The Sherlockian Interview - Andrew Salmon
Publié par Steve Emecz le
The final four volumes (49-52) of The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories are now on Kickstarter (click here). Every day we will be featuring one of the authors in the collection. Today its Andrew Salmon.
What’s the name of your story in the collection?
My tale is entitled “The Adventure of the Fearless Postman” and it appears in Part LII: The True Sherlock Holmes: England’s Greatest Hero (1902-1923)
How did the story come about?
The tale inserts Holmes and Watson into a real historical event: the Houndsditch massacre where the police and soldiers were locked in a standoff with anarchists holed up in a house. The event provided an opportunity to have Holmes solve a mystery on the fly, rather than having hours or days to ruminate on a multiple pipe problem.
Have you contributed to anthologies before?
This is my first time contributing to the great MX series. I have contributed to 10 Holmes anthologies, winning a few awards along the way. as well as publishing 4 Holmes novels.
Where did you first discover Holmes?
It seems I’ve always been aware of Sherlock Holmes. His influence is so pervasive. I recall listening to Basil Rathbone recordings in High School English class. Of course I’ve come across adaptations on television and film over the years. The first two novels were assigned in a college course in Detective Fiction I had the pleasure of attending. I didn’t read the entire canon until being asked to contribute to a new anthology series a decade ago. After the first canonical story, I was hooked. My first tale, “The Adventure of the Locked Room” won an award the year it appeared so I knew Holmes, Watson and I would have a long association.
Are there any writers/adaptations of Holmes you particularly enjoy?
I. A. Watson writes some great Holmes tales. He’s contributed to the MX series. Unfortunately for me, I lose my Watsonian voice when I read pastiches so I’ve had to pass on the wonderful avalanche of material over the last century. When my Holmes writing days are over, I’ll be able to dive in and wallow in Sherlockian goodness.
Do you write on any other subjects?
My Eby Stokes series, featuring a female boxer turned Special Branch agent, sprung out of the groundbreaking and best selling, Fight Card Sherlock Homes trilogy I was asked to write for Fight Card Books. This series explored the fighting prowess of Sherlock Holmes and re-introduced the long forgotten female pugilists of the Victorian Age. I have written Solar Pons, as well as pulp characters such as Dracula, The Moon Man, Ki-Gor, Jim Anthony, and Secret Agent X. Recently I’ve dived into Western fiction, winning a short story contest. I’ve also written a Bass Reeves tale as that forgotten real-life Marshal is finally getting his place in the folklore of the wild west. My novel, The Light of Men, was added to the Holocaust Memorial Museum Library in Washington DC. Wandering Webber is my first children’s book.
Where can fans find more about your work?
Most of my work is still in print and available at amazon in ebook, print and audio versions. Online booksellers have a wide selection as well.
