Time Again for An Update!

 

So let's see. My last update was in July. 

At the end of July, my dad died. I'm not going to go into it all here as I'm barely past the crying-every-time-I-think-of-him point. He had been ill, but none of us realized he was about to die. Including the doctors. So it was a shock. 

Anyway. Then I went to New England to stay with LB Gregg for a week before--the plan was--flying to Florida to take part in the Rainbow Cruise. But on our way to the airport we got caught in one of those "storm of the centuries" we now seem to have every month or so, and our flight was canceled. ALL the flights were canceled. (New experiences comimg my way fast and hard.) We were unable to get another flight that would have connected us with our cruise, so we had our own mini writing retreat for a week in rural Connecticut. (And that actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise.)

When I got home, I started trying to catch up all the stuff that had fallen to the wayside during the months we were taking care of my dad. 

Somewhere in all that my mom had a stroke. Which was fortunately mild, but still. Not a great sign of things to come.

Objectively, I'd have to say this was pretty much the worst year of my life.

And yet, not entirely unproductive. In fact, I started out strong with The Lemon Drop Kid, Hearts and Hazards: Writing the Cozy Mystery, Corpse at Captain's Seat, Sea Change, Rough Water, and now Ghosted. 

Which leads us to current events. 

I have been writing, but it's mostly been for Patreon. I'm in the process of rewriting the Secrets and Scrabble series from Jack's POV--just for fun novellas: Sea Change and Rough Water. We're just starting Mystery at the Masquerade (AKA What Lies Beneath). And I also finished up the novel Ghosted, which will probably drop next week.  

Now for the update on the previous update:

Obviously, everything got significantly delayed. But here's a list of what should be coming next.

The 12.2 Per-Cent Solution (the final Holmes & Moriarity) - I'll be starting next week. We're about to hit the holidays, so it's HIGHLY unlikely I'll finish before the end of the year. But the book will happen. We're absolutely going to have the final installment.

Hex in the City (Bedknobs and Broomsticks 4) - This now falls into next year. The book will still happen (I bought the next three covers from Reese Dante, so these books are happening), but I wanted it to come out during the holidays (because Krampus) so I may decide to push it to the end of 2025.

The Medicine Man Murders (The Art of Murder 6 is the presumably final AOM book) - late next year if I don't push Hex. Earlier in the year if I do. Either way, the book will happen, whether it's the final installment or not. I mean, I intend it to be the final installment. However, letting go of Sam and Jason is going to be nearly as difficult as letting go of Adrien and Jake. But, yes, this book is definitely happening. 

But beyond those three books, I haven't really decided on any other projects for 2025. Life feels a little bit precarious right now, so I'm hesitant to commit to anything.

(There will be a novel for Patreon, of course, but I haven't figured what it will be yet.)

So that was 2024 and a peek at 2025. 

But on a more cheerful note, I'm planning to do at least some version of the Advent Calendar this year. The goal, as always, is to give readers something pleasant and holiday-ish to start their morning. Just a little Thank You from me to you.  

If you're unfamiliar with my version of an Advent Calendar, you can look at last year's (wow, it feels like a million years ago) kick off .

Contributions are of course welcome! 

And that's it. That's what I've been up to. 

Stay safe! See you December 1st.