The Qwillery

It is the first Monday in August. Time flies even when you are not having fun!

There are 4 debuts this week:

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica with Sarah Moses (Translator);

Every Bone a Prayer by Ashley Blooms;

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson;

and

The First Sister (The First Sister Trilogy 1) by Linden A. Lewis.




From formerly featured DAC Authors:

Warlock Holmes - The Finality Problem (Warlock Holmes 5) by G.S. Denning;

A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill is out in Trade Paperback;

The Blood of Whisperers (Vengeance Trilogy 1) by Devin Madson;

The Gods of Vice (Vengeance Trilogy 2) by Devin Madson;

The Grave at Storm's End (Vengeance Trilogy 2) by Devin Madson;

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern is out in Trade Papeback;

and

The Black Song (Raven's Blade 2) by Anthony Ryan.

Debut novels are highlighted in blue. Novels, etc. by formerly featured DAC Authors are highlighted in green.

August 3, 2020

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Immortal City (e)	May Peterson	FR - The Sacred Dark 2

August 4, 2020

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Stake	Kevin J. Anderson	H
Spine of the Dragon (h2tp)	Kevin J. Anderson	EF - Wake the Dragon 1
The Redemption of Time: A Three-Body Problem Novel	Baoshu Ken Liu (Tr)	SF/AC/HSF - Remembrance of Earth's Past 4
Tender Is the Flesh (D - English)	Agustina Bazterrica Sarah Moses (Tr)	LF
Every Bone a Prayer (D)	Ashley Blooms	Southern/CW/MR/STR
Space Station Down	Ben Bova Doug Beason	SF/Th/Terrorism
Mind of My Mind (ri)	Octavia E. Butler	SF/GenEng/EF/CF/LF - Patternist  2
What Happens at Night	Peter Cameron	LF/BH/Gothic/FL
Parasite	Darcy Coates	H/SF/AC/SupTh
The Haunting of Gillespie House	Darcy Coates	H/GH/Occ/Sup/Gothic/SupTh
Cosmic Corsairs	Hank Davis (Ed)	SF - Anthology
The Hollow Ones	Guillermo del Toro Chuck Hogan	SupTh/PP/Sus/GH/Gothic - Blackwood Tapes
Warlock Holmes - The Finality Problem	G.S. Denning	Cr/F/HU - Warlock Holmes 5
The Death of Vivek Oji	Akwaeke Emezi	FL/LF/CoA
Dark Illusion (h2mm)	Christine Feehan	PNR/DF - Carpathian 33
1636: The Atlantic Encounter	Eric Flint Walter H. Hunt	SF/TT - Ring of Fire 28
Uncanny Bodies	Pippa Goldschmidt (Ed) Gill Haddow (Ed) Fadhila Mazanderani (Ed)	SpecFic - Anthology
A Cosmology of Monsters (h2tp)	Shaun Hamill	H/DF/FL
Sucker Punch	Laurell K. Hamilton	P/UF/H - Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter 27
Ghost Ups Her Game	Carolyn Hart	PCM/GH - Bailey Ruth Raeburn 9
Smoke in the Glass	Chris Humphreys	SF/HistF/DF - Immortal's Blood 1
The Space Between Worlds (D)	Micaiah Johnson	SF/LF/CrM
Weird Women: Classic Supernatural Fiction by Groundbreaking Female Writers: 1852-1923	Leslie S. Klinger (Ed) Lisa Morton (Ed)	Sup - Anthology
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath	Tom Kratman	SF/Military - Carerra 8
Seven Devils	Laura Lam Elizabeth May	SF/SO/GenEng
The First Sister (D)	Linden A. Lewis	SF/SO - The First Sister Trilogy 1
Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop	Roselle Lim	Asian American/CW/MR
Trials of the Mortal Realm	Graeme Lyon Jamie Crisalli Nick Horth	F - Warhammer: Age of Sigmar
The Blood of Whisperers	Devin Madson	F/DF/EF - Vengeance Trilogy 1
The Grave at Storm's End	Devin Madson	F/DF/EF - Vengeance Trilogy 3
The Gods of Vice	Devin Madson	F/DF/EF - Vengeance Trilogy 2
Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones (h2tp)	George R. R. Martin	EF - A Song of Ice and Fire
The Wellstone	Wil McCarthy	SF/HSF
The Starless Sea (h2tp)	Erin Morgenstern	CW/FR/HistF
Harrow the Ninth	Tamsyn Muir	SF/SO/EF - The Locked Tomb Trilogy 2
Eutopia: A Novel of Terrible Optimism (e)	David Nickle	HistTh/HistF/H - The Book of the Juke 1
Volk: A Novel of Radiant Abomination (e)	David Nickle	HistTh/HistF/H - The Book of the Juke 2
Bayou's Lament (e)	Cheryl Owen-Wilson	DF/H - Labyrinth of Souls
Rules for Being Dead	Kim Powers	Gay/CoA/GH/FL
The Witch House	Ann Rawson	Occ/H/Psy
Chasm City (ri)	Alastair Reynolds	SF/HSF/SE/SO - Inhibitor 2
Century Rain (ri)	Alastair Reynolds	SF/HSF/SE/SO
Mr Campion's Seance	Mike Ripley	PM/GH - An Albert Campion Mystery 7
The Living Dead	George A. Romero Daniel Kraus	H/SupTh
The Day Lincoln Lost	Charles Rosenberg	AH/HistTh/LegalTh
The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington (h2tp)	Charles Rosenberg	AH/HistTh/LegalTh
The Black Song	Anthony Ryan	EF/DF - Raven's Blade 2
Hobbit Virtues: Rediscovering Virtue Ethics Through J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings	Christopher A. Snyder	Philosophy
The Deep	Rivers Solomon Daveed Diggs William Hutson Jonathan Snipes	SF
Ten Arrows of Iron	Sam Sykes	EF/HU - Grave of Empires 2
Indomitus	Gav Thorpe	SF/SE - Warhammer 40,000
Heirs of Locksley	Carrie Vaughn	F/HistF
Imperium at War	Danie Ware	SF - Warhammer 40,000
The Dragon Corsairs: Spymaster, Privateer, Kingmaker (e)	Margaret Weis Robert Krammes	F/SP - The Dragon Corsairs
Profit's Ruin	C L Werner	F - Warhammer: Age of Sigmar
Otherland: City of Golden Shadow (ri)	Tad Williams	SF/CyP/HSF - Otherland 1

