SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY: Vicki Delany and Sherlock Holmes #bookgiveaway

Today on Spotlight Sunday, I thought I'd enjoying talking to you about my Sherlock Holmes Bookshops series, how I came to write and it, the inspiration behind it, and the fun I'm having with it.  Read on for a chance to win a book in the series

There is, as we are always being told in creative writing classes, no such thing as a new idea.

It’s all been done before. Take the story of an orphaned boy: a lowly (and lonely) childhood; a hidden, ever-watchful guardian; dangerous times; an eternal enemy; the big reveal of the boy’s true identity; then, armed with knowledge of his destiny, boy saves world.

It’s been written a hundred times, from the tales of King Arthur to Star Wars to Harry Potter.  (Why it’s always a boy, is a post for another day.)

The trick is not to come up with an original idea, because you probably can’t, but to make it your own.

Enter Sherlock Holmes. I don’t have to tell you how popular Sherlock is right now, from movies to TV to more books than you can count. Colouring books, puzzles, mugs.  Old books reissued and re-illustrated, new ones being written.

Favourite characters reimagined.

Make it your own, they say.

And so I created Gemma Doyle and the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium.

I’m a cozy writer and I’m also a keen mystery reader. When I was looking for inspiration for a new series, I thought a bookstore would be fun.  The idea popped into my head: A bookstore dedicated to all things Sherlock Holmes.

When I started to do some research on that, I quickly discovered it’s not such an unfeasible idea.  You could easily stock a store with nothing but Sherlock.  Not only things I mentioned above but all the stuff that goes with it: playing card sets, tea towels, games, puzzles, action figures, cardboard cut-out figures. The list is just about endless. Throw in all the modern pastiche novels, nonfiction works on Sir Arthur and his contemporaries, maybe a few books set in the “gaslight” era. And, presto, a fully operational bookstore. What would a bookstore be without a cat?  In this case, one Moriarty, who has a strange antipathy to Gemma.

I’ve enjoyed stocking my bookstore, and as befits a book about a bookshop, I drop a lot of names of real books.  Many I have read, some I haven’t, but I enjoy fitting the book to the imaginary character buying it.

Because cozy lovers (and me) love food to go with their reading, I put Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room next door, run by Gemma’s best friend Jayne Wilson.

My original intent was that the main character would be a normal cozy character. A nice young woman who owns an interesting bookshop, lives in a pleasant community (in this case, on Cape Cod), and has a circle of friends.

But, by the time I got to page two, Gemma Doyle had become “Sherlock”.

And that’s been enormous fun to write. Gemma has an amazing memory (for things she wants to remember), incredible observational skills, and a lightning fast mind. She is also, shall we say, somewhat lacking on occasion in the finer points of social skills. Jayne is ever-confused, but always loyal.

Like any modern Sherlock, such as Benedict Cumberbatch’s interpretation, Gemma deciphers cell phone signals and finds clues on the Internet. Like any Sherlock, her relationship with the local police is complicated, but in her case it’s because she’s in love with Ryan Ashburton, the town’s lead detective, and he with her, but the relationship is difficult because it’s hard to be with a woman who seems to be able to read your mind. Detective Louise Estrada (Estrada/Lestrade. Get it?) doesn’t trust her one bit.

But Gemma Doyle investigates nonetheless, because:

“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.”

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

But Gemma Doyle, in the manner of Sherlock Holmes, observes.

To take the theme of ‘no such thing as a new idea’ further, the eighth book in the series, The Game is a Footnote,  sees Gemma and Jayne reluctantly investigating a possible haunting in a Cape Cod historical enactment museum.  The title is derived from Sherlock Holmes famous saying, “The game is afoot’ .

Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, reimagined as modern young women just trying to get on with life. And solve mysteries.

Do you love Sherlock Holmes? Do you have a favourite movie/TV/book adaption?  Can’t stand Holmes? Sherlock Who? Leave a comment below to be entered in a draw for a signed copy of the eighth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop book, A Three Book Problem.  US and Canada entries. Contest ends Tuesday April 26. Please leave your email address so we can contact the winner. 

Follow Vicki at www.vickidelany.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor. You can sign up to receive Vicki’s quarterly newsletter at Vicki Delany – Canadian Author of Mystery Novels and Suspense Novels » Contact

Meatballs on Bed of Roasted Tomatoes from Vicki Delany

I love little more than a nice tomato-y pasta dish, and I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy it.  These meatballs are delicious, nice and herby, and the roasted tomatoes are a nice accompaniment. 

