A Personal Look Back at 2018

Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Five

The year 2018 found me retired, but not retiring. Looking back, I’m astonished at how many wonderful things happened to be me as a writer and as a Sherlockian in this first full year of gainful unemployment.

They included (in no strict order): 

• Publication of a personal best three novels by three publishers – House of the Doomed (Wessex Press), Death Masque (MX Publishing) and School for Sleuths (Wildside Press).
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• Speaking about Sherlock Holmes to Hugo’s Campions of Chicago, the Red Circle of Washington D.C., the Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis, an assisted living center in Winchester, Ky., and three audiences in Cincinnati.
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• Receiving the Horace Harker Award from Hugo’s Companions.
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• Assuming leadership of the Tankerville Club of Cincinnati, with the title of Most Scandalous Member.
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• Serving as Programme Chairman for the highly successful Holmes, Doyle & Friends Five symposium in Dayton. (See you Six!)  
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• Teaching an eight-week non-credit class on “Sherlockology 101.” 

Many fond memories of fellowship with like-minded lunatics are associated with each of these events.  

Sadly, the year brought losses as well. My good friends Paul Herbert, founder of the Tankerville Club, and R. Joel Senter, co-founder of Classic Specialties and the Sherlockian E-Times, passed beyond the Reichenbach. I hope to do what I can to help keep green their memory.