haefel, who was kind enough to answer these interview questions.<br /><br /><b><i>1. Why Steampunk Holmes?</i></b><br />Back in 2009 after seeing Sherlock Holmes movie by Guy Ritchie (3 times) my interest in Sherlock Holmes was re-ignighted and I started reading his adventures again.  I found that in my older years I could really appreciate the complexity of the stories and Arthur Conan Doyle's style much better than I did as a kid.  I just fell in love with the stories all over again.  It was about that time I also re-read <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0440423627/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0440423627">The Difference Engine</a></i></b> by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling which is, in my opinion, the first modern steampunk novel.  I had read it years before "steampunk" became a genre and it remains one of my favorite books. After reading that it seemed natural to combine two loves: Sherlock Holmes and Steampunk into one series of adventures, so that's what I did. <br /><br /><b><i>2. The Steampunk movement has been around since the early 1990s and traditionally incorporates the Victorian era. Why has no one ever tried adapting Sherlock Holmes to Steampunk before? </i></b><br />I'm not sure. It seems obvious enough once you've thought of it but it just never - to my knowledge - was done before.  We have all these mashups right now like Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper (there must be a dozen of those) and even stranger, cooler things like <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446563080/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0446563080">Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter</a></b></i> (which is excellent by the way) but no one seemed to spot the obvious mashup of Sherlock Holmes and Steampunk until we came out with it. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbMHs5dyBthBgqWfYdadiNYrc6kjm9KqiGizip4vTiYKelbXCdeb_CpErYCua7zDnKifLAS6NfBgOpEV1tpC_Lzulxsn_3KyWVENlJp2uwJVGfVOD-TiGyZRogkf3m_44bSktCpp5zYnm/s1600/Excerpt+-Nautilus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbMHs5dyBthBgqWfYdadiNYrc6kjm9KqiGizip4vTiYKelbXCdeb_CpErYCua7zDnKifLAS6NfBgOpEV1tpC_Lzulxsn_3KyWVENlJp2uwJVGfVOD-TiGyZRogkf3m_44bSktCpp5zYnm/s1600/Excerpt+-Nautilus.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><b><i>3. What are some of the challenges in working with Holmes in Steampunk? The advantages? </i></b><br />The biggest challenge with Holmes and Steampunk is preserving the essence of the characters (Holmes, Watson, Mycroft, and Lestrade) while putting them in a completely different universe.  P.C. Martin (the author) and I struggled and argued and discussed everything about Holmes and the other characters and how to make them steampunk without loosing the essence of who they are.  It was very challenging but in the end I think we did a pretty good job.  P.C. Martin also worked very, very hard to get the narrative style to match Arthur Conan Doyle and at this I think she succeeded. It reads to me just like one of his stories only with steampunk devices.  The biggest advantage was the fact that we love Sherlock Holmes, which makes a project like this a total joy to work on. But we are not the only ones: the rest of the world loves this Consulting Detective as well.  I found out that Sherlock Holmes is the most recognized fictional character in history. In history! That makes title recognition really easy. People know what to expect when they see the name "Sherlock Holmes".  Adding the Steampunk part was easy because its just so fun to do a mashup and steampunk is so very cool. It puts a cool twist on a beloved character. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFy_bTEsCuTdvZ7QFezYUWf87MDDCKgj9hpCTCUiptn6jNPiyGT31wwx_Utpt4ZhNIPEUs9CDuJFcgc1dU2woQMstaC0-iMloBalXPiRckSrcM2INlDepUz8umU_HUiYKxPUDbrlvFEV6/s1600/Steampunk+mycroft+portrait1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFy_bTEsCuTdvZ7QFezYUWf87MDDCKgj9hpCTCUiptn6jNPiyGT31wwx_Utpt4ZhNIPEUs9CDuJFcgc1dU2woQMstaC0-iMloBalXPiRckSrcM2INlDepUz8umU_HUiYKxPUDbrlvFEV6/s320/Steampunk+mycroft+portrait1.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><b><i>4. Your Mycroft is female. Why the choice to change Mycroft's gender? Is she still part of the British government? </i></b><br />I really enjoy a story with a strong female character. I'm a huge Buffy fan, and don't get me started on Ripley of Alien.  When I set out to create this series I had to have a strong female character. I thought about Holmes or Watson, but that sounded too obvious. I also thought about Moriarty, but then I remembered Holmes' brother Mycroft and how much respect Holmes has for him. He stated in the original story that Mycroft is as capable, if not more capable, than Holmes himself. There it was: Mycroft was to be my strong female character. Mycroft is, in every way, Holmes equal and that will be important because Sherlock and Watson can't handle what's coming down the road by themselves.  