Salmon, Andrew. Queensberry Justice: The Fight Card Sherlock Holmes Omnibus. Fight Card Press, 2017

Those of you who read pastiche are no doubt already familiar with Andrew Salmon and his work. I feel very fortunate to be able to present this interview about his writing career, his time with The Master and, of course, his new book, Queensberry Justice.

How did you “meet” Sherlock Holmes?

We weren’t formally introduced until about 10 years ago. Ha! But he’s a character one absorbs through osmosis. He is everywhere and has been everywhere so I’ve known about him all of my life via movies, TV shows, comics, radio dramas–but it wasn’t until 2008 that I sat down and read through the entire Doyle canon. The rest is history.

What is your favorite Canon story and why?

I have two actually, “The Empty House” and “The Three Garridebs.” Not for plot reasons — there really are too many great mysteries Holmes and Watson tackle to pick a favorite. What sets these two apart are the great character moments: Watson’s reaction to Holmes still being alive in the former, and Sherlock’s reaction when Watson is shot in the latter. Actions speak louder than words and their respective actions in these two tales say all one needs to know about the duo.

What is your favorite Sherlock Holmes pastiche and why?

Sadly for me, I can’t read the pastiches written by others. Not because I don’t want to, but, rather, because I lose my Watson Voice when I read it from other writers. As someone who loves writing Holmes and has had some success doing so, losing the Voice is not an option. The good news is I’ll have tons of Holmes tales to read when the time comes to hang up my deerstalker. I’m not a fan of tales told by anyone other than Watson as narrator, I should point out. There are a lot of really good ones, so I hear, but, for this reader, the greatest narrator in literature needs to tell me the tale.

What is your favorite movie or television portrayal of Holmes and Watson, and why? Were you inspired by any particular one of them?

My dream team of actors to play these iconic characters consists of Jeremy Brett and Jude Law. Never having been a fan of the bumbling Watson portrayal of years ago, Law’s Watson, for me, really nailed the character. He’s the Watson I see in my mind when I’m pounding away on a new Holmes tale. What can one say about Brett that hasn’t already been said? He IS Holmes.

Personally, this works for me.

When did you decide you wanted to become a writer?

Way back in 1982 — after seeing a movie! Hard for me to believe myself when I look back, but I was not a reader back then. Except for comics. Reading a book was the biggest waste of time imaginable for my 16 year-old self in ’82. Until I saw Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. With no background in prose reading, and certainly no interest whatsoever in writing, I came out of that movie wanting to write the sequel! The movie simply changed my life forever. The need to write, at that time, a Star Trek story consumed me. Watching the film, I was able to see, for the first time ever, the machinery of a story. How the plot unfolds, the weaving-in of themes, etc. So naive was I as I glimpsed behind the curtain, that I thought these techniques were unique to Star Trek! It wasn’t until later that I saw how the engine of a story worked for ALL stories. It has been a long haul since then, with many an interruption, but I kept plugging away and now I’ve been part of 29 books to date and many, many more on the horizon. My work has received great reviews and won awards. And it all began that June day in 1982.

Why did you decide you wanted to write about Sherlock Holmes?

It was by invitation – – and I turned it down! I was writing for a small press publisher, Airship 27, having a blast writing tales featuring public domain pulp heroes of the 30’s and 40’s — The Black Bat, Secret Agent X, G-Man Dan Fowler and the like. Great characters, great fun to read and write. When they decided to throw their deerstalker into the ring and produce a Holmes anthology of all original tales, I was well-known to them and they immediately offered me a spot in the book. Well, for the reasons stated above, I was not familiar with the canon at that time, so who was I to write a Holmes story? Working in writing and publishing, I had so much respect for what Doyle had achieved — a true literary phenomenon that has stood the test of time. Who was I to potentially muck up that tremendous reputation in any way? So I politely turned down the offer.