August 6, 2020

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Shadow in the Empire of Light (e)	Jane Routley	F

D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
Ke - Kindle eBook
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade Paperback to Mass Market Paperback
Tr - Translator



AB - Absurdist
AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternative History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CoA - Coming of Age
Cr - Crime
CW - Contemporary Women
CyP - CyberPunk
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
FL - Family Life
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GH - Ghost(s)
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
Hist - Historical
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HistTh - Historical Thriller
HSF - Hard Science Fiction
HU - Humorous
LC - Literary Criticism
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legend and Mythology
LMF - Legends, Myths, Fables
M - Mystery
MR - Magical Realism
MTI - Media Tie-In
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PolTh - Political Thriller
PopCul - Popular Culture
Psy - Psychological
RF - Romantic Fantasy
ScF - Science Fantasy
SE - Space Exploration
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SH - Superheroes
SO - Space Opera
SP - Steampunk
SpecFic - Speculative Fiction
STR - Small Town and Rural
Sup - Supernatural
SupM - Supernatural Mystery
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Sus - Suspense
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
UF - Urban Fantasy
VM - Visionary and Metaphysical

Note: Not all genres and formats are found in the books, etc. listed above.

Happy Monday!

There are two debuts this week:

Year of the Orphan by Daniel Findlay

and

Mischief and Mayhem (Faerlands Chronicles 1) by S. D. Nicholson.




From formerly featured DAC Authors:

Queenslayer (Spellslinger 5) by Sebastien de Castell;

Warlock Holmes - The Sign of Nine by G.S. Denning;

and

Starship Repo by Patrick S. Tomlinson.

Debut novels are highlighted in blue. Novels, etc. by formerly featured DAC Authors are highlighted in green.

May 20, 2019

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
End Transmission (e)	Robyn Bachar	SFR - The Galactic Cold War 3
Throwback (e)	Lynn Hortel	H

May 21, 2019

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Scent Keeper	Erica Bauermeister	CW/FL/CoA/MR
Pimp My Airship	Maurice Broaddus	SP/SF - A Naptwon Airship Novel 1
Gather the Fortunes	Bryan Camp	CF - A Crescent City Novel 2
Triumphant	Jack Campbell	SF - The Genesis Fleet 3
Queenslayer	Sebastien de Castell	F/HU/CoA - Spellslinger 5
The Long Way Home (e)	Richard Chizmar	SS/H - Collection
Warlock Holmes - The Sign of Nine	G. S. Denning	Cr/F/HU
Broken Shadow	Jaine Fenn	F/AP/PA - Shadowlands 2
Year of the Orphan (D)	Daniel Findlay	Dys
An Illusion of Thieves	Cate Glass	F - Chimera 1
The Summoning	Heather Graham	PNR/GH/SupTh - Krewe of Hunters 27
Her Silhouette, Drawn in Water	Vylar Kaftan	SF/CyP
Shadowblade	Anna Kashina	F/FR
Winchester Undead: Winchester Storm (Book Five) and Winchester Triumph (Book Six)	Dave Lund	SF/AP/PA - Winchester Undead 5 and 6
The Clockmaker's Daughter (h2tp)	Kate Morton	LF
Vessel	Lisa A. Nichols	SFTh
The Empire of Ashes (h2tp)	Anthony Ryan	F/DF - The Draconis Memoria 3
Second Stage Lensmen (ri)	E.E. 'Doc' Smith	SF/SO/SE/AC - Golden Age Masterworks
The Heads of Cerberus	Francis Stevens	SF/TT/Dys - Modern Library Torchbearers
Starship Repo	Patrick S. Tomlinson	SF/AC/HU

May 24, 2019

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Mischief and Mayhem (D)	S. D. Nicholson	HistF - Faerlands Chronicles 1

D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
mm - Mass Market Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade Paperback to Mass Market Paperback
Tr - Translator



AB - Absurdist
AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternative History
AP - Apocalyptic
BH - Black Humor
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CoA - Coming of Age
Cr - Crime
CW - Contemporary Women
CyP - CyberPunk
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
FL - Family Life
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GH - Ghost(s)
H - Horror
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HistTh - Historical Thriller
HSF - Hard Science Fiction
HU - Humorous
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legend and Mythology
MR - Magical Realism
MTI - Media Tie-In
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PopCul - Popular Culture
Psy - Psychological
PsyTh - Psychological Thriller
SE - Space Exploration
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SFTh - Science Fiction Thriller
SH - Superheroes
SO - Space Opera
SocSci - Social Science
SP - Steampunk
SS - Short Stories
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Sus - Suspense
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy
VM - Visionary & Metaphysical

Note: Not all genres and formats are found in the books, etc. listed above.

G.S. Denning (2016)

The Sign of Nine
Warlock Holmes 4
Titan Books, May 21, 2019
Trade Paperback and eBook, 400 pages

"If you ever wondered how much better Sherlock would be if people could hurl hellfire at each other, well this one is for you." Starburst Magazine on A Study in Brimstone

Warlock Holmes may have demons in his head, but now Dr. John Watson has a mummy in his bloodstream. Specifically that of the sorcerer Xantharaxes, who when shredded and dissolved in an 8% solution, results in some extremely odd but useful prophetic dreams. There's also the small matter of Watson falling for yet another damsel-du-jour, and Warlock deciding that his companion needs some domestic bliss...

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

Signe Pike (2018)

The Lost Queen
The Lost Queen 1
Atria Books, June 4, 2019
Trade Paperback, 560 pages
Hardcover and eBook, September 4, 2018

“Outlander meets Camelot” (Kirsty Logan, author of The Gracekeepers) in the first book of an exciting historical trilogy that reveals the untold story of Languoreth—a powerful and, until now, tragically forgotten queen of sixth-century Scotland—twin sister of the man who inspired the legendary character of Merlin.

Intelligent, passionate, rebellious, and brave, Languoreth is the unforgettable heroine of The Lost Queen, a tale of conflicted loves and survival set against the cinematic backdrop of ancient Scotland, a magical land of myths and superstition inspired by the beauty of the natural world. One of the most powerful early medieval queens in British history, Languoreth ruled at a time of enormous disruption and bloodshed, when the burgeoning forces of Christianity threatened to obliterate the ancient pagan beliefs and change her way of life forever.

