Kathleen Kaska's Blog

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote dozens of novels, nonfiction books, plays, short stories, and articles concerning his passions, political beliefs, and spiritual experiences. These publications give insights to the creator of Sherlock Holmes that cannot be found in the Holmes Canon.

1.  What is the title of Conan Doyle's very first story? It was published in the Chamber's Journal.

2.  What is the title of his short story inspired by his stint as a ship's surgeon on the whaling vessel Hope when he was twenty years old?

3.  What is the name of his book in which he defends the sightings of magical creatures by two young girls in Yorkshire?

4.  What is the name of his 1896 novel about the world of boxing?

5.  What is the name of his 1929 book about explores who dive into the Atlantic Ocean to discover the lost city of Atlantis?

6.  In 1891, Conan Doyle and his wife traveled to Vienna. What did he write in order to finance the trip?

Match with the answers below:
The Maracot Deep
The Lost World
The Captain of the Pole-Star
The Doings of Raffles Haw
Rodney Stone
The Coming of Fairies


photo from google images: prairieghosts.com

          In a few days, I'm heading to Rockport, my favorite town on the Texas coast. So, it's only fitting that I write about Connie Hagar, an amateur ornithologist who turned the birding world on it feathered tail. Connie was a woman and birder after my own heart. She and her husband, Jack, moved to the small fishing village in the mid 40s simply so she could enjoy and study the birdlife. They purchased a small motor court and Jack started a fishing business. In no time, Connie had earned a reputation in the birding world that had professional ornithologist "flocking," (sorry about the pun) to the coast to accompany her in the field. Many arrived skeptical that this self-educated woman knew as much about the avian world as she claimed and questioned her published reports and field journals.
One such skeptic, Ludlow Griscom, employed by the Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology and known as the dean of American birdwatchers, came from Boston to scrutinize her findings.
          While studying Connie's notes in her living room, he said, "Surely, Mrs. Hagar, you don't mean that Wied's crested (brown-crested) flycatchers are present this far in Texas. Are you sure?"
          Connie responded, "Mr. Griscom, if you will move your chair back a bit and look out the window, you will see a pair building their nest."
          Impressed but not convinced, he then questioned her sighting of buff-breasted sandpipers. She brought him to a nearby location and showed him more buff-breated sandpipers then he had ever before seen.
          Soon the Hagars had a steady stream of birders and ornithologists staying at the Hagar's Motor Courts to go birding with Connie. Audubon presidents, John Baker and Carl Buchheister, Charlie Brookfield, Allan and Helen Cruickshank, Guy Emerson, J. Frank Dobie, and Roger Tory Peterson were regular visitors.

To learn more about the life of Connie Hagar, read Karen Harden McCracken's biography, The Life History of a Texas Birdwatch: Connie Hagar of Rockport, published by Texas A&M University Press in 1986. http://www.amazon.com/Life-History-Texas-Birdwatcher-Rockport/dp/1585441643

Next week: The Mockingbird

While researching my book, The Sherlock Holmes Triviography and QuizBook, I amassed a collection of Holmes reference books that now occupy muchof my bookshelf. Occasionally, I pull one down, dust it off, reread it, and amreminded of the enjoyment I experienced while gathering hundreds of Holmestrivia facts. One of my favorites is ASherlock Holmes Companion, a collection of essays and articles writtenabout Holmes and edited by Peter Haining. P. G. Wodehouse, Franklin Roosevelt,Basil Rathbone, Winifred Paget, John Bennett Shaw, and Sir Arthur Conan Doylecontributed to the compendium. Here are some great Holmes triviagleaned from Haining's book. If you haven't added it to your collection,you don't know what you're missing. 1.  In 1955, Sherlockian Nathan L. Bengis claims to havediscovered Sherlock Holmes' will in which the detective leaves Dr. Watson fivethousand pounds and any books he wanted, his dictionary went to Lestrade, acollection of poetry to Tobias Gregson, a copy of each of his monographs toScotland Yard, and the remainder of his estate to Mycroft. 2.  Conan Doyle published an article in the Strand magazine in March 1927, asking his readers to list theirtwelve best Holmes stories. Conan Doyle drew up his own list, placed it in asealed envelope, and gave it to the editor to be revealed and compared later. Feeling that his detective had outlived his time, Conan Doyle, in the article, announced his plan to bid farewell to Holmes and all future stories. 3.  From 1942 until his death three years later, Franklin D. Roosevelt was a member of the Baker Street Irregulars. When he published hisessay, Sherlock Holmes Was An American,in The Baker Street Journal, he was criticallyattacked for his theory.


