I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

A Stylistic Analysis of the Lost Sherlock Holmes Story

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"His effort to conceal his own writing" [HOUN]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdM9UY4pYdp8aqbfESPOLtvnsbClQCIzvqRS0zCpUJ2jMqN-bjYOrTOcKAmep1WI_9nCjOt-CDpSUC3fu-SR7jMIbj9KxGo0sW0fNl-SaFVw7cai1nL2yQ_EyUsbuDRECyFiqkn_lNpimK/s1600/Sherlock+Holmes+Museum+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdM9UY4pYdp8aqbfESPOLtvnsbClQCIzvqRS0zCpUJ2jMqN-bjYOrTOcKAmep1WI_9nCjOt-CDpSUC3fu-SR7jMIbj9KxGo0sW0fNl-SaFVw7cai1nL2yQ_EyUsbuDRECyFiqkn_lNpimK/s1600/Sherlock+Holmes+Museum+book.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Recently a discovery was made of <a href="http://ihose.co/LostStory" target="_blank">a ‘lost’ or ‘new’ Sherlock Holmes story</a>. Recovered from the attic of an 80 year-old Scotsman, it tells the tale of Holmes trying to deduce why Watson won’t take a trip with him, and where the doctor is going instead.<br />
<br />
The 1336-word piece reads like it might be an opening scene at Baker Street. But it isn't especially well-written, and many people have opinions about whether or not it was actually written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself. The most common criticism is the fact that it doesn't seem like his style. For those of us who are familiar with his writing on a deep level, recognizing his style is something of a hobby within a hobby.<br />
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By this point it will be unnecessary to recap the main points of the story of the story, but it <i>is</i> necessary to say that there are those who believe in the tale (titled <i>Sherlock Holmes: Discovering the Border Burghs, and, by Deduction, the Brig Bazaar</i> – a very atypical title as far as Sherlock Holmes stories go) and those who don't.<br />
<br />
If you're just jumping in for the first time, you might be interested in reading <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/02/conan-doyle-didnt-write-lost-sherlock.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a previous analysis undertaken by Mattias Boström</a> on these pages.<br />
<br />
<h4>
"When you have eliminated the impossible..." [SIGN]</h4>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor" target="_blank">Occam’s Razor</a> tells us that the explanation with the fewest steps is the one most likely to be correct. Circumstantially, this could very well have been written by Conan Doyle. We know he visited the Border Burghs when this was written, and that he had direct dealings with the subject matter discussed in the story. But, there is one big strike against his authorship here: <b>nowhere in the publication (<i>The Book o' the Brig</i>) is he listed as the author</b>.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?"<br />
"To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time."<br />
"The dog did nothing in the night-time."<br />
"That was the curious incident," remarked Sherlock Holmes.</blockquote>
While that omission might be a significant clue, it isn't itself necessarily conclusive. It occurred to me that there may be a way to make a determination by using something that would make Holmes himself proud – <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_linguistics" target="_blank">forensic linguistics</a>. By comparing this to other known writings by Conan Doyle, we have an opportunity to see if they match. If we look at phraseology, idiolect, and word usage can we get a final answer?<br />
<br />
I should mention here that I am not an expert on the English language. However, it does not take one to be able to compare. That is what I will do here. I will leave the really deeper investigation of gerunds, colligation, syntax, etc. to the professionals.<br />
<br />
I started this article with a fairly certain notion of what I would find, but I may have been too hasty. Regardless, let’s take a look at what was found.<br />
<br />
<h4>
"He told us of similar cases" [HOUN]</h4>
To begin with, does any part of this story correspond with other Doyle pieces?<br />
<br />
Compare the following:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Perhaps not with your tongue, my dear Watson, but certainly with your eyebrows." ["The Adventure of the Resident Patient"]</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"By word, no; but by your action you have revealed the bent of your mind." ["The Brig Bazaar"]</blockquote>
[<b><i>Editor's note:</i></b> we'll be using <a href="http://ihose.co/ABREV" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the Jay Finley Christ abbreviations</a> for the 60 Sherlock Holmes stories; the new piece will be referred to as BRIG.]<br />
<br />
In the above exchanges Holmes has stunned Watson with his deductions about the good doctor's private thoughts. This is something we see in several Holmes cases. The similarity of the above two passages seemingly reflects Doyle’s hand, but it would not be impossible for anyone else to do this. In fact, thousands have.<br />
<br />
When it comes to certain words or phrases, we find a fairly even mixture of meshing with known Doyle. The shortness of this piece makes it difficult to find many, but there are examples.<br />
<br />
The following is a list from BRIG that matches known Doyle writings:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>"up-to-date" – used in the novel <i>A Duet</i></li>
<li>"by hook or by crook" – "by hook or crook" [VALL]</li>
<li>"thought I" – "thought I to myself" [STUD]</li>
<li>"so far so good" – "So far so good." [CHAS]</li>