Together with her twin brother Lailoken, a warrior and druid known to history as Merlin, Languoreth is catapulted into a world of danger and violence. When a war brings the hero Emrys Pendragon, to their door, Languoreth collides with the handsome warrior Maelgwn. Their passionate connection is forged by enchantment, but Languoreth is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of the High King who is sympathetic to the followers of Christianity. As Rhydderch's wife, Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for the preservation of the Old Way, her kingdom, and all she holds dear.

“Moving, thrilling, and ultimately spellbinding” (BookPage), The Lost Queen brings this remarkable woman to life—rescuing her from obscurity, and reaffirming her place at the center of the most enduring legends of all time. “Moving, thrilling, and ultimately spellbinding, The Lost Queen is perfect for readers of historical fiction like The Clan of the Cave Bear and Wolf Hall, and for lovers of fantasy like Outlander and The Mists of Avalon” (BookPage).

Vivian Shaw (2017)

Grave Importance
A Dr. Greta Helsing Novel 3
Orbit, September 24, 209
Trade Paperback and eBook, 320 pages

A charmingly witty fantasy adventure in the world of Strange Practice, starring Dr. Greta Helsing, doctor to the undead, who must solve a dangerous medical mystery at a secret French spa for mummies.

Oasis Natrun: a private, exclusive, highly secret luxury health spa for mummies, high in the hills above Marseille, equipped with the very latest in therapeutic innovations both magical and medical. To Dr. Greta Helsing, London’s de facto mummy specialist, it sounds like paradise. But when Greta is invited to spend four months there as the interim clinical director, it isn’t long before she finds herself faced with a medical mystery that will take all her diagnostic skill to solve.

A peculiar complaint is spreading among her mummy patients, one she’s never seen before. With help from her friends and colleagues — including Dr. Faust (yes, that Dr. Faust), remedial psychopomps, a sleepy scribe-god, witches, demons, a British Museum curator, and the inimitable vampyre Sir Francis Varney — Greta must put a stop to this mysterious illness before anybody else crumbles to irreparable dust…

…and before the fabric of reality itself can undergo any more structural damage.

Grave Importance is the third Dr. Greta Helsing Novel – perfect for fans of Neverwhere and V. E. Schwab.


Dr. Greta Helsing novels
Strange Practice
Dreadful Company
Grave Importance

Book 1

Book 2

G.S. Denning (2016)

My Grave Ritual
Warlock Holmes 3
Titan Books, May 15, 2018
Trade Paperback and eBook, 425 pages

As they blunder towards doom, Warlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson find themselves inconvenienced by a variety of eldritch beings. Christmas brings a goose that doesn’t let being cooked slow it down; they meet an electricity demon, discover why being a redhead is even tricker than one might imagine, and Holmes attempts an Irish accent. And, naturally, Moriarty is hanging around… in some form or other.

Book 1

Book 2

Jason Mott (2013)

The Crossing
Park Row Books, May 15, 2018
Hardcover and eBook, 336 pages

Stay and die, or run and survive.

Twins Virginia and Tommy Matthews have been on their own since they were orphaned at the age of five, surviving a merciless foster care system by relying on each other. Twelve years later, the world begins to collapse around them as a deadly contagion steadily wipes out entire populations and a devastating world war rages on. When Tommy is drafted for the war, the twins are faced with a choice: accept their fate of almost certain death, or dodge the draft. Virginia and Tommy flee into the dark night.

Armed with only a pistol and their fierce will to survive, the twins set forth in search of a new beginning. Encountering a colorful cast of characters along the way, Tommy and Virginia must navigate the dangers and wonders of this changed world as they try to outrun the demons of their past.

With deft imagination and breathless prose, The Crossing is a riveting tale of loyalty, sacrifice and the burdens we carry with us into the darkness of the unknown.

Malka Older (2016)

Null States
The Centenal Cycle 3
Tor.com, September 11, 2018
Hardcover and eBook, 432 pages

State Tectonics concludes the trilogy that began with Infomocracy:

• The book The Huffington Post called "one of the greatest literary debuts in recent history"
• Named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post, The Verge, Flavorwire, Kirkus Reviews, and Book Riot
• A Locus Award Finalist for Best First Novel

The future of democracy must evolve or die.

The last time Information held an election, a global network outage, two counts of sabotage by major world governments, and a devastating earthquake almost shook micro-democracy apart. Five years later, it's time to vote again, and the system that has ensured global peace for 25 years is more vulnerable than ever.

Unknown enemies are attacking Information's network infrastructure. Spies, former superpowers, and revolutionaries sharpen their knives in the shadows. And Information's best agents question whether the data monopoly they've served all their lives is worth saving, or whether it's time to burn the world down and start anew.

THE CENTENAL CYCLE
Book 1: Infomocracy
Book 2: Null States
Book 3: State Tectonics

Book 1

Book 2

Happy Monday! Our last SPFBO review will post this week, which will wrap up the latest SPFBO for us. It's always a learning experience. Many thanks to Mark Lawrence for founding and hosting SPFBO.

Look for the start of May's Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars tomorrow and vote in the poll.


There is one debut this week:

The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn (Kingdom of Grit 1) by Tyler Whitesides.




From formerly featured DAC Authors:

By Fire Above (Signal Airship 2) by Robyn Bennis;

Warlock Holmes - My Grave Ritual (Warlock Holmes 3) by G.S. Denning;

Armistice (Amberlough Dossier 2) by Lara Elena Donnelly;

Mirror Bound by Rhiannon Held is out in eBook;

Wrath of Empire (Gods of Blood and Powder 2) by Brian McClellan;

The Crossing by Jason Mott;

and

The Forbidden City by Deborah A. Wolf.

Debut novels are highlighted in blue. Novels, etc. by formerly featured DAC Authors are highlighted in green.

