Surprise Sherlockian Author Interview
Today marks the release of my first children's chapter book, The Amazing Airship Adventure: The Macdougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes Book #1. The book involves the brother and sister twin detective team of Emma and Jimmy MacDougall as they work with Sherlock Holmes in trying to stop a mad bomber from destroying London. I am the author of the book, and my brother, Brian Belanger, is the illustrator. Just for fun, Brian decided to turn the tables on me, and I was the one interviewed for this blog. I hope you enjoy seeing me giving the answers instead of asking the questions.
1) Growing up together, you and I always shared a lot of the same interests, especially H.P. Lovecraft, Alan Moore comics, Ray Harryhausen movies and so on. I don’t remember when you first discovered Arthur Conan Doyle, though --- when did that happen, and which story was the first to grab you?
I had enjoyed Sherlock Holmes stories growing up, but the first one to really grab me was, fittingly, A Study in Scarlet, the very first Sherlock Holmes novel, when I was 14 years old. I chose the book out of a list of choices for an 8th grade mystery unit I was completing in my Language Arts class.
When I started reading the book, for the first half, I was immersed in Doyle’s London, a London as equally magical and breathtaking as that of Dickens. I got introduced to most of the major characters in the canon, and enjoyed the gruesome murder mystery, a story of bloody revenge.
Then suddenly, as the story builds to a climax, the audience runs into a brick wall as the narrative suddenly shifts to the American West in 1847. I had never read a book which was split in two halves that appeared to be two completely different stories. Then, in a brilliant move, the author brings the two stories together in a masterful weaving of plot. I thought Doyle had such faith in his readers, to throw us such a jarring twist and expect us to keep reading to the end. Of course I did, and began gobbling up all of his Holmes stories.
Now before I move onto the next question, I should add that I was hooked on Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories after reading A Study in Scarlet; however, I became hooked on Doyle’s writings a few years later. I was reading a random anthology of literature, the type where the stories are seemingly assembled because of who wrote them, not because of any cohesive theme. Smack in the middle of Shirley Jackson’s “Charles,” and Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game,” was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Horror of the Heights.” When I read this story, I was stunned at the creativity of the writing, the imagination of the aerial world of beasts living above our heads. I didn’t know Doyle beyond his Sherlock Holmes stories. I was blown away and sought out any and all of his horror writings. This, in many ways, led to my two volume anthology, A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural. I wanted others, especially Sherlockians to know Doyle’s other stories and to see that some equalled his Holmes stories in literary merit and scholarly importance.
2) What made you decide to write specifically for children and young adults? I’m guessing that your daughters had something to do with it…
I’ve always wanted to write for readers of all ages. I wrote a novel a few years ago that was specifically aimed at a young adult audience; however, the book still needs extensive revision and may never see the light of day. Recently, I wrote The Amazing Airship Adventure because my oldest daughter, who is eight, asked me, “Daddy, who is Sherlock Holmes?” I told her about the character and as the conversation continued, we both thought it would be great if there was a child detective working with Sherlock Holmes. Eventually, that idea developed into the MacDougall Twins, ten year old detectives who live across the street from Sherlock Holmes and assist him on adventures. The book was specifically written to introduce children to the Sherlock Holmes characters so that as they get older they will want to seek out the original stories in the canon.
3) Most of the children’s literature I’ve read has the main characters randomly meeting some magical person, or discovering some new world by accident. The MacDougall Twins, on the other hand, deliberately use their wits and skills to solve their mysteries. What made you take this approach?
The audience for The MacDougall twins series is children, and I want my readers to feel empowered from the books. I specifically write the stories so that children can see that they are intelligent and often can see things that adults miss. This is why Holmes relied on the Baker Street Irregulars in the original stories, and why Holmes has great respect for Jimmy and Emma MacDougall. They are great detectives in their own right. To have the twins solve mysteries using magic takes away some of the power from my audience. Kids can’t take out a magic wand and save the world; however, they can save the world using their intelligence and bravery.