<li>"so-called" – used no fewer than six times but never in quotation marks</li>
<li>"stuck to me" – "you might have stuck to Mordecai Smith" [SIGN] and "he stuck to her as true as man could be" [COPP] and "artillerymen who had stuck to me." <i>The Mystery of Cloomber</i></li>
<li>"blue-pencilled” – used in Conan Doyle's autobiography <i>Memories and Adventures</i></li>
<li>"retailing” – used in the novelette <i>The Parasite</i> in the same context</li>
<li>"lilting” – used in the poem "Ragtime!"</li>
</ul>
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<br />
Words or phrases for which we do not find a match:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>"romancists"</li>
<li>"attitude antagonistic"</li>
<li>"buttonhole" (never used by Doyle as a verb, only a noun)</li>
<li>"something in the air"</li>
<li>"stiff argument"</li>
<li>"loq.-" (this is used as a stage direction, or to inform a reader that someone is about to speak, in a play)</li>
</ul>
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The line "I ordered a tin of tobacco, wrapped my cloak about me, and spent the night in thought," [BRIG] is a very non-Doyle/Holmes sentence. There are sites that have transcribed this line as "a <i>ton</i> of tobacco" in error. While Holmes may have used the occasional idiom, he never used this one.<br />
<br />
To compare his usage of a measurement, we have the following from HOUN:<br />
"My body has remained in this armchair, and has, I regret to observe, consumed in my absence two large pots of coffee and <i>an incredible amount</i> of tobacco." [Emphasis ours]<br />
<br />
"Wrapped my cloak about me" is a little odd, as well. The term cloak appears about a dozen times in the Canon, and Holmes used most of those, but never when referring to his dressing gown. We have to assume that’s what he meant since it’s very likely he didn’t wrap his "long gray travelling-cloak" around himself to keep warm.<br />
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<h4>
"It is a hobby of mine to have an exact knowledge of London." [REDH]</h4>
The reference to Sloan Street as the home of Holmes ("The familiar house in Sloan Street met my bewildered gaze." [BRIG]) is one of the most telling discrepancies. There is no Sloan Street in London, but there is a Sloane Street about two miles from Baker Street. There is, however, a Sloan Street in <i>Edinburgh </i>– the birthplace of Doyle and a city that appears in the story.<br />
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<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/AVvXsEjN8UfmAHKumAV1TVZSh1wuuxdiAydQAdAIZjK4SYFVppwg1nA4TWe32jQCOQHAfjGP2hinDhgmN1-hvvB6qMuoxxwChU39AImWwakMMvjIv0mTF_GSLHqcnXUjy2EUMMxnlgAbrpeZ4rkU/s1600/Sloan_Street,_Edinburgh_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8UfmAHKumAV1TVZSh1wuuxdiAydQAdAIZjK4SYFVppwg1nA4TWe32jQCOQHAfjGP2hinDhgmN1-hvvB6qMuoxxwChU39AImWwakMMvjIv0mTF_GSLHqcnXUjy2EUMMxnlgAbrpeZ4rkU/s1600/Sloan_Street,_Edinburgh_001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sloan Street in Edinburgh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
The line "'Sherlock Holmes!' [You may] As well talk of interviewing the Man in the Moon" may have a deeper meaning than just a comparison of trying to locate and interview Holmes.<br />
<br />
In 1899 a play was produced in New York City by George Lederer. The play was titled "The Man in the Moon" and strangely featured both Doyle and Holmes as characters. It ran for 182 performances, and received decent reviews. While this is not a definitive connection, it <i>is</i> only a few years before BRIG appears.<br />
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<h4>
"there was somethin' wrong; compasses, or map, or somethin'" [STUD]</h4>
The line "Do you mind a run down to Scotland?" seems out of place with Doyle's knowledge of the country. Why does Holmes ask Watson to go "down" to Scotland? The town in this story, Selkirk, is 370 miles <u>north</u> of London. Is this a slip-up on the part of the true author?<br />
<br />
Furthermore, as Holmes excuses himself from traveling, he notes that he is busy with an "inquiry into the 'Mysteries of the Secret Cabinet.'" Nowhere in the Canon does Sherlock Holmes give a literary title (and certainly not a capitalized one at that) of the cases he's working on.<br />
<br />
<h4>
"4. Knowledge of Politics. - Feeble." [STUD]</h4>
Finally, we hear that Watson is considering "another Parliamentary contest." Another? Is there evidence of him running before? Even with all of the inconsistencies we find in the Canon, I doubt that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would have made this mistake. <br />
<br />
If Doyle wrote this as a fundraiser and used the name of his master detective (albeit with quotation marks around Holmes's name) then he was pretty sloppy with it. Could he have expected people to take this seriously? Did he think that his famous creation could appear in a story fraught with problems and inconsistencies and no one would care or notice? What were his reasons for such a poor job? And why doesn't his name appear on it if he is trying to help raise money for a good cause and good friends? The answer could be that he isn't the author. <br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Read the opening frame of "Sherlock Holmes" story again. Clearly a spoof. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeShallNotBeFooled?src=hash">#WeShallNotBeFooled</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
— Baker Street Journal (@BakerStJournal) <a href="https://twitter.com/BakerStJournal/status/568870200034119680">February 20, 2015</a></div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

