Thursday, September 22, 2022

Terry Shames--Number 9 That Should Have Been Number 10

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I am a huge fan of Terry Shames's books featuring Jarrett Creek Chief of Police Samuel Craddock. Jarrett Creek may be fictional, but I love Central Texas and I have my very firm idea of exactly what Jarrett Creek is like. And I have been missing it, so I was thrilled when I learned there was a new book on the way. 


Isn't the cover gorgeous? But I'd have been holding my breath if I'd known the journey this book had taken! Here's Terry to explain: 


Number 9 that should have been number 10

On October 4, the ninth book in my Samuel Craddock series, Murder at the Jubilee Rally, launches into the world. It was great fun to write and it’s getting terrific reviews. Set at the Jubilee Motorcycle Rally, held out at the lake at Jarrett Creek, the book is based on a real motorcycle rally that happens every other year in the town that Jarrett Creek is based on. Because of Covid they didn’t have the rally, so I had to rely on videos from past events, and some first-hand accounts from people who have attended them. The videos! Let me tell you, I’m no prude, but some of the videos of real-time attendees stunned me. When you read descriptions in Murder at the Jubilee Rally, understand that I toned down some of those scenes.

“Jubilee Rally” should have been book 10. What happened? Covid happened. Or at least that’s what I’m blaming. In 2020 I wrote a Samuel Craddock book that turned out to be horrible. I mean truly. It was not only dark, but sleazy and distasteful. But there was more. I had intended to make this a book about a motorcycle rally. At some point in writing it, the rally disappeared and nasty people took over.

When I finished it, I disliked it, but turned it over to my writer’s group just in case I was wrong. They also disliked it. Then I sent it to my agent and she said the equivalent of, “What the hell is this?”

Now this is not the first time I’ve written a bad novel. There are all those “practice” novels that never saw the light of day. But I really liked them and thought were publishing-worthy if I just did some good editing. BUT. Recently I went back to purge my files and read the old books. In almost every one, my response was, “What was I thinking?” But every, single one of them had more to recommend it than my car crash of a book. It was with the greatest pleasure that I dumped it and started over.

Thinking back, I wondered why Covid caused this? Like most people I was feeling dark and unsettled the entire year of 2020. I didn’t mind staying inside. I had a great house with lots of room to spread out. We had a student living with us who was ultra-careful not to bring Covid into the house and was fun to be around. We had our two spirited dogs. And I had friends who were also careful, so we formed a “pod” of people who could come into my backyard and have a meal—at a distance. I cooked wonderful things, I indulged myself with jigsaw puzzles, my husband and I laughed. I Zoomed and hopped around on social media. Not so bad really. It’s not as if I haven’t had other dark times in my life that I was able to write through.

But this was different. The idea of being forced to stay inside ate at me. No travel. No hugs. Worse, there was always that itchy feeling in the air that you didn’t know whether the virus was lurking outside to nail you. Pouring that angst into the book I was working on, the characters became bitter and angry and ugly.

How is this different from writing noir or violent thrillers? After all, these characters can be ugly and angry and bitter. But there’s always some kind of “romance” at the heart of these novels. Sometimes it’s love interests, but it can also be the romance of interesting settings, passionate characters, people on a mission. The characters in my bad book were just behaving badly. Period.

When I jettisoned the book, I felt nothing but relief. I started over and this time the book flowed. I don’t mind saying I was biting my nails, worried that I’d lost it for good. But I got back on the hawg and this time the ride was smooth.

One character climbed out of the original mess and sneaked into the new book. In fact, she charmed me. Her name is Hailey. She’s the daughter of Samuel’s nephew, Tom. At the age of sixteen, she is suddenly sure that she knows exactly what her life should be—and it includes a bad boyfriend, no college, and defying every adult in her life. Her parents send her off to Samuel to take a break from her, hoping that Samuel can manage her. He almost can’t!

I loved creating Hailey and I hope you enjoy reading her as much as I enjoyed writing her.

All of which makes me wonder. Was I the only writer who found herself producing awful work during Covid? Work that not only didn’t satisfy, but that made you feel like you’d dredged up some mean part of your subconscious you didn’t know existed? Did others find themselves lost in the weeds? I’d love to hear about it!

