Author self rec Part Two
Thanks for the tag, @jbaillier!
The prompt was for an author to list five of their own works that they like best. I have cheated a bit and give you two lists. In Part One, I covered solo stories and here in Part Two I pick out five co-authored stories I wrote with others.
The challenge for me of writing in someone else's universe is that it requires a deep and abiding love of the other author's work. It means knowing all the twists and turns of their series of stories, their style, their red lines, their aspirations for their work. Sometimes, this has flowed from being a beta; other times I have been such a persistent cheerleader of their work that I can talk them into sharing their world with me.
I learn so much from writing with others! And it has resulted in real-life friendships, consolidated with face-to-face visits, and a deepening of the relationship that goes way beyond the fandom world. I am just so grateful for the willingness of these writers to take the plunge into co-authorship with me!
In @jbaillier's amazing On Pins and Needles series, I blagged my way into co-writing On The Rack where we both grasped the nettle and wrote our first explicit johnlock scene, which remains in my memory forever. But if I'm picking favourites, then it has to be this one when we decided to tackle an episode from Sherlock's past.
2007
Sherlock loses his mind. Mycroft loses control. It's 2007, and the Holmes brothers must come to terms with their demons—and each other. [Warning: This story contains detailed discussions of various psychiatric disorders, involuntary psychiatric treatment and family trauma; some readers may find some of the contents very upsetting and/or triggering.] This is what earned us both the title of Demonic Angst Mechanics.Â
Writing together with @jbaillier was so much fun, I couldn't resist talking her into letting me share four stories (and write on my own) in her You Go To My Head series where both Sherlock and John are doctors. So hard to pick a fav out of these, but perhaps
Differential Diagnosis
During his fourth year of studying medicine at Cambridge, Sherlock is certain that nothing could be worse than the gynaecology & obstetrics rotation he’s just managed to muddle through. Little does he know that it will be the following course — psychiatry — that will pose the greatest threat to the secret he’s struggled to keep. Paired with Sebastian Wilkes who’s had it in for our fledgeling doctor on the Spectrum since year one, Sherlock will need to be on his best game to keep his neurosurgical career dreams alive.
The second time I shouldered my way into another author's stories was with @shelleysprometheus, in her wonderful AU series, Forethought and Fire. We wrote Few Escape the Gallows together, which I adored so much I then co-authored Between the Fall and the Creation and it's "mirror story" which I will pick as my favourite:
In Madness Lies Sanity
A tale of life after lies and betrayal, the story of how Sebastian Moran learns the truth about Jim Moriarty, and how that truth changes his life. Part Five of the Forethought and Fire series starts after the events of Few Escape the Gallows ended so dramatically on Hampstead Heath, with Sherlock challenging Jim Moriarty to a duel. When Sherlock lets Moran go, did he know what he was doing? A mirror story of Between The Fall And The Creation, happening simultaneously with it. It will stand alone but the two stories share a common timeline of events and should be read together to maximise the impact. The challenge of making a hated character into someone with whom readers could empathise.
As some of you may have noticed, I barged into another outstanding author's series (do you detect an MO here?). @totallysilvergirl's extraordinary Drawn to Stars series grabbed my attention to the point where I just had to convince her to agree to a reunion in Italy. We've started publishing the results of four years of drafting.
Inferno
A high-stakes case in Italy involving organized crime, stolen art, and Roberto Zanardi. What could possibly go wrong?
As this tag game has to involve FIVE favourites, what I will tell you is that I am now working on another story, a gift to one of the three co-authors who have been generous enough to let me play in their universe and make dear RL friends as a result. I hope to release it in January 2026.
If anyone has ever loved someone else's fic in this fandom, comment profusely, offer your services as a beta, and then (this is the cheeky bit) once you've proven as a beta or commenter you love their stories and characters as if they were your own, pitch a story idea to them and see if they might be open to co-authoring. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
