When James Denis is found standing over a body, a knife in his hand, it’s up to Captain Lacey to prove his innocence.
I am more than thrilled to have this book released! I know it’s been a while since the last Captain Lacey. However I have more stories to tell. I believe the next book will take Lacey on vacation with his family to Oxfordshire for adventures there, unless another idea whacks me and takes over. You never know what story Captain Lacey is going to tell me next.
Before that, I will have another Leonidas book out (I’m thinking early 2025), Brother at Arms, where Leonidas learns more about his friend Xerxes’s past, and ultimately, his own.
An interesting (to me) side note. When I come up with a mystery series, usually I don’t have a set book list in mind. I start with the first one and then let it lead me into the characters and more things this sleuth can do.
Not with Leonidas. I have eight books in mind (maybe 10; need to look at my notes), with titles and plots, waiting to be written. I have ideas for other mystery series (historical and otherwise), but those too have a book one and then open field. Leonidas, though, knew exactly what he wanted!
I’m also working on another Kat Holloway novel, out in 2025 (A Silence in Belgrave Square.)
That is it from me in my Mystery Hat.
I am currently writing another romance while I work on edits for Wing Dancer (Stormwalker Book 7). More on that anon.
It will be in paperback on the day of release at Amzn, or you can pre-order the paperback from Barnes & Noble. It will also be in audio!
I will have an excerpt up as soon as I’ve gone through a round of revisions.
I am so happy to have finished this book! It was fun to revisit Janet’s world and catch up with all the characters. Though it has been a while since I’ve been able to publish in this series (was waiting for rights reversion for some of them), the story time will have advanced only a few months. These books can be set anywhen.
I’m thankfully back to writing regularly, and have two new books coming out this spring and summer.
First A Darkness in Seven Dials (Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries, Book 17). This one sees Captain Lacey back in London, searching for the culprit who has framed James Denis for murder. Look for all the recurring characters and a few new ones.
This book will be out May 21, and the e-book is on pre-order now. (The paperback will be released on the day.) Find it on:
I had to wait a very long time to get the rights to my Stormwalker series back, which is why there hasn’t been a new one in a few years. But the wait is over!
I am already seven chapters in to Wing Dancer, Stormwalker, Book 7, for more adventures of Janet and Mick in the fictional Northern Arizona town of Magellan. Lots of dragons and fun new characters in this one!
The pub date will be July 23. For real. I have an ISBN number and everything.
Once I am finished with the draft, I will put the book on pre-order, probably sometime in the middle of next month (I’ll do another post on it).
It is wonderful to write in this world again. It’s like I never left. I’ve drawn so much inspiration from living in Northern AZ, and I’m elated to have the chance to write down all this stuff that’s been burning in my brain.
These stories aren’t going away, even if no one reads them but me. 🙂 I have ideas for plenty more.
What else am I planning?
So many books. The above two have definite publication dates, but the rest still need to be scheduled. On my plate are another Shifters Unbound, a new Gladiator mystery, Riding Hard: Jack, the next Mackenzie, and of course, more Kat Holloway. A couple brand new things as well. I’m not sure what order these will appear (probably the order I’ve listed, but I’m giving myself wiggle room). All will happen throughout this year and next.
I update my websites often, so check for what’s new there if I am slow to post.
The newest book in the Below Stairs Mystery series, Speculations in Sin, came out last Tuesday (March 5). Available at any bookstore (and library) or online. (Scroll down for news on the audiobook.)
I’ve had many questions about when the Speculations in Sin audiobook would be released, and I found out from the publisher that it has been delayed (for technical reasons–I have no idea what). The publication date for the audiobook is now May 7. I was assured that pre-orders would be available soon. I can only apologize for this unforeseen occurrence.
Bear Facts in Audio
However, Bear Facts (Shifters Unbound, Book 15) is now out in audio. Narrated by Cris Dukehart. Woot! You can find it worldwide at:
I will do another post about what’s coming up soon. I have the next Captain Lacey book on pre-order (A Darkness in Seven Dials), which will be in paperback, ebook, and audiobook, out May 21. I am also working on a new Stormwalker book (Wing Dancer), which should be out in July. And much more after that, including more Gladiator mysteries, another Riding Hard, and some stuff I can’t talk about yet.