Then some time passed and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I had been offered a chance to not only write the two most popular characters in the history of fiction but, also, if done right, a chance to ‘contribute a verse’ to the Holmes legacy. Really, how could I pass it up? I had to at least try. A quick email to my editor at Airship, and he was glad to sign me on. Obviously it was time to get the Doyle canon off my wife’s bookshelf and read it for the first time. What followed was an epiphany similar to that bright June afternoon in the movie theater in 1982. I was immediately hooked by Holmes and Watson, as so many have been in the past, and today. But I was coming to the material more as a writer than as a reader. Could I WRITE these characters in the Victorian setting? Coming to the material with so much respect and trepidation, imagine my feeling of relief when the feel of a Holmes tale: language, setting, pacing, plotting, everything, just clicked in my mind. I just knew how to do it. I’m not saying I thought it would be easy — writing Holmes and Watson well is never easy — but I just KNEW I could do it. The Victorian voice popped up in my mind as if it had always been there. I’ve read my Dickens, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Collins, Thackeray, Flaubert, Hardy and Conrad and enjoyed them all. Learning to write in Watson’s Victorian style came with reading through the canon. The tools came easy to me, the crafting of the tale presented some problems, but I just felt comfortable in the world Doyle had created.

I finished up the tale, sent it off. My editor loved it and in the book it went. Imagine my surprise when the reviews started to come in and readers lauded my tale! Then it went on to win Best Short Story that year at an awards presentation. I couldn’t believe it! From that moment on, Holmes, Watson, and I have been intimate friends and I’ve since gone on to see published 7 more tales, which have also been nominated for awards and won an additional one. Holmes is where the heart is for me.

What inspired you to write this particular book?

QUEENSBERRY JUSTICE: The Fight Card Sherlock Holmes Omnibus is a collection of 3 short novels I wrote for Fight Card Books between 2013 and 2016. An imprint which focuses on re-creating the novella-length pulp action stories from the glorious days of fight fiction from the first half of the 20th century, Fight Card Books had produced many fun, punchy [“punchy”–haha] tales when they considered expanding the line. At a pulp fiction convention, editor Paul Bishop was kicking ideas around for expansion, and the concept of doing Fight Card Sherlock Holmes popped up. Of course, Holmes was an accomplished boxer as we know from “The Solitary Cyclist,” The Sign of Four, and “The Empty House,” and they thought they were on solid ground in placing Holmes in the ring.

But who was going to write it? My name came up as, like I said, I had begun to carve out a small corner of my own in the Sherlockian world and all agreed I was the writer to tackle the challenge. This was humbling news when I spoke to the editor on the phone when he pitched the idea. It was also inspiring. The challenge of creating a tale which would fit nicely within the Doyle canon while, at the same time, coming at the material in a slightly different way was daunting and took a LOT of research and pondering, but it all came together in the end. I wrote the first book, Sherlock Holmes: Work Capitol, and it was something of a hit with Sherlockians and fight fans alike. Readers and Sherlockian reviewers took to the tale and it snagged another award nomination for its writer. Having gotten off on the right foot, I wrote a total of three such tales over the next several years, bringing the trilogy to a close last year with Sherlock Holmes: A Congression of Pallbearers. This prompted editor Paul Bishop to consider collecting the three popular tales into an omnibus to feature a lot of behind-the-scenes information about the trilogy, cover and art galleries and so on. As characters crossed over from book to book, I thought I would include 3 brand new Holmes shorts stories to tie the tales together in the omnibus. Brilliant artist Mike Fyles got in on the action by designing the iconic, wraparound cover, and Queensberry Justice was born!

Can you provide a brief synopsis of your book?

The back cover blurb says it best:

Fight Card Books added a bold, new chapter to the rich literary tradition of Sherlock Holmes with the publication of the first Fight Card Sherlock Holmes tale, Work Capitol. The book was an instant hit and two more followed. These tales covering the years Holmes spent honing his fighting skills in and out of the boxing ring struck a chord with readers and garnered great reviews.

Now, for the first time, ALL three tales: Work Capitol, Blood to the Bone and A Congression of Pallbearers are collected in one action-packed volume. And more!

Exclusive to this collection:

3 Brand new Fight Card Sherlock Holmes short stories!

Foreword by Paul Bishop, the co-creator of Fight Card

New Introduction by Andrew Salmon

Cover Galleries for all 3 books

Sample pages from the handwritten manuscripts

An alternate version of one of the trilogy’s most dramatic scenes

How closely does your book hew to canon? Why or why not? Was this a conscious decision, or did it just happen?

