Chris Chan's Blog, page 28

Story Profile: “Merridew of Abominable Memory”

 Story Profile: “Merridew of Abominable Memory”

 

As stated in earlier posts, The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories is a series of original mysteries by an assortment of authors.  The proceeds from the sales of the books goes to the Stepping Stones School which teaches students with special needs.  The Stepping Stones School is based in one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s homes.

 

Some volumes in the series have a theme, and in the books released this November, the connecting theme is “Untold Cases.”  In the original Sherlock Holmes Canon, the characters often refer to investigations that have never been committed to paper, such as “The Giant Rat of Sumatra.”  Sometimes Dr. Watson explains that the cases were so politically sensitive that the details can never be revealed due to national security, every so often Holmes hasn’t told his friend about  certain events, and on occasion it appears that the good doctor never got around to putting these tales to paper.

 

One instance of an untold story is a fleeting reference to “Merridew of abominable memory.”  What does that mean?  Many readers have interpreted those words as saying that Merridew was a vile man whose terrible actions bring up horrific recollections in those unfortunate enough to know him.  I looked at those four words and approached them in a very different manner.  What if Merridew’s memory was impaired?  What if he had a form of amnesia that came from a terrible attack?  And what might have caused him to be assaulted in such a violent manner?

 

I took these thoughts, and expanded them into a story…

 

 

The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories: Some More Untold Cases Part XXII: 1887-1897 is available for sale now from Amazon.com and MX Publishing in both hardcover and paperback.

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27thfrom MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

Story Profile: “The Screw You House”

Story Profile: “The Screw You House”

 

Maybe I should have called this story “The Spite House.”  It would raise a lot fewer eyebrows.  Then again, it would defeat the whole purpose of the BOULD anthology, which is supposed to be as outrageous as possible.

 

This story is more of a Funderburke narrative than a mystery.  As the story opens, Funderburke and his girlfriend Nerissa are on a double date with a couple they can’t stand.  While the other couple subtly try and fail to make Funderburke and Nerissa regret their life decisions, Funderburke commandeers the conversation with the story of one of his student clients, whose parents have split up and are now in the middle of an assets split negotiation gone horribly wrong.  As part of the settlement, the father was given a long, thin strip of land overlooking a cliff, his ex believing that no one could build on the land, and it was worthless.  This proved wrong, as the angry man built a “screw you house,” a tall and very narrow structure not designed so much for living in, but to be an eyesore blocking the view of the person one despises.  As the acrimony mounts, the tension leads to an unexpected resolution.

 

“Screw you houses,” also called “spite houses” and by other, even more vulgar names, are a real thing.  They have been built solely for the purpose of preventing other people from being to look out windows, and to reduce the value of the neighboring properties.  One does not want to get caught up in a conflict involving a “screw you house.”  It can be very destructive.  And depending on how twisted your sense of humor is, it can also be very funny.

 

“The Screw You House” won third place in the 2018 BOULD Awards.

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27thfrom MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

Story Profile: “Death on the Toilet”

 Story Profile: “Death on the Toilet”

 

The BOULD Awards (Bizarre, Outrageous, Unfettered, Limitless, Daring) honor eccentric storytelling, and when I was trying to think of a story for this year’s anthology, I tried to think of outrageous things connected to people’s fears.  Is there a ghastly fate that most people seek to avoid?

 

I found inspiration when watching an SNL skit starring John Mulaney on YouTube.  What if a man with a pathological fear of an undignified death plotted such a demise for a wealthy relative?  And what if there were some sort of unsettling yet poetically just comeuppance for the villain?  I drew from a real-life bizarre death when crafting my climax, and so, “Death on the Toilet” was born.

 

This is a flash fiction story, not featuring any of my recurring characters.  The BOULD AWARDS 2020 is available for sale now in both paperback and Kindle editions.

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27thfrom MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

Story Profile: “An Afternoon in Lake Park”

Story Profile: “An Afternoon in Lake Park”

 

In this flash fiction story, a sullen, disinterested girl is compelled to chaperone an elderly retired lawyer around Lake Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  As she pushes the man in his wheelchair, the ex-lawyer, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, blurts out a series of shocking revelations, but the girl, with her ear buds blasting music, isn’t paying attention.  Is the lawyer confessing to his own crimes, or is something else going on here?

 

I first got the idea for “An Afternoon in Lake Park” when I was quite young, when I had soccer practices in Lake Park.  I often thought that it was a beautiful place, but sometimes when my mind was elsewhere I wondered about hidden treasure being buried in the thick woods around the soccer fields.  In adulthood, I took these childhood imagination memories and added a much darker twist to them.

 

“An Afternoon in Lake Park” can be found on Akashic Books’ “Mondays are Murder” blog.

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27thfrom MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

Story Profile: “She-Shed, He Said”

Story Profile: “She-Shed, He Said”

 

My most recently published short story is “She-Shed, He Said.”  It’s a short Funderburke mystery, published in Belanger Books’ new anthology In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.  It’s a collection of stories geared for younger readers, some of which feature Sherlock Holmes, some of which are inspired by the characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Some of the tales in the anthology are flash fiction, others are lengthy novellas.

 

In “She-Shed, He Said,” Funderburke is summoned by a young student and his friend.  A neighbor’s “she-shed” has burned to the ground, and the two boys are the chief suspects.  The kids are Sherlock Holmes fans, and they were seen prowling about the backyard with a magnifying glass, which the neighbor says they used to focus the sun’s rays and start the fire.  The boys proclaim their innocence, and Funderburke believes him.