I served the meatballs over pasta, but they would also be nice with potatoes, or even on their own with a lovely salad.

Meatballs on Bed of Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 large egg

1 cup panko

½ cup finely chopped parsley

½ cup finely chopped basil

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

1 lb. ground beef

4 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

300 ml jar of roasted red peppers, sliced

2 tbsp olive oil - divided

½ red onion

Preparation:

Mix egg, panko, herbs,  salt, garlic, pepper, and 3 Tbsp. water in a large bowl. Add beef and combine. Form into balls.

Place tomatoes in a medium bowl; add red peppers. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, season with salt and black pepper, and toss to coat.

Place chopped onion on a rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp oil. Season with salt and black pepper; toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer; roast on top rack until starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add tomato mixture and roast until tomatoes soften, 10–12 minutes.

Add meatballs to the vegetables. Bake until meatballs are cooked through about 15 minutes.

If you like a slightly runnier sauce, you can crush some of the tomatoes with a fork.

If serving over pasta, add some of the water from pasta cooking pot to loosen sauce further.

 

Follow Vicki at www.vickidelany.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor. You can sign up to receive Vicki’s quarterly newsletter at Vicki Delany – Canadian Author of Mystery Novels and Suspense Novels » Contact

THE GAME’S A FOOTNOTE, the eighth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery is now available from Crooked Lane Books.

 

 

Cocoa Coffee Cake for #Thanksgiving Morning from Vicki Delany

 If you have a house full of guests and a day of cooking ahead of you, the last thing you want is to spend time worrying about breakfast. This coffee cake is perfect as it can be made ahead and freezes well.  Lay out the cake along with fresh fruit and containers of yoghurt for your guests to help themselves.

Cocoa Coffee Cake

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons sugar

4 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

4 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup sour cream, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together sugar, coffee, and cocoa powder in a small bowl; set aside.

Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan. Dust with flour, and tap out excess.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream. Add vanilla, and mix 1 minute.

Spread 1/3 of the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the filling. Spread another third of the batter on top, followed by the remaining filling. Spread remaining batter over top. Run a thin knife through batter to marbleize.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into centre comes out clean, 35 to 38 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes. Invert onto a plate.

Freezes well, wrapped in aluminum foil.

Follow Vicki at www.vickidelany.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor. You can sign up to receive Vicki’s quarterly newsletter at Vicki Delany – Canadian Author of Mystery Novels and Suspense Novels » Contact

Preorder now! THE GAME’S A FOOTNOTE, the eighth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery coming in January from Crooked Lane Books

 

Beef and Mushroom Pie from Vicki Delany

I made extra pie crust over the Christmas holidays and froze it, and was looking for a good use for it.  A hearty meat pie sounded like a great idea for a cold winter’s night.  Obviously, you can use store bought pastry if you like.

Beef and Mushroom Pie 

INGREDIENTS

1.5 lbs stewing beef cut into cubes

1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 rashers bacon chopped

 225 g mushrooms quartered

 1 onion chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup beef broth

1 cup beer

 1/4 cup tomato paste

 2 bay leaves

 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 egg yolk

Double crust pie Pastry

METHOD

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown beef, in batches and adding another 2 tsp of the oil as needed. Transfer to plate; drain any fat from pan.

Add bacon to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook until no liquid remains, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to plate containing beef. Cook onion, garlic, thyme, and remaining salt and pepper (adding more oil if necessary) until onion is softened and light golden, about 5 minutes.

Add broth, beer, tomato paste and bay leaves; bring to boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits. Return beef, bacon, and mushroom mixture and any accumulated juices to pan.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 2 hours. Discard bay leaves.

Whisk flour with 1 tbsp water; whisk into stew and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

On lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pastry; fit into 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate. Trim to leave 3/4-inch (2 cm) overhang. Scrape filling into pie shell.

Roll out remaining pastry to generous 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness. Whisk egg yolk with 2 tsp water; brush some over pastry rim in pie plate. Fit pastry over filling; trim to leave 3/4-inch (2 cm) overhang. Fold overhang under bottom pastry rim and flute edge. Brush top with remaining egg mixture; cut steam vents in top.

Bake on rimmed baking sheet on bottom rack in 425 F (220 C) oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F (180 C); bake until bottom is golden and filling is bubbly, 60 to 65 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes.

Now available: A Curious Incident, the 6^th Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery.