Though it may seem like it of late. It's been very quiet here since Dead Quiet went out into the world in March.
I've started the next book (#5) in the Dakota Mystery series but it isn't going well. Until last week, I didn't even have a body, much less a killer, which kinds of makes it difficult to write, um, a murder mystery.
But I'm happy to report that I finally killed somebody! Whew.
My editing date is early November, so I've got a lot of writing to do between now and then. If it's like the previous book, it'll be out in March 2016 after revisions.
So, what's it about? Well, it starts off with some rather unique graffiti on a wind turbine. Also, Sheriff Karen Mehaffey is facing a nasty election campaign from a former deputy of her father's. One who knows too much about the mistakes she's made in the past.
Also in not-so-dead news, I got a very nice review of the previous four books from my friend and mentor, Linda M. Hasselstrom, a nationally known South Dakota poet and essayist. Without her, I doubt you'd be reading my mysteries.
When I first met her on a writing retreat, I was at a fork in the road (a very uncomfortable place to be), unsure whether I was kidding myself about being a writer. I wondered if I should chuck it all and go eat worms. Or rattlesnakes, in the case of Linda's very capable assistant, Tam.
Not bad, Linda told me, in Dakota-speak. She also said to use the same word in all the titles as a helpful mnemonic device for those (like me) who can't remember authors or titles. And so the Dakota Mystery series was born.
And, by the way, the tentative title for #5 is...
Dead News.