April 2023
Vol. 254
Dear ones,
I have been keeping a small secret from you. I’ve hinted but I haven’t actually confirmed, and I certainly haven’t shared details. But the time has finally come. Taylor Jackson #9 is here!
THE WOLVES COME AT NIGHT will be available on May 23, 2023.
A detective on the brink.
An assassin out for revenge.
A desperate mother racing against the clock.While the high-profile murder of a young country singer turns Nashville inside out, danger lurks in the woods beyond the city’s border. There was a witness to the terrible crime, a college student who stumbled onto the scene. When the girl goes missing, the police don’t know if she’s run for cover or been taken…or if something more sinister is happening.
The truth will shatter Taylor’s career and bring her face to face with a deadly assassin who wants nothing more than to finish what they started.
Taylor Jackson is back. And you’ve never seen her quite like this.
It’s been a decade since I had a Taylor novel come out. I admit I’m both nervous and excited. The world has changed in the intervening years. We have changed. Policing has changed. Staying true to my characters who’ve been in suspended animation whilst also being true to our new world was a delicate balance. Plus, I've written a few books in that time. I had to remind myself of the stories, the stakes, the little details. It was fun, but harder than I expected.
I wrote a novella back in 2015 called Whiteout that was intended to bridge the gap between the Taylor books, and then never got a chance to continue the story. In Whiteout, Taylor takes Baldwin’s place at an international conference and comes face to face with a deadly assassin, Angelie Delacroix. To say Angelie is one of my all-time favorite characters is an understatement. She is complex, as all assassins must be to survive their crimes. She is beautiful and cunning and on a personal mission of destruction, and of course, Taylor gets in her way.
Suffice it to say, I have ALWAYS wanted to return to this story. And I finally have in Wolves.
So many of you are new to my work, having found me when I switched out of procedural series into domestic suspense standalones. I hope that you’ll give this new book a try. Even though it’s the 9th in a series, I’ve written it to stand alone as much as possible, with perhaps a suggestion to read Whiteout first to understand the stakes at play. It's not gory, it's not keep the lights on scary. It's very suspenseful, with an international flair. I think you'll love it.
That said, it’s impossible to write a new book in a series and not bring along some of the baggage from the earlier adventures. So if you are a fan of the series already, this should feel like slipping into a favorite pair of jeans, because I’ve picked up where I left off at the end of Where All the Dead Lie.
Speaking of...both WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE and SO CLOSE THE HAND OF DEATH are also refreshed and repriced! I am just beside myself excited to finally be able to share these books with you, and to bring Taylor and Baldwin and the team to life again. I have missed my girl.
Onward...
IT’S ONE OF US landed on Canada’s bestseller list for six weeks, a gift for which I will forever be grateful! Tour is fully wrapped and I am happily puttering around the house again, birdwatching with the kittens, testing chocolate cake recipes for the hubby, and catching up on reading. Not to mention kicking off The Creative Edge, where my non-fiction lives now, and–yes–writing. I’m working on a new standalone that is tentatively called A VERY BAD THING. That title might change, but it’s a good one for now, as it’s part of the prologue's opening lines.
Writing the Taylor book reminded me that while I do love the series format, I am definitely now a standalone author. There’s something really cool about creating worlds out of whole cloth for you. I’ve been working on this particular story for about a year. The AVBT synopsis came together in a day, after months of thinking, and I got a solid 40k into it before the wheels came off. Something was wrong, but I couldn’t figure out what. And then it was the holidays, and I went out on tour, and... and... and...
Okay, maybe I was a little blocked. It happens. I poured every ounce of myself into IT’S ONE OF US. I’ve never had a book become an all-consuming flame before, but wow, it absolutely did. There’s also this stupid mental thing that when you know you’ve “leveled up” as we call it (see 6 weeks on the bestseller weeks, above) that can sometimes climb right inside your brainpan and set up shop. I saw an interview with Gillian Flynn recently where she very bravely admitted she wishes she’d gone ahead and published the next book instead of waiting so long, because now the mythology around Gone Girl is so fervent that nothing she does can hold a candle, even if it eclipses the work. I’m not comparing IOOU to Gone Girl, only acknowledging that when you’ve done something people really love, sometimes it’s hard to give them the next thing for fear of disappointing.
Anyway. Enough of that. I’m writing, and writing about writing, and bringing you a new Taylor book FINALLY, and that’s really all I can ask of myself at this point.
📊 Poll
Y’all are road-trippers! Last month I queried about your travel habits, and over 50% prefer car travel. While I love a good road trip, I love nothing more than hopping on a plane and appearing someplace new. While tour was taxing, I did get my fair share of plane rides, which was awesome.
This month's poll...
Where is your favorite place to read?
📚 What I'm Reading
Lauren Thoman – I’LL STOP THE WORLD
An 80s-themed debut with love, time travel, and nostalgia from a superb debut author.
Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke – FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE
I have been waiting for this book for months and was delighted to get my copy! Will report back as soon as I finish, but so far, so great!
Jeff Hawkins – A THOUSAND BRAINS
Cal mentioned this on his podcast and I couldn’t help myself. Learning how my brain is structured has been eye-opening and I’m still processing. Super cool stuff.
Another debut this month, this time in the gentle realm of friendly ghosts and sassy heroines. This is a unique and old-fashioned paranormal, the kind we used to have before werewolves and vampires crowded in!
👩🍳April Recipe: GF Ramen Noodles
When we were growing up, Ramen Noodles were both a treat and a necessity–inexpensive, quick to cook, and delicious. It is also decidedly NOT gluten-free. I've been missing it and when Randy found a recipe, I was determined to make it. Enter Lotus Foods GF Rice Ramen noodles! They are hearty and delicious and stand up to this recipe perfectly. A quick and easy noodle soup.
You can find all of my recipes here, and if you want some wine to go with the meals, The Wine Vixen has you covered.
🎉 Contest
Every month*, I draw a name from those of you who open the newsletter and send that lovely person a $30 gift card to the bookstore of their choice. It’s my way of saying thanks for being here. Enter below!
March winner: Congrats to Salome416! Check your email...
It's been a big month already, and I am grateful to be able to settle into my work again. I wish you a beautiful spring, wonderful books to read, and I'll see you next month for the release of Taylor #9!
xo,