May 13, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
How To Marry A Werewolf (e)	Gail Carriger	SP - Claw & Courtship Novella 1

May 14, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Ghost Moon (e)	Heather Graham	Sus/GH/Sup - Bone Island Trilogy 3
Grayghost	Tamara Grantham	FR/FairyT/FolkT/LM/P - Fairy World MD 7
Lords of the Underworld Collection Volume 3: The Darkest Secret\The Darkest Surrender\The Darkest Seduction (e)	Gena Showalter	PNR - Lords of the Underworld Series 7
The Healer Series Complete Collection: Touch of Power\Scent of Magic\Taste of Darkness (e)	Maria V. Snyder	F - Healer
Tide of Stone (e)	Kaaron Warren	PsyTh

May 15, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Soldier	Neal Asher	SF/SO/AC - Rise of the Jain 1
By Fire Above	Robyn Bennis	SP - Signal Airship 2
Buying Time	E.M. Brown	SF
Ascendant	Jack Campbell	SF - The Genesis Fleet 2
Warlock Holmes - My Grave Ritual	G.S. Denning	UF/Cr - Warlock Holmes 3
Armistice	Lara Elena Donnelly	HistF/Th -  Amberlough Dossier 2
The Queen of Sorrow	Sarah Beth Durst	F - Queens of Renthia 3
Harvest Song (e)	Yasmine Galenorn	PNR - Otherworld 20
Ghost Radio (ri)	Leopoldo Gout	SupTh
Mirror Bound (e)	Rhiannon Held	UF
Toroa (Ke)	Erik Hofstatter	H
The Plastic Magician	Charlie N. Holmberg	FR - A Paper Magician Novel 4
Meltdown	GP James	SF/PA
In Our Own Worlds: Four LGBTQ+ Tor.com Novellas (e)	Margaret Killjoy Ellen Klages Kai Ashante Wilson JY Yang	F/SF
Salamanders: The Omnibus	Nick Kyme	SF - Salamanders
The Big Alpha in Town	Eve Langlais Milly Taiden Kate Baxter	PNR - Anthology
Bearing His Sins (e)	Eve Langlais	PNR
In the Region of the Summer Stars	Stephen R. Lawhead	F/HistF - Eirlandia 1
Wrath of Empire	Brian McClellan	F - Gods of Blood and Powder 2
The Crossing	Jason Mott	LF/Dys
The Bedlam Stacks (h2tp)	Natasha Pulley	HistF
The Immortal Renshai	Mickey Zucker Reichert	FairyT/FolkT/LM/DF/F - Renshai Saga 3
Hell Divers III: Deliverance	Nicholas Sansbury Smith	SF/AP/PA - Hell Divers 3
Taste of Darkness (e)(ri)	Maria V. Snyder	FR - The Healer 3
Ghost Warrior	Gav Thorpe	SF - Rise of the Ynnari 1
Overlords of the Iron Dragon	C L Werner	F - Kharadron Overlords 1
The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn (D)	Tyler Whitesides	F - Kingdom of Grit 1
The Forbidden City	Deborah A. Wolf	F

May 16, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Grace's Family: A Tor.com Original (e)	James Patrick Kelly	SF
Trade Deal (e)	Malka Older	F - Born to the Blade Season 1, Episode 5
The Best Science Fiction Stories of H. G. Wells	H. G. Wells	SF

May 17, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Extinct	RR Haywood	SF/TT/Dys - Extracted Trilogy 3

D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade Paperback to Mass Market Paperback
Tr - Translator



AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CoA - Coming of Age
Cr - Crime
CulH - Cultural Heritage
CW - Contemporary Woman
CyP - Cyberpunk
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
Fict - Fiction
FL - Family Life
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GH - Ghost(s)
GN - Graphic Novel
Gothic - Gothic
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
Hist - Historical
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HU - Humor
LC - Literary Criticism
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legend and Mythology
M - Mystery
MR - Magical Realism
MTI - Media Tie-In
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PopCul - Popular Culture
Psy - Psychological
Psy Th - Psychological Thriller
SF - Science Fiction
SciFan - Science Fantasy
SH - Superheroes
SO - Space Opera
SP - Steampunk
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Sus - Suspense
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy
VisM - Visionary and Metaphysical

Note: Not all genres and formats are found in the books, etc. listed above.

TQ:  Welcome back to The Qwillery. Your new novel, The Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles (Warlock Holmes 2), was published on May 16th. Has your writing process changed (or not) from when you wrote A Study in Brimstone (2016) to The Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles?

G.S.:  Well, I’m still stealing time at nights and weekends. Still running off to friendly restaurants who will bring me diet cokes for 3 hours while I write and write. The biggest change is that I have the fan feedback from book 1. Now I can hear what my readers value about the series and include more of that. For example, I had no idea how much people would like Grogsson and Lestrade. I had to sneak a whole Grogsson-centric story into Hell-hound when I realized how much people wanted him and how little I had. (Oh, that’s The Adventure of the Solitary Tricyclist, by the way.)



TQ:  What do you wish that you knew about book publishing when A Study in Brimstone came out that you know now?

G.S.:  The podcast “Writing Excuses” taught me a lot. Traditional publishing is slow. Be ready, fellow authors. Nothing happens quickly except deadlines.

Yet, I’ve learned to be exceedingly grateful that I went the traditional publishing route. I can go see my books, in book-stores and I didn’t have to drive them there and brow-beat the proprietors into carrying them. There’s an audiobook version and I didn’t have to call all the audio companies and beg. As much as people complain about how slow traditional publishing is and how small the per-book percentage that goes to the author, I know perfectly well that I could never, never, never have gotten Warlock this far on my own. Thanks to the whole team!



TQ:  Tell us something about The Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles that is not found in the book description.

G.S.:  Part of it was a writing challenge to myself: write an origin story where the reader doesn’t realize they’re reading one. The book hasn’t been out long enough for me to find out if I’m really blindsiding people or they’re seeing through me. Time will tell.



TQ:  Which character in the Warlock Holmes series (so far) surprised you the most? Who has been the hardest character to write and why?

G.S.:  John Watson surprised me most. As I conceived this series, it was centered around the arcane wellspring that was Holmes. In a way, it still is. Yet every adventure is narrated by John. He filters all the wonder through this veneer of normalcy. He’s the everyman character—he’s an extension of how the reader would feel if they were thrust into a world of monsters. I’m surprised by how much of this story has become about John and what he thinks and feels as the story swirls on.

