CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS for new SHERLOCK HOLMES and SOLAR PONS publications, Kickstarter Sherlock Holmes Projects, and Five FREE eBooks in celebration of our presentation at Gillette Castle

 

Hi everyone,

Happy Summer! On June 8th, Brian and I are speaking at Gillette Castle in honor of the release of an all new edition of the lost Sherlockian classic Sherlock Holmes and Much More! There's more about the book release party and the current Kickstarter campaign for the book in the post. 

We also wanted to let you know about our current CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS, Sherlock Holmes Kickstarter campaigns from Belanger Books and MX Publishing, and FIVE FREE Kindle editions of some of our Sherlock Holmes titles to celebrate summer and get a head start on your digital beach reads. Let's go!

Sherlock Holmes and Much More Kickstarter Campaign and Event at Gillette Castle!

For those of you in the New England area, I'm excited to announce that Brian and I will be speaking at Gillette Castle on June 8th in honor of the release of the all new edition of Doris E. Cook's Sherlock Holmes and Much More! For those of you who can't make it, the book is currently available through our Kickstarter campaign.

From the press release:

Readers interested in William Gillette will no longer need to scour eBay for out-of-print editions of his definitive biography, “Sherlock Holmes and Much More”. The Friends of Gillette Castle have formed a three-way partnership with Belanger Books and the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History (formerly the Connecticut Historical Society) to bring this book to Gillette Castle.

To celebrate the release of this book, the Friends of Gillette Castle will be hosting a release party in the Visitor Center of Gillette Castle State Park at 11 a.m. on June 8. The event will have two speakers. Lyme resident and budding Gillette scholar Steven Gaudio will give a brief talk that reviews some of the lesser-known aspects of William Gillette - the “much more” of Doris Cook’s book. The publishers, Brian and Derrick Belanger, will review the publication process for the book and discuss what makes it unique.

Both the hardcover and softcover versions of the book will be available for purchase at Seventh Sister Souvenirs, located inside the Visitor Center, following the talks.
The Friends of Gillette Castle State Park will also be offering a guided train trail walk that day at 1:00 p.m., departing from the Visitor Center. Gillette's train system runs through scenic areas of the 122-acre state park, with numerous historic features along the way. The hike is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes long and is offered free of charge. Registration at www.gillettecastlefriends.org is required.

And if you can't make it to the book launch, please consider backing the book on Kickstarter by CLICKING HERE!

The Essential Sherlock Holmes Volume 4

At last!  The fourth and final volume bringing together, in chronological order, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most important adventures of SHERLOCK HOLMES from a biographical point of view, augmented with insightful essays and striking illustrations, edited by Dan Andriacco, BSI (The Baker Street Journal). Additional contributions include:

“This Great and Sombre Stage” by Roger Johnson, BSI

“For England, Home, and Beauty”—Holmes the Patriot, by Mark Jones, BSI

The Curious Case of Sherlock Holmes in “The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane” by Carlina de la Cova, BSI

Investigating Sherlock Holmes in “The Lion’s Mane” by Karen Wilson, BSI

Sherlock Holmes for Crown and Country by Dan Andriacco, BSI

The Adventure of the Sixth Man, by S.E. Dahlinger, BSI

“Another Glass Watson!” The Essential Friendship by Burt Wolder, BSI

The Afterlife of Sherlock Holmes: The Great Detective in Parody and Pastiche by Peggy

MacFarlane, BSI

“'You’re asking ME?' – an artist’s creative process explained" by Brian Belanger

 Back this important collection of Sherlockian scholarship by CLICKING HERE!

Also, please check out these Sherlock Holmes Kickstarter campaigns from MX Publishing. They are both ending soon:

 Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of The Black Pharaoh - Holmes discovers a deadly secret, a secret that entangles him and Watson in a conspiracy that threatens all their lives.

Sherlock Holmes: 221B On Her Majesty’s Secret Service - 221B is more than an address on Baker Street...it is also the code-name for special agents of Her Majesty's Secret Service who are called upon to combat extreme threats to the Realm—Sherlock Holmes, Loveday Brooke and Dr. John Watson.

And one last campaign...

Sherlock Holmes: Holiday Whodunnits

An advent calendar of all new Sherlock Holmes mysteries! The stories are designed to be read over the holiday season (i.e. from December 1st to December 26th). Each story is divided into two sections. The first day provides the case to the reader. The second day provides the ending. You get to think like Sherlock Holmes and see if you can solve the case before reading the thrilling conclusion.

Follow the campaign and be the first to know when it launches by CLICKING HERE!

Call for Submissions

Steel True, Blade Straight 2025-2026

 

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

2025-2026 Annual

Edited by Derrick Belanger, BSI

Cover to the 2024-2025 edition of the journal

Description: This anthology is looking for 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, and Dr. Watson's Neglected Patients, a 501c(3) nonprofit scion society of The Baker Street Irregulars (BSI).

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 - 5,000 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.com with the headline: ATTN: STEEL TRUE BLADE STRAIGHT 2024 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: September 30, 2025

Publication Date: December 2025

The Pontine Dossier: Millennium Edition 2025 Annual

Edited by Derrick Belanger, PSI

The next volume of Solar Pons Scholarship from Belanger Books! 

Belanger Books is proud to bring back The Pontine Dossier in an annual edition.  The Pontine Dossier: Millennium Edition 2025 will feature Pontine articles and scholarships.  We would love it if you'd consider contributing.

