Happy New Year..

Happy New Year to followers and readers. thanks to those who put themselves forward for interviews, Top Tens etc. A big thank you too, to all those who kindly reviewed my books on Amazon etc....much appreciated!

                           Happy New Year!!!

End Peace: Now on Kindle!!

Holmes and Watson: End Peace gains a belated Kindle release.....

1915. Sherlock Holmes to Watson: Stand with me here upon the terrace for it may be the last quiet talk that we shall ever have......... 1929. A small hospital somewhere in Dorset. An ante-room off a dimly lit corridor. It is night and there is not even the smallest amount of light penetrating the room. In the room itself a dim light enables us to see a figure in a bed. The pipes, tubes and all the trappings we associate with keeping someone alive have been removed. The man, for it is a man, lies prone and still. Still, but not silent. 1929 The last quiet talk.


A recent review on Amazon.com:

"I've recently finished "Holmes And Watson: End Peace" by David Ruffle. I couldn't wait to share my thoughts on this very innovatively written little masterpiece. So here goes... End Peace is filled with nothing but my favorite part of any Sherlock Holmes pastiche, dialogue. This fascinating book is literally 100% dialogue, it reads like an actual transcript of one long conversation and is completely delightful to digest.
The book takes place at the very end of Holmes and Watson's years together. What we have here is a retrospective look at their career and adventures together from the vantage point of a "final' conversation between our two beloved characters. However while that premise may seem pretty straightforward, Ruffle manages to throw in some VERY original and captivating twists and turns that keep you absolutely rapt. I do not exaggerate in the least when I say this.
Aside from the oh so curious way in which this conversation takes place and the mystery that encapsulates it, we have even more to be excited about. Answers to many questions and light shed on many stories from the canon! Who doesn't love that idea? During this retrospective conversation the duo go about discussing the fate of many characters from the original Conan Doyle stories as well as some of those cases that Watson often mentioned yet never chronicled. For example we learn what became of Detective Inspector Lestrade, Mrs. Hudson, Mary Morstan and many more characters that impacted the lives of Holmes and Watson. Call it literary closure if you will and masterfully done if I may say so myself.
Holmes and Watson also take the time to finally say things to each other they've always wanted and/or needed to, yet never have due to pride, respect or perhaps both. They are very candid with each other and "let some things out" that have been building up all these years. They also finally express some sentiments that will leave any Sherlockian/Holmesian, touched. Don't worry, David does this perfectly and their "honest moments" are done with elegance and tact. You'll have to read for yourself to see exactly what I mean.

David Ruffle is no stranger to writing brilliant books and this one follows suit. Given the majority of the subject matter in this book there is not much else I can say about the content without the risk of spoiling it for those of you who have yet to read it. On that note I will leave you with this: If you love Sherlock Holmes, buy this today. If you love good books, buy this today. If you ever wondered what happened to any of your favorite characters, buy this today. If you would be interested in listening in on a "final" retrospective conversation between Holmes and Watson, then seriously, buy this today.

This book is well worth its weight in gold. It is fun, mysterious, emotionally captivating, full of twists and did I mention it's 100% dialogue! No filler, no fluff, just the words of our beloved Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson. Well done Mr. Ruffle, well done... "

Get it for your Kindle here: Amazon USA and Amazon UK.

Amazon reviews....

Idly running through Amazon sites and checking reviews for my work (It was a quiet moment at work!) and the running total is as follows:

5*    102
4*      16
3*        7
2*        2
1*        4

All of which leads me to think I must have done something right along the way!! Thanks, all!

An interview with exciting, young writer Cassie Parkes

Cassie Parkes is seventeen,  likes Victorian things. Yes, you did read that correctly. They are slightly more common than you might think! She is a poet and has published a volume of Holmesian poetry straight to Kindle and also contributed to Tales From The Stranger's Room Vol. 2 (published by MX Publishing)

You are a young writer, where do you see your future writing career taking you?