 

In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson is available from Amazon.com.

 

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27thfrom MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

Story Profile: “Danger at Discovery World”

 Story Profile: “Danger at Discovery World”

 

In this flash fiction short story, written for Akashic Books’ Mondays Are Murder blog, Funderburke is called upon to save Tyler, the young heir to an enormous fortune when it becomes clear that the next in line to the family money is planning to have him killed.  If the kid can survive for the a few more hours, his right to the cash will be secure, and his relative will no longer inherit the wealth upon the child’s death.  Funderburke vows to keep the kid alive until the deadline passes, but Tyler doesn’t want to miss his class trip to Discovery World, the science museum on Milwaukee lakefront.  Funderburke agrees to come along to protect Tyler, but his instincts tell him there’s a looming threat…

 

Discovery World is a real place in Milwaukee.  The original Discovery World was located inside the downtown Milwaukee Public Library, but some years ago it moved to its current home on the lakefront.  It contains exhibits on simple machines, music, ecological science, and numerous other special exhibits.  There’s also diorama of the Great Lakes and there’s a small aquarium as well on a lower level, which features heavily in the story.

 

If you’re ever in Milwaukee and you have children with an interest in science, I highly recommend a visit to Discovery World.

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27thfrom MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

Sherlock & Irene Is Now an Audiobook!

 Sherlock & Irene Is Now an Audiobook!

 

My book Sherlock & Irene has just been released as an audiobook!  It’s available at Amazon.com, sold and delivered by Audible.  It is narrated by David Bufton, and it’s complete and unabridged.  If you like listening to audiobooks, please consider Sherlock & Irene!

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27thfrom MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

MX Publishing and The World Food Programme

MX Publishing and The World Food Programme

 

MX Publishing, specializing in Sherlock Holmes-centric tomes, has released my book Sherlock & Irene.  One of the reasons why I’m proud to have MX Publishing as my publisher is because it’s a very socially conscious company.  Through various ways, it serves as a social enterprise that supports five charitable organizations: Stepping Stone School in Hindhead, UK; Happy Life Children’s Home– Nairobi, Kenya; The American Cancer Society; iHeart; and The World Food Programme.

 

As you may have seen, The World Food Programme has just won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.  If you would like to help fight world hunger, improve the lives and educations of children, and assist in the search for cures for cancer, please check out the links in the preceding paragraph.  You can find ways to support worthy causes, both by donating directly, and buying MX Publishing books.

 

Thanks so much!

 

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27thfrom MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

Story Profile: “Death’s Door”

 Story Profile: “Death’s Door”

 

I have always been intrigued by locked room mysteries.  A crime is committed in an area where there is seemingly no easy entrance or exit.  At first glance, no one could have done it.  And yet, someone must have committed the crime.  Sometimes there’s a hidden key, a secret passage, a not-so-solid wall, the killer’s still hiding in the room, the injuries were inflicted before the victim staggered into the room and locked the door… there are countless solutions, some easily guessed, some unique and brilliant.

 

Death’s Door” is a reference to a locale at the northern tip of Door County, Wisconsin, given that name because of the many ships that sank in the waters around it.  In this story, a retired police officer and his quirky grandson are summoned by the local authorities, as the father of the grandson’s best friend has been murdered.  While the victim was cross-country skiing, a large quantity of snow fell off a tree and covered him completely.  All this happened in the sight of several witnesses.  When his friends brushed the snow off of him, they soon found that he had been fatally stabbed.  How was this murder possible?  How could he have been stabbed while being covered with dozens of pounds of snow?  And what happened to the weapon?

 

“Death’s Door” was part of a short story competition looking for tales connected to the search for vengeance, and the negative consequences that can rebound from the quest for revenge.  Sponsored by OnlineBookClub.org, the contest received almost a thousand entries.  Mine was one of the ten stories selected for the anthology.

 

Notably, I wrote “Death’s Door” as a 15,000 word story for another writing contest a year earlier.  It didn’t win, but when I heard about OnlineBookClub.org’s contest, I realized that it fit the theme perfectly.  The only problem was that the word limit was 10,000 words, so I carefully cut 5,000 words from the story, slashing character backstory, erasing unnecessary descriptions and dialogue, and condensing verbose passages.

 

“Death’s Door” was published in the anthology Holding Fire: Short Stories of Self Destruction, edited by Scott Hughes.  It is available in both paperback and Kindle editions. 

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27th from MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

Story Profile: “The Six-Year-Old Serial Killer”

 Story Profile: “The Six-Year-Old Serial Killer”

 

Funderburke mysteries come in all different lengths.  The flash fiction story, where a writer has to tell a complete story with a very limited amount of words or fewer, is a tricky one, as one must be economical with characters, dialogue, and description, yet still interest a reader.  It’s hard to tell a complete mystery in 1,000 words or fewer, but the Akashic Books “Mondays Are Murder” blog asks writers to tell a story in a maximum of 750 words.

 

In “The Six-Year-Old Serial Killer,” the titular character comes to Funderburke because he believes he’s committing horrific acts of violence without realizing it.  Funderburke is pretty sure that this amiable little boy is not a violent monster, but when the kid produces a bloodstained weapon, Funderburke has to do some clever thinking in order to find out what really happened.

 

The story was nominated for the 2020 Derringer Award for Best Flash Story.  It will be published later this year in the 2020 BOULD Awards anthology.

 

“The Six-Year-Old Serial Killer” can be read in its entirety at the Akashic Books “Mondays Are Murder” website.

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27thfrom MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.