Cover to the 2024 edition of the Pontine Dossier

Guidelines:  An article of Pontine Scholarship about Solar Pons, characters in the Solar Pons canon, or author August Derleth.  Length can vary from as few as 1,000 words to as many as 5,000 words or more. We are leaving this wide open to get as many and as varied submissions as possible.

Please submit your manuscript as a word document to derrick@belangerbooks.com. Title your email:

ATTN: PONTINE DOSSIER SUBMISSION.

Multiple submissions will be accepted.

If your article(s) is accepted, you will receive a free print copy of the Dossier.

Submission Deadline:  Please submit your article by October 31, 2025.  We will release the new edition of the Dossier in December, 2025.

Free eBOOKS

       

We'll wrap up this update with our FIVE FREE Kindle eBooks. Get them all at the links below:

The Denarian Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Volume 1

When you hear the name SHERLOCK HOLMES, you immediately think of a striking intellect, a man who can look beyond the obvious and observe the things that others don’t even notice; able to solve the most complex crimes that leave Scotland Yard in the shadows.

But how did he come to have these powers that made him stand out above everyone else? What did he experience in his youth and young adulthood that shaped the man who we all love, and who criminals fear?

In this two-volume collection, discover a young Sherlock Holmes from the ages of 10 through 19, coming to terms with his own insatiable curiosity. Mysteries involving schoolyard bullies, weekend astronomers, circus performers and gypsies abound, as Holmes accompanies his brother Mycroft on diplomatic missions, uncovers deadly schemes, and does his very best to survive the Victorian era's school system.

Get the first volume of these adventures with a young Sherlock Holmes by CLICKING HERE!

Sherlock Holmes Takes the Stage Volume 2 

One has to wonder –– is Sherlock Holmes a detective who plays at being an actor, or an actor who plays at being a detective?

Whatever the case, it is clear that he has an affinity for acting, and the theatre. And so, we have Sherlock Holmes Takes the Stage, a collection of stories that showcases Holmes’s acting skills and the world of Victorian theatre. It seems only natural; after all, it’s generally assumed that Holmes had a brief acting career before he decided to focus on his investigative skills, and the majority of stories within these volumes take place during those early, formative years. These exciting adventures are presented in chronological order, so while at first it might seem strange to read about Holmes’s exploits in a time before Dr. Watson, or Mrs. Hudson, or his cozy rooms at 221b Baker Street, rest assured that these familiar elements do make their appearance before the intermission.

Get the second volume of incredible acting adventures by CLICKING HERE!

Mycroft - Out of the Shadows: A Brother's Tale

"...there is one... one secret, one personal secret that begs to be released, to be revealed at last – before it is too late."

This final drama from award-winning author, editor, and playwright DAVID STUART DAVIES is a dark, fascinating character study of Sherlock Holmes's older brother. Brooding over past sins and unfinished business at the end of his years, Mycroft Holmes reveals his life's story in an astonishing, controversial monologue, which acts as a companion piece to Davies' earlier play, the long-running Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act.

Get the final play from the great David Stuart Davies by CLICKING HERE!

The American Adventures of Solar Pons

The world knows of Sherlock Holmes. But there are some who are also fortunate enough to have met Mr. Solar Pons of Praed Street. For those who haven’t yet encountered him, one should know that Pons was a Great Detective in the Holmesian Mold: He modeled himself after Holmes, wearing the expected deerstalker and Inverness. He investigated using ratiocination, observation, and deduction. His adventures, usually set in the 1920’s and 1930’s between the Great Wars, were transcribed by his friend, Dr. Lyndon Parker. Pons lived in London, worked closely with Scotland Yard, and helped to fill the vacuum left when Sherlock Holmes retired to Sussex. But in all of the Pontine Canon, we never actually see him in America . . . until now.

Travel between the United States and Britain was much easier following the First World War, and it follows that Pons and Parker would have made the journey on several occasions – and being Solar Pons and Dr. Parker, they would have certainly had adventures on the American side of the Atlantic. Now, twelve of those tales are collected in this volume.

The Game is Afoot . . . in America! 

Get this wonderful collection of all new adventures involving the Sherlock Holmes of Praed Street by CLICKING HERE!

Finding Sherlock Holmes: A Guide to Locations in England Mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes Canon

Author Paul Thomas Miller (Watson Does Not Lie, Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes in Southsea) takes you on a tour of the locations in England mentioned in every single one of Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories. Through Mr. Miller's witty and fun storytelling style, readers learn of specific locations from the Canon as well as walks centered around specific stories, including The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Speckled Band, The Red-Headed League, A Scandal in Bohemia, and 56 more!!!

Whether you are an armchair traveler or like to explore locations yourself, this is a book for every fan of Sherlock Holmes.

Some highlights:

The walk for the Blue Carbuncle covers the gem’s entire journey from the Countess of Morcar’s room at the Hotel Cosmopolitan to 221B Baker Street

The locations for The Hound of the Baskervilles include Dr. Mortimer’s house, Baskerville Hall, and The Grimpen Mire, all with specific GPS coordinates

The locations of Jabez Wilson’s shop and the offices of the infamous Red-Headed League

The addresses in Surrey where The Speckled Band took place

The locations of the Diogenes Club, Mycroft Holmes’s lodgings, the actual 221B Baker Street, and Watson’s home

And many, many more!!!

With over 400 pages of text and more than 100 photographs of locations, this is a book every fan of Sherlock Holmes and everyone who likes travel guides in general will need in their collection.

Get this award winning Sherlock Holmes travel guide by CLICKING HERE!

That's all for this update. Look for more Belanger books blog entries coming soon!

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.