Fight the Covid-19 Blues with This Week's Free eBooks, Free Audio Books, A Writing Contest, and Some Great Sherlockian Podcasts

Dear readers,

Who would have known just a month ago how much the Covid-19 Virus would impact our lives? With many schools now closed for weeks and possibly not even returning this school year, we wanted to offer an activity for students and parents alike to complete at home as well as free eBooks to help pass the time away at home. 

Each week for the remainder of March and into April we will have at least one eBook available for free on Amazon. The books will come from our catalog of Sherlock Holmes, Solar Pons, sci-fi, and children's books.  This week, we have three FREE books. One is a Sherlock Holmes book, one a science fiction short story collection, and one is a collection of humorous essays from Public Radio. 

Free eBooks

Here are the free eBooks for this week. These books are available for free on Amazon.com from March 23rd - March 27th.

The Secret Diary of Mycroft Holmes

“If Samuel Pepys could fill nine years’ worth of journals with tales of arguments with his wife, visits to the theatres, fire and plague, then I am fairly confident I should be able to achieve a similar feat – with the exception of the plague, that is.” 

Thus begins Mycroft Holmes’s valiant, if irregular, attempt to chronicle his doings. Rediscovered in 1976 and now fully translated from an obscure code, Mycroft’s diaries reveal that a brother’s lot is not always a happy one, especially when that brother happens to be London’s only consulting detective. 

In this humorous look at the world of Sherlock Holmes through Mycroft’s eyes, between avoiding amorous cleaning ladies and eccentric family members, appeasing hopeless artists and budding novelists, keeping the peace at the Diogenes and minding doting dogs, one question always remains: will Sherlock ever get a proper job? 

Devon-based journalist and lecturer, S.F. Bennett has written for the Baker Street Journal and the Journal of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, amongst others. This is the author's first novel.

Get this wonderful Sherlock Holmes novel FOR FREE by clicking here. 

A Tribute to H.G. Wells, Stories Inspired by the Master of Science Fiction Volume 2: A Dark and Beautiful Future 

Science-Fiction today would not be the same without the influence of H.G. Wells. Books like The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, and The Island of Dr. Moreau still feel timely over a hundred years later due to their look into technological advances, fantastical creatures, and their social commentary. 

Now, some of today's top science-fiction, fantasy, and mystery writers pay tribute to the great father of the fantastic. A Tribute to H.G. Wells, Stories Inspired by the Master of Science Fiction Volume 2: Visions of a Dark and Beautiful Future features all new adventures inspired by his great work including The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and many more!

Selenites walk side-by-side with beasts padding uncomfortably along on two legs. We see, or do not see, invisible men scattering before lumbering tripods as we soar upwards into space, and hurtle ourselves through time. There are utopias… and there are underworlds. A Dark and Beautiful Future indeed.

Get this incredible collection of short stories inspired by H.G. Wells FOR FREE by clicking here.

They're Only Words: (As Heard on the Public Radio Show "Weekend Radio")

Here are  short, funny essays that have been broadcast on the Public Radio show "Weekend Radio." The essays in THEY'RE ONLY WORDS are reminiscent of the segment in the T.V. show, 60 Minutes, by the late Andy Rooney, but more informative. In fact, they read like the sort of mini stand-up routines you would expect of Jerry Seinfeld or Robin Williams.

The essays include topics from literature – like words that Shakespeare invented and what he never said and oxymorons and words you never knew existed and middle names of famous people – and issues of our times – like automatic men's rooms and lottery scams and kids' inventions and Luddites among us and why everybody should go to law school. 

The essays are so short, you can read one while waiting for a bus or while your bread is in the toaster. The best place to store this book may be in your bathroom, where reading material is always appreciated.

Get this hilarious collection of short essays FOR FREE by clicking here.

Podcasts

One thing to do while working at home on the computer is listen to some wonderful podcasts. Here are our two favorite podcasts, one focuses on Sherlock Holmes and the other on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The Doings of Doyle

The Doings of Doyle is a podcast dedicated to the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Professor Challenger, Brigadier Gerard, and Sherlock Holmes. 

Belanger Books is proud to sponsor this podcast. Each month's episode focuses on Doyle's fiction or nonfiction work. 

The most recent episode focuses on two stories from the Sherlock Holmes Apocrypha, The Lost Special and the Man with Watches.  

Give the podcast a listen by Clicking HERE.

I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere is undoubtedly the most popular Holmesian blog and podcast online with good reason. Every episode provides a fascinating look into the world of Sherlock Holmes.  

As of this writing, the most recent episode focuses on the art of comic book legend Frank Cho. 

For those of you who read this article early, Scott Monty and Burt Wolder are hosting a LIVE broadcast of the podcast at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on March 23rd.  Check it out here.

Writing Contest

As mentioned in last week's blog post, Belanger Books is offering the chance for students to get published in the book In The Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes and  Dr. Watson. This is a great writing opportunity for students and parents alike. Check out the details by Clicking HERE. Deadline for submissions is April 25th.

Free Audio Books

Audio book master Steven White (the voice of ALL Belanger Books audio books) is currently offering free codes to almost all of his audio books. Mr. White has been called "The voice of Solar Pons". Not only does he voice Belanger Books' catalog, he also voices many books from MX publishing as well as many other independent publishers.  From Mr. White:

All,
With this virus making lives rather complicated. I think that anyone stuck at home should have one additional way to keep themselves occupied.
I have free codes for 95% of my audiobooks, should anyone want to get themselves lost in a story for a few hours.
The codes work on Audible US and UK sites.
Please take the time too look through those that I’ve narrated and if one catches your ear, please ask for a code.

Thanks
Steve

CLICK HERE to see a full list of Mr. White's audio books.

P.S. - Don't forget to check out our current Kickstarter project (for older readers), Sherlock Holmes and the Occult Detectives. The campaign ends in just two days!

And for those of you who want more Sherlock Holmes, MX publishing has the Kickstarter campaign for Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Perplexed Politician.

Look for more free books in next week's blog update. Plus an interview with Sherlockian author Elizabeth Varadan!

Belanger Books is a small press owned by artist Brian Belanger and author Derrick Belanger specializing in new Sherlock Holmes books, Solar Pons, Children's books, Classic Sci-fi, Steampunk, and genre specific anthologies.  Some of our books have been #1 bestsellers in their categories on Amazon.