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The Forward Observer

Do you know what a forward observer is? In basic terms, it's a military position whereas a soldier is situated forward of the fire line to observe where artillery fire is hitting. Advice radioed back from this soldier aids the next volley.
Yup, it's a guy who can climb a tree, hide in plain site, do anything to gain information to correct an action. 

It's also the title of my newest Sherlock Holmes novella, written under the pen name of that wild woman Georgina Lee, the title taken from the souvenir book given to those soldiers who completed Canada's last tour of Cyprus, back in 1993. And in my tale, our hero gives us one paragraph that sums up his thoughts on the military position and his mother, (our own Doctor Watson). 

He'd also noticed that the last few days, she hadn't worked at all on her biography. She'd pored over the proof of The Forward Observer, as if taking the military title to heart. Holmes wanted to tell her that it was just a name for a front line observation post for artillery fire, and not a suggested action.

 

View it at Amazon here

Sherlock Holmes in The Forward Observer is #2 in my Sherlock Holmes Fan Fiction series. Holmes and his mother, Watson, find the Base Photographer murdered, and the evidence leads them to a single souvenir book published twenty years before. But as Holmes closes in on a killer, he soon realizes that his own mother is keeping just as many secrets.

She was dead on her feet.

Allow me to introduce Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson as you've never imagined. We all love a good clean twist on an old tale.

Sherlock Holmes in Dead on her Feet

At some point before his stories begin, Sherlock had to master his craft. And he didn't learn it from his brother, Mycroft.

Holmes and Watson are thrust into helping the police solve the puzzling murder of a female army sergeant. Poor woman. She was dead on her feet.

Here is an excerpt:
 

Prologue

"Captain Holmes?"

Holmes looked up from his desk to find a small man standing in the doorway of his office. Towering above and behind him, as she was the tallest of the pair, stood his young clerk, Corporal Taylor.

She shook her head in an apology. "I'm sorry, sir. This man insisted on seeing you. I told him you were busy, but he said it was important." She shot the little man an unimpressed glare. "He just rushed in here."

"That's all right, Corporal." Holmes directed a calm, curious stare at the man. For some inexplicable reason, he annoyed Holmes, so he used his best British accent when asking, "How may I help you?"

The man glanced behind him, not at the departing non-commissioned officer, but in the other direction. He bit his lip and swallowed, looking uncomfortable in this military setting. Holmes wondered briefly why the man was even allowed on the base. In these distrusting times, even CTC Gagetown in New Brunswick restricted access to its base.

But Canadians had a different idea on access, Holmes noted. And Maritimers an even different take than the rest of Canada. Bordering on total lax, actually.

For that reason, Holmes noted some curious details about the little man. A few beads of sweat, numerous chewed cuticles, a slight hunch. Red lines of chafing between his thumbs and forefingers. The man normally wore wrist braces, Holmes assumed, possibly for carpel tunnel. A repetitive strain injury? On a computer too much?

"Are you Captain Sherlock Holmes?" the man whispered as he looked down at the paper in his hand. "Of Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment?"

"Yes, I am. And you are…?"

The man took a tentative step into the office. "My name is Oliver Hemp. I-I run the website called 'Find the Truth'"

Ahh, yes. Hemp. Recognizing the name, Holmes stood, walked around his desk and offered his hand. Find the Truth.org had promised him they'd do their best to locate his birth parents.
Since returning from Afghanistan, where his men had discovered a Taliban torture chamber, Holmes had felt the strong need for truth in his life. So much death and pain over there for so many people had sparked a desire to find answers in his life. Shortly after applying for this exchange position with the Canadian Armed Forces, Holmes had registered with Mr. Hemp's company. And when he received confirmation he was coming to Canada, he felt supreme satisfaction. After all, New Brunswick was his birth province. Why not start his search here instead of in England where he'd been raised?

But the news the nervous man was here to convey was not good. That much was obvious. "Have you found my parents?"

Again, Hemp swallowed and glanced over his shoulder. "Not quite. First, sir, allow me to apologize for showing up here unannounced. I know you asked to be contacted by email only, but since I, um, live right here in Oromocto, and, well, other reasons, I thought I would, well, deliver the news personally." The last part of his speech spewed from his mouth with great urgency.

Stepping back, Holmes controlled his growing annoyance. "And that news is?"

A woman's shrill voice sliced the air in the outer office. Then, the source of such harshness barreled in, shouldering Hemp aside. She was shorter than even the little man, and given to plumpness, with hair that was once as dark as Holmes', although now streaked with white at the temples.

She stood in front of him, akimbo. "So, son, who the hell named you Sherlock?"

Is Sheldon our new Sherlock?

Now, many of you have probably already made this connection, but last night, while I watched The Big Bang Theory, I was struck by this.
You see, I'm writing a Sherlock Holmes short story. One with a twist. That's what lead me to realize the similarities between Sheldon and Sherlock.

Consider these:

Sheldon and Sherlock's names are similar. Both are tall and slender.

They are both extremely smart and have little interest in women.

They both lack the acceptable amount of social skills.

They both have a side kick who takes care of them. Sherlock had Watson, a doctor who assisted him. Sheldon has a doctor sidekick named Leonard.

They both have a nemesis. Sherlock's was Professor Moriarty. Sheldon's is Wil Wheaton. Both 'villains' are proposed to be brilliant. Moriarty a professor, Wheaton's character on Star Trek was extremely smart.

Both have a weakness. Sherlock's was opiates. Sheldon's is his mother. Who alive hasn't had a battle with their mother and yet needs them?

They both have a woman in their lives who is flustered by their behavior. Sherlock's is Mrs. Hudson, and Sheldon's is Penny.

Both assist a character who is 'normal'. Sherlock assists Inspector G. LaStrade, a man impatient with Sherlock, but kind and ordinary otherwise. Sheldon's is Dr. E. Gablehauser, a man whose patience is constantly strained by Sheldon's persnickety personality.

Are all these comparisons coincidences?  I think not. But then again, Conan Doyle had a natural aptitude toward The Writer's Journey's characters. The brilliant writers of The Big Bang Theory also have the same natural talent. 

So, have you noticed any similarities between the two characters? If so, please let us know.