I'm currently riding a triple-decker high that is incredibly rare in the world of hard-working writers. Most of the time, the path to publishing is a struggle. We begin by struggling to write a book. Yes, it's fun, communing with those imaginary characters filling our heads. But the part about creating a complete story that entertains not just ourselves, but hopefully readers, is a struggle. We take workshops and webinars. We read craft books by the dozen. We study and try to implement what we've learned. Eventually, if we're lucky and persistent, we're able to type THE END.  Then we struggle to revise and refine our words before struggling to find an agent and/or publisher for the book. Then we struggle to find readers. All the while, we're back struggling to write the NEXT book.  And so on. And so on.  I've been incredibly lucky to have repeatedly made it through all those struggles to reach this high point in my career. As I've already stated, I'm...

It's New Year's Eve and as I have almost every year, I'm taking some time to reflect on my Looking Ahead post from this past January.  The biggest question mark a year ago was the status of books 3 and 4 in the Honeywell series. As you likely know, both have recently been released with tomorrow being the "official" release date of No Stone Left Unturned in print. After the shaky start, I'm especially happy to have these two out in the world.  I had a relatively full schedule of appearances all year, despite not having anything new out.   Malice Domestic was especially fun because it was announced that I will be their 2026 Guest of Honor! More on that in tomorrow's Looking Ahead post.  I succeeded in turning in the standalone, however, my agent sent it back with lots of notes. I'm still working on it.  I also succeeded in completing Honeywell #5. At least the first draft. I submitted it by my deadline and now have it back, also with notes, these from...

It’s been 18 months since my last book release. Prior to that, the longest I’d gone between books had been 12 months. In my world, it feels like decades! I mean, it never gets old. This is my seventeenth published novel, and it’s still a rush!   And yet, I admit, I’ve felt a bit subdued leading up to this one. And confused.   What am I supposed to do? How does one promote a new book?   As if I’ve never done it before.   I think I finally figured out why I feel this way, and it goes beyond the length of time since I did it before.   This book release, like the previous two Detective Honeywell novels, is digital only. For now. While a large portion of my readership gets their books on digital platforms, it doesn’t feel 100% real until I hold the print copy in my grubby little hands.   Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled for all of you who are huddled over your phones and iPads and Kindles reading my book today. I love you all beyond words.   H...

After what has felt like forever, I have book covers for the upcoming third and fourth Detective Honeywell Mysteries.  I may be totally am biased, but I think they're gorgeous! You can read the back cover copy descriptions on my website .

The Pennwriters Conference begins this Friday, and I’m teaching three workshops, so right now, my focus is on making lists, packing, and preparing my classes and handouts. I may not be writing, but I’m thinking about writing a lot .   I do have more news to share. While I’ve had my doubts in recent months, it appears there will be two more Detective Honeywell Mysteries coming out this year! I have release dates and titles! But still no cover art.   The third in the series will be The Devil Comes Calling and will be released in eBook format on November 7, 2025. The fourth will be out in eBook on December 19 and is titled No Stone Left Unturned . Preorder links are starting to pop up sans the still-missing covers, but I’m not promoting them until there’s something interesting to look at. Call me superstitious. It simply never feels real until I have that cover art.   I also got my developmental edits for No Stone Left Unturned , and they don’t look too daunting. I’...

There’s a lot up in the air for the coming year. I have two books (#3 and #4 in the Detective Honeywell series) coming out, but I have no titles, no covers, no release dates. I blogged last week on Writers Who Kill about how the only thing we authors have control over is writing the next book. While I will be writing #5 in the series this year, it’s not due to my editor until December, which leaves me with some wiggle room. As I teased in yesterday’s post, I have a plan. I’ve been outlining and starting to draft a standalone novel. I’m calling it a domestic suspense wrapped up in a police procedural. My intention is to have opening chapters and a synopsis ready to hand over to my agent in March, so she can start shopping it around. Then, in April, I can jump back into Matthias and Emma’s world for the rest of the year. I don’t have a lot on my “events” schedule yet. In February, I’m doing a reading with my friend Bill Gormley in Pittsburgh, but I don’t have any real details yet. In A...

For the last few years, I’ve been saying I want—no, NEED—to slow down. I’ve been pumping out books as fast as I could. Two or three a year. Now, I know writers who write even more than that, and I’m in awe. But for me, the old cliché “all work and no play” was wearing on me. Back on January 1 of 2024, I announced that I was taking measures to let me slow down. And I am. I’ve cut back on travel, although to be honest, a big part of that has to do with Kensi’s heart issues and the twice-a-day pill she gets. But the key measure I’ve taken involved turning down a three-book contract to continue the Zoe Chambers series. Okay, don’t cry or send threatening letters. I turned it down FOR NOW. I did not burn bridges. I simply need a break from multiple deadlines one after the other. Also back on January 1, 2024, I mentioned a book deal sitting on my desk. As you probably already have heard, that was another three-book offer, this one for the Detective Honeywell series. I’ve already written ...

Believe it or not, I'm still here! Hard to believe, but it's true.  First, let me catch up a little. The third Detective Honeywell Mystery that was supposed to come out at the end of this week...isn't. I don't have a new release date. Or a title. Or a cover.  Which is one reason I haven't posted here in ages. I've been anticipating having something to show for my efforts, but alas, have nothing. My publisher assures me it WILL be released but at a more opportune time than right after Christmas.  Second, I do have a freebie for my newsletter subscribers. The password to access a brand new FREE Pete and Zoe short story will go out on Christmas Eve. If you aren't a subscriber, you should sign up now by clicking here and filling out the form. And third, with all the crashing and burning of social media sites, I've decided to shift much of my attention to my blog and that newsletter. It's an early New Year's resolution. If you follow me on Facebook, I...