4) Will Jimmy and Emma be meeting anyone else from the Holmes stories, such as Irene Adler or Lord Baskerville? Will we see crossovers from Doyle’s other works, such as Professor Challenger?
Yes, they will. The second book of the series, Attack of the Violet Vampire, involves Inspector Lestrade and Toby, the dog who helped Sherlock Holmes in The Sign of Four. One of the joys of writing the MacDougall Twins is that I’m able to use characters from the canon as well as new characters such as Nolan the newsboy and Jimmy the cab driver, from the MacDougall Twins world. Both types of characters will continue to assist the twins as they solve mysteries. I may also use characters from other Doyle stories or their ancestors, say the grandson of Brigadier Gerard, depending on how the MacDougall mysteries develop.
5) And now, the Question Which You Dread Above All Others: if you were stranded on a deserted island, and could only take one Sherlock Holmes story with you, which one would it be?
Well, this has been called my meanest question, but I’ve had the advantage of asking this question to a number of Sherlockians, so I’ve had time to think this one out. There are so many wonderful and rich stories in the canon, but my overall favorite is “The Man With the Twisted Lip.” The story has that great way of starting with one narrative thread and then shifting into a completely different story. It also shows the sinister underbelly of London with Watson’s descent into the opium den searching for Isa Whitney, and it shows how one can work around the British class system, making a handsome salary as a beggar. To top it all off, you also have Mary Watson calling her husband James instead of John, a great puzzle we Sherlockians love to try to solve.
6) What’s your favorite post-Doyle take on Sherlock Holmes? A Study In Emerald? The Jeremy Brett BBC series? The Great Mouse Detective?
Now, this is a cruel question. There are so many post-Doyle takes on Holmes, there were even quite a number of pastiches written in Doyle’s life time, that I’m not sure if this one is answerable. To me, the greatest actor to play Holme was Jeremy Brett. He is Sherlock Holmes. When I read the stories, I hear his voice, so undoubtedly, Brett is the winner here.
But I’m not stopping there. There have been so many great post-Doyle stories. I’m still new to this world, and I’ve just scratched the surface. Kieran Lyne’s The Last Confession of Sherlock Holmes is probably the best of the bunch I’ve read this year. Geri Schear’s A Biased Judgement is an equally excellent novel. The short stories of David Marcum also stand out as wonderful historical texts as well as fun pastiches. But if I had to choose one piece of writing, I’d go with Gaiman’s “A Study in Emerald.” It perfectly blends the worlds of my two favorite authors, Lovecraft and Doyle, and it has one of the best twists I’ve ever read.
This answer could easily change as I delve more and more into the world of Sherlockian pastiches. I have about a half dozen pastiches in my “must read pile,” and that pile is ever expanding.
7) What are your future projects?
As I mentioned earlier, I’m working on the second MacDougall Twins book, Attack of the Violet Vampire. I’ve plotted the book, and I’m about halfway through the first draft. I’d like to see the book released in the Spring, but we’ll see how long it takes me to complete the book, plus you’ve got to illustrate it, so we’ll see if we make that goal.
I do have a story coming out in the spring of a non-Sherlockian nature. The book will be included in the anthology, My Peculiar Family, which is a science fiction/ horror collection specifically designed to benefit the podcast show Sci-Fi Saturday Night. My story, entitled "Pieces of Rosalee" falls in the horror category, but I was channeling O. Henry, so mystery readers will have something to enjoy as well.
Beyond those two projects, I have a number of possibilities. I’m speaking at the CCIRA Literacy conference in Denver in February. My session, How to Teach like Sherlock Holmes, is already full. If the talk is well received, I may go in the direction of turning the talk into a teacher’s guide. I’d also like to write a pastiche novel. I’ve got three different ideas wrestling in my mind, and I believe one is starting to beat the others; however, the other two are not down for the count. I’ll continue writing and see where my stories take me. After all, the thrill of writing is discovery.
Sherlockian Author Derrick Belanger's publications include an eclectic mix: book reviews, articles for education journals, short stories, poems, comic books, and the graphic novel, Twenty-Three Skidoo! 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.
