Interview with Geri Schear, Author of the new book A Biased Judgement
The year of 1927 saw the last Sherlock Holmes story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, yet the the good detective still lives and breathes through the writing of modern pastiche writers. I am pleased that Geri Schear is one of these writers. Her novel, A Biased Judgement is released today, and it contains one of my favorite "new" Sherlock Holmes characters, Lady Beatrice. Over the course of the month, I interviewed Ms. Schear on her book, her influences, and of course, her favorite Sherlock Holmes story.
1. I guess I'll jump right in with the big question: What made you want to write a Sherlock Holmes novel? What made you decide to ground the book around real historical events of 1897?
The Hound of the Baskervilles was the first ‘proper’ novel I read as a child. I was seven years old and immediately hooked. Since then I’ve read the canon many times as well as a lot of pastiches. I also watch as much TV and film Holmes as I can find. It was probably inevitable that one day I would try writing a Sherlock Holmes novel of my own.
When I started to write A Biased Judgement I had two goals: I wanted to imagine Holmes as a man who really lived, and I wanted to be as faithful as possible to Conan Doyle. I decided the best way to accomplish these two things was to create a narrative that weaves the canon through real historical events.
It didn't take long for me to realise that I could tie the first big event in my novel to The Devil’s Foot, one of my favourite Sherlock Holmes stories. Once I'd decided that everything else fell into place. For instance, Holmes’ experts tell us the events of that story occurred in 1897 so I knew my novel had to be set in that year. The next step was obvious: to see what else was happening in the world around that time. I love history so I had a lot of fun imagining what world events Holmes might get involved with. It was a busy year so I had a lot of material.
2. Most Sherlock Holmes stories are told from the perspective of Dr. Watson. You had Sherlock Holmes tell this tale. What made you decide to have the great detective write the story?
I wanted to get inside Holmes’s head to examine his process and to know what he really thought about Watson and Mycroft and the other people in the canon. Since the Great Detective has proven to be a less than great writer, (see The Blanched Soldier and The Lion’s Mane) I thought a diary would be the best way to go. He’s writing his private thoughts he can be more open than if he were writing for publication. Watson spoke of Holmes’s great heart: I wanted to see that. I also discovered that letting Holmes tell his own tale allows me to inject a fair bit of humour into the narration. If you didn't know our Sherlock could be a funny guy you haven’t been reading the canon closely enough!
3. While your book is a Sherlock Holmes novel, it incorporates elements of other mystery subgenres such as cozy mysteries and spy thrillers. Besides Doyle, what other authors (mystery and other) influenced your writing in this book?
Great question. I’m a voracious reader and I think I've learned from every novelist I've ever read. For instance, from PG Wodehouse and Jane Austen I've learned humour; from Roddy Doyle I've learned dialogue; from Raymond Carver I've learned understatement... There are far too many to count and I’m indebted to them all.
In terms of genre writers, I’d have to start with Agatha Christie. She remains the greatest plotter and there are distinctly Christie-esque elements to A Biased Judgement. That said, I think my novel examines violent death in a more realistic way than you’d usually find in a typical ‘cosy’ mystery. I think – hope – my novel is funnier than most murder mysteries as well.
From DL Sayers and PD James I learned how to make a mystery novel into something a mainstream reader might enjoy. In their own unique ways they explore things like responsibility and ethics and the importance of morality for a detective. This isn't new to Holmes, of course. Stories like The Blue Carbuncle and The Abbey Grange reveal the detective as a man who follows his own conscience first and the laws of the land second.
In terms of suspense, I owe a lot to Ian Fleming, Michael Connelly and Jim Butcher. They are all masters and have created some of my favourite characters in James Bond, Harry Bosch and Harry Dresden.
Finally, since A Biased Judgement is set at the end of the Victorian era, I would be remiss if I did not mention the writers who made that period come alive for me. Dickens and Collins and Wilde, in particular.
4. The question I always ask, if you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one Sherlock Holmes story, which would it be and why?
