Welcome to
THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF!
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About the Books
QUEENSBERRY JUSTICE BLURB:
Fight Card Books added a bold, new chapter to the rich literary tradition of Sherlock Holmes with the publication of the first Fight Card Sherlock Holmes tale, Work Capitol. The book was an instant hit and two more followed. These tales covering the years Holmes spent honing his fighting skills in and out of the boxing ring struck a chord with readers and garnered great reviews.
Now, for the first time, ALL three tales: Work Capitol, Blood to the Bone and A Congression of Pallbearers are collected in one action-packed volume. And more!
Exclusive to this collection:
– 3 Brand new Fight Card Sherlock Holmes short stories!
– Foreword by Paul Bishop, the co-creator of Fight Card
– New Introduction by Andrew Salmon
– Cover Galleries for all 3 books
– Sample pages from the handwritten manuscripts
– A alternate version of one of the trilogy’s most dramatic scenes
SHERLOCK HOLMES INVESTIGATES BLURB:
Andrew Salmon’s first Sherlock Holmes tale, The Adventure of the Locked Room, was a hit right out of the gate, winning an award for Best Short Story the year it was published. Salmon followed up this success by garnering rave reviews, numerous award nominations and a second win for Best Short Story for his Holmes adventures before breaking new ground with the best selling Fight Card Sherlock Holmes trilogy.
Now, for the first time, ALL FIVE of his award-winning and nominated Holmes tales have been collected in SHERLOCK HOLMES INVESTIGATES!
What happened to the tenant in 221B Baker Street before Holmes and Watson moved in? Mystery and murder cast long shadows over idyllic Towne Manor – what will Holmes and Watson discover there? A daring assassination attempt has left Holmes close to death and it’s up to Dr. Watson and Mycroft Holmes to bring the villain to justice. Is there a werewolf loose in Limehouse or is something much more sinister killing policemen? Who is pulling off daring raids at Portsmouth and disappearing without a trace?
These mysteries and more await!
– Featuring a wraparound cover by award-winning artist Mike Fyles!
– Exclusive interviews with the author and artist!
– Behind the scenes essays for each of the five tales!
There’s the hansom now. Hurry! The game’s afoot!
Interview with the Author
What initially got you interested in writing?
Believe it or not, a movie! Wrath of Khan to be precise. Up until that fateful June afternoon in 1982, I was a voracious comic book reader but couldn’t think of a worst waste of time than reading a prose book. I went so far as to pump my school mates for information on assigned books in English class because I flat out refused to read the novels. So imagine my surprise when I walked out the theater after Wrath of Khan wanting to WRITE books. Of course to do this, I had to read books and I’ve been obsessed with writing and reading ever since. That film changed my life.
What genres do you write in?
Mostly Mystery, Action/Adventure, Pulp – what I like to call Historical Action Fiction. I’ve written a LOT of Sherlock Holmes and won some awards for those along the way. Just published my first children’s book, Wandering Webber, which was a lot of fun. Recently saw my first Western story published – a Bass Reeves tale. My current claim to fame is the trilogy of Sherlock Holmes boxing-related tales I did for Fight Card Books. This best selling series introduced female Victorian boxer Eby Stokes to the world and she’s made quite an impact on readers.
What drew you to writing these specific genres?
My preferred reading is fast-paced tales – period. In all genres. Now that usually includes action/adventure but reading mountains of classic pulp fiction I’ve discovered that ANY type of tale can grip the reader if it keeps moving. A brief example is Max Brand’s Doctor Kildare novels. This are medical melodramas, the type we’re all familiar with these days. But with the original Kildare books, Brand sets a rocket pace and you just get swept up in them and can’t put them down. This is what I’m talking about with regards to pace. Grab that reader and don’t let them go! It’s what I look for when reading and what I strive for in my work. Fiction is escapism and nothing makes that escape easier than getting hooked by the opening line, then riding that roller-coaster to the end.
How did you break into the field?