Not everyone is thrilled that the yearly Jubilee Motorcycle Rally is coming to Jarrett Creek, Texas. Some locals want to ban it. But the merchants who’ve parlayed a good deal of money from the event are happy to put up with a little aggravation. A nasty war of words breaks out between Lily Deverell, who's spearheading the campaign to shut down the rally, and Amber Johnson, a store owner whose husband was badly injured while riding with his motorcycle club, leaving her to support their family by herself. Chief of Police Samuel Craddock brokers a deal leaving no truly satisfied.

When one of the warring women is found dead on the rally grounds, Craddock and his deputy, Maria Trevino, investigate even though the case is theoretically the job of the overburdened Department of Public Safety.

Complicating matters, Craddock offers to have his nephew’s teenage daughter, Hailey, visit to see if he can straighten out her recent bad behavior. Sam has his hands full with Hailey, who alternates between acting like the sweet girl he remembers. Eventually, she takes an interest in the murder investigation and a keen observation she makes helps Craddock solve the crime.

"A neat character-intensive combo of clever police work and family angst." Kirkus

And Library Journal gave Jubilee Rally a starred review and made it one of their October picks of the month!

DEBS: Can I just say, YIKES. I know all the writers out there are cringing along with me. Throwing out a book!! Nightmare of nightmares! But obviously it was the right thing to do, and very brave, I think.

Who else has had to start a book--or a big project-- over from scratch?



Terry Shames writes the award-winning, critically acclaimed Samuel Craddock series, set in the fictitious town of Jarrett Creek, Texas. The books have been finalists for numerous awards, including The Strand Critics Award, The Lefty Award, and the Macavity Award. A Killing at Cotton Hill won the Macavity for Best First Mystery, 2013. The Necessary Murder of Nonie Blake won the RT Reviews Critics Award for Best Contemporary Mystery of 2016.

Regarding the latest in the series, MURDER AT THE JUBILEE RALLY, Publishers Weekly called it an entertaining read, with "vivid secondary characters and well drawn small-town setting."

Raised in Texas and a University of Texas alum, Terry has lived in California for many years, now in Los Angeles. She is a member of t Sisters in Crime, and on the board of Mystery Writers of America.

Visit her at www.terryshames.com to see photos and to find out about upcoming events.

 


63 comments:

  1. A new Sam Craddock book is always a cause for celebration! Congratulations on your newest book, Terry; I’m looking forward to reading it. [And meeting Hailey.]

    I think there were times when the Covid isolation gave all of us dark, depressing moments and left us feeling mean-spirited. [But having books to read helped us immensely, so thank you, authors, for continuing to write . . . .]

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    1. Yes, books, and for me jigsaw puzzles. I did a 3,000 piece puzzle. Unfortunately, some pieces fell on the floor and my dogs ate 15 of them.

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  2. 't wait to see how Samuel handles sixteen-year-old Hailey. I can imagine him thinking his cows are a lot easier to manage. And, I'm glad that Maria Trevino is back. I really like her. Congratulations on Library Journal giving the new book a starred review and making it an October pick. What a great start to the book's publication.

    Even though I don't usually mind being stuck at home, since I read so much, being really stuck was different. The uncertainty of all that was happening was stressful and scary. I had some hard times with my anxiety levels, but my doctor helped me with that. There might have been some people who breezed through the last two years, but I don't know them if there are.

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    1. Thank you, dear Kathy for your kind words. I love Maria, and I think you'll love Hailey, too. And yes, being "really stuck" was different.

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    2. Kathy, I was thinking about what you said about how Samuel handles Hailey. He has a reaction he swore he'd never have: "You can't go (dressed) like that!"

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  3. Terry, welcome to JRW! I remember meeting you at Sisters in Crime meetings in the SF Bay Area - Berkeley? And congratulations on your new Sam Craddock novel. I love that name Craddock. I wonder how that name is pronounced. It is fun to fingerspell that name.

    Yes, the pandemic can affect our psyche. I think the pandemic has been really hard on many of us in different ways. I get what you mean about no hugs. That is the most difficult part because I am a hugger.

    Writing a bad novel because of the dark moods reminded me of Winston Churchill talking about the "black dog" which refers to dark moods. And there is a Maggie Hope novel where Maggie has to face the "black dog" and it affects her work trying to train people at this place in Scotland ?

    Hailey sounds like a very strong character. She has to fight her way through life? Some people are wired that way or circumstances could cause someone to do that? I remember when I was bullied in school and I wrote a "dark" story for my composition class in the 6th grade. The teacher was shocked!