One reason I’ve been quiet in this space is I’ve been working on books, and battling to work on books. I had a tough year! However–I (finally) have three new titles coming out, from Dec to March! Woo hoo! Everything will be in print, and I have audio in the works as well.
First up, on December 25, Mrs. Holloway’s Christmas Pudding, a novella in the Below Stairs Mystery series. Pre-order here:
I have been silent here because I have been writing. Writing stalled from October to December, and then I suddenly wrote a book (went through revisions and edits and everything), a short novella for an anthology, revised another book, and now am working on another novel, which will be done and turned in April 1.
Whew! I knew I needed to catch up, but I really got slammed. Here’s what I’ve been up to:
Leonidas has to deal with Nero in this one, who is making unreasonable demands on his time. Meanwhile, he’s trying to become a regular guy, going to his construction job, and hanging out with Cassia after. He’s hampered by conspiracies, deaths, and a mysterious ring Nero is paranoid about.
I liked writing the first chapter, in which Leonidas goes to his local popina for a drink and gets pulled into a dice game by a mysterious stranger, who proves to be not so mysterious to Leonidas.
I liked writing the other chapters too! I’m looking forward to writing book 4, which is tentatively titled Brother at Arms. (Don’t hold me to the title; it might change).
It was very nice to get back to Ancient Rome and Cassia, and it’s equally nice now that I’m in Kat Holloway’s kitchen, watching her, Cynthia, Daniel, Tess, and the gang solve another mystery. This one involves her friend Joanna Millburn, whose husband, Sam, has been accused of all sorts of crimes. Kat, who knows Sam is the most innocent man in the world, will not let him take the fall. The title of this one (book 7 of the Below Stairs Mysteries) is Speculations in Sin. More on this book when it’s done (I’ll know pre-order information and pub date soon).
The short novella I was working on is a spinoff of the Below Stairs Mysteries, a story involving Miss Townsend and Bobby (Cynthia’s friends), who help Mrs. Holloway solve a little mystery. That short story: “The Price of Lemon Cake” will first appear in a charity anthology called Pride not Prejudice, releasing in June. Once the anthology is finished, I will re-publish the story by itself.
Next on my plate, after a much-needed vacation, will be Bear Facts, a brand new Shifter novel! And then I get into a new Regency romance, but more about that anon.
I hope spring is springing wherever you are. I live in the desert, and it’s been cold, cold, cold. Never seen a winter stay consistently cold this long. I’m usually in the pool by now! Not this year. 🙂
Hi all. A lot has happened since my last post, including my mom passing away, so as you can imagine, my life has kind of fallen apart.
I’m happy to say not completely, but things have slowed way down, while I deal with the business side of death and the changes in my own life.
What that means for books is that Leonidas the Gladiator, which I am working on now, won’t be out in January. I’m now hoping for February or early March. The book is halfway done, which is nice, so when I get back to writing, I won’t have long to go.
I’m also working on re-releasing a historical novel that I’m carefully re-doing, but I’ll have details about that once it’s edited and ready.
On a positive note, I’m excited to be working on all my series again, and also starting a brand new series! Plus I’m contributing a novella to a charity anthology. I have much to write this coming year, and I’m eager to get going.
I’m not sure how swiftly things will emerge, but they will. Writing is my therapy!
The other day, I saw an author apologizing for only writing four books a year.
“Only??” I shouted (at the computer screen, not actually at her).
When did it happen that an author should feel apologetic and guilty for writing four full-length novels a year? That is a ton of work! We not only have to write the draft (for most, that is the most time-consuming and difficult), but it takes time for books to be edited and proofread, a cover designed, and then everything published.
Have patience, authors and readers! Good things come to those who wait.
But to tease you, here are some covers for upcoming stuff!
You what?” Sam Farrell glared at his acquaintance Vince Morgan in disbelief. They stood together in Jack Hillman’s lumberyard, stacks of boards climbing around them, the scent of sawdust and fresh wood filling the chilly December air.
“It was a long time ago, Sam.” Vince spoke as one who didn’t think the past important. “I’d almost forgotten about it, until I heard about Olivia’s plans.”
“And in all these years, you and Carew didn’t tell her?” Sam started to back Vince into the nearest lumber pile, barely noticing in his agitation that he did it. “Hell, no one told me either.”