The photo of the book cover was taken from amazon's web page.A Sherlock Holmes Companion was published in 1980 by Barnes & Noble  Books.

The small town of Edison, Washington is located in a bird-perfect area: Samish Bay on the northwest and farm fields on the southeast. What bird wouldn't love it! My husband and I spent the day traveling to our favorite birding spots around Edison. But today was different. I began to wonder if the local bird species had also heard about the festival and planned their attendance. The largest number of bald eagles we had ever spotted was six, but today, we stopped counting at forty. Along with the eagles, mallards, Northern pintails, blue herons, and tundra swans showed up in mass. Red-tailed hawks swooped down showing off their fan-like tails in an attempt to steal the show from the eagles. I swear I caught a glimpse of a black oystercatcher. But the star attraction was the ring-necked pheasant strutting just off the roadside by the Edison Liquor Store.
The "Keep Your Chickens in Line" parade kicked off the festival on Saturday morning. We regretted missing the spectacle until we found our own private chicken parade in the neighboring town of Bow.
If you didn't make it this year, put it on your calendar for 2013. http://edisonbirdfestival.com/blog
On the way home, we drove along March's Point to photograph what is believed to be the largest blue-heron rookery in Western North America. Check out their live heron cam: http://www.padillabay.gov/education_heron.html

My husband introduced me to Greek food right after we met. We dined at Ted's Greek/American (sadly, no longer there) in downtown Austin, and with my first bite of Ted's Greek chicken with olives and roasted potatoes, I was hooked. Since then, we've indulged our taste buds at dozens of Greek eateries around the country: Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Galveston, Boston, Niagara Falls, Quebec, the list is endless. When I discovered Anacortes' Greek Islands, I knew we'd made the right decision to make this little seaside town our home.
Here's my latest article: Greek Cuisine in Anacortes.
http://www.examiner.com/ethnic-restaurants-in-seattle/classic-greek-cuisine-anacortes
Leave a comment and share your favorite Greek Restaurant.

My husband introduced me to Greek food right after we met. We dined at Ted's Greek/American (sadly, no longer there) in downtown Austin, and with my first bite of Ted's Greek chicken with olives and roasted potatoes, I was hooked. Since then, we've indulged our taste buds at dozens of Greek eateries around the country: Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Galveston, Boston, Niagara Falls, Quebec, the list is endless. When I discovered Anacortes' Greek Islands, I knew we'd made the right decision to make this little seaside town our home.
Here's my latest article: Greek Cuisine in Anacortes.
http://www.examiner.com/ethnic-restaurants-in-seattle/classic-greek-cuisine-anacortes
Leave a comment and share your favorite Greek Restaurant.

Operation Migration Goes to Plan B
          When you work with wildlife, you have to be ready for anything. For eleven years, the pilots of Operation Migration have led the young whooping cranes on their maiden migration all the way to Florida. Unforeseen tribulations popped up along the way (lost birds, bad weather, equipment failure), all were dealt with and migration continued. This year, a surprise situation occurred and a new plan had to be implemented, and quickly. With more than 400 miles left to travel, the whoopers put on their breaks and stopped in Winston County, Alabama. For more than a week, the OM team attempted to coax the cranes to follow the ultralights, but time and time again, they returned to the stopover site, leaving the team perplexed and frustrated. Did they stay too long in Alabama, or was the early spring sending a message to stay put? Soon it would be time to head back north. A decision had to be made.
          The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) and the OM team met on February 1. Two days later, all nine whoopers of the Class of 201l were crated and driven to the nearby Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in north central Alabama where they joined thousands of sandhill cranes, other migratory birds, and seven adult whooping cranes who've chosen to hang out there instead of traveling to Florida. But all is not lost. These nine youngsters know the way home to White River Marsh in Wisconsin and will undoubtedly make it there without any trouble. Next fall when those migratory genes kick in and they hooked up with other cranes, their second trip south could very well lead them all the way to the Gulf Coast. If not, Wheeler NWR will make a fine winter home for them.
          What's the lesson here? The jury is still out on that one. So, we will see what these young whoopers have to teach us. And with that lesson, we can better serve the future generations of whoopers that will one day join the Eastern Flock.


