I thought I would take a moment to bring you up to date on what’s going on in my universe, writing wise. While 2022 was an extremely productive year for me, the fruits of those labors have not quite yet hit the market; Focus, Bewitched and Requiem are all slated for release in 2023 (check my Publication Order page for exact dates so you can mark your calendar). I’m just wrapping up with my beta readers for Focus, so that is just about ready to be put to bed. Bewitched has already gone through the beta readers and is just waiting for a final edit; as I mentioned somewhere along the line, I wrote Duality and Bewitched back to back before realizing I’d left myself enough space to sneak in another story; unlike with Pariah, though, I managed to hold off publishing them out of sequence, which overall helps to improve the through line for Sean and Vasily’s relationship.
Somehow, I managed to write four books in 2022; technically, I suppose it was actually three and a half, for I put the first lines of Duality onto paper in the waning days of 2021. Still, that was a pace that I’m not sure I will be able to repeat in 2023; I am expecting to be able to write at least three this year, though, and my latest work is already well under way.
I’ve tentatively titled this latest one Buried but I’m not entirely convinced it will stick. Usually I select a title as a way to maintain the theme of the story while I work on it, and while this name fits perfectly, it just feels… not quite right. Several other variations on my theme have already popped into my head as I’ve worked on this manuscript, but none have managed to knock Buried out of the running. At least, not yet.
Buried is a Sean Colbeth novel, set a few weeks after the events of Bewitched. July tends to be pretty hot back in Maine if the weather systems are just right, which helps to add to the sticky mess Sean finds himself in; he’s got a vengeful former suspect taking him to court, a state-level board of inquiry looking into his actions during Bewitched and a girlfriend who might suddenly not be after he makes a serious misstep in their relationship. Finding a body in one of the small stores along Route One is almost a relief, save for the fact it’s yet another suspicious death on his watch.
I like to have my characters grow with each novel — in addition to creating intriguing mysteries that will keep you turning the pages — and Buried is shaping up to be a good chance to get to know a few more of them a bit better. Suzanne has always had a backstory, of course, but that is also true of Caitlyn, the ace intake officer Sean relies on to keep the day-to-day operations at the police station running smoothly. We may even see some love blooming for a new character that joins Sean as Assistant Chief at the beginning of Bewitched; while I want to be intentionally vague so as not to spoil anything, I will say it’s a character we meet for the first time in Duality, someone I thought would be a nice addition to the team in Windeport (and not a direct Vasily clone/replacement). Feel free to guess who it might be in the comments section, though I make no promises that I will reveal the correct answer until after the book comes out.
Beyond Buried, I have two more books planned for 2023, one each for Sean and Vasily. I’ve not decided the order in which I will write them, but suspect I will probably continue on with Sean as I did last year and do two stories back to back. Vas will make a significant appearance in the next Sean book anyway, much like he did in Downhill, and I’m also tentatively thinking it will take place at the holidays again. I’m a sucker for snow — or for traveling someplace exotic to get away from it.
I’ll continue to post updates here as my plans evolve.