March 1st

I remember when I was little and I used to whine (I whined a lot) to my mom about how long the school year was, and I remember her very clearly telling me how, when I’m older, time will fly by.

I didn’t believe her.

What I didn’t realize then is that moms are always right (kids, are you listening?).

I can’t believe it’s March already. Lots of stuff has been going on, so let’s get to it:

Truly, Madly has been nominated for an Agatha Award for best novel. How cool is that? The award will be given out in late April at the Malice Domestic conference, and I’m sure I’ll be a nervous wreck. Let’s not even talk about what I’m going to wear. I see a shopping trip in my future.

Happily, I sent off It Takes a Witch last night to my editor. It is done, done, done. So what happened this morning? I thought of something I should have added. Then I thought of another thing... Thank goodness I’ll have revisions soon. If I still want to keep those edits, I can add them in then. Darcy Merriweather is such a sweet character—similar to Lucy and Nina yet very different. Not as naive as Lucy or as sarcastic as Nina. And, of course, I’m in love with my secondary characters. So fun.

I’ve been getting lots of emails wondering if there’s going to be a fourth Lucy. The truth is, I have no idea. There may be a fourth, or I may take the series in another direction—stay tuned! When I have more information, I’ll let you know.

How fun is this? Truly, Madly will soon (well, the next couple of years!) be published in Indonesia! I can’t wait to see all these foreign covers—and at least try to read them.

I’ve also been getting a lot of email wondering about the future of Nina Quinn. I never really considered extending the series beyond its five books, but now... I think I’m going to attempt a Nina novella. Am looking for titles! Anything with “trouble” and gardening term (A Hoe Lot of Trouble, Trouble in Bloom, etc).

For now, I’m working on the outline for the next Darcy book, which is due in September... and am busy at home, too, with the kids. Oh, and I’m hitting the road: Heading to Chicago this weekend, and in two weeks, I’ll be in Columbus. Be sure to check the events link on the left.

Whew! Busy. Now it’s time to read a little bit. First up is A Deadly Cliché by Ellery Adams (out today!). And I’ll get Murder of a Bookstore Babe by Denise Swanson when I see her in Chicago. Kind of makes me giddy when I know I have lots of time to read. What are you reading these days?