As far as the hardest: the women. Most geek-readers, most Holmes fans and the bulk of my fan-base are women. But the original stories are from another age. Women are rarely important in the original stories—victims seeking protection, for the most part. Of course, there’s Irene Adler, who bests Holmes, but she is in only one of the 60 stories. I’m trying to build female characters we can relate to and root for. Read the descriptions of Violet Smith in book 2 and Violet Hunter in book 3 and you’ll see how much I’m trying to build in cos-play opportunity and (especially in Hunter’s case) fan-fic launch points.



TQ:  What do you think is the ongoing appeal of stories. etc. based on Sherlock Holmes?

G.S.:  Oh man, there’s a bunch. We love the odd-couple friendship of Holmes and Watson—how this super-powered individual needs a tie to normalcy (and that’s true of Warlock and Sherlock in equal measure). We love the pace of the stories and the chance to guess along and match our wits against the greatest detective. We love the language and the exotic-yet-familiar feel of Victorian London. We love the cloying promise that adventure and wonder hide in this everyday doldrum we inhabit. Some of us just like John’s moustache. As much as people can talk about how dated and out-of-touch the stories are, there’s a reason these things have stayed in print in over 150 countries and 125 years.



TQ:  Sherlock Holmes has appeared in 60 stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. How do you pick which stories to use?

G.S.:  The horrifying-yet-wonderful thing is: if these books keep doing as well as they are now, I’ll eventually have to use all 60. I’m pacing myself so I don’t use all 4 novels too early (right now, book 3 hasn’t got one). I’ve been trying to start strong by using recognizable favorites like Study in Scarlet, Hound of the Baskervilles and Speckled Band. I chose Baskervilles as the second story I ever wrote, because –duh- there’s a hell-hound in it. There was really no challenge introducing a supernatural element in to that particular story. Then again, I’m saving The Sussex Vampire, for the same reason.

The real hard part is creating an overall arch for the stories—the tale of how Moriarty came back to power from near-ruin and tricked Holmes and Watson into destroying the world. Readers have been very patient with me in book 1 and 2, where the Moriarty element is more in the background. Spoiler-alert: he comes to the fore in book 3.



TQ:  Please give us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery quotes from The Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles.

G.S.:

“No murder! Bad Horse! If you make a habit of it, I shall be cross with you!” –Warlock Holmes to Silver Blaze.

“In a proof that small words can have great import, I am holding a copy of Two Gentlemen In Verona. By this author’s interpretation, Verona is a down-on-her luck servant girl who finds herself sandwiched—quite literally—between the affections of a country squire and a poor groom.” –John Watson presenting an inappropriate gift to Mrs. Hudson.

“Aaaaaaaaaaiiieeah! Tears and wreck and wrack and ruin! The black one has returned! Prince of tatters! Prince of ash!” –Fasoul the Turk to… well… actually not Moriarty, but the person standing beside him.

“You cannot assume an animal’s behavior, based entirely on its breed.” –Warlock Holmes’s questionable advice on pre-judging hell-hounds.



TQ:  What's next?

G.S.:  Book 3—My Grave Ritual—is underway and will be released May 15, 2018. It features the return of Moriarty to Holmes and Watson’s world and the growing sense that if Watson keeps meddling in the world of monsters and gods, he’s certain to die. There’s *ahem* a bit more romance, as well.

I’m realizing it would take between 8 and 9 books to finish the entire Holmes canon and I’m planning out my long-game. The Chekhov’s guns for both Holmes and Moriarty are already in place, but there’s a lot of maneuvering to be done before the final confrontation.

We’ve had two nibbles already for adapting Warlock to the big-or-small screen. Nothing really in the works yet, but I’d love to see my Holmes and Watson take their place amongst the other filmed adaptations and I’m doing my best to keep the writing screen-friendly.



TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

G.S.:  Are you kidding? Thanks for having me back. All authors ever want to do is drone on and on about their work and you’ve provided us with exactly that chance. You’re like super-heroes and therapists, all rolled into one.

The Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles
Warlock Holmes 2
Titan Books, May 16, 2017
Trade Paperback and eBook, 320 pages

The game’s afoot once more as Holmes and Watson face off against Moriarty’s gang, the Pinkertons, flesh-eating horses, a parliament of imps, boredom, Surrey, a disappointing butler demon, a succubus, a wicked lord, an overly-Canadian lord, a tricycle-fight to the death and the dreaded Pumpcrow. Oh, and a hell hound, one assumes.

A Study in Brimstone
Warlock Holmes 1
Titan Books, May 17, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 368 pages

Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius. Warlock Holmes is an idiot. A font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only thing he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart companion. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety… and save him from a gruesome death every now and again.

About G.S. Denning

G.S. Denning is an author, improv comic, and speaker. ​

Before publishing Warlock Holmes, G.S. performed improv comedy for 20 years with Seattle Theatersports and Jet City Improv in Seattle, and SAC Comedy in Florida. He was a writer/performer for live shows at Disney's Epcot Center, wrote comedic reviews for Wizards of the Coast, and worked as a translation editor for Nintendo, ensuring that humor/context translated appropriately from Japanese to English video game scripts.

G.S. is extremely knowledgeable about history and all things pertaining to the geekiverse. He now gives engaging and educational talks to schools, inspiring students to turn their love of comic books and video games into a creative career or enriching hobby. He speaks at conventions, teaching writers improv comedy techiques that will improve their storytelling. He loves chatting on podcasts and is a terribly friendly geek. He has The Best Wife and The Most Beautiful Children and lives in Las Vegas.

Website  ~  Twitter @GS_Denning  ~  Facebook

Happy Monday!

There are 3 debuts this week:

You Were Here by Gian Sardar;

The Empire's Ghost by Isabelle Steiger;

and

The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer.




From formerly featured DAC Authors:

The Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles (Warlock Holmes 2) by G.S. Denning;

Low Elf Esteem (Pax Arcana) by Elliott James;

Breath of Passion (Muse Chronicles 3) by Lisa Kessler;

Eagle and Empire (The Clash of Eagles Trilogy 3) by Alan Smale;

and

The Raft by Fred Strydom is out in Trade Paperback.

Debut novels are highlighted in blue. Novels, etc. by formerly featured DAC Authors are highlighted in green.