Vince had just announced that Sam’s oldest friend, Olivia Campbell, was about to be screwed out of what she’d worked so hard for—her sons too.
Vince regarded Sam nervously. Sam had always been big—one of the Farrell men—and he still was, with strength that hadn’t much diminished with time. Though Sam had left Riverbend three years ago to bask in retirement in San Antonio, he’d kept himself in shape. Vince, by contrast, had let himself go.
“I never did anything with it,” Vince protested. “Didn’t demand anything from her, and neither did Carew.”
“She’s been seeing Carew,” Sam said. “So my nieces tell me. And he’s lied to her this whole time?”
“He didn’t lie. Exactly.”
“He didn’t tell her the truth. Neither did you.” Sam eased from Vince to Vince’s obvious relief. “Same thing.”
He imagined Olivia’s shock when she found out, her anger. Most of all, she wouldn’t be able to go through with her idea Sam’s nieces had told him about. It was supposed to be a deep, dark secret, but nothing stayed secret long in Riverbend.
“We did it to help her,” Vince bleated. “Dale Campbell was a mess.”
Okay, that Sam couldn’t argue with. He’d loved Dale like a brother, but it was true he could get himself into some deep shit, including shit like this he hadn’t even told Sam about. Dale had been a wild man, and everyone had been stunned when he’d married cool, sweet, beautiful Olivia. Stunned again when Dale had died in a wreck barely into his thirties, leaving Olivia with four sons between ages ten and five.
Everyone had expected Olivia to fall apart or at least sell up and move out of Riverbend, but she’d proved that steel lay beneath her gentle exterior.
Sam advanced on Vince again. “You can dress it up all you want, but what it comes down to is you’re about to break a woman’s heart. Not to mention piss off her sons, and you do not want them to be mad at you. One is the county sheriff.”
Vince lifted his hands. “What’s done is done. Carew will fix it.”
Nick Carew headed Riverbend’s one bank. He’d kept it afloat in bad times and good, and was another man Sam had known all his life. Everyone trusted Carew, he of the impeccable suits and easy words. He’d always been a hard worker, an overachiever, and he’d put Riverbend first—or so he’d claimed.
“The hell he’ll fix it.” Sam swung from Vince, ready to end this conversation. “I’ll tell Olivia myself.”
“I saw her go into the diner.” Vince’s tone indicated he was trying to be helpful.
Without a comment, Sam marched down the aisle, seeking the open double doors and cold sunshine outside.
Jack Hillman, the biker who owned the business, glanced at him from where he stocked wares at the end of the aisle. He’d been close enough to hear the entire conversation, but Sam had learned that Jack, as hard a man as he was, could keep his mouth shut.
Sam clapped on his cowboy hat as he exited into daylight and strode around the town square, ignoring its glittering Christmas decorations and big tree. A giant calendar for the month of December reposed next to the tree, with each day in the month X’d out and December 25th in a big red circle. Only six more days to go.
Sam acknowledged this peripherally as he skirted the square and headed for Riverbend’s diner.
* * *
“Dale would have loved this.”
Olivia Campbell spoke dreamily, her coffee cup dangling between her fingers. She’d drifted into thought, reaching into the past, where she’d been young, excited, and happy. She imagined Dale’s handsome face creased in his smile, a light of wickedness in his eyes.
“Is this a private conversation, or can anyone join it?”
This dry comment came from the man across the table, his graying hair making his eyes a deeper blue. Nick Carew had already been an awe-inspiring adult making his way up in the world before Olivia had finished high school.
Olivia quickly set down her cup. Nick had secured them a corner booth at the diner so they could talk quietly. Olivia should be making her announcement and asking for his assistance instead of daydreaming, but she couldn’t help herself. Things were going to change in her life and making this decision had drawn up memories of Dale and her past.
“I was just thinking how this Christmas would have made Dale so happy,” she answered. “All our sons and their wives and children coming for Christmas dinner. The house will be full and lively. Grace has already started cooking up a storm, and the other girls are going nuts with the decorating.”
“How are the boys taking that?” Carew asked, eyes crinkling.
Olivia couldn’t stop a smile. “They’re as excited as their wives, though they won’t admit it. Watching Carter and Faith help little Zach hang decorations is priceless.”
