Story Profile: “She-Shed, He Said”

Story Profile: “She-Shed, He Said”

 

My most recently published short story is “She-Shed, He Said.”  It’s a short Funderburke mystery, published in Belanger Books’ new anthology In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.  It’s a collection of stories geared for younger readers, some of which feature Sherlock Holmes, some of which are inspired by the characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Some of the tales in the anthology are flash fiction, others are lengthy novellas.

 

In “She-Shed, He Said,” Funderburke is summoned by a young student and his friend.  A neighbor’s “she-shed” has burned to the ground, and the two boys are the chief suspects.  The kids are Sherlock Holmes fans, and they were seen prowling about the backyard with a magnifying glass, which the neighbor says they used to focus the sun’s rays and start the fire.  The boys proclaim their innocence, and Funderburke believes him.

 

In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson is available from Amazon.com.

 

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27^thfrom MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

Story Profile: “Danger at Discovery World”

 Story Profile: “Danger at Discovery World”

 

In this flash fiction short story, written for Akashic Books’ Mondays Are Murder blog, Funderburke is called upon to save Tyler, the young heir to an enormous fortune when it becomes clear that the next in line to the family money is planning to have him killed.  If the kid can survive for the a few more hours, his right to the cash will be secure, and his relative will no longer inherit the wealth upon the child’s death.  Funderburke vows to keep the kid alive until the deadline passes, but Tyler doesn’t want to miss his class trip to Discovery World, the science museum on Milwaukee lakefront.  Funderburke agrees to come along to protect Tyler, but his instincts tell him there’s a looming threat…

 

Discovery World is a real place in Milwaukee.  The original Discovery World was located inside the downtown Milwaukee Public Library, but some years ago it moved to its current home on the lakefront.  It contains exhibits on simple machines, music, ecological science, and numerous other special exhibits.  There’s also diorama of the Great Lakes and there’s a small aquarium as well on a lower level, which features heavily in the story.

 

If you’re ever in Milwaukee and you have children with an interest in science, I highly recommend a visit to Discovery World.

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27^thfrom MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

Sherlock & Irene Is Now an Audiobook!

 Sherlock & Irene Is Now an Audiobook!

 

My book Sherlock & Irene has just been released as an audiobook!  It’s available at Amazon.com, sold and delivered by Audible.  It is narrated by David Bufton, and it’s complete and unabridged.  If you like listening to audiobooks, please consider Sherlock & Irene!

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27^thfrom MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

MX Publishing and The World Food Programme

MX Publishing and The World Food Programme

 

MX Publishing, specializing in Sherlock Holmes-centric tomes, has released my book Sherlock & Irene.  One of the reasons why I’m proud to have MX Publishing as my publisher is because it’s a very socially conscious company.  Through various ways, it serves as a social enterprise that supports five charitable organizations: Stepping Stone School in Hindhead, UK; Happy Life Children’s Home– Nairobi, Kenya; The American Cancer Society; iHeart; and The World Food Programme.

 

As you may have seen, The World Food Programme has just won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.  If you would like to help fight world hunger, improve the lives and educations of children, and assist in the search for cures for cancer, please check out the links in the preceding paragraph.  You can find ways to support worthy causes, both by donating directly, and buying MX Publishing books.

 

Thanks so much!

 

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27^thfrom MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

Story Profile: “Death’s Door”

 Story Profile: “Death’s Door”

 

I have always been intrigued by locked room mysteries.  A crime is committed in an area where there is seemingly no easy entrance or exit.  At first glance, no one could have done it.  And yet, someone must have committed the crime.  Sometimes there’s a hidden key, a secret passage, a not-so-solid wall, the killer’s still hiding in the room, the injuries were inflicted before the victim staggered into the room and locked the door… there are countless solutions, some easily guessed, some unique and brilliant.

 

Death’s Door” is a reference to a locale at the northern tip of Door County, Wisconsin, given that name because of the many ships that sank in the waters around it.  In this story, a retired police officer and his quirky grandson are summoned by the local authorities, as the father of the grandson’s best friend has been murdered.  While the victim was cross-country skiing, a large quantity of snow fell off a tree and covered him completely.  All this happened in the sight of several witnesses.  When his friends brushed the snow off of him, they soon found that he had been fatally stabbed.  How was this murder possible?  How could he have been stabbed while being covered with dozens of pounds of snow?  And what happened to the weapon?

 

“Death’s Door” was part of a short story competition looking for tales connected to the search for vengeance, and the negative consequences that can rebound from the quest for revenge.  Sponsored by OnlineBookClub.org, the contest received almost a thousand entries.  Mine was one of the ten stories selected for the anthology.

 

Notably, I wrote “Death’s Door” as a 15,000 word story for another writing contest a year earlier.  It didn’t win, but when I heard about OnlineBookClub.org’s contest, I realized that it fit the theme perfectly.  The only problem was that the word limit was 10,000 words, so I carefully cut 5,000 words from the story, slashing character backstory, erasing unnecessary descriptions and dialogue, and condensing verbose passages.

 

“Death’s Door” was published in the anthology Holding Fire: Short Stories of Self Destruction, edited by Scott Hughes.  It is available in both paperback and Kindle editions. 

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” was released on August 27^th from MX Publishing, and is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.