Three FREE eBooks (2 of them Sherlock Holmes related) for Happy Thanksgiving weekend! PLUS Nefarious Villains of Sherlock Holmes on Kickstarter and our latest CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We wanted to say thank you to you, our readers and fans, by giving away three free eBooks on Amazon from Thanksgiving day through Cyber Monday. See the links to the books below. The free eBooks will work on Amazon.com. If for some reason, you try getting the books for free from Amazon UK or from another Amazon site and it doesn't work, just send me an email at derrick@belnagerbooks.com and I'll make sure you get your FREE copies.

Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street

A Sherlock Holmes Book Like No Other!

Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street contains 37 essays, personal reflections, and short stories that use baking as a springboard, and a springboard only—it is not a cookbook. Subjects range from a progressive dinner mystery to the revelation that one of the original Holmes stories is actually a secret code for a recipe that will probably kill you; a very nice traybake of kitchen fire adventures; death by flour; thoughts about dopamine as it relates to milk, cookies, and Sherlock Holmes; and the power of Japanese bean paste to turn Sherlock into a very real boy by way of the movie Mr. Holmes. 

The anthology is the brainchild of Margie Deck, a long-time Sherlockian and skilled amateur baker devoted to the Great British Baking Show. The pun of Baking Street and Baker Street was too much for her busy brain to resist during lockdown, when everyone with an oven decided to start baking. She invited New York Times best-selling author, avid Sherlockian and baker Nancy Holder onto the project. For the last eight months they have collected and edited contributions to Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street from Sherlockians in Italy, India, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, the US, and the UK. The work also includes an interview with the screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher and two illustrations by the Australian artist J. Scherpenhuizen.

The book features superstars in the Sherlockian world and seasoned writing stars from other genres. 

Statements of Advance Praise:

“There is nothing half-baked or cookie-cutter about this charming confection of culinary-themed Sherlockian fact, fiction and fancy. The editors, with a finger in every pie, have separated the wheat from the chaff for readers, and without over-egging the pudding, this collection proves you can have your Sherlockian cake and read it too! Bon appétit.”--Charles Prepolec, BSI, MBt Editor, Gaslight Gothic: Strange Tales of Sherlock Holmes

“Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street is a smorgasbord of delightful stories, essays, and articles that will satisfy the hunger of its readers. My mouth was watering as I turned the pages and you, too, will find yourselves returning for a second helping.”-- Greg D. Ruby, BSI, ASH The SOB in Charge at the Sherlockians of Baltimore

“The stories, references, and recipes found within these pages are as varied and entertaining as the Adventures they are based on. A must read for anyone with a taste for the flavors of Sherlock Holmes, baking, or both!”-- Crystal Noll, ASH 221B Con Director, The Serpentine Muse Co-editor

Get your FREE copy of this eclectic Sherlock Holmes collection  by CLICKING HERE!

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

Mark Levy, BSI was a dear friend who sadly passed away last month. Mark had his hats in many rings from Holmes scholar, to book collector, to radio comedian. We hope you enjoy these short funny vignettes as much as we do and as much as his Weekend Radio audience did on NPR. --Brian and Derrick Belanger

Here are more short, funny essays that have been broadcast on the Public Radio show "Weekend Radio." 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 essay collection by CLICKING HERE!

Sherlock Holmes and the Great Detectives 

What if Sherlock Holmes Wasn't Alone?

Sherlock Holmes —the name immediately brings to mind an image of the great detective sitting in his rooms in 221B Baker street, his fingers steepled before his hawkish nose, his sharp grey eyes focused on the client who has brought a little puzzle for him to solve. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said when one reads the names of the other literary detectives of the time period, sometimes referred to as the rivals of Sherlock Holmes. Sadly, names like Lois Cayley, Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, The Old Man in the Corner, or Dr. Thorndyke are meaningless to all but the most ardent admirers of Victorian and Edwardian mysteries.

The Great Detective Universe series hopes to rectify this problem and expand the world of Sherlock Holmes by bringing the consulting detective and his purported rivals into a shared universe, in other words, a universe where not just Holmes and Watson lived but also Carnacki, Father Brown, The Grey Seal, and many other great detectives.

Sherlock Holmes and the Great Detectives has Holmes partnering with these other noted sleuths to fight crime and stop master criminals.

See Sherlock Holmes partner with:
•Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen a.k.a The Thinking Machine
•Carnacki, the Ghost Finder
•The Grey Seal
•Doctor Thorndyke
•“The Old Man in the Corner”
•Lois Cayley
•Father Brown
And many, many more

Get this exciting Sherlock Holmes team-up book by CLICKING HERE!

Now on Kickstarter and named a "Project We LOVE"! 

The Nefarious Villains of Sherlock Holmes!

TALES OF THE NEFARIOUS VILLAINS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES!