Carter, the sullen-eyed youth who’d openly defied Olivia when she’d first brought him to the ranch for an at-risk teen program, had grown into a thoughtful, kind man who loved his wife and children with deep intensity. She was proud of him for coming so far. Not that her other sons hadn’t turned out well or worked as hard—they had. She loved them all to distraction.
“And now, as I said, I want to give them all a special Christmas gift,” Olivia concluded. “One they can treasure for years to come.”
She’d rehearsed the words in her head for weeks once she’d reached her conclusion. It was time, she’d known in her heart.
Olivia had wanted to keep it all secret from her family, however, until she worked out the details with Nick. She’d need Nick’s help because if you did anything financial in this town, he was the one who drew up the documents. Hence her call to him, and Nick agreeing to meet her in the diner for lunch today—the diner, not the bank, so no one would suspect this encounter was about business.
She and Nick had dated a few times, so Olivia felt a little awkward sitting here—she’d started wondering if their relationship was going anywhere. Nick’s wife had passed on several years ago and he’d been lonely, though not seeking a commitment. He hadn’t said any of this specifically, but Olivia knew he and his wife had been in love for many years. Olivia suspected Nick was looking for companionship, not a grand passion.
Olivia didn’t mind. Dale had been her grand passion, and once he’d been taken from her, she’d believed she’d never feel passion again. Dale had left a gaping hole in her life, but at least Olivia’d had many friends and projects to fill her time, not to mention four boys to raise—five when Carter joined them. She hadn’t had time to consider another relationship, not that Riverbend had presented her much choice of single men her age throughout the years.
“Olivia.” Nick’s eyes held trepidation as he regarded her across the table. “There’s something I need to …”
“What the hell, Carew?” The booming baritone sounded next to the booth and Olivia jumped, cold coffee splashing her wrist.
“Sam,” she exclaimed, the rush of sudden pleasure startling her.
Sam Farrell hovered beside the table, his muscular bulk blocking Olivia’s view of the festively decorated restaurant. His hard face was flushed in rage, his hair mussed from the hat he’d yanked off and tossed to the nearest seat.
The jolt that went through Olivia was an electric tingle of pleasure, a realization that she was very happy to see Sam, who’d moved from Riverbend three years ago, with only sporadic visits since. Whatever Sam was mad about didn’t mar the impact of his presence.
She flashed back to the day she’d come upon him and Dale Campbell lounging insolently on the high school bleachers, both trying to surreptitiously consume their longneck beers. Two wild Texas boys with cowboy hats and big smiles.
Dale had stolen Olivia’s heart, but that hadn’t blinded her to Sam’s appeal. Sam had been madly in love with Caroline, his high school sweetheart, until the day she’d died. Sam and Caroline had helped Olivia through her loss, and she’d always counted them her closest friends.
When had her feelings for Sam changed to more than friendship? Olivia wondered now. Or had they? Maybe she was just horny. The theory that sexual need waned with age was laughing at her right now. Sam might have gray in his hair and lines on his face, but neither lessened his strength or attractiveness.
“Have you told her?” Sam was demanding of Carew.
Nick’s lips thinned. “Haven’t had the chance.”
“Haven’t had the chance?” Sam’s voice rose. “What the hell are you talking about? You’ve had twenty-seven years.”’
Olivia pulled her wayward thoughts together and paid attention to Sam’s outrage. “Twenty-seven years to do what?” she asked.
The men jerked their heads around. They regarded her exactly as Adam and Grant had once done as pre-teens trying to figure out how to explain why they’d been caught arm-deep in the refrigerator well before dinner.
“To do what?” Olivia repeated when neither answered. “Sam? When did you get back to Riverbend? And what hasn’t Nick told me?”
Nick sent Sam a hard look as though warning him to keep quiet, but Sam ignored him.
“I heard you were planning to sell Circle C,” Sam said to Olivia. “To your kids for a buck, as a Christmas gift.” He lifted a hand when Olivia tried to cut in. “What you’ll find out as soon as the legal stuff kicks in is that you don’t own half of your ranch. Dale sold it off years ago and swore everyone involved to keep it a deep dark secret from you.”
Writing from My Heart 