    And Hailey sounds like me when I was in the 7th grade because I was at a different school and I was bullied only in the class, not the school. The teacher was a bully too. Very unusual. So I was quite very defiant. I remember quoting lines from BBC's Love in a Cold Climate based on a novel by Nancy Mitford.

    As difficult as the pandemic was and still is, reading books really saved my sanity. Feeling blessed that I had so many good books to read.

    Have not read the book yet but I have some idea from the snippet.

    Diana

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    1. Diana, regarding the pandemic being hard in different ways, when we started to emerge from Covid exile, I remember how haunted everyone looked. And I still feel occasionaly that bereft feeling about time that was stolen from us. And regarding the bully stuff, Hailey is not bullied, but she's strong-willed and thinks she's a lot more "hip" than she really is. I hope the book shows how she begins to wade through her adolescent angst. I think there are teachers who are bullies. My son had one. When the teacher went one step too far, my son walked out of school in the 9th grade and refused to go back. He was going through a very dark time and a young friend advised me to let him stay out if he needed to. Best advice, ever. After a month, I enrolled him in a different school and thrived! Come to think of it, I see some of him in Hailey.

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    2. Terry, thank you for sharing! Is it possible that Hailey is wired that way?

      Unfortunately, the covid pandemic is still ongoing and it looks like there may be another surge. A friend's 94 year old mother died five weeks ago of Covid. The difference is that there is NO lockdown right now. I was thinking that now it looks like it is back to business as usual. I STILL wear my mask everywhere.

      Diana

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  4. Terry, congrats on your upcoming release.

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    1. Thank you, Dru Ann. I look forward to being on your Day in the Life with my day about Hailey.

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    2. Oh, fun. I love Dru's Day in the Life!

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    3. Me too! Love Dru's Day in the Life! Diana

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  5. The new book sounds fabulous, Terry - congratulations. And bravo for brave you to throw out a manuscript. But it sounds like it had to happen. Do you think you'll bring back small bits of those nasty people into future stories?

    I managed to continue writing, a lot, during 2020, and writing my somewhat lighter tales and characters let me feel in control of at least one thing that ended well. It was such a contrast to the outside world!

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  6. TERRY: I am another reader who jumped for joy when I heard a new Samuel Craddock book was coming! It was also nice to briefly see you at the Minneapolis Bouchercon.

    Yes, COVID in 2020 had some dark moments for me. I got sick a few days after coming back from San Diego LCC and stayed isolated at home alone until the symptoms subsided: 47 days. That was a scary, grim time stuck indoors for almost 7 weeks and seeing NO ONE.

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    1. awful times Grace, we worried about you and are so glad you're back!

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    2. What Lucy said, Grace. Such a long lonely time for you. Glad you made it through.

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    3. This is Diana. So sorry to hear that you got sick after San Diego. It was so good to see you there. I already planned to stay one night because I always get sick in hotels after two nights stay and I flew home the first day of LCC.

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    4. Oh dear, 47 days of seeing no one? And being sick on top of it? Shudder. I can't even imagine that--except that I had my two dear doggies.

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  7. Hi, Terry! Did you at least get rid of some angst and anger with the "bad" book? Maybe you had to write it, just for the catharsis factor. Just because it wasn't a marketable product didn't mean it wasn't serving an important function, maybe? That's happened to me with projects other than manuscripts.

    I know. My middle name should be Pollyanna.

    Sounds like the outcome is a much stronger story, with compelling characters. Can't wait to dive in and reunite with the Jarrett Creek gang. Congratulations!

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    1. This is Diana. Yes, I thought of the cathartic factor. Sometimes writing can be a way to release bad feelings?

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  8. Terry, what a nightmare! Sounds like you did the right thing even though it must have pained you to lose that work. I've been reading a lot of acknowledgements lately from writers who kept writing during Covid. Every reaction is different--that was such a hard time! Congrats on bouncing back!

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  9. Congratulations on your new release! I look forward to reading it.

    During the pandemic I wrote the first draft of my next book. I know I did--I have strong visual memories of certain scenes. But I can't find the file on my computer! What I do have is an incoherent 250 page jumble of scenes, detours, and what if pages. Crazy. I'll have to print out the whole mess, cut it into pieces, and reassemble.

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    1. What a mess! I'm having to do the same thing with the Craddock I'm working on now. I realized one event had to come before another one, which meant reorganizing...and reorganizing...and again. I would have been better off just starting over. I wish you luck.

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  10. Oh Terry, even Homer nods. Tossing a whole book is impressive tho. Kudos on doing what you know was the right thing.