I’ve written 9 Sherlock Holmes tales, 8 of which have been published to date. In every one of them, I have tried to stick religiously to the canon. It is very much a conscious decision. I don’t see any other way to do it. Some examples from Queensberry Justice: In Work Capitol, I include the scene Doyle alludes to in The Sign of Four when ex-boxer McMurdo mentions having fought an exhibition bout with Holmes a few years ago. Work Capitol opens with that bout. In “The Empty House,” Holmes remarks how a man named Mathews knocked out one of his canines in the waiting room at Charing-Cross. That fight is in Work Capitol. Watson teases us with a future relating of how Holmes met his personal doctor, Dr. Moore Agar in “The Devil’s Foot.” But never revealed it. Holmes, Watson and Dr. Agar meet for the first time in A Congression of Pallbearers, which rounds out the omnibus. Yes, the canon is of paramount importance to this writer and fan.

What did you most enjoy about writing your book?

There were two crucial components I had to nail down before I could even think of writing the tales in this collection. The first was steeping myself in the rich history of Victorian boxing, learning the terminology, and reading accounts from sports writers of the time to learn the fight language of that time, the rules and so on. Once I knew how Victorians described bare knuckle boxing bouts, the second problem kicked in. With Watson as my narrator, I had to then learn how HE would describe a bare knuckle boxing bout. Of course he would have access to the same sources as I did — though they were a wee bit more contemporary for him. Ha! Luckily I had so familiarized myself with Watson’s voice over the years writing Holmes tales, that it was challenging but ultimately rewarding to be able to slide the boxing into Watson’s manner of telling a tale. I’ve heard from many reviewers and Sherlockians that this new element has blended nicely and, for some, they felt as if they were reading Doyle’s Watson as they made their way through the tales. As there is no higher compliment that can be paid to a writer of Holmes tales; it is gratifying and humbling to be mentioned in the same breath with Doyle.

What was the hardest part about writing your book?

The description of the first fight. So many balls to keep in the air: the old terminology, filtering that through Watson, what technique would Holmes use, choreographing the fight, ensuring the fighters used the rules and methods of that time and so on. Nothing like this had ever been done with Holmes before and the pressure was on to get it right. The first Guy Ritchie film had scenes of Holmes fighting, but not with the true boxing rules thrown in; it was more of a backroom fighting pit. So to put Holmes in the boxing ring, fighting a true boxing match (with McMurdo from The Sign of Four in this case) that would ring true with boxing fans and Sherlockians was a great challenge and more than a little daunting. Once I’d pulled it off, I knew the future bouts would be easier. But that first one — Phew!

 Where did you get the idea for this book?

As I mentioned above, the concept was pitched to me by editor Paul Bishop. Regarding the plots, my initial research provided me with the plots for the 2nd and 3rd books in the omnibus before I landed on an idea for the 1st! I always try to draw my plots from the historical record. I adore sifting through history until my instincts latch on to something that seems particularly interesting and unknown today — such as the history of women’s Victorian boxing. Then another piece comes along, and another until your brain begins to piece together the elements drawn from all over the map so to speak and a plot begins to emerge to tie them all together.

Do you have a particular writing process? Would you like to share it with us?

Lots of research before writing word one. Whether it be historical research or just attaining a level of knowledge of the genre I’m working in, I prefer to lay in a solid foundation. After that it’s a matter of wrestling with the muse and keeping yourself surprised as you write that first draft. Be open to anything. I never outline, generally, other than a basic overview of what the story is about, and this keeps me free for that first draft. I don’t really know what my stories are about until that first draft is finished. My method for Holmes is to approach the writing as a reader. I’ll start out with a general overview: Holmes and Watson investigate a smuggling ring. That’s it. From this I consider elements that will, hopefully, make the investigation exciting and interesting to read (here’s where the research comes in). Once I’ve got a clue or two, I start writing. I let Holmes and Watson find these clues, examine and study them by their tried and true methods. Holmes doesn’t know the significance of these clues and neither do I! With my deerstalker in place, I consider what Holmes would do when presented with these clues. What would be his next step? And I write that scene. Then what?  And I write that. And so on. My thinking is that, if I don’t know where this is all going while I’m writing, then readers won’t know either, because I can’t give anything away in these scenes. Once I’ve reached the end of the draft and know what my story is as a whole, then I can go back during the revision process and smooth out any rough spots. The results, so far, have been a hit with readers.

Are you involved in any Sherlockian groups?

Not to any great extent, though I wish I were. I would love to attend the conventions as well. It’s a matter of time, I’m afraid. With so many writing projects, series in development, etc. I just don’t get to enjoy the fandom as much as I like. I do haunt various groups with an online presence on Facebook at other venues and it’s great fun. These groups are lively and spirited and truly enjoy the Sherlockian world. The best fans in the world.

