A new year is always a good time for a fresh start … and with temps well below freezing and a foot of snow on the ground, I decided all of us (me included) could use a little bit of excitement.
An early look
“The Route That Takes You Home,” the first title in my new series, will be out in the spring! I’m expecting it to be ready late April-early May. As you can see from the cover, the “Mailbox Mysteries” books have a similar feel to the “Growing Season” series. And while this main character is also a woman who’s moved back to Hartland County, there will be a fun, extra twist … there’s a mystery to unravel in each book. Don’t worry, nothing too dark or gory. More like “someone or something goes missing.” There’ll also be plenty of laughs, a few tears and lots of heartwarming moments, just like in the “Growing Season” books. And all that small-town, can-do community spirit will be on full display.
Here’s the scoop
Kate Duncan moved back to Eagle River when her life in Chicago fell apart. She’s a mail carrier, and when a job opened up at Eagle River’s post office, she jumped at the chance to come home. If you’ve read the “Growing Season” books, you may recall Bev Stewart is a part-time carrier for Eagle River. Bev takes Kate under her wing, and they bond over their shared sense of duty to the community. When an elderly man on Kate’s rural route goes missing, the ladies find themselves doing more than delivering the mail.
Eagle River is just east of Prosper and, if you’ve ever lived in a rural area, you know “everyone knows everybody.” The new book picks up just a few weeks after the close of “Firefly Season,” and you’ll find many references to the Prosper folks we’ve come to know and love. Bev is eager for Kate to meet Melinda and Karen. And Auggie has always nosed his way into everyone’s business, so why would he change now?
More to come
I don’t know how many books will be in this series, or when they’ll be available. The idea is to publish roughly twice a year, as before, but we’ll see what happens. In the meantime, I’ve been dreaming up potential covers, as well as plot lines, for future books. Just for fun, below you'll find a few of the covers you might see someday!
I’ll send word when “The Route That Takes You Home” has a launch date and the Kindle edition is available for pre-order. Until then, thanks for reading – and stay warm!
Melanie