A Study in Sherlock

(MR) @lklinger My own literary agent, Laurie King, claims that it is necessary to categorise my memoirs—mine!—as novels.

(MR) @lklinger And since I expect that you will now ask how that makes me “feel,” I will admit that the sensation of being fictional is—

(MR) @lklinger—is indeed peculiar. What our—Holmes’s and my—friend Neil Gaiman calls the sensation of being “the idea of a person.”

(LK) @mary_russell Neil is one of those contributing to this current volume—which we’re calling A Study in Sherlock.

(MR) @lklinger I grasp the reference to the initial Conan Doyle story, but this assumption of first-name familiarity jars, a bit.

(LK) @mary_russell Publishers, you know? This is the modern world. & you are after all American.

(MR) @lklinger Half American, and I retain very little of the accent, or attitudes.

(LK) @mary_russell Back 2 the questions. How did Dr Watson react? Some stories came out while his were still appearing in The Strand.

(MR) @lklinger Uncle John had many shouting matches down the telephone with Sir Arthur, demanding solicitors be hired. To no avail.

(LK) @mary_russell Well, we know what Shakespeare thought should be done with lawyers.

(MR) @lklinger That may be a bit drastic. Some of my best friends have lawyer relatives.

(LK) @mary_russell And, um, I’m a lawyer. At least during the day.

(MR) @lklinger I know you are a lawyer, Mr Klinger. That was my feeble attempt at humor. We are also very aware of your New Annotated

(MR) @lklinger—Annotated Sherlock Holmes. An excellent attempt at scholarship, which will do until Holmes’s own notes are published.

(LK) @mary_russell May I ask when that will be?

(MR) @lklinger No need to worry, Mr Klinger, it will be several more years.

(LK) @mary_russell Right. So Dr W was upset, but not Holmes?

(MR) @lklinger Holmes learned long ago to leave the shouting to Dr Watson. He finds it best to stay aloof of the literary world.

(LK) @mary_russell Some stories in this collection are less about Holmes than about people affected by Dr W’s stories. Do you approve?

(MR) @lklinger One might as well approve of breathing air, as of people falling under the spell of Sherlock Holmes, even secondhand.

(LK) @mary_russell So you do understand the appeal of the Sherlock Holmes stories over the ages?

(MR) @lklinger My dear young man, of course I understand their pull. I was captivated by the stories long before I met the man.

(LK) @mary_russell Speaking of captivation, may I ask about your relationship with Mr Holmes?

(MR) @lklinger No. Oh dear, Mr Klinger, ominous noises from the laboratory require my immediate attention. Good luck with your book.

(LK) @mary_russell Just another couple of questions, Miss Russell. May I ask, what is Mr Holmes doing these days?

(LK) @mary_russell Miss Russell?

(LK) @mary_russell Thank you, Miss Russell.