Clan Destine Press Blog — The Only One in the World: A Sherlock Holmes Anthology

For our The Only One in the World anthology, author L.J.M. Owen wrote "Prince Ha-mahes and the Adventure of the Stoned Mason," and here she talks with us about her Egyptian-set tale. What is the most unexpected tidbit you learned while writing your story? I’ve studied ancient Egyptian history for years, with a focus on female pharaohs. While I’d delved into the millennia of bureaucracy that ran the empire's government, until now I hadn’t investigated its police force. I was surprised to learn that by the time of the New Kingdom, when Prince Ha-mahes and the Adventure of the Stoned...

Katya de Becerra's story for The Only One in the World takes place in Russia. We asked Katya to tell us the best part about writing "Solace Spring" for our Sherlock Holmes anthology. What is the most unexpected tidbit you learned while researching your story? That would be the gender aspect of Russia’s private investigative field. Growing up, I had very little knowledge about the specifics of Russia’s law enforcement, let alone about private detectives. But while researching my Holmes and Watson story, I’ve made this incredible (to me, at least!) discovery that private investigation has always existed in Russia,...

For The Only One in the World author Lisa Fessler wrote "The Problem of the Lying Author," and here Lisa tells Clan Destine Press about her story, set in Berlin. What is the most unexpected tidbit you learned while writing your story? That would be the 1893 Long Distance Bicycle Race from Vienna to Berlin. It was not something I expected to see in the late 19th century. I learned that back then, cycling was considered a crazy new fad for the rich. Military officers were forbidden to ride on bicycles, and the Long Distance Bicycle Race was organised to prove...

For The Only One in the World writers Kerry Greenwood and David Greagg share "Hidden Treasure." Here Kerry and David talked with us about their story set in 17th Century Iceland, and what they learned writing it. What is the most unexpected tidbit you learned while researching your story? The seriously unexpected bit was reading The Story of the Confederates and discovering how different it was from all the other sagas. We already knew that Viking women had far more in the way of equal rights than in most contemporary cultures. And we knew also that law was extremely important in medieval...

Natalie Conyer's tale for The Only One in the World takes place in Poland. We asked Natalie what was the best part about writing "The Adventure of the Disappearing Village" for our Sherlock Holmes anthology. What is the most unexpected tidbit you learned while writing your story? Growing up, my brother and I were told bedtime stories about Chelm, a village whose inhabitants are very foolish. They get up to all sorts of crazy things, like trying to float millstones downstream, or to capture the moon in a glass of water. MoreNatalie's story:an editor's eye view from Narrelle M Harris...