There's news brewing, folks. Newsy news. "Stop the presses!" stuff. But damn the news -- it never seems to break when you want it to. Now that I think about it, I guess that's why burly, stogie-chomping dudes always had to run around shouting "Stop the presses!" in the first place. Every time they put to bed that morning edition with the 60-point headline "EVERYTHING HUNKY DORY FOR FIRST TIME EVER!!!" they'd get word that Lex Luthor had broken out of prison again and was headed toward the city in a dirigible filled with mustard gas. (That is what the 1930s were like, right?)
Anyway, I could keep vamping with nonsense about the '30s -- did you know that the two biggest box-office draws of the decade were Rin Tin Tin and a goldfish named Mrs. Bubbles? -- but instead I'll flesh this update out with pictures I've been meaning to post forever. First up, a snapshot from longtime "Holmes on the Range" series supporter Dr. Fredric Eichelman. Dr. Fred was so intrigued by "The Old Senator," a story of mine that dug into the family history of the great stage actor William Gillette, he bought a copy of Gillette's most famous play: Sherlock Holmes. After he showed the play to his daughter, a drama teacher at William Byrd High School in Roanoke County, Virginia, she shared it with her students, and they dug it so much they decided to perform the darned thing. Et voila, a 113-year-old play about Sherlock Holmes got a 10-performance run at a Virginia high school kinda sorta thanks to me (but mostly thanks to Dr. Fred -- who's pictured below with the production's youthful master sleuth.)
Next up is a new honor for me: fan art! A while back, I was contacted by a talented artist named Rebecca Burg who'd recently enjoyed the Holmes on the Range audiobook. She was thinking about whipping up an illustration based on what she'd heard and was wondering if I could tell her more about what the Amlingmeyer brothers looked like. I referred her to an old blog post on just that subject, and then a few weeks later -- et voila again! Rebecca sent me her version of the novel's opening teaser chapter, in which Big Red and Old Red have to start piecing together a mystery by piecing together a man. Needless to say, I loved it. But, needless though it may be, I'm saying it anyway: I loved it! You can check out more of Rebecca's cool art here.
And finally, I've got a new cover to share. Actually, I've got two, but I'm not quite ready to show you the one I reeeeeeeeeeeeally love. Soon, I hope. Soon. In the meantime, there's this: The cover for the Italian edition of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After. Bing Translator tells me the Italian publisher changed the title to Till Death Do We Join...which isn't that bad, actually. I like it better than the Italian title for Holmes on the Range (Sherlock Holmes Montana) but not quite as much as the Japanese title for On the Wrong Track (Sherlock Holmes vs. Mechagodzilla). I'm still waiting, fingers crossed, for the Klingon editions....
Old Red has a mustache? Why did I not know this?
Good stuff. That's a nice drawing.
Posted by: Esri Allbritten | July 02, 2012 at 11:13 AM
Rebecca Burg does great work! So now do we have some illustrated editions to look forward to? Graphic Novels? Is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship and more merchandising? Is the cover you reeeeeeeeeeeeally love for the next Holmes on the Range?
I'll go make room on the shelf...
Posted by: Marge | July 02, 2012 at 06:31 PM
Now you'll have to start a new web page for Fan Art. HA. Seriously, this is great! More from Ms. Burg and other talented fans would be welcome.
Where can we read "The Old Senator," please?
Posted by: Jan McClintock | July 04, 2012 at 05:31 PM
It's great to see everyone loves Rebecca's illustration as much as I do! She and I have started kicking around ideas, so we'll see where it leads. I'd love to do a Holmes on the Range graphic novel, but the economics are tricky. But hey -- that's what Kickstarter's for, right?
The cover I'm super-excited about isn't for the next HOTR, Marge, though I hope a new entry in the series isn't *too* far down the road. Stay tuned....
"The Old Senator" appeared in the anthology Sherlock Holmes: The American Years, Jan. I've been thinking of doing a follow-up to it for some time now. Fingers crossed I find the time for it soon. Guess that's yet another "Stay tuned...." I have to throw at folks!
Posted by: Steve | July 04, 2012 at 11:53 PM
I have a friend who decorates her house with creepy dolls. When I go to her house, it doesn’t mean I love her decor. And it does not reflect who I am, by going there.
Posted by: smartboy | September 28, 2012 at 09:01 PM