TEENREADS

What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of this book? 
I’m pretty sure it was a short article I happened to see online that sparked my interest in a story centered around a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. The article talked about how the last of the Conan Doyle stories were entering the public domain, and it got me thinking about it --- what would Sherlock Holmes in the twenty-first century look like? Would he even like being in the twenty-first century? And the rest kind of snowballed from there! 
 
Did any personal experiences or events in your life influence the storyline or characters in this book? 
My experiences coming to terms with my own hearing loss when I was younger
definitely influenced bits and pieces of Jules’s journey throughout the story. It helps having live experienced to drawn upon for inspiration, and it can be almost cathartic in a way too, processing certain events that I may have forgotten about that have resurfaced.  
 
Which character in the book do you most identify with, and why? 
The character I identify most with would probably be Jules. I got to spend the most time “inside her head” so to say and as her character developed, I ended up drawing more and more from things I’d experienced growing up, particularly about dealing with my hearing loss in school.   Another struggle Jules had to face was writer’s block, and this was something I struggled with so much after my eldest daughter was born. I’ve always loved to write and the desire to never really fades, but when I didn’t have a story to tell at the same time and I just can’t bring myself to write for whatever reason, it became so unbelievably frustrating. 
 
Were there any particular challenges or obstacles you faced while writing this book? How did you overcome them? 
So, this would have to be the first mystery book that I’ve ever written and that in and of itself was a challenge! I spent a lot of time panicking about whether I was telling things right or dropping enough clues to make sure the great big twist was done well. I’m not sure if I ever truly managed to tackle that challenge, but what helped was having the time to rewrite certain scenes or chapters until I felt like things were where they needed to be. Honestly, I am so thankful for the unending patience of the Blink team – I know I didn’t make it easy on them with this one! 
 
How did you come up with the title for the book, and what significance does it hold for the story? 
One of Holmes’s catch phrases is “the game is afoot” so I’d had that in mind from the beginning. I felt like “A Game Most Foul” played into the mystery of the story as well, seeing as Holmes has sort of made a “game” of things being in the twenty-first century. 
 
What was your favorite scene or chapter to write, and why? 
I really enjoyed writing Watson’s journal entries. I started reading the Sherlock Holmes stories from a young age, so my appreciation for Watson’s narration has only grown over the years. It was a lot of fun getting to write from his perspective!  
 
Were there any scenes or characters that you had to cut from the final version of the book? Can you share a bit about them? 
Good question. I wrote a few different versions of this story over time and for the most part, the general structure in terms of plot and characters stayed the same. I can say that things were a lot darker during the planning stages, as in maybe the way how Holmes and Watson came to exist in modern times wasn’t by the best of means… 
 
What has been the most surprising or unexpected reaction to your book from readers or critics? 
I try really hard not to look at reviews so I’m not too certain on this one, to be honest! Obviously, everyone has the right to share their own opinion on what they read, which should be respected, so I do my part by not seeking it out. But it is exciting to see that there is still interest in Sherlock Holmes even though the original stories certainly have been around a while! I thought it was really neat to hear from my mom that one of her third-grade students saw the cover of the book, recognized Holmes, and said, “I like him!”