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<br />
The brevity of the story counters the necessity and ability to look for more details, and prevents any level of investigative depth that would assist in a definitive answer. There is evidence for and against Doyle's authorship, but my gut still tells me that this isn't his. However, the clues keep us swaying to and fro. Perhaps one day something will come to light that will settle the authorship question and the writer will be unmasked. Who that person is remains to be seen.<br />
<br />
<br />
[<b><i>Editor's note:</i></b> Vincent W. Wright has been a member of The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis since 1997. He discovered his love for Holmes in the late 1980s when he was given tattered copies of <i>The Annotated Sherlock Holmes</i>. It was in those pages he found his true calling as a Sherlockian - studying the chronology of the Canon. Vincent runs a blog and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Historical-Sherlock/314567048570655">Facebook Page</a> called <a href="http://historicalsherlock.blogspot.com/">Historical Sherlock</a>, and is a member of four scion societies. Vincent had two pieces published in Sherlock Holmes in the Heartland, and was runner-up in the 2010 Baker Street Journal Essay Contest.This is his first contribution to <b>I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</b>.]<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/aPR13K" target="_blank">Elliott Brown (Flickr)</a></span><br />
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--<br />
<br />

A Stylistic Analysis of the Lost Sherlock Holmes Story

"His effort to conceal his own writing" [HOUN] Recently a discovery was made of a ‘lost’ or ‘new’ Sherlock Holmes story . Rec...