Visit Derrick's Amazon Page at http://www.amazon.com/Derrick-Belange...
1) Growing up together, you and I always shared a lot of the same interests, especially H.P. Lovecraft, Alan Moore comics, Ray Harryhausen movies and so on. I don’t remember when you first discovered Arthur Conan Doyle, though --- when did that happen, and which story was the first to grab you?
I had enjoyed Sherlock Holmes stories growing up, but the first one to really grab me was, fittingly, A Study in Scarlet, the very first Sherlock Holmes novel, when I was 14 years old. I chose the book out of a list of choices for an 8th grade mystery unit I was completing in my Language Arts class.
When I started reading the book, for the first half, I was immersed in Doyle’s London, a London as equally magical and breathtaking as that of Dickens. I got introduced to most of the major characters in the canon, and enjoyed the gruesome murder mystery, a story of bloody revenge.
Then suddenly, as the story builds to a climax, the audience runs into a brick wall as the narrative suddenly shifts to the American West in 1847. I had never read a book which was split in two halves that appeared to be two completely different stories. Then, in a brilliant move, the author brings the two stories together in a masterful weaving of plot. I thought Doyle had such faith in his readers, to throw us such a jarring twist and expect us to keep reading to the end. Of course I did, and began gobbling up all of his Holmes stories.
Now before I move onto the next question, I should add that I was hooked on Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories after reading A Study in Scarlet; however, I became hooked on Doyle’s writings a few years later. I was reading a random anthology of literature, the type where the stories are seemingly assembled because of who wrote them, not because of any cohesive theme. Smack in the middle of Shirley Jackson’s “Charles,” and Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game,” was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Horror of the Heights.” When I read this story, I was stunned at the creativity of the writing, the imagination of the aerial world of beasts living above our heads. I didn’t know Doyle beyond his Sherlock Holmes stories. I was blown away and sought out any and all of his horror writings. This, in many ways, led to my two volume anthology, A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural. I wanted others, especially Sherlockians to know Doyle’s other stories and to see that some equalled his Holmes stories in literary merit and scholarly importance.
2) What made you decide to write specifically for children and young adults? I’m guessing that your daughters had something to do with it…
I’ve always wanted to write for readers of all ages. I wrote a novel a few years ago that was specifically aimed at a young adult audience; however, the book still needs extensive revision and may never see the light of day. Recently, I wrote The Amazing Airship Adventure because my oldest daughter, who is eight, asked me, “Daddy, who is Sherlock Holmes?” I told her about the character and as the conversation continued, we both thought it would be great if there was a child detective working with Sherlock Holmes. Eventually, that idea developed into the MacDougall Twins, ten year old detectives who live across the street from Sherlock Holmes and assist him on adventures. The book was specifically written to introduce children to the Sherlock Holmes characters so that as they get older they will want to seek out the original stories in the canon.
3) Most of the children’s literature I’ve read has the main characters randomly meeting some magical person, or discovering some new world by accident. The MacDougall Twins, on the other hand, deliberately use their wits and skills to solve their mysteries. What made you take this approach?
The audience for The MacDougall twins series is children, and I want my readers to feel empowered from the books. I specifically write the stories so that children can see that they are intelligent and often can see things that adults miss. This is why Holmes relied on the Baker Street Irregulars in the original stories, and why Holmes has great respect for Jimmy and Emma MacDougall. They are great detectives in their own right. To have the twins solve mysteries using magic takes away some of the power from my audience. Kids can’t take out a magic wand and save the world; however, they can save the world using their intelligence and bravery.
4) Will Jimmy and Emma be meeting anyone else from the Holmes stories, such as Irene Adler or Lord Baskerville? Will we see crossovers from Doyle’s other works, such as Professor Challenger?
