Ladies, gentlemen, and other, may I present to you the cover art for book two of The Adventures of Watts and Sherlock: Of Jackals and Crusaders​!

The artist is once again Travis Perkins, who designed the cover of ​The R.X. Problem, and I love it.

Take a look!

As we reach the end of October, that means Halloween for my family. I took my son out for trick-or-treat Friday, and came up with a tiny tale imagining the event for the Irregulars. "Trick or Treat: An Irregular Tale" is over on the Extras page, and check out how Sherlock and Watts spend their Halloween in "The Costume Party Murder." 

Have a safe weekend, some fun scares, and Happy Halloween!

In honor of the season, here's a stand-alone story in which Sherlock and Watts find themselves solving a murder at a costume party. It looks very similar to a certain popular detective game. What can I say, I was having fun. You can download the story as a pdf, or just read it here on the site. Head over to Extras and check out The Costume Party Murder (or just click the link.) Enjoy!

One of the lovely people at "I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere" (and a great author in his own right) has written a lovely review of The R.X. Problem! You can read it here - and if you're unfamiliar with IHOSE, it's an awesome website for all news and pop culture related to Sherlockiana. Check it out.

In other news, there's a new Irregular over on the Extras page! Meet Captain... and yes, happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Followers of the Facebook page will have noticed I've started posting little excerpts from Book 2, Of Jackals and Crusaders, this month. Of course, the entire first chapter of the second book is available at the end of The R.X. Problem, but if you want to get a taste of what's to come, and why the title references Jackals and Crusaders, be sure to keep checking in! I'll try to post something at least once a week, if not twice.

Here's the first one, from Chapter 2:

"You're really going to try to help her?" the officer was skeptical.

"I haven’t decided yet. That is the primary purpose of this interview."

The officer nodded, "Well, I think it's going to be a waste of your time. Evidence against her is pretty good," he unlocked the door, "Her fur was all over the victim."

Sherlock's eyebrows rose in a moment of surprise before he composed himself and went in. He stared at his potential client a few moments, adjusting to the unexpected sight.

Miss Nikki Silver was an exotic. She wore a sleeveless white robe of sheer fabric, held closed by a delicate silver belt that matched her stiletto sandals. It was all purely ornamental, since her thick fur removed the necessity of clothes. The fur was a grey and white blend, her eyes ice blue, ears pointed. The tips of her fingers ended in silver nails that bordered on claws, and her "hair" formed a short, spunky mane on top of her head. A long and luxurious tail tapped against the chair leg. Her smile revealed perfect white teeth, complete with small fangs.

"Like what you see?"

Sherlock was not amused. "To be honest, no."

She shrugged, her smile staying, "Fair enough. Not everyone likes fur."

The Adventures of Watts and Sherlock started as a series of short stories I wrote for my own enjoyment, and then started posting online for friends to read. A year or so ago, I decided to consolidate the stories into a book, and publish it.

The stories started with an idea to write a 'cyberpunky' Sherlock Holmes pastiche, but quickly morphed into a story about someone who wanted to be Sherlock Holmes. My Sherlock and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Mr. Holmes are similar in mannerisms and techniques, but they are different people, and I have fun with my character's psyche. That being said, I am very much a Sherlockian, and many of my stories take inspiration from Mr. Holmes' cases.

The setting is a City where Corporations are effectively in control and cybernetics are commonplace, but the focus of the stories is on the characters and the relationship between the detective and his friend, Dr. Watts. 

Book 1 of The Adventures of Watts and Sherlock, The R.X. Problem, is available for purchase in print on Amazon, or as an ebook on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other retailers. You can read the first chapter for free here on the site.