The Monster Hunter Mysteries are off to a frighteningly good start with A Death in Door County available to buy and Death in the Dark Woods coming out in December of 2023. Book #3, the title of which hasn’t been decided yet, will feature one of Wisconsin’s most fierce (and beloved–go figure!) cryptids, the Hodag. Morgan Carter and her faithful dog, Newt, are rousting out potential cryptids and killers all across Wisconsin, from Door County and Lake Michigan to Bayfield’s Chequamegon Forest and the Apostle Islands to the Up Nort’ city of Rhinelander where a huge music festival is dedicated to a cryptid. I hope you will enjoy reading these monstrously entertaining adventures as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them!
Only Four Months To Go!
It’s Official!
OPEN A DOOR AND SEE IF IT’S OPPORTUNITY KNOCKING
When one door closes, another one opens … a saying that has been true for me all my life. Sometimes the newly opened door is obvious. Other times, I have to hunt it down or wander around a while before I find it. Right now, the closed door is the one related to my Mattie Winston series. DEAD EVEN, the twelfth book in that series, will be the last, at least for now. And the two books that launched the Hildy Schneider Helping Hands series, featuring a spinoff character from the Mattie Winston books, will be all in that series for now. It’s been a helluva run and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed stepping inside these characters’ heads over the years. The books continue to sell and will hopefully be available to entertain readers for years to come. I will miss writing these stories, but that door is closed for now.
A new door has opened and I’m very excited about it. Next year (if schedules go as planned) I will have a new book out, the first in an exciting new series with a new publisher. That’s a lot of “news” on the other side of that open door. This series touches on and combines so many of the things in life that fascinate and interest me, incorporating them into the characters, story lines, and locations. It’s been so much fun to write so far and I know it will continue to be so. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months and in the meantime, check out the last episode in the saga of Mattie Winston’s life in DEAD EVEN. Or start the story all over again with the first book, WORKING STIFF.
And a heartfelt thank you to all you dedicated readers out there. Without you, this journey wouldn’t be half as much fun. Stick with me because the ride’s not over yet.
Staying Sane While Staying Home
In this era of COVID-19 and the pandemic, the idea of having to shelter at home harbors different reactions from different people. Many of the writers I know find this new way of life not all that different from the old way. That includes me. I enjoy being at home, I do fine with being alone, and I’m basically an introvert at heart, so it’s life as usual with a bit more cleaning thrown in. But there are opportunities for promoting my books that I’m missing out on. Since I had a new book come out at the end of February (DEAD RINGER), I had several engagements lined up to help promote the book including library talks, bookstore visits, and a gig as the keynote speaker at a writer’s conference. All of them have been canceled.
I’m not wild about the idea of having to speak in public but I long ago got over any nervousness i felt over it. And I know it’s a necessary evil if I want to promote my work. Evil may be too strong a word there because I don’t feel like these events are bad. But I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t a little relieved that they were cancelled. I figured it would be an ideal time to get a lot of writing done without interruptions. Except it hasn’t worked out that way.
I’ve been having trouble focusing. All this pandemic stuff makes me want to check the news every five minutes and I’m constantly analyzing, planning, worrying, wondering, trying to figure out what I should be doing, what will happen next, and how crazy the world is going to get before this thing ends. I’m fascinated, scared, confused, angry at times, and frankly appalled at some of the ignorance and stupidity I’ve seen. Such is the human condition and it’s what I’ve spent my careers–both nursing and writing–focusing on. I’m hoping my focus returns soon. In the meantime, I’ve changed my procrastination tasks from housecleaning chores to sewing masks and bread making. My high school home ec teachers would be so proud.