Did your book require a lot of research? If so, did you uncover any especially interesting facts?

The tales in the omnibus required a LOT of research. I was well-grounded in Sherlockiana from my past Holmes tales but these were different as they were dealing with Victorian bare-knuckle boxing. With some digging, I found mountains of information, which surprised me, but also enabled me to re-create the look and feel of boxing at that time. The biggest surprise was discovering how prevalent women’s boxing was at that time. The sports writers of the time refused to cover it and thus very few accounts have survived and the rich history of women’s boxing has fallen through the cracks of history. Portraying this world through my female boxer, Eby Stokes, was a good way to honor these incredible women who fought and won championships in a vacuum. It was only two years ago that the best of these fighters were honored with induction into the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame with their male counterparts. The world is only just beginning to discover this forgotten history and I’m proud to be doing my part, through the omnibus, to shine a long overdue spotlight upon it.

Are you using Watson as a narrator?  Why or why not? If so, did you find it difficult to mimic his voice? Did you use any particular “tricks”?

I most definitely use Watson as the narrator. The greatest narrator in the history of fiction! You don’t leave a resource like that on the shelf. Watson humanizes Holmes who, let’s face it, is not always the most pleasant of people. But if Watson can be his stalwart friend, then so can we. I found his voice came quite naturally to me, which was a surprise going in. A pleasant surprise. As for ‘tricks’, my goal is to sound so much like him, you’re not sure if you’re reading Doyle or a pastiche.

Can you share some of the reviews you’ve received for this book?

The individual books have been reviewed by readers but were also featured at The Baker Street Babes, Pulp Fiction Reviews, and I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. As the omnibus contains the books these sites reviewed, I thought snippets from them would apply. Here are some quotes:

“In Blood to the Bone, Salmon tells a tale that not only would fit within the accepted canon of Holmes, but transcends pastiche and becomes a full-blooded rival to Conan Doyle’s work” — I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

“Salmon writes beautiful prose… but what sticks out most about this story is the lady fighter who is written as a much more complex character than Doyle usually wrote his female characters. She is strong and vulnerable, loving and vengeful, independent and a team player, and she gets an ending very deserving of her character” — The Baker Street Babes

“The female pugilist in the tale is Eby Stokes, and while this may upset some Holmes fans, she actually comes to overshadow the great detective. There is something highly compelling in Stokes, and she simply took over the book in many ways for me” — Yorkton This Week

“As is typical of all Salmon fiction, the plot bolts forth like a rocket propelling the narrative along at breakneck speed, all the way delving into the personalities of the players with a deft, often heart-warming perspective.  His ability to bring Holmes and Watson to life while at the same time lavishing us with local color, history and action galore is at its zenith in this offering.” — Pulp Fiction Reviews

What is your favorite moment in this book?

There’s a scene between Holmes, Watson, and Eby Stokes about halfway through Blood to the Bone, which makes it about the halfway point in the omnibus as well, that I’m especially proud of. I had originally written it from Watson’s perspective, then re-wrote from the perspective of Holmes as he described an important fight between Eby Stokes and an opponent. It culminates in Holmes uttering the title of the book, again a line from Doyle’s Rodney Stone. For me, it culminates all that is Fight Card Sherlock Holmes. It’s a boxing scene. It’s pivotal to the plot. It has a Doyle creation spouting a line from a separate Doyle work. It establishes Eby Stokes and her abilities for the first time. It’s character- driven. It even throws a nod to the recent movies. If I had to sum up the omnibus with one scene, this would be it. Fitting that the scene comes right in the middle of the omnibus because it’s everything the collection is about. The alternate version of the scene is included as an exclusive in the bonus material of the omnibus.

Who is your favorite character in this book?

Normally, Watson is my favorite character in any Holmes tale I write. I love the guy. But, for this collection, I created a character very near and dear to me who immediately struck a chord with readers. I’m referring to the female boxer, Eby Stokes, from the second book in the omnibus: Blood to the Bone – -a title, by the way, which came from Doyle’s Victorian boxing novel, Rodney Stone. My research for the first book in the omnibus, Work Capitol, revealed to me the unsung, utterly forgotten world of women’s Victorian boxing. I’ve heard from some readers who, while reading Blood to the Bone, thought I had created women’s Victorian boxing out of whole cloth only to find in the essays which accompany the book (and are included in the omnibus) that women did indeed box in Victorian times! Who knew? While writing the book, I created a female fighter, Liz Stokes, who enlisted Holmes and Watson to find her missing husband as they were part of a tag-team carnival boxing outfit.

