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Pre-eminent among writers of mystery stories is, in my opinion, Dorothy L. Sayers. She is ingenious, witty, original - and scientific too, including themes like the fourth dimension, electroplating, and the acoustics of bells in some of her best stories. She is also the inventor of the voice-activated lock, which her hero Lord Wimsey deploys in the 1928 short story 'The Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba'.

The post The trick of the lock: Dorothy L. Sayers and the invention of the voice print appeared first on OUPblog.

There once was a humble Lord who refused the high stature, fame, and glory that he so rightly deserved. He lived with his beautiful Lady in a quiet manor deep in a thick forest. The two had a dog who rarely barked, save at pillaging squirrels – and that was just fine because the Lord hated squirrels nearly as much as he detested noise.

Slowly, however, noise crept in. It started with a small bump on his Lady that grew and grew until the bump turned into a baby. How proud he was of this little bump. It cooed, it giggled, it smiled… and it cried. It shattered his peace with its colicky wails and while he loved this little bump, the Lord yearned for the peace it had stolen.

From time to time, snuck off to the porch, basement, or rolling meadow to get away from the ruckus. As time marched on, the little bump became mobile. For some reason, it loved the Lord of the manor and would follow him to any retreat and destroy the silence he sought.

Three more bumps put an end to any refuge on the grounds. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, no square inch of silence to be found. The bumps may have shattered his peace, but they brought him laughter, love, and joy he hadn’t known before. He loved the little bumps more than he ever thought possible… even though they were loud.

All four little bumps grew in stature and decibel until they could no longer be called little. In fact, the time came for one of them to strike off on its own. It was the oldest and loudest bump that left home in search of her destiny. Both Lord and Lady were sad. There was but one comfort in her absence, some measure of quiet returned to the manor.

In the evenings, while the other three bumps pursued wordless interests, the Lord sat back in his easy chair and relished the silence. This newfound peace lasted several days before he realized something was missing. Something he had previously considered an annoyance was gone. He should have been happy. He should have rejoiced over the removal of the thorn. But instead, he felt a different way.

So it went until a long weekend came and the oldest bump burst through the door with a very large bag of laundry. Beside her stood an equally loud jester she suspiciously called “boyfriend”. They sung, hooted, hollered, and raised the excitement of the other bumps until the Lord of the manor had to hold his ears. Now he knew what was missing. Though his head did ache, his heart was full enough to accept even the added noise of her jester friend.

In this merry state, he wondered what joys had he missed over the years simply because he had loved silence over substance.

Petty annoyances can be dangerous things, don’t give them more credence than they are due.   

Due out on the 11th of this month is a new rip-snortin’ tall tale by Texan, Cynthia Leitich Smith (published by Dutton Books and illustrated by Barry Gott). Young Holler, Mr. and Mrs. Loudly’s child, has the ability to turn teacher chalk to dust, stampede cattle, and set the hounds in the county to howling . . . with just his voice. But ya know–between me and you and the fence post–not every talent is truly appreciated . . . at first. However, quick thinking on Holler’s part when a tornado threatens saves the town and his talent finally is appreciated. In fact, the town names the local library after him: The Holler Loudly Library. HAH!  What a fun picture book read this is!  And the lively, colorful illustrations vividly portray all the energy of the text. A truly great match-up of writer and illustrator. Be sure to order your copy soon. (Ages 4-8.)

Also, be sure to stop by Cyn’s website and check out the book trailer for HOLLER LOUDLY.  Or click here to see the trailer on YouTube.

But . . . hold your horses! Don’t go riding off yet.

To top off this good bit of publishing news I’ve got an interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of HOLLER LOUDLY.  (See below.)

Welcome, Cyn!

1. S. C.:  I love the ironical twist at the end of HOLLER LOUDLY Was this the germ of the story? Or did the idea for HOLLER LOUDLY begin elsewhere?

Cyn: Thank you! HOLLER LOUDLY was a book some six years in the making. It started out as contemporary realistic fiction about a loud boy who’s sad that the old theater is being torn town. He eventually makes the suggestion to move the library into that building. It had a lot of qualities I liked-the importance of children’s voices, historic preservation and libraries. But it was a little complicated, a little too much about the world of grown-ups.

Over time, it became a tall tale about a very loud boy-one whose loudness, like any unchecked superpower, becomes burdensome. Over the course of the story, he comes to appreciate quiet times, the music other folks make, but also uses his power for good

S. C.: The dedications are wonderful, as well. Were you a loud child? (Aren’t all stories just a little bit autobiographical?)

Cyn: For me, writing HOLLER LOUDLY is probably a study in wish fulfillment. I was very much concerned with being a “good” girl. There are family photos of a very young me frowning at cousins who’re making noise.

S. C.: It seems to me that Barry Gott’s colorful and energetic illustrations are perfect for this book. And I enjoyed the way the illustrator and art designer used the loud words as part of the illustrative matter rather than simply having them in the text. Did you have any say in this?