When last I posted, my husband's retirement was imminent. Now, we're two months in and both of us are alive and well and still like each other. All good. I took advantage of having him around by taking a trip to New Mexico in September, leaving Kensi and her pills in his (somewhat) capable hands. She wasn't happy, but he did succeed in getting the pills down her throat. Meanwhile, I had a lovely escape and a nice visit with my dear friend, Leta. It was a relatively short stay and we didn't do a lot of exploring, but we ate out several times including some of the best fish and chips I've ever had. Yes, fish and chips. In Durango, Colorado. Don't judge. I also had chile rellenos and quesadillas in Aztec, New Mexico. I just forgot to take pictures. After a month of retirement, Hubby decided to go back to work. Parttime. Now, I have the house to myself for two days each week, which is working out well.  I took two road trips earlier this month, again leaving Kensi w...

Let's catch up from my last post. The Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books was fabulous despite some inclement weather. My panel was indoors, and the rain didn't start until my signing beneath a tent was wrapping up. Photo courtesy of Martha Reed My "fellow thriller writer" panelists were awesome. The quotation marks are because I felt like a fraud being labeled a thriller writer, not because of the two gentlemen on the panel. They were legit. And kind. They made me feel like I belonged there.  I made it to my second appearance that day with time to spare. I did not, however, remember to take photos or ask anyone else to. The Pennwriters Conference was amazing as always. I spent some quality time with my fabulous friend, Hank Phillippi Ryan, who helped me brainstorm plot twists for a future book.  More recently, I participated in a local author book event in Waynesburg, PA, and officially launched What Comes Around at Mystery Lovers Bookshop. Next up is Noir UNDER th...

I've been busy. I turned in the next Detective Honeywell manuscript on March 1. Afterward, I spent most of the month taking care of boring non-writing stuff. Annual doctors' exams and tests that I'd been putting off. Tax preparation. Other necessary but uninteresting personal odds and ends. As the end of the month neared, Matthias and Emma were getting rambunctious inside my head, so I started drafting what is currently being called "Honeywell #4."  It was kind of fun having only that one book on my plate.  Of course, that didn't last long. Along came the cover art for the next Zoe Chambers mystery! I love it! Next, my developmental edits for Honeywell #3 arrived earlier this week. There aren't really a lot, but a few of them require a lot of thought. The changes will make it a much stronger book, but I'm now working on two different books at the same time. Draft Honeywell #4 in the morning, revise Honeywell #3 in the afternoon.  Oh, and my line edits ...

The week before my then-agent Dawn Dowdle passed away, she'd called me to tell me One More Chapter (HarperCollins UK) wanted three more Detective Honeywell mysteries! We'd started negotiating in the days leading up to her death. Then the bottom dropped out. Fast forward a few weeks. I signed with Paula Munier at Talcott Notch. But there were lots of contractual complications in dealing with the closing of Dawn's agency. Then the publishing world closed down for the holidays. But things kicked into high gear recently and resulted in this: It's official. Matthias Honeywell and Emma Anderson will be back for three more books, the first one set to release this December. And I should mention, Beyond Redemption is my working title. I'm certain my publisher will change it by the time it comes out. They always manage to come up with better titles than I do!

It's been so long since I last posted and so much has happened, there's no way I can fit it all into one post. Especially since I'm busy with the second draft of a new book. So I've decided to catch up a little at a time.  First up, HELPLESS , my 12th Zoe Chambers Mystery came out in May. It's my first foray into straight suspense, rather than whodunit mysteries, and the reviews have been outstanding. I'm so happy. And relieved.  Second, Where the Guilty Hide is FINALLY available in paperback in the US. It took a lot of trial and error and manually pushing buttons by my UK publisher, but it's out there! I won't go into the frustration involved in not being able to get my books into US bookstores. And I've been assured this won't happen when the second Detective Honeywell Mystery comes out in print early next year.  That would be Keep Your Family Close which has my absolute favorite cover of all of my books! It's up for digital pre-orders no...

Greetings from my writing cave.  I'm making great progress on my Book Jail projects. Only ten days in and I've completed copy edits on Where The Guilty Hide . Unless my editor determines my fixes still need more fixes, it will be off to proofreading next!  I've also completed the second draft of the next Zoe Chambers Mystery and shipped it off to my beta readers. That means two of my three goals have been met.  Now I have the big one to work on. I'm happy with the way the outline is shaping up for the second Matthias Honeywell Mystery. And I have opened a new Word doc and typed "Chapter 1" as well as an opening paragraph. To be honest, the opening paragraph sucks but it's a first draft. For me, all that first opening paragraph has to do is give me a starting point from which the story can flow.  The other BIG THING that's happened is Where The Guilty Hide is now available for pre-order with a release date of January 20! So far, only digital is listed,...

I've planned for this month all summer. By "planned" I mean I've been saying NO a lot. No doctor appointments, no speaking engagements. No days off.  All I'm doing is writing.  Before I go any further, let me catch you up on Rule of Thirds , the first in my new Lake Erie Mystery Series. First, it's no longer " Rule of Thirds ." The sales and marketing teams at One More Chapter (HarperCollins UK) have changed the title to Where The Guilty Hide . My first reaction to the new moniker was "OooOOooo..." Which is precisely what they were going for. Second, it's no longer the Lake Erie Mysteries. It's now the Detective Honeywell mysteries. Matthias (Honeywell) is overjoyed to get top billing and, in my fictional world, is flaunting it over Pete Adams, who has been miffed about not sharing the billing with Zoe Chambers all these years.  Good thing these two characters live in different parts of the state.  Anyway, I'm okay with this sec...