The Past in the Present

The threads running from past to the present have fascinated me since I was a grad student. Back then, my academic interest was on certain themes that could be traced from the pre-Israelite cultures and through the Hebrew Bible into the New Testament and beyond. Of course, now I write fiction, and there’s only so…

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Building a book

I’m giving a talk this Thursday, based on the Santa Cruz library’s summer theme of Reading by Design.  Join me, and bring all your friends!  

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Pub Day the Second!

That’s right, I have TWO books out today, books that are about as far apart as a reader can get. In addition to Anatomy of Innocence (below) today’s the publication of the trade paperback of The Murder of Mary Russell! Enjoy! From Bookshop Santa Cruz, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

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The XX-rated Russell?

So a funny thing happened on the way to a Russellscape… Since changing over the web site a few months ago (if you haven’t seen it, take a look!) we’re been working on ways to bring over the impressive amount of fan art that’s accumulated in the old site. We’re also working on a renovation…

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A deal on Murder!

The Murder of Mary Russell is going for a rapid paddle down the Great Brazilian River today. Yes, a special offer. You get the whole book, all the words, for just $2.99 [STOP THE PRESSES IT SEEMS TO BE $1.99 WHEE!] (yeah, it’s the e-book and probably just the US, sorry) so you can tuck…

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Race, gender, and responsibility: the face of Billy Mudd

There’s been a lot of talk recently about race and diversity in fiction and movies—a controversy over casting a black Hermione, the question of Shadow’s race in American Gods, the troubling lack of actors of color in the nominations its for this year’s Oscars (#OscarSoWhite). And this month, the VBC have been talking (among other things) about…

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Dressing the part of Murder

One of my favorite times on the recent tour for Murder of Mary Russell was the launch, when friends near and far gathered to celebrate the publication–and to admire the amazing donning of Victorian garb by Caroline Bellios, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Fashion and assistant director of the Fashion Resource Center at SAIC. I got in…

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An everyday god on the road

As you probably know, I’ve been on the road since last Tuesday, talking about The Murder of Mary Russell in a variety of bookstores, tea shops, and even an opera house. During that time, I’ve also been listening to the talk about it, in person and on Facebook, and I’m so very happy that you’ve…

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Yes, that sounds like him

One of the fun parts of The Murder of Mary Russell is that we see a very young Sherlock Holmes.  Even then, he sounds very like himself… ** The Murder of Mary Russell can be ordered as:      A signed US hardback from Bookshop Santa Cruz or Poisoned Pen Books      An unsigned hardback or ebook from B&N/Nook or Amazon/Kindle    …

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Street Life of London

Parts of The Murder of Mary Russell take place in 1925, but much of it goes back to the mid-nineteenth century. The Victorian era was a time of brilliant light, spectacular technological development, and enormous social development. For the wealthy. For the rest, it was a time of rotting teeth, foul diseases, hunger, cold, and the…

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