That’s such a mean question! There are so many I love and for different reasons. For sheer quirkiness I love The Red-Headed League. The Hound of the Baskervilles was the first Holmes story I ever read so it has a special place in my heart. And then there’s The Blue Carbuncle, The Speckled Band, The Empty House… But I’d probably have to go with the one I've mentioned already: The Devil’s Foot. Even though I generally prefer the London-based stories, there’s something in that story's desolate atmosphere that really impacts me. The mystery is so compelling and the characters – from the victims to the murderer to their avenger – are some of the most dynamic in the whole canon. There’s also a Gothic feel to the story that is just as macabre as anything ever written by Poe. Deliciously chilling!
5. Any last thoughts for the reader? Any new projects that you are working on?
I hope readers of A Biased Judgement enjoy it. I’d be thrilled if they were to finish the novel feeling they had a new perspective on Conan Doyle’s stories and that their enjoyment of those tales was enhanced.
Right now I’m working on a sequel to A Biased Judgement. It’s set in 1898 and begins with Holmes called to investigate what appears to be poltergeist activity in Camden Town. His investigations lead him to London’s diamond district. There’s a subplot involving the French novelist Emile Zola and the Dreyfus affair. The tentative title is Sherlock Holmes and the Other Woman.
I've also got another, non-Holmsian novel in the works. This is an urban fantasy and is about a really ticked-off Lady of Shalott and a knight of King Arthur’s court in modern-day London.
Geri
http://www.amazon.com/Biased-Judgemen...
Sherlockian Author Derrick Belanger's publications include the bestselling two volume anthology, A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Revolutionary Stories of fear and the Supernatural, as well as the Sherlock Holmes children's chapter book, The Amazing Airship Adventure. A former instructor at Washington State University, and a current middle school Language Arts teacher, Derrick lives in Broomfield, Colorado with his wife Abigail Gosselin and their two daughters, Rhea and Phoebe. Currently, Derrick is working on several Sherlockian projects: The second book in the MacDougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes series entitled Attack of the Violet Vampire, The pastiche novel Sherlock Holmes and the Curse of Cthulhu, the teaching guide How to Teach Like Sherlock Holmes, and the annotated book The Hound of the Baskervilles: The Ultimate Edition, as well as several projects in the Science Fiction genre. He also co-authors the web site Mystery Aircraft.com with author Chuck Davis. Please visit Derrick's Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Derrick-Belange...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Belan...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/belangerbooks
1. I guess I'll jump right in with the big question: What made you want to write a Sherlock Holmes novel? What made you decide to ground the book around real historical events of 1897?
The Hound of the Baskervilles was the first ‘proper’ novel I read as a child. I was seven years old and immediately hooked. Since then I’ve read the canon many times as well as a lot of pastiches. I also watch as much TV and film Holmes as I can find. It was probably inevitable that one day I would try writing a Sherlock Holmes novel of my own.
When I started to write A Biased Judgement I had two goals: I wanted to imagine Holmes as a man who really lived, and I wanted to be as faithful as possible to Conan Doyle. I decided the best way to accomplish these two things was to create a narrative that weaves the canon through real historical events.
It didn't take long for me to realise that I could tie the first big event in my novel to The Devil’s Foot, one of my favourite Sherlock Holmes stories. Once I'd decided that everything else fell into place. For instance, Holmes’ experts tell us the events of that story occurred in 1897 so I knew my novel had to be set in that year. The next step was obvious: to see what else was happening in the world around that time. I love history so I had a lot of fun imagining what world events Holmes might get involved with. It was a busy year so I had a lot of material.
2. Most Sherlock Holmes stories are told from the perspective of Dr. Watson. You had Sherlock Holmes tell this tale. What made you decide to have the great detective write the story?
I wanted to get inside Holmes’s head to examine his process and to know what he really thought about Watson and Mycroft and the other people in the canon. Since the Great Detective has proven to be a less than great writer, (see The Blanched Soldier and The Lion’s Mane) I thought a diary would be the best way to go. He’s writing his private thoughts he can be more open than if he were writing for publication. Watson spoke of Holmes’s great heart: I wanted to see that. I also discovered that letting Holmes tell his own tale allows me to inject a fair bit of humour into the narration. If you didn't know our Sherlock could be a funny guy you haven’t been reading the canon closely enough!