I was just getting going on the tale when a dear friend of my wife’s and I, Linda Gavin, unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack. We were devastated and the book was put on hold while we tended to our grieving, her memorial service and so on. During this terrible time, I thought I would honor her legacy by renaming my female fighter Eby Stokes after Linda, whose maiden name was Eby.

This decision breathed life into the character until she leapt off the page! This was not totally unexpected from my standpoint while writing because I had given her a very personal connection to myself. Things got creepy when artist Mike Fyles stepped in. When it came time to design the cover, I sent him a few shots of Linda in her younger days (boxing is a young man’s and woman’s sport after all) with a request that he make Eby Stokes look like Linda on the cover to complete the homage. This cover is part of the cover gallery for the book in the omnibus and he caught her likeness beautifully. Only a little spookily as well. For, you see, he had her gathered hair running down over her left shoulder on the cover. In the photos I sent, her hair was always ran down her neck, out of view in the straight on shots I’d sent. And he chose to place her hair over her left shoulder. Well, for decades, Linda ALWAYS had her hair run down over her left shoulder. In EVERY photograph, she’d make a point of placing her hair that way before the photo was taken. I had never mentioned any of that to Mike! How could he have known to place the hair in that position? Like I said, spooky.

What surprised me was how quickly and how passionately readers took to Eby Stokes! She was near and dear to me but how could I have known she’d touch the hearts of readers! And continues to do so with her appearance in the third book collected here, Congression of Pallbearers.

Every writer dreams of creating a character that touches readers and becomes unforgettable. One can’t sit down and say “today I will create such a character”. If it was that easy to do, every character in fiction would be unforgettable. You do the best you can and the rest is up to the readers. I created and wrote Eby Stokes to honor my friend’s memory — that is all I could consciously do. The rest is between Eby and the readers. They adore her and want to read more about her. They will, that’s a promise. So for this omnibus, Eby outshines my good friend Dr. Watson.

Did you find that using Conan Doyle’s characters made this story easier or more difficult to write?

Easy, in that I have written Holmes and Watson so often now, they have become old friends. Writing Mycroft is a lot of fun as well. I do feel I need to do more with Mrs. Hudson and Lestrade, as there wasn’t much room for them in the 3 books that make up Queensberry Justice. However, familiarity doesn’t mean complete ease. One always has to strive to keep those characters in character. Sherlockians expect nothing less.

Did you include any original characters? Can you describe them for us?

I created ex-boxer Ben “Big Ben” Brophy to be Holmes’s and Eby’s boxing teacher, though he trained them separately. He’s a big, big-hearted man with a lust for life. He doesn’t appear much in the tales, but I felt he was worth mentioning.

The other is Eby Stokes. I’ve described how she came to be and the impact she has had above. She’s a brunette with deep blue eyes. She’s tall for a woman of that time. And an accomplished boxer and master of French Savate fighting — kickboxing in other words. She has been around, via her carnival life and general boxing career. She’s been to the continent and speaks German. Holmes is immediately drawn to her intellect — he does not suffer fools as we all know — and is content to have her along on their investigations to bounce ideas off of and get insight from. Watson is taken with her as well ,as she is a smart, capable woman who can also drop you on your backside if you annoy her. She’s methodic, well-mannered, practical, and determined. And she has a destiny which will play out in the omnibus. No spoilers! Ha!

What is your writing philosophy?

Know the genre you’re working in. By that, I mean be extraordinarily familiar with it through voracious reading of that genre. Also, in general, know the tropes and clichés intimately, so you can avoid them. Write hard, revise hard. I also try to avoid ramping things up too much, unless working in a genre that specializes in that. I’ve found through research that real life can be pretty damn exciting and fiction based on events or circumstances that actually happened provide a better read because, since they actually happened, they feel real to readers even though they may seem unbelievable. Truth is always stranger than fiction. Fiction is just more fun. It’s also very important to me to play straight with my characters. If you put a heroic character through the wringer, then give them a moment of triumph. They’ve earned it. If your character is an evil villain, he or she should pay for their crimes. Characters should get what they deserve while avoiding clichés in the process.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