When you look at how Mycroft is depicted, there is really nothing about the original character that requires a fixed gender except Victorian gender trappings. With steampunk you keep what you like about Victorian England and toss out the rest.  We tossed out a strong gender bias.  Mycroft is still a part of the government, and in fact its her role as head of the British Secret Service that brings her and Holmes together on this case in the first place and will make her a pivotal character through out the seven book series. <br /><br /><b><i>5. Will Holmes's traditional arch-enemy Professor Moriarty be making an appearance in the series? </i></b><br />I have to be careful here so that I don't reveal too much. A Sherlock Holmes series without Moriarty is kind of unthinkable and we are not about to make that mistake. Moriarty is in the series. I'll leave it at that. <br /><br /><b><i>6. How has the feedback been from Sherlockians so far? </i></b><br />You know I was a little concerned about other Sherlockians taking offense to this project, but I've been really happy to see that they are very supportive. I have not yet heard a single negative statement about what we are doing from a Sherlock Holmes fan. In fact, the feedback has been very positive and supportive. I suppose there will be a few folks who don't like it and we respect that, but I think the movies and the T.V. series has smoothed the way and so Sherlockians seem not only to accept what we are doing but support it. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbEiFBlxH6THJWMlAWsyPDS8jaQfGt9o12BXWMF0dfr7JpsEpU6T6xLfX4jF6GGSQDFuEjDenJaSWVzIIq_fX2HW1cl5YcvOacBjpadbDCep1tRD_Cqr5-VFWhA1a1iZlH9L3BKg4s_sz/s1600/Steampunk+Cast.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbEiFBlxH6THJWMlAWsyPDS8jaQfGt9o12BXWMF0dfr7JpsEpU6T6xLfX4jF6GGSQDFuEjDenJaSWVzIIq_fX2HW1cl5YcvOacBjpadbDCep1tRD_Cqr5-VFWhA1a1iZlH9L3BKg4s_sz/s1600/Steampunk+Cast.PNG" /></a></div><br /><b><i>7. How has the Steampunk universe viewed this project? </i></b><br />They love it!  The Steampunk universe is very supportive of creative mashups and we have received nothing but praise from the steampunk community. <br /><br /><b><i>8. If the project isn't funded, will you be able to resubmit it for consideration? </i></b><br />I think we can get it funded if everyone who loves this idea can pitch in. What I've found out is that most Sherlockians and Steampunks love this idea. Our concept has been validated and so if we happen to miss the mark we'll definitely keep going. We started this about a year ago as a self funded project and nothing, not even a lack of funding, is going to stop us.  9. What can our readers to do help, in addition to pledging to support the project? <br /><br />At this point <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/369012565/steampunk-holmes-for-the-ipad"><b>pledging money is the most important thing people can do</b></a>.  If you like this idea then please help us get it funded. Just <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/369012565/steampunk-holmes-for-the-ipad">go to Kickstarter and pledge what you can</a>.  That said, we can always use more tweets and Facebook "Likes" from fans.  It's this kind of grass roots support that will make or break the project in the long run. If people don't know about it they can't judge the product and discover how great it is. We've put quality ahead of everything, even marketing, so people who find out about it generally love it. The problem is making people aware of the project in the first place. <br />--<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYt48ttg337VscMs6B2fyHeF-60O1yw0Kh4c61beI4zxhIKA5GCIzMFGHiatfuoanFBCMF5mYjIcf7-V2kZ0DeBTERUcpNKwI-pgXz4VcpY6py9YlRdSNGM4d_WgdiRmYWmOVgPjSbNyn/s1600/Widowmakr-banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYt48ttg337VscMs6B2fyHeF-60O1yw0Kh4c61beI4zxhIKA5GCIzMFGHiatfuoanFBCMF5mYjIcf7-V2kZ0DeBTERUcpNKwI-pgXz4VcpY6py9YlRdSNGM4d_WgdiRmYWmOVgPjSbNyn/s640/Widowmakr-banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Widowmakr</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />So there you have it, friends. <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/369012565/steampunk-holmes-for-the-ipad">Steampunk Holmes needs your help</a>. Please share this post via Facebook, Twitter, email or any other method. And more importantly, pledge your support. Even a modest amount helps, and there are benefits for getting involved at a number of levels (see the Kickstarter page for that). Wouldn't it be cool if one of the rewards were something like the Widowmakr? <br /><br />