Popping Injto Baker Street, part 2

Special Features, Popping Into Baker Street, Part Two

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote plenty, and not all of his work featured the indomitable Sherlock. He wrote the mysterious work called The Mystery of the Cloomber and even a treasure called The Lost World about an expedition to South America to discover a world where dinosaurs still lived. Sound like the basis of a few movies to you? But no character received the adoration of Sherlock Holmes who debuted in A Study In Scarlet.

The stories were published in The Strand magazine. They certainly made money for Doyle, but he considered them ‘commercial.’ He went so far as to publish ‘The Final Problem’ in 1893 where Holmes and Moriarty plunged to their deaths. Sherlock Holmes dead?Readers were so incensed that 20,000 cancelled their subscription to the Stand.

Doyle wrote a play about Sherlock. William Gillette, the actor commissioned to play him asked for permission to revise it. Doyle said, “You may marry him, murder him, or do anything you like to him.” Poor Doyle, chained to the character he created so brilliantly!

Trivia Question #2: Who was the hero of The Lost World?

Answer to Trivia question #1: William Gillette instituted the drop stem pipe for Sherlock because it made it easier for the actor to speak his lines clearly.

It's the Network...

Hello? Hello?

This ridiculous contraption always makes me sound like I’m talking through a can. Maybe if I whack it…there. Can you hear me now? If so, I need you to pass a message along to my niece, Casey Alexander. It’s of utmost importance. She’s in quite a lot of danger, you see, though she doesn’t even realize it.

I never dreamed, back when strange messages started appearing on my porch, that my disappearance would transfer all of my troubles onto Casey. She’s always been such a good girl—all right, maybe she is a trifle strange, what with her addiction to dime store detective novels. But she’s sharp as a butcher’s cleaver when you run it through a. . .oops. Hehe. I digress.

Anyway, if you would please let Casey know that her Aunt Liddy loves her and that I’m watching over her, I sure would appreciate it. Tell her I’m always close by even though she can’t see me, and that I wish with all my heart I could wrap her up in a great big hug and take her to our secret “spot.”

I know this is a lot to ask, you being a stranger and all. I would tell her myself, but that’s the trouble with being dead, you see. It makes communicating with your loved ones so much more difficult. So, if you could? Help an old girl out?

Thank—oh—well, my line is cutting out again. They sure—make these things like—used to. Anyway, tell Casey that her aunt, Lydia Alexander, said to watch out for—

CALL LOST...

Elizabeth Ludwig graduated Summa Cum Laude from Hart High School in 1985. She received a scholarship to Michigan State University in 1986 and went on to study English and Journalism. She spent several years learning both music and theater arts, and has performed in numerous community projects. She teaches a College and Career Sunday school class and sings on the praise team at her local church. She is an accomplished speaker and dramatist, having performed before audiences of 1500 and more, at local community groups, and before judges for Forensics Meets across the state of Michigan.

Mrs. Ludwig has written a number of historical books, and two romantic suspense novels including A Walk of Faith, a finalist in ACFW’s 2004 Noble Theme Contest. Other notable accomplishments include two top ten finishes in ACFW’s 2005 Noble Theme Contest, General Historical and Historical Romance categories, respectively. Her first novel, Where the Truth Lies, which she co-authored with Janelle Mowery, is scheduled for release in spring of 2008 from Heartsong Presents: Mysteries, an imprint of Barbour Publishing. The sequel, Died in the Wool, is due spring, 2009.

To find out more, visit Elizabeth on the web at http://www.elizabethludwig.com/.

BE AFRAID

Barbour Publishing is launching this line of cozy mysteries called Heartsong Mysteries. You can find out more about it here: http://www.heartsongmysteries.com/

My first book in this book club comes in September and if you’ve been reading along the earlier posts you’re getting an idea of the fun all our authors are having being involved in this new line of books.

Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple stories are the classic example of cozy mysteries.

On television, think Murder She Wrote.

My next turn to blog I’ll talk more about my own cozy mystery coming in September, the first of a three book series. But I’ll give you a blurb for now:

Of Mice…and Murder

By Mary Connealy

Being named in Great-grandma’s will was like hitting bankrupt on Wheel of Fortune. The whole family held their breath while the wheel ticked around and around, or rather while the lawyer opened the envelope. Then the wheel stopped on Carrie’s name and everybody else heaved a sigh of relief.

Carrie the heiress. Great.

Clean up the house.

Clean up the yard.

Clean up Great-grandma’s rap sheet.

Carrie hates mice and loves the big city. So why is she living in a huge mouse infested house in her dinky hometown? The dead guy in her pantry closet is the most interesting thing that's happened since she came home. Of course the carpenter who's helping her trap her mice and solve the crime is pretty interesting, too.

http://www.maryconnealy.com/

I created Carrie out of my own mouse phobia. How about you? Anyone else afraid of mice? Any other phobias?

The only truly unrealistic thing that happens in my small fictional town of Melnik, Nebraska, is...Carrie staying in that house once she sees the first mouse. The rest of it, an oversized stuffed mouse, a dead guy in the closet, a crazed pie-baker and a mouse obsessed drama queen, sure...those could happen. But staying in that house with the mice?

No way.

So tell me what makes you go EEEEKKK!!!!!