There are only two things one has to do to be a writer: 1. READ, 2. WRITE. That’s it. If you are already a voracious reader, you’re a quarter of the way there. Not half — the writing takes up 75% of your education. And one must read critically. When a story snatches you up and takes your breath away, you have to go back to it and determine WHY you got caught up in it. Figuring out the story engine — as was revealed to me when I watched Wrath of Khan decades ago — will allow you to use that engine to take your breath away in YOUR stories. Once you’ve got a solid foundation in what makes a story work, then you’ve got to write such stories until your hands fall off from the practice. That’s it. I’ll add a crucial 3rd step: You have to love every minute of it! Because you’ll be doing it for 1000s of hours before you’re anywhere good enough to be taken seriously. And don’t be lured by the ease of self-publishing. Sure, you can publish anything you want, BUT, if it’s not good enough, no one will read it. Those who do will put you on their list of writers to avoid. You’ll only be hurting yourself if you publish too early. Get the practice in, be omnivorous in your reading and study the masters.

How did you feel when you first saw your book–in actual book form?

Queensberry Justice is the 29th published book I’ve been fortunate to either be a part of, or to write myself. Don’t let that number fool you. It is always special to see one’s work in print. A true writer never gets over that and savours it every time. This one was extra special because the team at Fight Card Books (myself, Paul Bishop, artists Mike Fyles and Carl Yonder) were able to create a truly original Sherlockian niche. As far as I’ve been able to determine, no one has ever written Sherlock Holmes tales centered around Victorian boxing before. Given the long, storied tradition of Holmes and Watson and the endless array of pastiches over the decades, to break new ground which adheres so closely to Doyle’s vision, is an accomplishment I’m immensely proud to be a part of. The collection, from design to content, was the best we could make as we felt nothing less than our best efforts served Doyle’s legacy. The omnibus was created with respect, love, pride and consideration. Holding the paperback in my hands for the first time was truly a wonderful moment.

How would you categorize your book? Is it mystery, thriller, horror, romance…?

I would certainly place it in the mystery/thriller genre. Fast-paced, a snarl of a mystery unfolding and the two best sleuths in all of fiction. And even a touch of espionage thrown in for good measure. It’s a collection of Sherlock Holmes mysteries done in the classic style with modern highlights.

What sort of reader is most likely to enjoy your book?

My respect for Holmes and Watson exceeds my respect for Doyle. Yes, the dynamic duo has become quite real to me and often carry out conversations in my head when I’m doing other things. Fascinatingly annoying, as I have to stop what I’m doing and write down what they say. And, no, I’m not deranged. I’m merely a writer. This is how we roll. I prefaced my response to the question with the above because I want to make it clear that my primary goal for any Holmes tale I sit down to write is to entertain the Sherlockian reader. If that’s not one’s primary focus, why bother writing Holmes? I’m confident Queensberry Justice accomplishes this for the most part. One can’t please everyone and there’s nothing wrong with that. Secondly, my aim is to engage readers of mysteries, action stories, thrillers. From my days writing the fast-paced action tales from the pulp years, I always want my stories to move. Hook the reader and keep things moving until they are breathless at the end. In short, this book is aimed at Holmes fans and anyone who likes to get caught up in a tale. 

Where can readers get a copy of your book?

The print edition is available wherever books are sold – Amazon Worldwide, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository, etc.  or, if it’s not in stock, it can be ordered from your favorite book shop if you prefer. The ebook is at Amazon Worldwide.

What’s next for you and Sherlock Holmes?

I plan to continue writing Holmes tales. I have one scheduled for potential publication in 2018 as part of a large anthology where I get to rub literary shoulders with some great writing talents. But before I get back to Holmes, I’m working on a series with Eby Stokes and other characters from the Queensberry Justice omnibus. This new series springs right from the pages of the collection and she will be working under the watchful eye of Mycroft Holmes, so the Holmes connection will persist in this new venture. I’m working on the first novel of the Eby Stokes series now and hope to see it published before the end of the year. I think it’ll be a lot of fun for Sherlockians and mystery fans alike.

To purchase the paperback via Amazon, paste the link in your browser:  https://www.amazon.com/Queensberry-Justice-Sherlock-Holmes-Omnibus/dp/1545370516/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Footnotes:

To read more about women in bare-knuckle box, see this link (and, of course, the notes in Queensberry Justice!):  http://historyofbkb.weebly.com/various-articles.html  and http://www.fscclub.com/history/fame-prize-e.shtml