Category Archives: Uncategorized

One of my Facebook friends messaged me to ask an interesting question – how does the canon influence my writing? I thought, ah-ha! Great idea for a blog…

The canon is always at the heart of anything I write with regard to Sherlock Holmes. I just like to put my own spin on things.

For some, the goal is to recreate the voice of the original stories so accurately that when people read it, they feel like they have stumbled across a lost work by Doyle – or even Watson himself.

I greatly admire those who take this approach, even more so if they manage to pull it off. But for me, the creative challenge lay in not trying to replicate, but rather trying to innovate – take the canon as a starting point and re-tell it in a fresh new way which would appeal to not only existing fans…

Undershaw’s future has finally been resolved after years of dereliction and threat of unsympathetic development. I am delighted to hear that the new owners are actually an independent school called Stepping Stones which specialises in educating children with special needs, including autism.

The character of Sherlock Holmes is regarded by many as having autistic tendencies and reading of his adventures has been an inspiration to those who share some of these traits. So this seems like a very favourable outcome which will bring new life to the building Doyle lovingly created.

Stepping Stones want to see how the legacy and history of Undershaw can serve the children and I think this is a wonderful way to honour the memory of Doyle and his most famous creation. Their curriculum has a strong emphasis on creativity so I’m sure the new surroundings will provide much inspiration – just as they did for…

Ever since I jumped into the Sherlock Holmes scene with both feet a few years ago, I’ve been conscious of the issues of gender and feminism that underlie the current surging interest in the detective. One of the first things I learned, one that amazed me, was that the Baker Street Irregulars, respected international Holmes organization, did not admit women until the year 1991. I also learned that in past years, women who wanted to be active in the world of Sherlock Holmes fandom (for it is a fandom, make no mistake), did not always have the easiest time of it. Even today, the issues of sex and gender are a complicated and sometimes unpleasant aspect of being in the Holmesian world.

And yet, this post is not meant to be in the least bleak, because, well, you can’t keep, as they say, good women down. In the late 1960s…