New Raine Stockton Dog Mystery

I'm so excited to announce the release of BONE YARD, the first Raine Stockton Dog Mystery since 2007-- and the only book I've ever written for no other reason than the fact that readers requested it!  FULL DISCLOSURE: Bone Yard  is a novella, approximately half the size of a regular Raine Stockton Dog Mystery, and it is available only in digital format.  You can buy it from Amazon.com for your Kindle, or read it on any e-reader with the Kindle app (or wait a couple of weeks and it will be available for IPad, Kobo, Nook, etc.), or on your computer.  But the only way you can read it in print is to load up your printer with paper and push the print button.  This is why it only costs $1.99!

This is breakthrough for me.  I have not written a book that was not commissioned by  a publisher  since 1982.  What an oddly thrilling and terrifying experience it was to take my story directly to the readers, and to do it for no other reason than because they asked for it.  But because they continued to ask for it, I had the incredibly satisfying experience of going back to a world I love-- the world of Raine and Cisco, the populace of Hanover County, N.C., dog training, search and rescue, therapy dogs, agility trials--  a world which, except for the arbitrary decision of one publisher 800 miles and an entire planet away from the land of Raine and Cisco, I would never have left.  So thank you everyone for begging me to continue.  Power to the People!

And this gives me the perfect opportunity to answer two of my  most frequently asked questions: 1) Why did you stop writing the Raine Stockton books/ The Ladybug books/ the Devoncroix books?  2) Why aren't your new books available in print/ why can I only read them if I have an e-reader?

Everyone, please: I didn't stop writing; the publisher stopped publishing.  I loved Raine and Cisco as much as you did, but the publisher was not making enough money to justify continuing to publish the books.  The same is true of  other series you've loved and can no longer find.  Fortunately, e-publishing has created a cost-efficient way for authors to continue to get books into the hands of readers who want them.  Whenever possible, I will try to create print versions of  these books, but be prepared to pay print prices for them.  In the case of novellas such as BONEYARD, however, the physical properties of a print book make it impractical to bind, so it is only available digitally.  Of course, you can always download a free Kindle app for your computer, and you don't have to miss any installments in your favorite series.

And now to the good part:

 BONEYARD takes place a month after GUN SHY ends.  Cisco digs up human bones in Raine's back yard and all sort of mayhem ensues.  Could this be the work of a serial killer, evidence of a long-unsolved mass murder, or something even more sinister... and closer to home?   Raine juggles her chaotic personal life, a persistently disappearing collie, and the ever-whimsical ways of her canine crew in order to find the truth.  I have been so encouraged by reader response to BONEYARD that I am planning a full length sequel later this year.  Look for SILENT NIGHT, in print and digital format, for Christmas.

Thank you to all my readers for cheering me on-- through tornadoes, power outages, and internet blackouts--to get this book finished.  It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!