Remembering Will Murray, Four FREE eBooks containing some of our favorite Will Murray Sherlock Holmes Adventures; our Current Kickstarter Projects and a Reminder of our CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

 

Brian with Will Murray at a book signing at the Bookery in Manchester, NH (June 2019)

Brian and I were sad to hear of the loss of the legendary Will Murray. Will was probably best known for creating the Marvel character Squirrel Girl with Steve Ditko. What most of us will remember him for though is his huge contribution to pulp Fiction. Will wrote new adventures involving The Spider, Doc Savage, The Shadow, Tarzan, King Kong, John Carter, and of course Sherlock Holmes!

It was Sherlock Holmes that brought us together. Back in 2018, Will contributed to the Belanger Books anthology, Sherlock Holmes: Adventures Beyond the Canon : Volume III. It was David Marcum, the editor of the anthology who first got Will to pen a Holmes adventure for the MX Books of New Sherlock Holmes series. Will loved writing Sherlock Holmes and contributed regularly to Belanger Books and MX anthologies.

Advertisement for our author signing with Will Murray in June, 2019

In 2019, Brian and I had the honor of meeting Will Murray at an author signing in Manchester, NH. Will was incredibly friendly. While we signed many books, we also had the opportunity to chat and talk about Holmes, Marvel, The Shadow, and all sorts of pulp fiction topics. 

Five authors who contributed to The Irregular Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

After the book signing, we told Will we looked forward to seeing him again. Alas, we never did meet up again in person. While we worked with him on many projects, our correspondence from that point on was over email. Will Murray passed away at the age of 73.

Brian and I were honored when Will kindly dedicated the fifth volume of The Wild Adventures of Sherlock Holmes to us.

Will ended up writing enough tales to fill five volumes of his The Wild Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series. Below we have four of our anthologies containing some of our favorite of Murray's Holmes adventures published by Belanger Books. The books are available for FREE on Kindle in the US from August 30th until September 3rd.

Free Kindle Editions With Will Murray Stories

Sherlock Holmes: Adventures Beyond the Canon : Volume III

This volume of Sherlock Holmes: Adventures Beyond the Canon contains the very first story that Will wrote for us. It is titled "The Unsettling Matter of the Graveyard Ghoul". It is a sequel to an original Sherlock Holmes story. See if you can guess which one.  

Sherlock Holmes: Stranger Than Fiction

Will wrote a number of Holmes crossover adventures where the great detective teamed up with a pulp fiction character. Sherlock Holmes: Stranger than Fiction includes a great story where Holmes teams up with the occult detective, Dr. John Silence.

The Irregular Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Will wrote a number of excellent traditional Sherlock Holmes adventures. Out of all of them, the story in the Irregular Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is my favorite. This anthology was designed to be written for young adults, but the stories are for Sherlockians of all ages!

The Necronomicon of Sherlock Holmes volume 1

It is fitting that the last story Will Murray wrote for Belanger books combined sherlock Holmes and weird fiction. Will wrote a number of Lovecraftian tales, and this adventure with Sherlock Holmes is one of his best. Enjoy, "THE DOOM OF THE GORDIAN NIGHTMARE" in The Necronomicon of Sherlock Holmes!

The Secrets of Private Families, stories of SHERLOCK HOLMES

“A dive into the depths of human deception, as Holmes and Watson expose wicked patriarchs, dysfunctional families, and tragic betrayals in a series of canonical but pleasingly unstuffy exploits. Satisfying and highly readable.” 

–– John Linwood Grant, author of THE ASSASSIN'S COIN

MARGIE DECK returns with a new collection of cryptic cases and clever conundrums!  Pensive poets, reluctant heirs! Dreamers, schemers!  A mysterious ring, a difficult message... and an irresistible woman!  

These are the adventures which the great detective SHERLOCK HOLMES deemed too tantalizing for public consumption... but the good Doctor Watson has generously granted our readership an unprecedented peek into these private papers.  The game is afoot!

Back this incredible collection of new Sherlock Holmes stories by CLICKING HERE!

TITANS OF THE DAWN

"I sought... to tell a story of the primordial world in as much detail as possible, informed by current scientific consensus, yet weave a tale that is deeply appealing to the human mind with all its values and expectations." 

Perfectly adapted to their environment of the late Cretaceous... fine-tuned by evolution to be the ultimate adversaries!  Polestar Press proudly presents TITANS OF THE DAWN, the meticulously researched, breathtakingly original new novel from MIKE ADAMSON (Ravensgate, Of Old Gods and Dreamlands).  

This remarkable tale follows the lives of a Triceratops and its herd... and the deadly Tyrannosaurus Rex that must prey upon them.  Mortal enemies crossing paths again and again, each destined by nature to struggle for supremacy... and survival!  Visit a prehistoric world in its final days, when true titans walked the earth!

