It's the final countdown...

By the end of the week, I should have (what should be) the final edits for The Jane Doe Ghost. It's getting real. She's *this close* to launching into the real world. While I'm waiting, I've been reviewing the audio files for The Architect, which should be done next week. I'm not sure which one I'm more excited about.

In anticipation of the new book (in case you haven't already seen it), here's an excerpt:

I reached for the lamp and tried to turn it on once more. Nothing. Chance and I both jumped when a resounding thump came from overhead. “The attic it is,” Chance said. “You ready?”

I followed him to the door in the corner of the living room, and as soon as he opened it, a draft swept past us, followed by a low-pitched moan.

Chance lowered his voice. “I’m still not getting that prickly feeling which might indicate—what do you call it?—residual energy. Stay behind me in case our uninvited visitor is of the human variety.”

“What are you going to do? Blind them with your flashlight?”

He patted the wall, then turned his flashlight to where he expected to find the light switch. He flipped the switch and nothing happened. Tried again—down and then up. Chance grabbed my hand and led me up the wooden staircase. We tiptoed, making the occasional creak on a loose step.

The attic was one big room, made up of exposed beams and filled with old furniture, suitcases, and miscellaneous collectibles. Potential treasures for my antiques store? I’d have to ask Annette about it tomorrow.

Chance’s flashlight lit one wall, where a desk and a filing cabinet were tucked under the pitched roof. He continued to pan around until we heard more rustling behind us and what sounded like a child’s voice. Chance pivoted and shined the light. Two glowing eyes looked back at us right before his flashlight flickered out.

Chance’s voice took on a sense of urgency. “Downstairs. Now.”

Did I mention you can preorder it? THE JANE DOE GHOST will be released April 16.

Revisiting old friends

Ya know, by the time you finish writing a book, you’ve read it so many times you know each word by heart. In spite of that, it isn’t uncommon for a few rogue words to throw a monkey wrench into the works. You release it out into the world hoping for the best and praying you never have to read it again (after reading it thirty hundred times already). Did you do a good job? Is it any good? You hope readers connect with it and you move on to the next project, but you're sick of reading it over and over and over...

What’s all this about? I had so much fun writing the Epitaph books. It took an inordinately long time to get the first one right, but when I did, it launched the series and I spent the next few years with the Bensons and the McCormicks. I recently contracted to finish the series in audio, picking up with The Architect. I remember thinking I didn’t like the man I had foreshadowed for Kathleen, so I wrote her a break-up and a new love interest. As I listen to Karen Frantz reading the story to me all these years later, I’m enjoying the book as a reader/listener rather than the author. Hey! I did a good job! You'd think I actually knew how to write a story. It helps when the narrator likes it, too.

If you're a newsletter subscriber, you'll be notified as soon as the audiobook enters the world. Oh, and did I mention I have a new cover? Subtle differences. Less "American Gothic."

Learn more

For those of you asking about the weight loss journey: I'm still sitting at the "new" baseline, so in an effort to move things along, I've lowered my daily calorie goal. No one said this was easy!

Everything old is new again

What can I say? I'm a nerd. 

I've been lazy with the last several books and let a program format my books for me. When I first started out, I did all of that myself because those options weren't available. Welp, I've decided I don't want to use the program I'd been using because I don't want to distribute the paperback via the channel that did the formatting. So where does that leave me while prepping the new release for sale? Back to square one.

Books have to look a certain way. There's room for dressing things up a tad, and to make that easier, I've developed templates and macros. However, because it has been so long since I've HAD to do it, I'd forgotten a lot of what I used to know. I've changed computers a time or two along the way, losing my hard work with the new systems. 

I spent a full day last week recreating those templates and macros and putting them all in one place. The nerd in me is excited to be doing something else creative aside from writing the books. The author in me is frustrated that I have to remember how to do all the formatting all over again. Which is why I wrote macros. And templates. Again. And I have to remember all over again where and how everything is stored. Those fun little graphics at the start of each chapter? I save those into building blocks. Building blocks are part of the “normal” template. The macros have to know which building blocks to pull. Then there's the matter of "drop caps" or "starting caps." Most books begin each chapter with the first letter of the sentence in "drop caps" (large and as a block at the edge of the paragraph) or the first three words all in capitals. If you have 40 chapters, that's a lot of manual labor when a macro can do it for you in a flash.

The end result was a merging of nerd with author, creating both the tools I need to use and applying them to the book that will go on sale April 16. In the meantime, I'm waiting for final comments from my editor so I can put the finishing touches on THE JANE DOE GHOST. Can't wait? If you order it ahead of time you can dive right in the minute it's available on release day. 

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click to preorder

Now that Elspeth “Elle” Barclay’s mother has retired from “clearing” haunted houses, Elle and her boyfriend step in to evaluate disturbances reported by a local client. They debunk the haunting, but find spiritual energy outside the house. The victim of a hit and run accident, a Jane Doe ghost asks Elle to tell “someone something,” but Elle has no idea who or what. In spite of that, the ghost’s pleas become increasingly compelling.

In an effort to identify their Jane Doe, Elle and her boyfriend take a trip to Bar Harbor, Maine, in search of the dead woman’s family. The family, however, isn’t interested in talking to Elle.

Even after Elle has passed along the information to Jane Doe’s family, Jane Doe continues to haunt her. What more does she want? Elle has never encountered a spirit who can manifest her energy physically before. After a man connected to Jane Doe is found dead, is Elle’s life in danger, too?

The new cover!

THE JANE DOE GHOST is inching closer to release day. 

Drum roll, please. 🥁

What do you think of the cover?

And, of course, I KNOW you want a taste, so here's an excerpt for you!

"Do you want to go downstairs to see what’s in the basement? Or upstairs to the attic?” I asked.

His eyes narrowed in a way the made me think he was slightly anxious about both ideas. “How regular is this activity we’re supposed to be investigating?”

“You heard what she said. Something’s happened every night she slept here so far. Bumps in the night, shadows at the edge of her vision, she even mentioned the voices, but when she investigated, she couldn’t find an explanation for any of it.”

Chance shrugged. “All potentially easy to explain away.”

“Potentially. But that’s why we’re here.” I reached for the lamp and tried to turn it on once more. Nothing. Chance and I both jumped when a resounding thump came from overhead.

“The attic it is,” Chance said. “You ready?”

I followed him to the door in the corner of the living room, and as soon as he opened it, a draft swept past us, followed by a low-pitched moan.

Chance lowered his voice. “I’m still not getting that prickly feeling which might indicate—what do you call it?—residual energy. Stay behind me in case our uninvited visitor is of the human variety.”

“What are you going to do? Blind them with your flashlight?”

He patted the wall, then turned his flashlight to where he expected to find the light switch. He flipped the switch and nothing happened. Tried again—down and then up. Chance grabbed my hand and led me up the wooden staircase. We tiptoed, making the occasional creak on a loose step.

The attic was one big room, made up of exposed beams and filled with old furniture, suitcases, and miscellaneous collectibles. Potential treasures for my antiques store? I’d have to ask Annette about it tomorrow.

Chance’s flashlight lit one wall, where a desk and a file cabinet were tucked under the pitched roof. He continued to pan around until we heard more rustling behind us and what sounded like a child’s voice. Chance pivoted and shined the light. Two glowing eyes looked back at us right before his flashlight flickered out.

Chance’s voice took on a sense of urgency. “Downstairs. Now." 

Did I mention you can preorder it! (here's the link)