May 15, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Breath of Passion (e)	Lisa Kessler	PNR - Muse Chronicles 3

May 16, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The X-Files and Philosophy: The Truth Is in Here	Robert Arp (Ed)	Philosophy/ SF/F/P - Popular Culture and Philosophy 108
Behind the Moon	Madison Smartt Bell	LF/Psy/Occ/Sup/MetaVis
Seeing People Off	Jana Benová	LF/CW/R/Absurdist
The End of Magic	Amber Benson	F/CF/UF - An Echo Park Coven Novel 3
Vanguard	Jack Campbell	SF - Genesis Fleet 1
Full Wolf Moon	Lincoln Child	Sus/SupTh
Light Radiance Splendor	Leah Chyten	Hist/VisMeta
The City of Mirrors (h2tp)	Justin Cronin	Sus/Th/SF/AP/PA/LF - Passage Trilogy 3
Nebula Awards Showcase 2017	Julie E. Czerneda (Ed)	SF/F - Anthology
Zero K (h2tp)	Don DeLillo	LF
The Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles	G.S. Denning	F/P/HistM - Warlock Holmes 2
Sleepers: Book One, Book Two, Book Three	Jacqueline Druga	SF/AP/PA - Sleepers
Dark Cities	Christopher Golden (Ed)	H - Anthology
Blaze: Volume 2: A Dragon Romance (e)	Donna Grant	PNR - Dark Kings
Firestorm (e)(ri)	Nancy Holzner	UF - Deadtown 6
Low Elf Esteem (e)	Elliott James	CF - Pax Arcana
The Queen's Dance	Nicole Elizabeth Kelleher	FR/HistF - The Aurelian Guard 2
Hunger	Eve Langlais Kate Douglas A.C. Arthur	PNR - Anthology
Catch a Tiger by the Tail (e)	Eve Langlais	PNR
LARP	Boris Leist (Photographer)	Photography/ PopCul/Role Playing/F
A Guide for the Perplexed (ri)	Jonathan Levi	MR
Septimania (h2tp)	Jonathan Levi	MR
Dr. Edith Vane and the Hares of Crawley Hall	Suzette Mayr	Satire/LF/F
Martial Law	Deborah D. Moore	PA/Sus - Journal 6
Gravity Changes	Zach Powers	Absurdist/MR/F/CF - American Readers Series
Behind the Mask: A Superhero Anthology	Tricia Reeks (Ed) Kyle Richardson (Ed)	F/SF - Anthology
Substrate Phantoms	Jessica Reisman	SF/AC
You Were Here (D)	Gian Sardar	Psy/Gothic/CW
Eagle and Empire	Alan Smale	HistF/AH - The Clash of Eagles Trilogy 3
The Empire's Ghost (D)	Isabelle Steiger	F
The Raft (h2tp)	Fred Strydom	SF/AP/PA/Dys
The Curious Affair of the Somnambulist & the Psychic Thief (e)	Lisa Tuttle	Sup/GH/F - From the Casebooks of Jesperson & Lane 1
Greedy Pigs	Matt Wallace	UF - A Sin du Jour Affair 5
The Scribe of Siena (D)	Melodie Winawer	Hist/TT
Barren Cove (h2tp)	Ariel S. Winter	LF
Things to Do When You're Goth in the Country: and Other Stories	Chavisa Woods	LF/MR - Short Stories

May 17, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Alien Innkeeper	Roxanne Barbour	SFR - Out Of This World Series 1
The Ant Men (ri)	Eric North	SF
Sanctuary: A Tor.com Original (e)	Allen Steele	SF
We All Fall Down (e)	Ian Tregillis	HistF - Witch Who Came In From The Cold Season 2 #13

May 18, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Never King	James Abbott	F
Strangers of the Night: Touched by Passion / Passion in Disguise / Unexpected Passion	Megan Hart	PNR - Collection
Exodus (e)	Alex Lamb	SF
The Erebus Sequence (e)	Den Patrick	DF - The Complete Trilogy

May 20, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Body of Sin (e)(ri)	Eve Silver	PNR - Sins 5

D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback
Tr - Translator



AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CB - Coloring Book
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CM - Cozy Mystery
CulH - Cultural Heritage
CyP - Cyberpunk
CW - Contemporary Women
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HistM - Historical Mystery
HistTh - Historical Thriller
LC - Literary Criticism
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legends and Mythology
M - Mystery
MR - Magical Realism
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PopCul - Popular Culture
Psy - Psychological
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SP - Steampunk
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Sus - Suspense
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy
VisMeta - Visionary and Metaphysical

Note: Not all genres and formats are found in the books, etc. listed above.

Eve Chase (2016)

The Wilding Sisters
G.P. Putnam's Sons, July 25, 2017
Hardcover and eBook, 384 pages

An evocative novel in the vein of Kate Morton and Daphne Du Maurier, in which the thrill of first love clashes with the bonds of sisterhood, and all will be tested by the dark secret at the heart of Applecote Manor.

Four sisters. One summer. A lifetime of secrets.

When fifteen-year-old Margot and her three sisters arrive at Applecote Manor in June 1959, they expect a quiet English country summer. Instead, they find their aunt and uncle still reeling from the disappearance of their daughter, Audrey, five years before. As the sisters become divided by new tensions when two handsome neighbors drop by, Margot finds herself drawn into the life Audrey left behind. When the summer takes a deadly turn, the girls must unite behind an unthinkable choice or find themselves torn apart forever.

Fifty years later, Jesse is desperate to move her family out of their London home, where signs of her widower husband’s previous wife are around every corner. Gorgeous Applecote Manor, nestled in the English countryside, seems the perfect solution. But Jesse finds herself increasingly isolated in their new sprawling home, at odds with her fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, and haunted by the strange rumors that surround the manor.

Rich with the heat and angst of love both young and old, The Wildling Sisters is a gorgeous and breathtaking journey into the bonds that unite a family and the darkest secrets of the human heart.

Black Rabbit Hall
G.P. Putnam's Sons, July 4, 2017
Trade Paperback, 400 pages
Hardcover and eBook, February 9, 2016

For fans of Kate Morton and Daphne du Maurier, here’s a magnetic debut novel of wrenching family secrets, forbidden love, and heartbreaking loss housed within the grand gothic manor of Black Rabbit Hall.

Amber Alton knows that the hours pass differently at Black Rabbit Hall, her London family’s country estate, where no two clocks read the same. Summers there are perfect, timeless. Not much ever happens. Until, of course, it does.