I am indeed a young writer! I'm young enough to still have a Withnail-esque attitude of "I can do anything!", so right now, I'd love to think that I could make a proper career out of my writing one day. I'd also love to try out every form of writing, too: prose, scripts, poetry etc. and really experiment with lots of different styles/platforms. There's a ton of dream characters I'd like to write for: Sherlock Holmes, The Doctor... basically, I think I'd quite like to be the future Mark Gatiss, haha!

You have an affinty for all things Victorian. Where did this come from?   I think my love of the Victorian era stems from the literature I enjoy: I've been a lifelong fan of Wilde and Conan Doyle, and their wonderful work encouraged a deep passion for the time in which they were writing. Sometimes I think I'd love to have lived in the 1800's, but I must sadly admit that I think I'd miss my phone too much! ("Timetravel? Nah, I'd rather play Angry Birds, thanks!")

Do you feel, then, out of time somehow? Or even out of step with modern life?   Oh definitely, sometimes. I'm awful with modern music, especially. My iPod is full of 80's music, haha! Like I mentioned before though, I am desperately grateful to live in the Internet age. Researching my work is made very simple, and video clips/music from different time periods often prove to be very powerful/inspiring, so I'm extremely grateful for the fact that I can access them easily.   There is on occasion a gay theme in your writing, is that a subject close to your heart?  

This is something a lot of people ask me about, and I'm never quite sure how to answer it. The decision to make a character (or characters!) gay is not usually a conscious one, rather my characters often pop into my head fully-formed, and their being gay is simply a part of who they are. Very rarely do I set out to write something thinking: "Right, this character will be gay and (s)he will show the struggles of non-heterosexual relationships." However, I do always strive to portray any gay characters in a positive light. It's often remarked that we live in a very liberal and open-minded society, yet homophobia is definitely still present. So when I do write a gay character, I like to think I'm fighting back at idiots like Nick Griffin, even if it's only in some small manner. (How that fool is still allowed an opinion, let alone a public one, I'll never know.) Placing gay characters in a time where homosexuality was still illegal also adds a great sense of danger to my texts, but I make sure not to simply have them be gay to "spice it up a little". Like I say, their being gay is simply a part of their character.

Your poetry on the subject of Sherlock Holmes related matters is excellent. Do you see yourself writing a full-blown pastiche?   Firstly, thank you! I'm delighted to know that you enjoyed them. The idea of writing a complete pastiche is something I've thought about many times, but the actual task is a very daunting and challenging one. I think I'd ideally like to wait until I'm slightly more experienced with writing before I commit myself to adding my own ideas to such a vast and revered circle of pastiche writers. It's something I would definitely like to do one day, but perhaps not one day too near in the future. I want to make sure I can get Holmes and Watson to sit perfectly within my mind before I start writing for them.

What other projects will be unfolding in the near future?   Ooh, now that would be telling! But I'll give you a few hints, so as not to be too cruel. My main piece right now is a novel about a post-WW1 war artist, who has PTSD and is trying to cope with life as best he can. The other piece is about highwaymen...who are also vampires. (Before anyone starts yelling "Twilight!" at me, my vampires are charming and frilly, as all good vampires should be.) I'll be posting updates about all of my writing on my Twitter account (@JamRolls) and on my blog (nineteenthcenturyninny.wordpress.com), so follow either of those if you're interested!

What next? University? Or?   I'd quite like to take a Gap Year to get some writing done, but I need to finish sixth form with some good grades first! I'm just going to keep on writing, and hopefully people will keep enjoying my work. After that-who knows? I'm excited though. Bring it on, life!

You can purchase Cassie's collection, 'The Diogenes Dilemma and other Sherlock Holmes Poetry' here: The Diogenes Dilemma

And visit Cassie's web page here: http://nineteenthcenturyninny.wordpress.com/

Mike Hogan interviewed.....