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson!  The names of the world's greatest detective and his stalwart friend conjure up images of Victorian London, gaslit streets, hansom cabs, and dense fogs.

But there was more to the story than these heroes. There were the villains who dared to stand against them, carrying out their vile plans and evil schemes. 

Who were these sinners, malefactors, and criminals? We only know the barest details, as provided to us from Watson’s pen in the very few sixty stories of the original Sherlockian Canon. Now, with this new volume from Belanger Books, we investigate further – into the lives and deeds and motivations of these Nefarious Villains of Sherlock Holmes. 

In these two volumes are twenty four stories examining the best known villains – Professor Moriarty, for instance, and Colonel Moran, and Dr. Grimesby Roylott – and some others who might not be quite as famous, but who were just as vexing to the Detective and Doctor . . . names like Culverton Smith, Baron Maupertuis, and Abe Slaney.

Discover their histories and find out the events behind the stories that you think you know. Settle back for an exceptional Holmes anthology, and a walk along the Dark Side of the Canon . . . .

The game is afoot!

STRETCH GOAL: If we reach $5,000 in backer pledges, we will add a BONUS STORY to the anthology from renowned Sherlock Holmes author Craig Stephen Copland!  

Bonus story: Craig Stephen Copland - "The Adventure of the Purloined Paint Box"(Josiah Amberley)

Get this TWO VOLUME anthology of ALL NEW Sherlockian adventures by CLICKING HERE!

CURRENT CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: Medical Mysteries

Description: A collection of traditional Sherlock Holmes stories that must somehow connect to the theme of “medical mystery”. This could include Holmes investigating a crime committed at Bart’s hospital, having a nurse as a client, or figuring out the cause of a strange illness killing off some of London’s wealthiest citizens. The topic is quite broad on purpose and we invite authors to be creative with their submissions.

This anthology is in collaboration with Dr. Ed Chan who is raising awareness of lung disease caused by Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria, a very difficult-to-treat (often times incurable) and increasingly prevalent form of pneumonia (related to tuberculosis) caused by microorganisms that are acquired from our home and outdoor environments. A portion of the proceeds raised from the book will go to help fund research work on this disease to the Denver Research Institute, one of several non-profit (501c3) organizations mandated by the U.S. Congress to help orchestrate research relevant for military veterans. DRI is affiliated with the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System. NONE of the proceeds will go for Dr. Chan's salary.

Guidelines: a 5,000 - 10,000 word pastiche (okay to go over or under some) that is canonically accurate (i.e. Holmes and Watson should be the Holmes and Watson we encounter in Doyle’s writings) and connects to the medical theme of the anthology.

Authors may submit multiple stories to the anthology.

Rights: All authors shall retain the rights to their submitted work outside of the anthology and may reprint their submission one year after the anthology’s publication date.

Payment: Authors shall receive $100 for each accepted submission and a paperback copy of the anthology.

Submission: Email submissions to derrick@belangerbooks with the headline: ATTN: MEDICAL MYSTERIES. Please attach the submission as a word document.

Submission Deadline: February 15th, 2022.

Publication Date: Spring 2022

Steel True, Blade Straight

The Belanger Books Anthology of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Inspired Stories, Poems, and Scholarship

2022 Annual

Description: This anthology will have stories, poems, and scholarship inspired by and about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes. While the anthology will contain new Sherlock Holmes stories, the intent would be for at least 25% of the material to be stories and poems inspired by the life and non-Sherlockian writing of Sir Arthur. Another 25% of material would be scholarship on Holmes and Doyle.

All proceeds from the Anthology will be donated to The Beacon Society, a 501c(3) nonprofit scion society of The Baker Street Irregulars (BSI), that serves as a link to other scion societies, providing teachers, librarians, children museums, and children theaters with local resources to bring the magic of Sherlock Holmes to life.

Guidelines:

Stories - 3,000 - 10,000 word submissions that connect to the writing of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These can be Sherlock Holmes stories, or stories connected to Sir Arthur’s additional writings (far too many to list here).

Poems - format and length are open. The poetry submission would have to somehow connect to the life or work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Scholarship - 1,000 - 3,000 word submissions. Essays must connect to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or his writing (Sherlock Holmes or other work).

Multiple submissions in the same or more than one category are welcome.

Payment: All authors will receive a paperback copy of the anthology.

Rights: All authors shall retain the rights to their submitted work outside of the anthology and may reprint their submission one year after the anthology’s publication date.

Submission: Email submissions to derrick@belangerbooks with the headline: ATTN: STEEL TRUE BLADE STRAIGHT SUBMISSION. In the body explain: 1. Type of submission (story, poem, story), and a brief description of how the submission connects to Sir Arthur. Please attach the submission as a word document.

Submission Deadline: April 30th, 2022

Publication Date: Summer 2022.

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.