3. While your book is a Sherlock Holmes novel, it incorporates elements of other mystery subgenres such as cozy mysteries and spy thrillers. Besides Doyle, what other authors (mystery and other) influenced your writing in this book?
Great question. I’m a voracious reader and I think I've learned from every novelist I've ever read. For instance, from PG Wodehouse and Jane Austen I've learned humour; from Roddy Doyle I've learned dialogue; from Raymond Carver I've learned understatement... There are far too many to count and I’m indebted to them all.
In terms of genre writers, I’d have to start with Agatha Christie. She remains the greatest plotter and there are distinctly Christie-esque elements to A Biased Judgement. That said, I think my novel examines violent death in a more realistic way than you’d usually find in a typical ‘cosy’ mystery. I think – hope – my novel is funnier than most murder mysteries as well.
From DL Sayers and PD James I learned how to make a mystery novel into something a mainstream reader might enjoy. In their own unique ways they explore things like responsibility and ethics and the importance of morality for a detective. This isn't new to Holmes, of course. Stories like The Blue Carbuncle and The Abbey Grange reveal the detective as a man who follows his own conscience first and the laws of the land second.
In terms of suspense, I owe a lot to Ian Fleming, Michael Connelly and Jim Butcher. They are all masters and have created some of my favourite characters in James Bond, Harry Bosch and Harry Dresden.
Finally, since A Biased Judgement is set at the end of the Victorian era, I would be remiss if I did not mention the writers who made that period come alive for me. Dickens and Collins and Wilde, in particular.
4. The question I always ask, if you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one Sherlock Holmes story, which would it be and why?
That’s such a mean question! There are so many I love and for different reasons. For sheer quirkiness I love The Red-Headed League. The Hound of the Baskervilles was the first Holmes story I ever read so it has a special place in my heart. And then there’s The Blue Carbuncle, The Speckled Band, The Empty House… But I’d probably have to go with the one I've mentioned already: The Devil’s Foot. Even though I generally prefer the London-based stories, there’s something in that story's desolate atmosphere that really impacts me. The mystery is so compelling and the characters – from the victims to the murderer to their avenger – are some of the most dynamic in the whole canon. There’s also a Gothic feel to the story that is just as macabre as anything ever written by Poe. Deliciously chilling!
5. Any last thoughts for the reader? Any new projects that you are working on?
I hope readers of A Biased Judgement enjoy it. I’d be thrilled if they were to finish the novel feeling they had a new perspective on Conan Doyle’s stories and that their enjoyment of those tales was enhanced.
Right now I’m working on a sequel to A Biased Judgement. It’s set in 1898 and begins with Holmes called to investigate what appears to be poltergeist activity in Camden Town. His investigations lead him to London’s diamond district. There’s a subplot involving the French novelist Emile Zola and the Dreyfus affair. The tentative title is Sherlock Holmes and the Other Woman.
I've also got another, non-Holmsian novel in the works. This is an urban fantasy and is about a really ticked-off Lady of Shalott and a knight of King Arthur’s court in modern-day London.
Geri
http://www.amazon.com/Biased-Judgemen...
Sherlockian Author Derrick Belanger's publications include the bestselling two volume anthology, A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Revolutionary Stories of fear and the Supernatural, as well as the Sherlock Holmes children's chapter book, The Amazing Airship Adventure. A former instructor at Washington State University, and a current middle school Language Arts teacher, Derrick lives in Broomfield, Colorado with his wife Abigail Gosselin and their two daughters, Rhea and Phoebe. Currently, Derrick is working on several Sherlockian projects: The second book in the MacDougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes series entitled Attack of the Violet Vampire, The pastiche novel Sherlock Holmes and the Curse of Cthulhu, the teaching guide How to Teach Like Sherlock Holmes, and the annotated book The Hound of the Baskervilles: The Ultimate Edition, as well as several projects in the Science Fiction genre. He also co-authors the web site Mystery Aircraft.com with author Chuck Davis. Please visit Derrick's Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Derrick-Belange...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Belan...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/belangerbooks
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Geri
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Oct 24, 2014 06:50AM
Thanks, Derrick. It was an honour being interviewed by you.
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Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and Ramblings of a Sherlockian
Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and other writings by Author (and future Publisher) Derrick Belanger
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