Yes, they will. The second book of the series, Attack of the Violet Vampire, involves Inspector Lestrade and Toby, the dog who helped Sherlock Holmes in The Sign of Four. One of the joys of writing the MacDougall Twins is that I’m able to use characters from the canon as well as new characters such as Nolan the newsboy and Jimmy the cab driver, from the MacDougall Twins world. Both types of characters will continue to assist the twins as they solve mysteries. I may also use characters from other Doyle stories or their ancestors, say the grandson of Brigadier Gerard, depending on how the MacDougall mysteries develop.
5) And now, the Question Which You Dread Above All Others: if you were stranded on a deserted island, and could only take one Sherlock Holmes story with you, which one would it be?
Well, this has been called my meanest question, but I’ve had the advantage of asking this question to a number of Sherlockians, so I’ve had time to think this one out. There are so many wonderful and rich stories in the canon, but my overall favorite is “The Man With the Twisted Lip.” The story has that great way of starting with one narrative thread and then shifting into a completely different story. It also shows the sinister underbelly of London with Watson’s descent into the opium den searching for Isa Whitney, and it shows how one can work around the British class system, making a handsome salary as a beggar. To top it all off, you also have Mary Watson calling her husband James instead of John, a great puzzle we Sherlockians love to try to solve.
6) What’s your favorite post-Doyle take on Sherlock Holmes? A Study In Emerald? The Jeremy Brett BBC series? The Great Mouse Detective?
Now, this is a cruel question. There are so many post-Doyle takes on Holmes, there were even quite a number of pastiches written in Doyle’s life time, that I’m not sure if this one is answerable. To me, the greatest actor to play Holme was Jeremy Brett. He is Sherlock Holmes. When I read the stories, I hear his voice, so undoubtedly, Brett is the winner here.
But I’m not stopping there. There have been so many great post-Doyle stories. I’m still new to this world, and I’ve just scratched the surface. Kieran Lyne’s The Last Confession of Sherlock Holmes is probably the best of the bunch I’ve read this year. Geri Schear’s A Biased Judgement is an equally excellent novel. The short stories of David Marcum also stand out as wonderful historical texts as well as fun pastiches. But if I had to choose one piece of writing, I’d go with Gaiman’s “A Study in Emerald.” It perfectly blends the worlds of my two favorite authors, Lovecraft and Doyle, and it has one of the best twists I’ve ever read.
This answer could easily change as I delve more and more into the world of Sherlockian pastiches. I have about a half dozen pastiches in my “must read pile,” and that pile is ever expanding.
7) What are your future projects?
As I mentioned earlier, I’m working on the second MacDougall Twins book, Attack of the Violet Vampire. I’ve plotted the book, and I’m about halfway through the first draft. I’d like to see the book released in the Spring, but we’ll see how long it takes me to complete the book, plus you’ve got to illustrate it, so we’ll see if we make that goal.
I do have a story coming out in the spring of a non-Sherlockian nature. The book will be included in the anthology, My Peculiar Family, which is a science fiction/ horror collection specifically designed to benefit the podcast show Sci-Fi Saturday Night. My story, entitled "Pieces of Rosalee" falls in the horror category, but I was channeling O. Henry, so mystery readers will have something to enjoy as well.
Beyond those two projects, I have a number of possibilities. I’m speaking at the CCIRA Literacy conference in Denver in February. My session, How to Teach like Sherlock Holmes, is already full. If the talk is well received, I may go in the direction of turning the talk into a teacher’s guide. I’d also like to write a pastiche novel. I’ve got three different ideas wrestling in my mind, and I believe one is starting to beat the others; however, the other two are not down for the count. I’ll continue writing and see where my stories take me. After all, the thrill of writing is discovery.
Sherlockian Author Derrick Belanger's publications include an eclectic mix: book reviews, articles for education journals, short stories, poems, comic books, and the graphic novel, Twenty-Three Skidoo! 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.
Visit Derrick's Amazon Page at http://www.amazon.com/Derrick-Belange...
date
newest »
newest »
Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and Ramblings of a Sherlockian
Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and other writings by Author (and future Publisher) Derrick Belanger
- Derrick Belanger's profile
- 50 followers
Geri