In writing my mystery novels, I often tap into the police and firearms knowledge of my Kieran McMullan. He is simply amazing. Once when I asked him a question about bullets, he fired the weapon in question in his basement shooting range so he could give me an accurate answer! I think it was for the same book but a different questions that he once sent me a photograph of a bullet via Facebook.
That kind of knowledge and attention to detail is on display in Kieran's own fiction. He is the author of Watson's Afghan Adventure and Sherlock Holmes and the Irish Rebels. Now comes Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Boer Wagon. I asked him questions about it -- and got some enlightening answers.
What’s a nice Irishman like you doing writing about a couple of English
guys?
Good question. Curious, isn’t it? But the answer is the same
as for all the folks that follow the Great Detective and the Good Doctor. It is the appeal of the rational man tempered by the feeling
man. Doyle’s (an Irishman by heritage) creations are the men we want to be,
what we strive to be, their appeal is universal. They lend themselves to
action, mystery, adventure and romance. Who could ask for more?
Your first book was Watson’s Afghan Adventure. Your blog is The Many Watsons. What’s the attraction of Dr. Watson
for you?
Watson is the everyman, he is the one that I can identify
with most closely. Who can really think themselves to be Holmes? Who really
thinks they are the rational man? I know I’m not. But I do identify with taking
action in a crisis or seeking the help of others. I could be Watson. Holmes,
never!
Have you finally exhausted all the Watsons on your blog?
No, I haven’t. While there are 50-some currently at the blog
http://kieranmcmullen.com/ there are
more to be reviewed. You might like to know that there will be a book version
of the blog from MXPublishing this Fall. All proceeds from the book are being
donated to the effort to save Undershaw, Sir Arthur’s home.
When did you become a Sherlockian?
I became a Holmes fan at the age of eight. My Dad taught
English and Russian literature at St. John’s University in New York. One summer
he handed me the complete stories of the canon and said “Here, read this over
the summer.” I was hooked from then on.
How did you come to write and sell your first book?
Actually, my first book was about how to care for artillery
team horses in the field during Civil War reenactments. It sold fairly well but
is a very specialized topic. But Watson’s Afghan Adventure had been something
that was brewing for years. Who was Watson? Where was he from? Aside from his
parents and brother being dead, what did we know about him, his childhood and
his decision to join the army. What really made me curious was his claim to be
with the 5th Northumberland Fusiliers (who were in the 2nd
Afghan War) but he was wounded in Maiwand. Maiwand is hundreds of miles from
where the 5th Northumberland served. And where was Watson wounded?
Leg, shoulder, both? All these questions needed answers.
Your books all have a solid grounding in history, more than just being
set in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. Is history a particular interest
of yours?
I’ve always been a history buff. I’m of the considered
opinion that I don’t have to make all my own mistakes, I can learn from those
that have already been made by others. I like to know more than just events. I
like to know how things worked and why things were done in certain ways. Why do
the cannons go to the right of a line of infantry? Why did Custer split his
force into four parts? Why did the leader of the Irish Citizen Army agree to an
uprising with the Irish Volunteers? Why don’t people know the difference
between a hansom cab and a growler? If every car in the city today was once a
horse and carriage, where were they all kept and fed and cared for? Every day I
realize how much I don’t know and want to know more.
What kind of research do you do?
After I determine the location, time frame and general
outline of the story I start to work on the particulars. Not just of a
particular event, but of the surroundings. If I were in Dublin in 1916 what
would I see, how would I travel, how would I eat? I try to make the
surroundings as real as possible. Who is there? In all three of my Holmes and
Watson books the majority of characters are real and were in those places at
those times and Holmes and Watson could well have interacted with them. One
difficult part is limiting the surroundings. For example, we know a tremendous
amount about the Battle of Maiwand, but what would Watson have known? He was
there yes, but his knowledge was limited by hillsides, smoke and the fog of
war. I try to rely almost entirely on contemporary accounts. My bookshelves are
filled with late 19th century, early 20th century books.
If I write a description of Cecil’s Hotel in London in 1900 for Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Boer
Wagon, I have used references like Beavan’s Imperial London written in 1901. I know there are lots of people
who like to knit-pick.
You have a varied background as a retired army officer and a retired
peace officer. Does that come in handy in your writing?
It really does. It gives me a good basis for understanding
how people interact, how people react in stressful situations, and how the best
plan never survives the first bullet.
What’s next from the computer of Kieran McMullan?
Another excellent question! My wife is convinced that Holmes
and Watson were somehow involved in the Boxer Rebellion. But since they were in
South Africa at the time I haven’t quite worked that out. Besides, Charlton
Heston and David Niven had that particular problem under control. Perhaps, as
old men, Holmes and Watson worked with a young Constable Chan? Could be.
What haven’t I asked you that I should?
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