No Better Place - not long to wait
I don't really know what percentage of my blog's readership are really interested in Arthur Conan Doyle but....
...for those of you who are, my book No Better Place is less than two months from publication. It will be the first book I've published in nearly four years. My first four books were published in consecutive years (2008-2011), following which I was content to leave it at that and stick to articles.
I was later seized with a desire to document Doyle's life to its end even though it meant dealing with Spiritualism - which is a subject I've always feared because I knew it needed to be dealt with even-handedly regardless of personal opinion. Most other biographies have failed in this respect and I feared mine would too.
Fortunately, the people who have seen the book to date have remarked that I have handled the subject well. I've been praised for my balance and Georgina Doyle complimented me on my dispassionate approach. Not all may agree of course but it certainly boosted my confidence.
It's a self-serving remark for sure but if you take the time to learn about Doyle it will help you to understand Sherlock Holmes as a character (and Watson too). Conan Doyle himself said, regarding Holmes, that the doll and its creator are never identical. That may be so but the former is unavoidably shaped by the experiences of the latter.
So go on, buy a Conan Doyle biography. It doesn't have to be one of mine but I'd prefer it if it was.
Written by Alistair Duncan
Buy my books here
...for those of you who are, my book No Better Place is less than two months from publication. It will be the first book I've published in nearly four years. My first four books were published in consecutive years (2008-2011), following which I was content to leave it at that and stick to articles.
I was later seized with a desire to document Doyle's life to its end even though it meant dealing with Spiritualism - which is a subject I've always feared because I knew it needed to be dealt with even-handedly regardless of personal opinion. Most other biographies have failed in this respect and I feared mine would too.
Fortunately, the people who have seen the book to date have remarked that I have handled the subject well. I've been praised for my balance and Georgina Doyle complimented me on my dispassionate approach. Not all may agree of course but it certainly boosted my confidence.
It's a self-serving remark for sure but if you take the time to learn about Doyle it will help you to understand Sherlock Holmes as a character (and Watson too). Conan Doyle himself said, regarding Holmes, that the doll and its creator are never identical. That may be so but the former is unavoidably shaped by the experiences of the latter.
So go on, buy a Conan Doyle biography. It doesn't have to be one of mine but I'd prefer it if it was.
Written by Alistair Duncan
I am looking forward to it.
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