Like everyone else, I’ve got the heaps of rejection slips. It’s not fun but necessary as practice makes perfect. My break came courtesy of Airship 27. This New Pulp publisher is always looking for new talent and I got in touch with them. A quick sample from a short story I was shopping around at the time and I was in! Writing classic pulp characters for them was a ton of fun and eventually lead to Sherlock Holmes and the tales now collected in SHERLOCK HOLMES INVESTIGATES. The Holmes tales I did for them caught the eye of Fight Card Books as they were considering who to ask to do Fight Card Sherlock Holmes. They asked, I answered. And the rest is history. QUEENSBERRY JUSTICE – The Fight Card Sherlock Holmes Omnibus collects the 3 individual books I did for them along with bonus, exclusive short stories and artwork.
What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?
Great escapism. That’s the main goal. I want readers to finish one of my tales or novels feeling they’ve been entertained. The fun should come before the literature. After being entertained, I hope readers will appreciate the work put into each story. Historical details, compelling dialogue, great pace, action and a satisfying conclusion are all part of the reading experience and I swing for the fences on every tale.
What do you find most rewarding about writing?
Getting it right. Those moments when the work is flowing so smoothly it feels as if you are taking dictation not creating each sentence as you go. Nothing beats those magic moments when the writer, like the reader, go along for the ride. When the writing is done, hearing from readers is rewarding as well. This contact through emails or reviews lets you know if you’re doing it right. I’ve been lucky as I believe I’ve yet to receive a bad review of something I’ve written. Fingers crossed I never will. Ha!
What do you find most challenging about writing?
These days? Promotion. The writing process now is very familiar to me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving Stephen King a run for his money. Rather, I’m comfortable crafting a tale, start to finish. I still push and challenge myself but the mechanics are set so it’s not an overwhelming challenge to write a story and see it through to publication. The big challenge for me is promotion. Working with small press and self-publishing, getting the word out can be a full-time job. There’s so much to be done and so much thought that has to go into what needs to be done. Making it work takes work.
What advice would you give to people wanting to enter the field?
If you are a voracious reader, you’re already on your way. However, if you’re one of those “I’ll write a book someday if I can only find time to read one someday” then I’d say don’t bother. It takes a burning desire to just wallow in words to make a writer because writing a book is 10,000 times harder than reading one. A would-be writer will discover this immediately. Once that reality is firm in your mind, you’ll either give up or shrug and say “bring it on.” If yours is the latter reaction, you’re set to begin. Now it’s time to study your genre of choice extensively and keep writing/revising until it feels right.
What type of books do you enjoy reading?
Pulp fiction is my genre of choice. I also like hardboiled fiction, police procedurals, sci-fi, Westerns, horror, historical, action/adventure. Specifically I echo what I said above. Regardless of genre, give me a fast-pace, interesting characters, great dialog and what John D. MacDonald called a “little unobtrusive poetry” in the language. These are the makings of a great read in my book.
Is there anything else besides writing you think people would find interesting about you?
I work as a film extra in the movie and television biz. You’ll find me lurking in the background in Watchmen, Arrow, Flash, Supernatural, X-Files, the upcoming season of A Series of Unfortunate Events, Fantastic Four and countless other movies and TV shows.
What are the best ways to connect with you, or find out more about your work?
My amazon page has a listing of everything I’ve got out there. Dozens of books. There’s a Wandering Webber facebook page folks can join. I’ve got my Berlin Noir Reviews blog. Those are the best ways to see what I’m up to.
About the Author
The award winning Andrew Salmon is the author of the best selling Fight Card Sherlock Holmes trilogy — Work Capitol, Blood To The Bone and A Congression of Pallbearers – collected with bonus material in QUEENSBERRY JUSTICE from Timepiece Press. The Dark Land, Ghost Squad: Rise of the Black Legion (with Ron Fortier) and Wandering Webber are his current book releases. His novel, The Light of Men, was added to the Holocaust Memorial Museum Library. His work has appeared in more than a dozen anthologies. He lives and writes in Vancouver, BC.