    I spent the pandammit at home doing absolutely nothing except breaking my ankle. I’d have thrown that out if I could!

    Much love.

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    1. Pandammit! I love it. I broke my hand during the pandemic. Our local bookstore took orders and you could pick them up outside. So I walked to the store and had a load of books on my back. When I tripped over a break in the sidewalk, the heavy books propelled me forward and onto the hand I used to stop my fall. It hurt! Breaking an ankle had to have been worse!

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    2. At least you were wearing clothes I was butt nekkid when I broke my ankle! Hope to see you next year at BCon. And that we can find a seat in the bar again

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  11. Oh, Terry, I have been missing Sam and all the folks in Jarrett Creek! How's Loretta, for example? And Sam's next-door neighbor and the person who helps with his cows. So, I'm really happy this morning!!

    And as Karen said earlier, it seems like that bad version was a vehicle for you to deal with the pandemic. Good riddance! (Although, even among the bad, clearly there were some good parts--like Hailey!). I didn't have to throw out a manuscript, but the fear and worry left me curled up on my bed too often for my liking.

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    1. Thank you Flora for your words about Jarrett Creek denizens. There is news of Truly Bennett in the book (they cow guy), Loretta is doing her "usual."

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  12. Congratulations on the new release, Terry! I'll put your books on the list. The pandemic affected different people differently. I tend to be anxious about my health, so I was more anxious. You were very brave to throw the book out, but I can see how it would be liberating to just start over. Your project reminded me of the controversy around the Sturgis Rally in 2020, in the days before the vaccines. The attendees took Covid home with them to all parts of the US.

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    1. Oh, yes, the Sturgis Rally. A couple of people asked me if I attended. NO! Even without Covid, I think it would have been too much. And with Covid? Double no. Interesting that your anxiety about your health blossomed. I have a friend who is OCD and he said for him it was liberating because Covid confirmed his worst nightmares. I thought that was brilliant.

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    2. Definitely another way to look at it! I have to say I am very glad that some pieces of normal life have resumed.

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  13. I am so happy that there is a new book about Jarrett Creek! I'm sorry you had to jettison that other book, but obviously it needed to be done and in writing it, you worked through something you needed to. Maybe cheaper than a therapist, so don't feel bad about all that wasted time and effort. I cannot wait to read this new one; I'm sure I will love it!

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    1. For sure cheaper than a therapist. I hope I didn't have to work out the plot to that one. Sheesh!

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  14. Terry, you are a new to me author and since Debs is my guru, I'll be looking for your books this morning! Your new book sounds very interesting. I do love a to read about teens finding their way, but it may take a few months for me to get to the latest book since I always start with book #1. Congratulations on your new book!

    I don't think that you are the only author who had difficulty writing during the pandemic. Although the problems were different for some, I do remember that one of the contributors here also threw out a book. I know that other authors found the forced isolation to be very productive. For me, I gave up TV almost entirely. I read constantly during the pandemic, more than ever before, hundreds of books and dozens of new authors. Some of the people who comment here every day told us that they couldn't read at all. It affected everyone differently.

    Debs, yesterday's blog was just fabulous. I went back this morning and read some of the responses I didn't get to yesterday. Lovely topic!

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    1. Thank you, Judy. I hope you enjoy the books. I'm with you as Debs as "guru." And also as being a fabulous author. One of the positive things that came out of the pandemic for me is that my husband and I had a lot of laughs. Being forced to find our own entertainment, we rediscovered our mutual sense of humor.

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    2. We laughed a lot, too, Terry. Interesting.

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    3. Judy, yesterday's topic was dear to my heart! So glad you enjoyed it. And you will love Terry's books--I'm just surprised you haven't come across them before now!

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  15. Hi, TERRY! So happy to see you here and with a new book! I'm sure I'm not the only writer who LOVES to hear about the trials and tribulations around writing and we've all had to "start over" - voice balloon: AAAAAAGGGGGGH! But you came out on the right side of this. Congratulations! I am wondering about the research you might have to do to write about a motorcycle rally.

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    1. Hallie, I've had to start over sometimes, but not with a whole book! Regarding research, happily a lot of people at rallies seem to think their every move is worthy of a video, and that freely post them--including the ones that scandalized me (the vapors, anyone?). I studied them and a few of the descriptions showed up in the book.

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  16. Yikes. Yikes.I am in AWE. You are so brave and so wise and so brilliant. What a fearless thing to do--and so brilliant of you to realize it, and what was behind it. Standing ovation!

