She never did answer that question, but she did sign my copy of the book.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle at one stage grew tired of writing his famous Sherlock Holmes stories, so decided to kill off the character in a climactic struggle with his nemesis, Professor Moriarty. He wrote a scene in which the two engaged in a struggle at the top of the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. Holmes' companion Dr Watson later recounts the death of Holmes after inspecting the site and coming to the dreadful conclusion.

Doyle never intended to write more Sherlock Holmes stories, but persistent badgering by fans of the character asking for more stories in fan letters caused him to reconsider and bring Holmes back after a hiatus of three years. He had to concoct a story to explain Holmes' apparent death, before going on to feature the detective in dozens more stories written over another 25 years.

If you think a large number of fans bothered Doyle about writing more Sherlock Holmes books, can you imagine what life is going to be like for poor J. K. Rowling for the next few decades?