Maggie Pill Mysteries

The second book in the Sleuth Sisters series delves deeper into the characters of Barb, Faye, and Retta. It seemed likely to me that Retta would have a dog. She lives in the country, she's alone, and she just seemed like a "dog person." Faye is the type who is compelled to help anyone in need, so when she finds a dog hurt on the road, she naturally takes it in. So we have 3 sleuths and 2 dogs. All I had to do was write in a murder for them to solve. The fun part of writing this series is the response from readers, who want to tell me which sister they are. "I'm Barb," someone will say. "I'm always correcting people." Or, "I'm Retta. I'm the baby, and I always get my way." People often ask who I am, but that's complicated. Characters in a story become who we writers need them to be, so while one might figure an ex-English teacher would write herself as Barb, correcting grammatical errors on public signs in secret, I agree, ...

If you read the last few weeks' entries, you know the scenario for the next (5th!) Sleuth Sisters Mystery. Now we need a title. Here are the basics: Still three sisters Setting is a winery on the Leelanau Peninsula north of Traverse City, MI Case is investigating the possibility of "turning" the wife of a drug lord into an FBI informant Venue is a retreat for 50-plus women who aren't "liberated" and don't want to be Focus is a fashion show that will conclude the weekend and launch the fashion design career of the drug lord's long-suffering wife Witnessing a murder begins a tough time for Faye and Retta  Possible titles: Wine, Women, and Murder Girls' Weekend for Murder Dying to Be Chic I'm not in love with any of those, so if you have an idea, send it along--please!

I told them I won't go. FBI or not, I can't stomach a full weekend of women gushing about spa treatments and this fall's must-have base color. Twaddle, as my Cornish co-worker used to say. If Faye is willing to accompany Retta and chat up this Dina Engel woman, good for her. I've looked into the situation and spoken with the FBI agent in charge. It isn't a dangerous assignment, since the woman's drug king/husband shows little interest in her new career and will remain in Detroit. The agent simply needs a couple of over-fifty women who fit in with Love-able Ladies (yes, they really do add the hyphen), and Lars suggested us. Retta certainly fits the profile of a Love-able Ladies groupie, and Faye will be her chaperone. I don't think they can possibly get into any trouble.

I'm working through the final edits of Sleuth Sisters Mystery #3 (MURDER IN THE BOONIES). I enjoy writing the series, and people have been really nice about letting me know they're waiting for the next one. Writing a popular series means I have characters I already know (which makes them a little easier to write), a guaranteed audience (which translates to income, so I'm not writing solely for my own enjoyment), and a following that spreads the word about the books much farther than I could do on my own. The down side comes with promotion, and while it isn't a big deal, it's interesting. Selling a series means you start with Book #1. Very few people want to start reading a series in the middle. While it's possible to jump in midstream at times, it's usually best to get to know the characters from the first. So when I go to events like author fairs and book signings, I sell a ton of THE SLEUTH SISTERS (and usually run out) but fewer of 3 SLEUTHS, 2 DOGS,...