Mxpublishing's Blog

Yesterday’s court hearing to decide the fate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s former home, did not prove as decisive as everyone had hoped.  The judge has postponed the outcome and will not give a verdict until the end of July.

This must be so frustrating for all the fans and supporters who gave up their day to sit in court.  To me, the decision is clear – this historic building absolutely must be protected from unsympathetic development.  It will be a national disgrace if we, as a country, fail to take action against plans to destroy the home of one of our greatest writers and turn it into a housing development.

I don’t understand why the judge has delayed the decision (unfortunately I couldn’t attend court myself due to my husband being in hospital) and hope that ultimately sense will prevail.

At least no decision is better than the wrong…

I was reading a post recently on Facebook about autistic children who talk for hours at a time and I thought I would bring together the threads from my experience and the parents that contributed to try and shine a little light on why a child does this and what might help them change their experience, when it is causing them or their families distress.

1. When non-autistic people feel stuck with a problem, just explaining it to someone else, helps them get more clarity. Autistic people have explained that talking aloud helps them sort out their thoughts, perhaps this is just a much more intense version, of the above.

2. When people are ungrounded, which many autistic people are, with high levels of stress, people often talk very fast, sometimes without drawing breath.

3. When an autistic person is talking about their “pet” subject, then they are totally engrossed…

Yay!  My short story is being published in Sherlock’s Home . . . The Empty House.

Sherlockology and MX Publishing joined forces in support of the Undershaw Preservation Trust and offered Holmes fans the chance to have their own story published in an anthology called Sherlock’s Home, The Empty House.  The competition gained a massive response with nearly 400 entries from fans all over the world.

I decided to enter and am absolutely delighted that my story has been chosen, along with 31 other entries, to become part of this worthwhile publication.  The book will also include contributions from Undershaw patron Mark Gatiss and other famous supporters such as Stephen Fry and Douglas Wilmer.  (MX were not on the judging panel – just in case anyone thinks that’s why I got picked!)

It made me appreciate just how difficult short story writing really is.  I now have even more respect…

Would you like to make a real difference to all those people in London who struggle with literacy and numeracy? Imagine not being able to read a book or a newspaper, imagine what it is like not to be able to read to your children or help then with their homework. You can change all this by learning the skills in just 2 days to work with anyone why struggles with literacy, numeracy, dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia. You will teach people new skills in just an hour and see dramatic differences. Once they have just done a little practice over the coming days, they will have completely changed their experience. And this is all in day 1.

Day 2 gives you new skills for ADHD and other Autistic Spectrum challenges – you will be amazed at what you can achieve with a few simple how to’s.

What a great present…

To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex.

—A Scandal in Bohemia

On May 6th, PBS Masterpiece unleashed Steven Moffat’s stylish update of A Scandal in Bohemia on the United States. I had seen the episode previously, but I watched again and live tweeted with fans, an interesting mix of those who were seeing it for the first time and those who were repeating the experience.

Almost immediately, I was struck by two things: 1) I still intensely dislike the direction Steven Moffat chose to take Irene’s character, and 2) The episode is so beautifully and cleverly written that I love it in spite of that.

When I decided to write a novel (The Detective and The Woman) about Sherlock Holmes, one of my primary desires, one I…

My Dear Watson will go down in blog history as “the book that sparked a marital spat on the way to church.”**  And really, it’s no wonder, because the story itself is based on a controversial premise: What if Sherlock Holmes were really a woman?

That is, a woman masquerading as a man. As you no doubt know, there are plenty of historical precedents for this.*** These women decided to live as men for varied motives: to obtain an education, to find a military spouse, to work in traditionally male occupations (such as “pirate”), or because they were what we would refer to today as “transgender.” Lucy Holmes’ choice is made first out of necessity, and then out of a desire to fulfill what she sees as her life’s mission: to seek out and combat evil in all its forms.

This is not a choice she makes lightly. Until the…

Mild-mannered communications director (for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati) by day, mystery writer by night, Dan Andriacco discusses Sherlock Holmes, the mystery genre, and his own Sebastian McCabe/Jeff Cody series. Deftly planned puzzles solved by engaging characters, and written with a light touch, the McCabe/Cody (or Cody/McCabe) books track the adventures of two brothers-in-law  who find themselves–through absolutely no fault of their own–drawn into solving mysteries with a Sherlockian connection. Dr. Andriacco’s newest book, Holmes Sweet Holmes,  officially releases today.

How did you first meet Sherlock Holmes? 

I write about this in the first chapter of Baker Street Beat. Briefly, a boyhood friend told me about Sherlock Holmes and we used to act out the stories before I ever read them. I think I was about nine when I read The Boys’ Sherlock Holmes. I was in the seventh grade when I bought my own copy of the Doubleday

Alistair Duncan is well-known in Sherlockian circles for his non-fiction work. Beginning with an analysis of Holmes (and some other characters) both in the canon and on-screen in Eliminate the Impossible (London: MX 2008) continuing through Close to Holmes; The Norwood Author; and An Entirely New Country, Mr. Duncan continues to produce books that examine both Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle in the context of their environments. Mr. Duncan is also very active in the movement to preserve Undershaw, home of the Doyle family from 1897-1907, and where The Hound of the Baskervilles was written and Holmes’ return from the Great Hiatus was recorded. I asked him a few questions about his books, life as a writer, and his views on Undershaw….

Many writers who are drawn to Sherlock Holmes start writing pastiche. Why did you choose the non-fiction route?

I suppose I like to research and analyse facts and…

One day, while wondering how to vary blog content while still keeping with the book review theme, it dawned on me that readers tend to be interested in all aspects of book-making, not just the final product. With that in mind, I decided to ask several authors of books I’ve recently reviewed if they would like to answer some interview questions. Without exception, they all quite kindly agreed. I now plan to make this a fairly regular blog feature.

My first interview is with Amy Thomas, Baker Street Babe and author of the recently released and well-received The Detective and the Woman (London: MX, 2012), an adventure which teams Holmes up with the Woman, Irene Adler. This is Amy’s first book, and I wanted to get her take on what it’s like to be a new author, as well as her experience writing Holmes, and her views on the enigmatic…