Visit the OM website: http://www.operationmigration.org/for the latest updates by going to "In the Field." You can also purchase whooping crane merchandize on the website: jewelry, T-shirts, greeting cards, etc. And you can sponsor migration miles for the Class of 2012's migration in the fall.

REX
STOUT ON SHERLOCK HOLMES

Besides being mystery writers and Sherlockians, Kathleen and I are huge Nero Wolfe fans. I was delighted to hear that she is working on a Nero Wolfe trivia book. This is an appropriate task for one who has already
written The Sherlock Holmes Triviography
and Quiz Book (soon to be reprinted), for the connection between the great
detectives is strong.

Rex Stout (1886-1975), creator of Nero
Wolfe, was one of the original Baker Street Irregulars. He was never shy about
offering his opinions on Sherlock Holmes (or anything else, for that matter).
In January 1931, in fact, he discussed Sherlock Holmes until 1:30 a.m. with
Winston Churchill, who was making an American tour.

A decade later, according to the late
John McAleer's authorized biography Rex
Stout, Stout talked about Arthur Conan Doyle's technique on a radio
program. "The modern detective story puts off its best tricks till the last,
but Doyle always put his best tricks first and that's why they're still the
best ones," he said.

And he made this unforgettable comment:
"It is impossible for any Sherlock Holmes story not to have at least one
marvelous scene."

Years later, in 1963, Stout wrote about
Sherlock Holmes for the cover of a record album of Basil Rathbone reading
Holmes stories.

"Holmes," Stout wrote, "is a man, not a
puppet. As a man he has many vulnerable spots, like us; he is vain, prejudiced,
intolerant; he is a drug addict; he even plays the violin for diversion – one
of the most deplorable outrages of self-indulgence."

But there is much more to him than that:

"He loves truth and justice more than he
loves money or comfort or safety or pleasure, or any man or woman. Such as man
has never lived, so Sherlock Holmes will never die." 

Rex Stout was not only a great mystery
writer; his comments on Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes show that he was
also an insightful mystery reader.


Dan Andriacco is a former newspaper journalist and mystery book reviewer who has been a member of the Tankerville Club, a scion society of The Baker Street Irregulars, since 1981. He is the author of Baker Street Beat: An Eclectic Collection of Sherlockian Scribblings, and two Sebastian McCabe - Jeff Cody mysteries, No Police Like Holmes and the upcoming Holmes Sweet Holmes. Follow his popular blog at bakerstreetbeat.blogspot.com and his tweets @DanAndriacco.Dr. Dan and his wife, Ann, have three grown children and four grandchildren. They live in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. 
Dan and I have a few things in common. We both like mysteries, we were born in the same year, and we're die-hard Sherlockians. When I discovered his new mystery series a few weeks ago, I contacted him via Facebook. We chatted and that led to exchanging novels. Here's what I learned about fellow Stout/Holmes fan.  Your JeffCody/Sebastian McCabe mysteries feature two mystery writers, one who is both apublished author and a Sherlockian and the other who is neither. How did you develop your maincharacters? They came to me a long time ago – more than 20 years – andnever left me. I'm not sure that I did develop them. I think they justappeared. Even longer ago, back in high school, I wrote an unfinished non-genrenovel featuring a character very much like Sebastian McCabe but with adifferent name. My wife, Ann, suggested the McCabe's name.   What was thefirst Sherlock Holmes story you read? Do you remember the circumstancessurrounding your decision to read it? What impression did it leave?I had a childhood friend who read the stories before I didand we acted out storylines together. I wrote about this in my book Baker Street Beat. Probably the firstHolmes story I ever read was A Study inScarlet – the first half only – because it appeared in a collection called The Boys' Sherlock Holmes.  I distinctly remember borrowing that outfrom the library. It took me into a world I never wanted to leave.   Why do youthink Holmes has become one of the most popular fictional characters in history? That is a great question that prompts many differenttheories. I favor the idea that Holmes is a very comforting figure because healways has answers, and so his popularity spikes in troubled times. We arecertainly in troubled times, both in the United States and around the world,and he is having a huge resurgence in popularity now. Sure, the movie seriesand the BBC series fuel that resurgence, but what brought about thoseproductions? I think it's the times in which we live.Can you give usa synopsis of your next Jeff Cody/ Sebastian McCabe mysteryand when it will be released?Holmes SweetHolmes, which will be published May 1,involves the murder of an actor/screenwriter/director whose most recentproduction was a Sherlock Holmes film set in 1920s New Orleans instead ofVictorian London. The timing may good: Reaction from Sherlockians to news thata new CBS TV series is moving Holmes to modern-day New York has been one ofoutrage. Meanwhile, the Jeff Cody – Lynda Teal romance takes a new turn in thisbook that I hope will keep readers interested.  Authors todayare expected to do much of their own promoting. How do you balance socialnetworking and writing? What promotions work best for you? I enjoy blogging and Tweeting. I plan to start awebsite and a Facebook page just for my writing. But sometimes I feel overwhelmedby all of that. Despite the fact that I'm an introvert, I really enjoyconferences and book signings where I can meet and talk with people who haveenjoyed my work. There's a great satisfaction in knowing that there's anaudience out there.  Describe yourwriting process. Do you have a schedule, set goals, etc? I'm not a binge writer. I write three pages a day and I tryto never take a day off while I'm working on a book. While I was writing thethird McCabe - Cody mystery – The 1895Murder – I wrote on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I finished it in about nineweeks. Of course, that's just the writing part. Plotting, research, andextensive outlining came first. May outline was eleven single-spaced pages bythe time I finished the book. I change the outline all the while I'm writing asnew ideas occur to me. Using this routine, I think I can comfortably write twobooks a year for some time to come.
Do you havefavorite authors who have been influential in your writing style?I read many different writers and it's hard for me to saywhich has influenced me most, but others seem to find a hint of Rex Stout in mywriting. I've read all the Nero Wolfe stories, although I haven't re-read themin some time.  