Polestar Press is an imprint of Belanger Books.

Get this amazing tale of our prehistoric past by CLICKING HERE!

Also, don't forget to check out the Sherlock Holmes Kickstarter projects from our friends at MX Publishing: 

The Crosses - A Baker Street Irregulars Mystery

Moriarty’s Defence of Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes: Mistletoe Mysteries

An advent calendar of all new Sherlock Holmes mysteries which also introduces readers to other great detectives from the Victorian and Edwardian era! 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.

Great detectives featured in the book:

Father Brown

Max Carrados

The Old Man in the Corner

Judith Lee

Lois Cayley

Martin Hewitt

Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen (The Thinking Machine)

Lady Molly of Scotland Yard

Dr. John Silence

Venus Johnson

Carnacki, the Ghost-Finder

Dr. Thorndyke

C. Auguste Dupin

The book also contains the bonus adventure by Derrick Belanger, The Whole Story Concerning the Politician, the Lighthouse, and the Trained Cormorant featuring an appearance by Sergeant Cuff from The Moonstone.

BACKER BONUS:  If the campaign makes double the initial pledge goal, a special spotlight on each great detective will be added to each story.

The project launches on September 10th!  Follow along by CLICKING HERE!

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 

FOR UPCOMING BELANGER BOOKS ANTHOLOGIES

Steel True, Blade Straight 2026-2027

 

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

2026-2027 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.

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 2026 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: October 11, 2026

Publication Date: December 2026

The Pontine Dossier: Millennium Edition 2026 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 2026 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, 2026.  We will release the new edition of the Dossier in December, 2026.

Sherlock Holmes: The Science-Fictional Adventures

Edited by C. Edward Davis and Derrick Belanger, BSI

The team that brought you Sherlock Holmes: Adventures in the Realms of H.G. Wells is back with an all new collection of Sherlock Holmes sci-fi adventures!

Description: In 1960, the Denver based scion society The Council of Four published a collection of science-fiction Sherlock Holmes stories titled, The Science-Fictional Sherlock Holmes. The book featured authors such as Poul Anderson, Gordon R. Dickson, Anthony Boucher, and August Derleth. Rather than making it a strict traditional Sherlock Holmes anthology, the authors put Holmes (and characters similar to Sherlock Holmes) in all sorts of different sci-fi settings. 

This anthology will continue the tradition of The Science-Fictional Sherlock Holmes with all new Sherlock Holmes science-fiction adventures. Authors are encouraged to submit traditional Victorian era Sherlock Holmes science-fiction stories or stories set in futuristic settings. You can play around with Holmes and make him a robot, an AI, an alien lifeform, or any other creative way you see fit. He just has to still be traditional (i.e. a force for good).

Submission guidelines:  A Sherlock Holmes story that is in the genre of science-fiction

Submission length: 5,000 – 10,0000 words (it is okay to go over some).

Payment: Authors shall receive a payment of $100 plus a paperback copy of the volume of the anthology containing their story.  

Rights: Authors shall retain rights to their work. We only retain the rights to the story within the publication.

Send submissions in a word document that is double spaced, in Times New Roman, and in 12 point font to derrick@belangerbooks.com with the subject line ATTN: SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE SCIENCE-FICTIONAL ADVENTURES

Submission Deadline: November 20, 2026

Publication: Early 2027

Cover to the original The Science-Fictional Sherlock Holmes

HIDEOUS HEARTS: Newly-Fashioned Fiction from the Realms of EDGAR ALLAN POE

Edited by Brian Belanger

You know the nightmares: A filmy, fearsome, unseeing eye.  Victims falling to violence on the Rue Morgue.  A deadly descent into crumbling catacombs to sample a sip of Amontillado.  Black cats, gold bugs, and Conqueror Worms… and above it all, the raven still is sitting, still is sitting, perched upon a bust of Pallas… while outside, the Red Death holds sway over all.

Belanger Books invites you to expand these classic tales of terror.  We are accepting submissions for all-new stories inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe.  Stories can have direct connections to his original work, or they can be written in a similar style to the Master.

Submission guidelines:  A story inspired by the work of Edgar Allan Poe

Submission length: 5,000 – 10,0000 words (it is okay to go over some).

Payment: Authors shall receive a payment of $100 plus a complimentary paperback copy of the anthology.   

Rights: Authors shall retain rights to their work. We only retain the rights to the story within the publication.

Send submissions in a word document that is double spaced, in Times New Roman, and in 12 point font to brian@belangerbooks.com with the subject line ATTN: HIDEOUS HEARTS. Make sure to include your name (first and last), the title of your story, and story length.

Submission Deadline: December 31st, 2026

Publication: Early 2027

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.