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by Vincent W. Wright

Your Chance to Win Big on IHOSE

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"an examination by experts" [FINA] </h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTn_jVCdKa9BVGyqV-E1YCR6Q5ykRoZZghW45PgpCGWBhdS7EcBcVcJCS_ZF5Joqs9hXyA8t_FTFTESdsnSJXlIAQ3xkOjS0TMSYQIkuiAhQQDTq0jq994qH1MIE5MavDJGhIa1SFq8mfL/s1600/IHOSE_caption+19+-+RESI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=""Calm down, the questions won't be THAT difficult."" border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTn_jVCdKa9BVGyqV-E1YCR6Q5ykRoZZghW45PgpCGWBhdS7EcBcVcJCS_ZF5Joqs9hXyA8t_FTFTESdsnSJXlIAQ3xkOjS0TMSYQIkuiAhQQDTq0jq994qH1MIE5MavDJGhIa1SFq8mfL/s1600/IHOSE_caption+19+-+RESI.jpg" title="Worried over a little questioning" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We're very excited to announce a new feature of our monthly podcast - one that involves <u><b>you</b></u>.<br />
<br />
For the last few months, we've been in discussion with Nick Martorelli, a New York-area Sherlockian. Nick is a dastardly quiz maker whom we've had the pleasure of meeting a number of times during the <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/" target="_blank">BSI Weekend</a>. He is also involved with <a href="http://p.feedblitz.com/t3.asp?/45933/38026287/4901873/https://prioryscholarsnyc.wordpress.com/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzEmail&utm_content=45933&utm_campaign=0">The Priory Scholars of NYC</a> and has offered many devilish quizzes at their meetings. We thought that Nick's talents would be put to great use on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere.<br />
<br />
If you've listened to NPR shows like <i><a href="http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/" target="_blank">Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!</a></i> and <i><a href="http://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/" target="_blank">Weekend Edition Sunday</a></i>, you'll know that there are opportunities for listeners to participate in quizzes. In the former, a guest typically plays on behalf of a listener - the prize is Carl Kassell's voice on their answering machine. On the latter, the listener plays live on the air and the prize is a book or some NPR tchochke.<br />
<br />
As <i>I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</i> (the podcast) has a connection with NPR - we've been called "a cross between NPR's <i>Car Talk</i> and <i>Fresh Air</i>" - we thought it would be entirely appropriate to model our own quiz program after the two above.<br />
<br />
Our new feature during the show will be called "<b>Mental Exaltation</b>" and here's how it will work:<br />
<ul>
<li>Each month, we'll post a qualifying question to determine a listener who'll play / be played for on the program. Winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries.</li>
<li>If you'd like to enter, you must <a href="http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub&publisher=445106&sitescope=45933" target="_blank">subscribe to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere by email</a>.</li>
<li>We'll either have a guest play on your behalf or we'll patch you into the show to have you play over the phone or Skype.</li>
<li>If your player or you succeeds in passing the test, you'll have your choice of prizes: a random item from our I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Grab-Bag of Goodies (that's the IHOSE GBG), or your choice of a voice* from <i>The Simpsons</i> or of a member of the Baker Street Irregulars on your answering machine.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<i>*Voice must be chosen from one of the following:</i><br />
<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/82406792&color=ff6600&show_artwork=false" width="100%"></iframe>

<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>Qualify now</b></h4>
Our first quiz recording will take place on Sunday, March 1. You have until <b>Saturday, February 28 at 11:59 pm ET</b> to qualify. And here's how to enter:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe frameborder="0" height="750" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PVpJ5AGcabHS5sKtNohBXfKN8FXvHuYQRo1MjmegoYc/viewform?embedded=true" width="650">Loading...</iframe>  </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
Good luck!<br />
<br />
--</div>
<br />

Your Chance to Win Big on IHOSE

"an examination by experts" [FINA] We're very excited to announce a new feature of our monthly podcast - one that involv...