More than three decades later, Lorna is determined to be married within the grand, ivy-covered walls of Pencraw Hall, known as Black Rabbit Hall among the locals. But as she’s drawn deeper into the overgrown grounds, half-buried memories of her mother begin to surface and Lorna soon finds herself ensnared within the manor’s labyrinthine history, overcome with an insatiable need for answers about her own past and that of the once-happy family whose memory still haunts the estate.

Stunning and atmospheric, this debut novel is a thrilling spiral into the hearts of two women separated by decades but inescapably linked by the dark and tangled secrets of Black Rabbit Hall.

From the Hardcover edition.

G.S. Denning (2016)

Warlock Holmes: The Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles
Warlock Holmes 2
Titan Books, May 16, 2017
Trade Paperback and eBook, 320 pages

The game’s afoot once more as Holmes and Watson face off against Moriarty’s gang, the Pinkertons, flesh-eating horses, a parliament of imps, boredom, Surrey, a disappointing butler demon, a succubus, a wicked lord, an overly-Canadian lord, a tricycle-fight to the death and the dreaded Pumpcrow. Oh, and a hell hound, one assumes.

Lena Gregory (2016)

Occult and Battery
A Bay Island Psychic Mystery 2
Berkley, April 4, 2017
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 304 pages

A murder mystery weekend becomes a little too real in the latest Bay Island Psychic Mystery from the author of Death at First Sight—

Cass Donovan uses her skills as a former psychiatrist to get away with pretending to be psychic, but she’s not about to let anyone get away with murder…

The outlook is not so good for Cass’s psychic shop, Mystical Musings. With winter winds discouraging tourists from riding the ferry from Long Island to Bay Island, Cass hopes to draw in more customers by hosting a murder mystery weekend, complete with a séance, in a supposedly haunted mansion.

But Cass begins to lose her spirit when her ex-husband shows up, along with his fiancée—Cass’s ex-best friend. Then, after one of the guests is found dead, a blizzard blows in, trapping everyone inside with a murderer. Now Cass must divine who did the deed before her reputation and her livelihood fade away.

Kat Howard (2016)

Rose and Rot
Saga Press, July 4, 2017
Trade Paperback, 336 pages
Hardcover and eBook, May 17, 2016

Imogen and her sister Marin escape their cruel mother to attend a prestigious artists’ retreat, but soon learn that living in a fairy tale requires sacrifices, whether it be art or love in this critically acclaimed debut novel from “a remarkable young writer” (Neil Gaiman, American Gods).

What would you sacrifice for everything you ever dreamed of?

Imogen has grown up reading fairy tales about mothers who die and make way for cruel stepmothers. As a child, she used to lie in bed wishing that her life would become one of these tragic fairy tales because she couldn’t imagine how a stepmother could be worse than her mother now. As adults, Imogen and her sister Marin are accepted to an elite post-grad arts program—Imogen as a writer and Marin as a dancer. Soon enough, though, they realize that there’s more to the school than meets the eye. Imogen might be living in the fairy tale she’s dreamed about as a child, but it’s one that will pit her against Marin if she decides to escape her past to find her heart’s desire.

The Qwillery:  Welcome to The Qwillery. When and why did you start writing?

G.S. Denning:  Well, I started story telling in high school. I got hooked on improv theater, watching Whose Line is it, Anyway. I trained at Seattle Theatersports and Orlando Theatersports. I spent 15 years, making up 8 stories a night, on stage. I didn’t start writing until I moved to Vegas, lost my theaters and had to find some other way of getting it out of my system. So, if this book feels a bit like a big, long improv scene…now you know why.



TQ:  Are you a plotter, a pantser or a hybrid?

GSD:  Ha! For this project, I’ve got the luxury of being neither. The outlines were all done for me, a hundred years ago, by a famous British dead guy. Honestly, if you want to learn to be a plotter, but aren’t good at making outlines, try a farce. Strip all the meat off a piece of classic literature and write on the bones.

But I guess I dodged the question a bit. I’m a hybrid writer, usually. I’ll get my setting, genre, characters and conceit out of the way (often a theme, too). Then I’ll plot a rough story with a definite end, sit in my chair and write. The middle is all pantsing, but since I’ve got so much to go on (and since I know where I’m going to), I’m never lost. Well… Rarely lost.



TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

GSD:  Making sure I finish. I enjoy coming up with new characters and stories, but nobody wants to read half a book. I realized that, if I wanted to be a professional, I was going to have to see things through. One chilling example: there are 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories and 4 novels. If Warlock Holmes builds a fan base—if people keep buying the books—I realize I’ll probably wind up spoofing all of the originals. I’ve got a rough plot that stretches from Study in Scarlet to His Final Bow, but there’s a heck of a lot of writing in between. Looks like it would take roughly 8 books.



TQ:  What has influenced / influences your writing?

GSD:  Geek culture. I’m a life-long role playing game fan. I’ve been a console gamer since the original NES. I started loving anime when all we had was bootlegged, fan-subbed Akira. I’m an X-Files junky and a lover of Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, Black Adder and Monty Python (so, a bit of an Anglophile, too). The most direct influences on this work would be Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. They showed me that comic Sci-fi/Fantasy could be done and done well.



TQ:  Describe Warlock Holmes - A Study in Brimstone in 140 characters or less.

GSD:  

Note from TQ: This is an actual tweet!



TQ:  After an abundance of mash-ups in 2009-11, the mash-up seems to have nearly gone the way of the dodo. What inspired you to mash up Sherlock Holmes with a bumbling alchemist?

GSD:  The name. Seriously, how has the pun Warlock Holmes been sitting on the table for a hundred years without anybody picking it up?

More directly, I was in a writing group with an author who was having real trouble with her protagonist. He was perfect, infallible, shiny hair, straight teeth and totally unlikeable. I encouraged her to give him flaws as serious as his powers and offered Sherlock Holmes as an example. She said a character like Sherlock could not be done in fantasy. On my drive home, I just started laughing. I’d realized how easy it would be to do a fantasy take on him—everybody thought he was magic, anyway. The writer’s job would simply be to let him be. Then I thought of the name pun. I started writing it that night. The first novella was done in a month and the rest is history.