Mike Hogan is British, but he has lived most of his adult life abroad: Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand mostly. His obsessions are: classic films, Shakespeare, anything to do with Ancient Rome and the process of writing. he writeswrite comedy because he loves sparky dialogue and thrives on misunderstandings. He has written a trilogy of Sherlock Holmes novels which also feature Winston Churchill.

You have lived most of your adult life abroad. How did that come about?


After studying English Lit in a remote home for the bewildered in mid-Wales, I found that I was thoroughly unfit, and completely untrained for any sort of paid work in the UK. On the day Mrs Thatcher invaded Number 10, I flew to Libya to teach English. A couple of years later I took up a university job in Japan, then made birdhouses in the Philippines and finally was academic director of a group of schools in Bangkok. I retired a year ago.

What do you miss about England?

Theatres, pubs; I know I'm supposed to say Marmite or Scotch eggs, but you can get them at my local supermarket, albeit at a terrible price; proper bookshops (long may they last); ploughman's lunches; waitresses saying whatever you want is 'off'; Patrick Moore on the xylophone.

You are a devotee of Ancient Rome. How often do you visit the Eternal City? What is its appeal?

I went to Rome (and Pompeii) for the first time a couple of years ago; it was like coming home. I'd been mad on Rome since I was a kid: I made a Roman centurion with Plasticine from a plaster St George one time and my mum went mental. I admire Roman toughness, self-confidence and religious tolerance (aside from occasional, unseemly bouts of throwing to the lions).

I know you enjoy writing comedy, particularly comic dialogue. Which authors, in that vein, do you enjoy reading the most?

Patrick O'Brian - I suppose he's not best known as a humorous writer, but he is a master and commander of character, and that includes humour because people are funny creatures who say and do silly things. I don't read much in the humour genre, though Bill Bryson can make me laugh out loud. Then there's the Bard, of course: A Midsummer Night's Dream is my favourite.

What would you say was your biggest challenge in writing your Sherlock Holmes pastiches?

Avoiding cliches, while netting a chuckle or two. My view is that Watson, having lived cheek-by-Persian slipper with Holmes for seven or so years (in 1887, when my first three books are set), might be forgiven a little exasperation with his friend's eccentricities and self-absorption. I wanted to explore the tension that must exist whenever two people of wildly different backgrounds and habits are thrown together for so long. I suppose that means my Holmes is less cuddly than Jeremy Brett, and Watson is less accommodating than Edward Hardwicke, but I hope that they are still likeable. Also ACD lived and wrote his times; he didn't have to explain or show Victorian thought processes and obsessions. Holmes' poor opinion of women is legendary, and very much the norm in Victorian male society; the British male had won the lottery of life, and they tended to look down on lesser mortals such as women, Americans, or, Lord help us, the Irish. I had great fun pitting Holmes (in The Deadwood Stage) and then Watson (The Giant Moles) against proto-feminists, and both against Irish republicans in The Jubilee Plot.

Winston Churchill obviously plays a big part in your Holmes trilogy. Were there any false starts with other historic figures or was it always in your mind to incorporate Churchill?

I read a news report that said a significant number of people believed that Holmes existed in real life, and a ridiculous number thought that Winston Churchill was a fictional character. It occurred to me that an account by Watson of Sherlock meeting Winston and validating his existence as a real person might be fun as a short story. It grew.

And what next for you/ What is in the pipeline?

Another Holmes, I think, as they are great fun to write, but first a book set in Ancient Rome in 475 AD starring Romulus Augustus, soon to be the last emperor of Rome. I've just completed a coming-of-age story set in and around the Old Vic in London in 1963, Penny for the Guy Mr Olivier. I'd like to extend that story either further into the Beatles' era, or perhaps to long-haired, flared university life.

Visit Mike's web site: http://www.mikehoganbooks.co.uk/

Sherlock Holmes and Young Winston: The Deadwood Stage is available from Amazon UK, Amazon USA and all book-selling websites and bookstores everywhere.