The Book Plank

Author interview with Ari Marmell Author bio: Ari Marmell was born in New York, moved to Houston when he was a year old, moved to Austin when he was 27, but has spent most of his life living in other worlds through a combination of writing and roleplaying games. He has been writing more or less constantly for the last dozen years, though he has only been paid for it the past five. He is the author of multiple roleplaying game supplements including work on Dungeons & Dragons. Ari lives in Austin with his wife, George, and two cats. ---------------------------------------  Hi Ari welcome over at The Book Plank and for taking your time to answer these few questions for us! BP: First off could you give us a short introduction as to who Ari Marmell is? What are your hobbies, likes and dislikes? AM: Well, I’ve been a sci-fi/fantasy fan for as long as I can remember. I’m a die-hard gamer—not computer games; I have no problem with them, I’m just not terrib...

The Infernal Device by Michael Kurland, Professor Moriarty #1 When American journalist Benjamin Barrett is sent to Constantinople to report on the sea trials of a new submarine, the assignment soon becomes more eventful than he had predicted, particularly after rescuing a certain professor from an attack... Professor Moriarty, erstwhile Mathematics professor, is not 'the greatest rogue unhanged' that Sherlock Holmes would have one believe, but rather an amoral genius - and the only man Holmes has ever been bested by. THE INFERNAL DEVICE takes Professor Moriarty from London to Stamboul to Moscow and back, Sherlock Holmes close on his tail, until they both join forces to pursue and capture a man more devious and more dangerous than either of them has ever faced before...     You all know by now that Titan is the lead publisher in Sherlock Holmes fiction and that they also have another series that features an Victorian detective couple Newbury and Hobbes. However a...

India Black by Carol K. Carr, Madame of Espionage #1 When Sir Archibald Latham of the War Office dies from a heart attack while visiting her brothel, Madam India Black is unexpectedly thrust into a deadly game between Russian and British agents who are seeking the military secrets Latham carried. Blackmailed into recovering the missing documents by the British spy known as French, India finds herself dodging Russian agents, seducing spies and embarking on midnight sleigh rides, not to mention ignoring the attraction she starts to feel for her handsome and exasperating British co-conspirator. One particular genre that I have been enjoying a lot from Titan has been the Sherlock Holmes books. I am eagerly awaiting each release one after the other, but what to do in the meantime? When I was send over the request to review India Black I knew just what I had to do! Read this series. The synopsis of India Black reveals that it is directly up the alley of Sherlock Holmes. However...

Guest Post: Merits of Fantasy versus Real-life Fiction Fantasy fiction versus mainstream fiction? That’s what I’ve been asked to talk about, and I like a challenge. But what is this, a boxing match to prove which one’s better? I don’t think it’s possible to judge but, as a fantasy writer, I am a little bit biased… When I was a lot younger, there was considerable snobbery against fantasy fiction. From teachers and from the media, I received the clear message that fantasy, science fiction, any kind of genre in fact – maybe not so much crime thrillers, but definitely horror and romance – was inferior to Literature. It was common to hear reviewers on Radio 4 saying things like, “I have a problem with science fiction.” Many times you would even hear them give a condescending little snigger when they had to talk about a fantasy novel. My blood would boil! I would think, “ How are you even qualified to dismiss this book when you clearly haven’t the faintest understa...

Author Interview with Vaughn Entwistle Author bio: Vaughn Entwistle grew up in Northern England. Weekends included family outings to ruined castles, gothic manors, and his Grandmother’s antique shop (the most haunted place he’s ever been. Vaughn is a product of the British school system of the 1970s, with all the psychological damage that entails from having one’s psyche flogged of its self-esteem. In the early nineties he moved to Seattle to work as a writer/editor. In his spare time he ran a successful gargoyle-sculpting company for ten years (yes, really!) When not attempting to write with one cat on his lap, a Brittany lying across his feet, and one or more cats sauntering across the keyboard, he likes to strap into a hang glider and hurl him self off various mountains. Entwistle recently moved back to England and currently lives in North Somerset, an area of great natural beauty. When not writing he can be found walking the dog in the Mendip hills, and ex...

The Will of the Dead by George Mann, Sherlock Holmes A young man named Peter Maugram appears at the front door of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson’s Baker Street lodgings. Maugram’s uncle is dead and his will has disappeared, leaving the man afraid that he will be left penniless. Holmes agrees to take the case and he and Watson dig deep into the murky past of this complex family. The Will of the Dead is the latest addition to the growing line up of Titan Books Sherlock Holmes series. In order it is the fourth book in the “series” but each one can be read as a standalone. The Will of the Dead is written by George Mann who is well known for his other Sherlock Holmes stories as well as his best selling Newbury and Hobbes series, that focuses on a different investigative duo in the same time span as Sherlock Holmes. I haven’t read any of the other Sherlock Holmes stories of George Mann but was very impressed by his short story collection of Newbury and Hobbes, and have bee...