TQ:  Tell us something about Warlock Holmes - A Study in Brimstone that is not found in the book description.

GSD:  Well… Here’s something: It’s built on the relationship of Holmes and Watson. I think all the good adaptations are. Mysteries are fun. Comedies are fun. Supernatural battle is a giggle. But the core of this story is two very different men who need each other and the friendship they form. My Watson is lost in the world. He thinks he’s smarter then everybody else and he’s sort of right, but he’s adrift. He’s hurt. He’s got no money. He’s got no friends. He’s got no purpose, nothing to fight for, nothing to get up in the morning for. Then he meets Holmes. It takes Watson about 2 seconds to figure out something’s really wrong with this guy, but the curiosity drives him closer.

As for Holmes, he’s a really good person—he’s the nicest guy you could ever ask to meet—but he does have problems. He’s riddled with demons. He’s in trouble with the law. He’s got a bunch of supernatural crimes to solve and he’s not a bright guy. He needs a friend to keep him stable, but it’s hard to keep a roommate when your walls are bleeding.

By the end of the first story, Watson has realized, “This guy is barely human, but he’s still a better man than I am. I’ve got to stay and help him.”



TQ:  What sort of research did you do for Warlock Holmes - A Study in Brimstone?

GSD:  Er… Not as much as I should have? Honestly, I’d watched Sherlock and House and some of the Jeremy Brett BBC series and the Robert Downey Jr. movies, but I’d only read a handful of the stories—only the ones I’d parodied in the first book. Then I got that call every author wants. Titan Books said they’d like to buy my novel. Oh, and two sequels. Oh, and an option on the fourth. And surely a Holmes expert like me was prepared to take this as far as it needed to go, yes? I had a vision for each story of the original cannon, didn’t I? Of course I did, I said, then hung up the phone, screamed “shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!” and ran out to buy the collected works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.



TQ:  Who was the easiest character to write and why? The hardest and why?

GSD:  The easiest was Torg Grogsson—my take on Inspector Tobias Gregson. He’s a big, angry battle-ogre and he’s very straight forward. Whenever I find myself at the keyboard thinking, “Hm… What would Grogsson do, here?” the answer is always something like “get mad and kick over a horse.” Well, ok. (Type, type, type.)

The hardest was actually Mrs. Hudson. Anybody doing a modern adaptation knows that Moriarty has got to be way bigger than he was in the originals. Same with Adler. But I was also coming to realize how much the fans loved Mrs. Hudson. And mine was…nothing. As in the originals, she was just there to take care of domestic needs, but she wasn’t much of a character. I was mulling this over and I saw the episode of Sherlock where Holmes says “Shame on you, Watson! Mrs. Hudson, leave Baker Street? England would fall!” To me, that was just a slap in the face. It was Holmes fandom, leaning out of my TV to say, “Wake up, Gabe, and give Hudson her due, or you don’t deserve to be writing this.”

So now, Hudson is their bane. Holmes and Watson face sorcerers, soul-binders, demons, murderers, monsters and replicants, but the thing they fear most is their mean little land-lady. She’s this heartless, withered, romance-novel fan (kind of a Victorian-Era porn-addict, really) and they just can’t deal with her.



TQ:  Which question about Warlock Holmes - A Study in Brimstone do you wish someone would ask? Ask it and answer it!

GSD:  I think the question I’d most like to hear is: “Dear Gabe, are you a sell-out? Follow up question: Would you accept this 15 million dollar check, for the film rights?”

Answer: “Yup.”



TQ:  Give us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery quotes from Warlock Holmes - A Study in Brimstone.

GSD:

Holmes: “Watson, if anyone calls and says they are the physical embodiment of Amon-Ra, I am not in!”


Holmes, on how he’s managed to disguise himself as a man with missing teeth: “Ha! The simplest illusion, Watson. I merely knocked them out with an ink blotter. They’re on my desk.”



TQ:  What's next?

GSD:  If things go well, I’ll be working on Holmes for quite a while. But I’ve started a series called “Tales from the Shitty Unicorn” about what it would be like to actually be in an RPG. Because seriously, who says, “Yes, I’d like to be a fighter, please. My ideal job description would be to stand up front, getting hit by ogres and chewed on by dragons, while other, smarter people stand back doing damage and trying to keep me alive—basically shielding me from the consequences of my poor life choices—until they can slay the monster. Any job openings?” The first book is a heist with fighter, cleric, wizard in place of con-man, safe-cracker, getaway guy. It’s called Elfheist. The second book, The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Bard of Company B is a World War Two movie, done in a fantasy setting. The third book is a spoof on fairy tales.

Oh, and I’ve got The Ballad of Bucky Deuce. It’s a YA novel—basically Romeo and Juliet, if the Montagues were the Indiana Joneses and the Capulets were mad scientists. Blade-fingered cyborg zombies and melt-o-rays meet high school romance. That one’s already written. Done, baby. In the can. Who wants it?



TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

GSD:  Thanks for having me. I’m amazed at the volume and quality of work you guys put out and flattered that you asked me to be involved. I can hardly describe the warm wave of inclusion-fuzzy I am going to feel when I see this on your site. Thank you for taking an interest in me and Warlock Holmes. I’d like to also give my thanks to your readers and to my readers, for their time and fandom.

Warlock Holmes - A Study in Brimstone
Titan Books, May 17, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 368 pages

Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius. Warlock Holmes is an idiot. A font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only thing he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart companion. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety… and save him from a gruesome death every now and again.

About G.S. Denning

G.S. Denning was born in Seattle, Washington. He has published articles for games company Wizards of the Coast, worked as an editor, written a video-game script for Nintendo, and written and performed shows at the Epcot Center, Walt Disney World. With a background in improv, Gabe has performed with Ryan Stiles and Wayne Brady, and he currently has a play running in Seattle. He now lives in Las Vegas with his wife and two children.






Twitter @GS_Denning  ~  Facebook

Cover Art by John Harris

Cover illustration by Sylvain Sarrailh
Cover design by Rain Saukas

Designed in-house

Cover artwork © 2016 by Erik Mohr

Cover and interior design © 2016 by Samantha Beiko

Jacket Art by Todd Lockwood

Jacket Design by Todd Lockwood and G- Force Design

Cover Art by Victor Mosquera

Cover Art by Emily B. Martin