           When creating a protagonist for a mystery series, you want a character whopossesses a purpose, someone who stands out among the multitude of detectivessnooping, deducing, and sniffing out crime. Give your sleuth quirky and endearingqualities, strengths and weaknesses—make her likable, yet irritating, ideal,yet flawed. In other words, create a protagonist who is unforgettable.          Mysterywriter Martha Grimes has created such a character. Can you identify this amateursleuth? She lives in a hotel, works part time as a waitress and moonlights as acub reporter for the local newspaper. Her fascination with the death of a younggirl sends her to another hotel, another town, and another time where mysteries, new and old, unfold faster than her taxi driver can deliver her to the scenes.          Whois this twelve-year-old sleuth?







photo from google images

One Smart Bird (the following is an excerpt from my upcoming book, The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story.            It could have been abandonment issues, an aggressive gene,or a loose screw, but when number 10-08 from Operation Migration's Class of 2008 pecked away at his shell and enteredthe world, he was a force to be reckoned with. His parents were from the2003-generation nesting for the first time at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin. In their inexperience,they abandoned the nest. Their two eggs were collected and transported to thePatuxent Wildlife Research Center. Number 10-08 and his sister 11-08 wereincubated and added to the ultralight cohort. When 11-08 was shipped to NecedahNWR, printed on the side of his box were the words, GOOD LUCK. The teamisolated him for a couple of days to observe his behavior. Feeling that he'dadjusted to his new home after a few days, they introduced him to the membersof his cohort. Within three hours, he had fatally injured one crane andseriously injured two others (one was his sister 11-08). Number 11-08experienced mental and physical stress, resulting in her feathers developingimproperly. Sadly, she had to be removed from training and was sent to theMilwaukee Zoo. The other injured crane was removed as well.           Number 10-08 was isolated again and then placed in Cohort One with theolder chicks whom the team hoped would keep 10-08 in line. The strategy workeduntil it was time to combine Cohorts One and Two. The aggressive crane wastedno time in grabbing the beak of number 13-08 through a chain-link fence. Theyounger bird was rescued before any serious injury resulted. The next morning,10-08 attacked several other youngsters from Cohort Two. He was again placed inconfinement.            
           The WCEP team held a conference to decide what to do with the rebelcrane. He was too genetically valuable to remove from the flock, but tooaggressive to continue to train with the other chicks. The Class of 2008 hadalready dwindled to fourteen and could not afford another loss. Ten days beforethe scheduled migration, the WCEP team decided to release the five-month-oldchick on the Necedah NWR, hoping he would take up with older cranes and followthem south.            On the evening of October 22, number 10-08 was given hisfreedom. His flock mates had left on their maiden voyage five days earlier. Thetraining crew left a pumpkin as a goodbye treat, gave the bird a pat on theback, and walked away. A few days later, as if knowing exactly what he wasdoing, he had taken up with two older cranes, numbers 18-3 and 13-3, who justhappened to be his natural parents.Number 10-08's photo is from OM's website:http://www.operationmigration.org/index.html