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by Scott Monty

Remembering Alan Howard

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"such was the stately presence" [PRIO] </h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7hQ994GxBYMqmrzh7jphrwkZMPTLb3NPg-gtKdjJelIWIt42Hf4eD48mVbNgYlMUyRRNn2oSfy4r7bsMowb5b4uXIPPXDZToovr4dGb4LIR_lpunPZPGXTw_l3hGPdQmRhAVEW6oeC7G/s1600/Alan+Howard+as+the+Duke+of+Holdernesse.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Alan Howard as the Duke of Holdernesse in "The Priory School"" border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7hQ994GxBYMqmrzh7jphrwkZMPTLb3NPg-gtKdjJelIWIt42Hf4eD48mVbNgYlMUyRRNn2oSfy4r7bsMowb5b4uXIPPXDZToovr4dGb4LIR_lpunPZPGXTw_l3hGPdQmRhAVEW6oeC7G/s1600/Alan+Howard+as+the+Duke+of+Holdernesse.png" title="Actor Alan Howard" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Shakespearean actor <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0397102/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Alan Howard</a> passed away on February 14 at the age of 77. It was first announced in <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11423236/Alan-Howard-actor-obituary.html" target="_blank">The Telegraph</a>.<br />
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He was a widely acclaimed actor of the stage, having been associated with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre for decades. His uncle was actor Leslie Howard, known largely from his role as Ashley Wilkes in <i>Gone With the Wind</i>, and his cousin was Ronald Howard, who portrayed <a href="http://amzn.to/1FqoWUd" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes on U.S. television in the 1950s</a>.<br />
<br />
Sherlockians probably remember him as the Duke of Holdernesse in the Granada series <i>The Return of Sherlock Holmes</i> starring Jeremy Brett. The specific episode was of course "<a href="http://amzn.to/1BQ332K" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Priory School</a>."<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/7Z4g5TZYwP0?t=4m46s" target="_blank">Here Howard demonstrates perfectly</a> the description of the His Grace in the original story, who was "a stately presence who looked stonily at us":<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Z4g5TZYwP0?start=286" width="600"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
<br />
Without giving away any spoilers - you really should read the original "<a href="http://amzn.to/1BoV6SM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Adventure of the Priory School</a>" (or, if you must, watch the Granada version) - Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable sought Sherlock Holmes's help in finding Lord Saltire, son and heir to the Duke of Holdernesse. A missing German tutor, bicycle tracks, a country inn and the landscape of the northern country play a part in the mystery.<br />
<br />
But when Holmes solves it and earns a hefty reward of £12,000 (that's approximately <b>$1.75 million today</b>!), it is a considerably more frank and emotional peer than previously encountered. In the story we're told that the Duke sat down and sank his face in his hands "with an extraordinary effort of aristocratic self-command." [PRIO]<br />
<br />
The icy coldness of Howard's interpretation of the Duke of Holdernesse seemingly melts away <a href="http://youtu.be/raB7pKhcx8A" target="_blank">in the final scene</a>:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/raB7pKhcx8A" width="600"></iframe>
</div>
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<br />
R.I.P. Alan Howard (1937 - 2015)<br />
<br />
--<br />
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Remembering Alan Howard

"such was the stately presence" [PRIO] Shakespearean actor Alan Howard passed away on February 14 at the age of 77. It was ...