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    1. Hank, I'm not sure it was brilliant. All I know is it was necessary.

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  17. Oh, I love a well drawn teenager! I can't wait to meet, Hailey. With everyone coming home from work, college, and high school, Covid made my life so much louder than normal. I ended up escaping to a vacant neighbor's house to work until my people went back to their lives. It was GREAT! So, yeah, I didn't really get hit with the pandemic crazies.

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  18. I have to admit I wandered in the weeds for a long time in my pandemic book. I was so anxious and so depressed, and I just didn't see how I could write the story without going to London and hoovering up all the details and atmosphere. But I did eventually get it written. Thank goodness.

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    1. I feel your pain, after being locked out of Japan for 2+ years. After awhile, dredging up those details and settings feels like scrabbling around in the root cellar, inspecting this wrinkly potato or that shriveled carrot and wondering if it's still fresh enough to serve...

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    2. Jonelle, that's a hilarious image.

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    3. Deb, I felt the same way about my town in Texas. Even though it's firmly routed in my coming-of-age years, I still like to refresh from time to time. Like go to Town Cafe and see what they are serving up as food.

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    4. Jonelle, you made me snort! That's exactly how it felt! Google Streetview cannot give you smells and sounds--at least not yet...

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  19. Congratulations on your latest, Terry, it sounds wonderful. I think I'm gonna like Hailey!

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    1. I hope so. In retrospect, she was fun to write because she allowed me to exhibit my "bad girl" side.

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  20. Wow, I wondered what happened to that book, because you were hating on it even while you were writing it! So glad that you could walk away from the thing you weren't happy with and write something that all the reviewers are agreeing is absolutely fabulous instead. Weirdly, the same thing is happening to me—the manuscript I poured blood, sweat & tears into throughout the pandemic is being put in the deep freeze until coming-of-age historical novels set in Tokyo's 18th century pleasure quarter become a hot ticket (yeah, says my agent, when pigs fly), but now that I've got that out of my system, I've started another two-timeline mystery that is flowing off the keyboard. I'm so happy to hear I'm in such good company, and that your new book is poised to be the most popular yet! My finger is already hovering over that "Share" button!

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    1. Ugh, didn't realize my comment was going to be published as "Anonymous"! In real life this is Jonelle Patrick

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  21. Terry, your books have been on my radar for a long time. It’s about time for me to start reading them. I look forward to doing that.

    Under normal circumstances I would read between four and six books per week. When the pandemic shut everything down, I thought “great! I have lots more time to read!” Except that I couldn’t. I found myself unable to concentrate on anything. I finally started rereading old books of humorous essays. I needed something to laugh at that was not 300 pages long. I’m only now slowly getting back into reading novels (mostly mysteries) as I continue rereading some of the humorous essays.

    DebRo

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    1. DebRo, I hope you enjoy my books. Happily, they do have bits of humor. Interesting about being unable to read. Years ago, I had a time when my life was fraught and I found I couldn't read. Jane Austen, baby! Reread them all and even watched one of the versions of Pride and Prejudice while I read along.

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  22. Terry, I left you a comment above with a question. Maybe you didn't see it?

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    1. Edith, I've tried to comment twice and both times it erased the comment. Yes, to answer your question, I've been thinking about a couple of the characters, mostly secondary ones to bring back in the future. But the bad guy has to remain a bad guy forever. I also wanted to say that I know you were productive during the Covid years because I kept getting your wonderful newsletters with announcements about your books. Seemed like it was every few months!

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    2. Thanks! (Blogger has been very naughty lately....) Glad the really bad guy is staying gone.

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  23. Glad you got through things, Terry! I think writing a humorous cozy (my usual mystery style) during Covid time is tough. I try to take breaks, gather encouraging words from others, and go easy on myself.

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  24. So very glad Deborah Crombie recommends your books - I'm on 10 & have just raced through this series. I live in SF & have lived in Central Texas & return annually to see family so your take on Somerville is really welcome. You capture the complexity of this part of Texas & the reality that people there may or may not be who you expect.

    Sure hope that your new series is in addition to & not a replacement of the Craddock series

    Also the Haley character is great & hope we see her again

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    1. Nice to hear that you like how I capture central Texas. My sister and I were there last week and I have to say not much changes there...except that I got an idea for another Craddock. Two ideas. Yes, the new series is in addition to, not a replacement.

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