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by Scott Monty

Interview with Author Kim Krisco on Sherlock Holmes -The Golden Years

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"peaceful in the golden evening" [HOUN]</h4>
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<br />
What happened to Sherlock Holmes in those years between his beekeeping retirement in 1903 and his return as Mr. Altamont in "His Last Bow?"  Kim Krisco reveals the answers in his touching anthology, <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1Fh6RIb" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: The Golden Years</a></i>, an intriguing book that is both short story collection and novel at the same time.  I had the opportunity to interview this fellow Coloradan via email while he was on vacation, basking away in the warm Mexican sun. <br />
<div>
<br />
<h4>
<b>1.  Your book, <i>Sherlock Holmes - The Golden Years</i>, is unique in that it is a collection of five short stories that interconnect to create a novel.  What made you decide to write a Sherlock Holmes book in this format?</b></h4>
The idea of creating a hybrid story/novel format is something that evolved. I had initially intended to let some of my characters move from story to story. However, as I wrote, my own desire to do a serious exploration of the Adler/Holmes relationship grew stronger. This resulted in Irene playing a key role in the first four stories, nearly transforming these stories into a novel – but not quite. The fifth story stands alone, and may begin an entirely new series of stories for my next book.<br />
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<b>2.  Your book has multiple settings from the magical hills of Scotland to the jungles of Africa.  How much research did you need to complete in order to make your settings believable and come alive on the page?</b></h4>
While I was committed to writing an authentic canonical set of adventures, I wanted to add more depth to the characters, and create richer historical backgrounds. I did tons of research to ensure that every detail in my book was 100% accurate. For example, when Holmes and Watson eat at Rules restaurant in London, what they eat is from the exact 1912 menu from that restaurant. Regarding settings, I went as far as to take a trip to Aviemore Scotland, and Ben Macdui Mountain, to get the details I needed for the first of my stories.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuyG7dJFaISCY2su74TGLhNYkHxGIrXrSD82bJQ37y5q1C8FRIOhmU51A3W15qRSKLFyM3CO-SDJlI1buYrlGflcHD_jaVURQ1g9Z4EtoNUJfatfxLfcUO0UrLYmy6DPAddJWNj1be0wL/s1600/kimkrisco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Kim Krisco, courtesy of https://sherlockholmesthegoldenyears.wordpress.com/2014/08/" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuyG7dJFaISCY2su74TGLhNYkHxGIrXrSD82bJQ37y5q1C8FRIOhmU51A3W15qRSKLFyM3CO-SDJlI1buYrlGflcHD_jaVURQ1g9Z4EtoNUJfatfxLfcUO0UrLYmy6DPAddJWNj1be0wL/s1600/kimkrisco.jpg" title="Kim Krisco" width="298" /></a></div>
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<b>3.  You introduce a new villain to the canon, Ciarán Malastier, an adversary similar to Professor Moriarty in his global reach.  How did this sinister character come about?</b></h4>
Hopefully, readers will see a theme that runs through all five of my stories having to do with eugenics in its many forms. Ciarán Malastier personifies, or embodies, the insidious nature of eugenics. Of course, as a writer, I also wanted a fitting rival to the infamous Moriarty. Readers seem to agree that Malastier is every bit as diabolical and clever as the Professor.<br />
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<b>4.  MX Publishing has announced that your novel will be translated and released in India.  What does this say about the global appeal of Sherlock Holmes and also your writing?</b></h4>
As you may know, Sherlock Holmes is THE most portrayed human fictional character in TV and films, according to Guinness World Records. He appears no less than 254 times in film and TV programs. The popular BBC series Sherlock is now seen in 180 countries around the world. The number of stories in which Holmes appears are nearly too numerous to count. Sherlock Holmes has become a fixed and unchanging point in a world that seems to be spinning on the edge of chaos. I am, simultaneously, pleased and humbled to know that S<i>herlock Holmes – The Golden Years</i> is becoming part of this enduring outreach to people around the world.<br />
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<b>5.  The question all Sherlockians dread!  If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one Sherlock Holmes story, which would it be and why?</b></h4>
I would pick "A Scandal in Bohemia" as my favorite story (not surprising, if you have read my book). Why?  Because this story brings three of Sherlock Holmes's most important attributes to life:<br />
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First, Holmes is outwitted, which makes him human. He’s not a superhero, so I can personally relate to him. In this way, Holmes becomes more real for me.<br />
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Second, as he does in many stories, Holmes exhibits a deep innate, and at times profound, understanding of right and wrong that transcends the law, and many social conventions.<br />
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Lastly, Holmes exhibits a seemingly paradoxical form of “unemotional compassion.” He accesses his heart through his head — which is something to which I can personally relate.<br />
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All of these special qualities are contained in this one story. I love it!<br />
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<b>6.  What are your current projects?</b></h4>
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As you know Derrick, because you’re a contributor to this project . . . I am currently working on a single Sherlock Holmes story that will be included in a special anthology, being assembled by David Marcum. This project will raise money for the <a href="http://www.saveundershaw.com/" target="_blank">Undershaw Preservation Trust</a>. I’m happy to be part of this effort to save the home where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote many of his Sherlock Holmes stories. I hope all your readers will buy this anthology when it comes out near the end of this year. Also, I’m also pulling together ideas for my next book in which the irregulars will play a key role.</div>
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<b>7.  Any last thoughts? </b></h4>
You have been kind and generous enough to invite me to participate in some Sherlockian events coming up later this year in the Denver area. Like you, I am committed to keeping Sherlock Holmes alive through my stories. Thanks for helping me get my book into the hands of readers who can echo with our cry “Sherlock Holmes is alive an well in the Denver area — and around the world!"</div>
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[<b><i>Editor's note</i></b>: This is Derrick Belanger's first post for us.  Derrick is an author and educator most noted for his books and lectures on Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Both volumes of his two volume anthology <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1AkREGo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural</a></i> were #1 best sellers on the Amazon.com UK Sherlock Holmes book list, and his MacDougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes chapter book, <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1AzS5vd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Attack of the Violet Vampire!</a></i> was also a #1 best selling new release in the UK.]<br />
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