Frequently Asked Questions
Please don’t say the Mercy Kilpatrick series is over!
It’s not. I was shocked by the number of readers who begged me not to end the series, so IN THE PINES, the third book in the Columbia River series, stars Mercy and Truman. AT THE RIVER also stars those characters, and Mercy is a lead character in ECHO ROAD. secondary character from the Mercy series, Detective Evan Bolton, is the main character in THE FIRST DEATH and THE NEXT GRAVE, books four and six in the Columbia River series.
What happened to the Mercy Kilpatrick TV deal?
The option was not renewed after two years. We hope someone else will fall in love with the concept.
Does Zander Wells have a book? Will you write more Bone Secrets…and more Callahan??
I got a lot of email about Zander from the Callahan & McLane series. Everyone wanted him to have his happily ever after and I agreed. His book is called THE LAST SISTER, book one in The Columbia River series.
GOOD NEWS! Ava and Mason have an additional book, THE SILENCE, which came out in 2020 and wrapped up some loose ends. This is the second book in The Columbia River series and unofficially the fifth book in the Callahan & McLane series. (I know–it’s confusing) I won’t be writing another Bone Secrets book, but you can expect the characters to pop up in upcoming books. Be sure to sign up for new release notifications, so you’ll receive an email when the new books are available.
How are you and Melinda Leigh related?
We’re not related. Some people believe we are one person writing under two names; other people believe we’re sisters. Neither are true. We met through our publisher in 2011 and quickly became BFFs. We used to live on opposite coasts of the US but now live ten minutes apart. After our editor said she’d love to work on a joint project with us, we decided to write the Rogue River novellas. We frequently vacation and travel together and have a lot in common. Sometimes we have to ask what the other person is wearing because our wardrobes have a lot of the same pieces. We talked about writing a novel together for four years. We finally made that happen with ECHO ROAD, bringing together my Mercy Kilpatrick and her Bree Taggert.
Do the Bone Secret Series books need to be read in order?
Yes and no. Each book is a stand alone novel with different main characters. The plots are not related and there are no cliffhangers. Secondary characters reappear in the books and some of them become main characters in following books. My readers tell me they like the history of the secondary characters and that reading the books in order is the best way to get the full experience.
Do the Callahan & McLane books need to be read in order?
Yes. Mason Callahan is a secondary character from several of the Bone Secrets Novels, and the series follows the growth of his relationship with FBI Special Agent Ava McLane. The two of them were so interesting I dedicated an entire series to them. There are no cliffhangers in these books. THE SILENCE, a Columbia River series book, is the unofficial fifth book for Ava and Mason.
Do the Mercy Kilpatrick books need to be read in order?
Yes. All the plots stand alone and there are no cliffhangers, but the history of the characters makes more sense if read in order. A seventh Mercy book called IN THE PINES was published in August 2022 and her next book, AT THE RIVER, will be out in February 2024.
Do all the Rogue novellas and Widow’s Island novellas need to be read in order?
Yes. While each Rogue novella contains a complete suspense plot, there is a secondary small mystery arc that is investigated over the first four books in the Rogue River series. Each novella is about a hundred pages.
The two Rogue Winter novellas start a few months after Rogue River with the same characters. Rogue Vows and Rogue Justice are the same. Each novella contains a complete mystery with a secondary small mystery that is solved over each set.
Widow’s Island is a novella series set in the San Juan Islands area with a new cast but expect to see a few Rogue characters pop up. Again, each novella is a complete mystery without cliffhangers.
Books-n-Kisses did an interview with Melinda Leigh and me for the release of our ROGUE RIVER series. You can check out the full interview here.
Why aren’t your books available in digital format for Nook, Kobo, or in the Apple bookstore?
I am under contract to write exclusive digital content for Amazon’s Kindle platform. My print books and audiobooks are available everywhere. If you do not have a Kindle, the free app is available for most phones and tablets.
Will you read something I wrote and give me feedback?
No. I’m sorry, but I’m weird about reading other writers’ works-in-progress. This is a personal preference. It’s also for legal protection. I can’t have someone come forward in five years and claim I stole a plot line from something they asked me to read. Here’s a link to a blog I wrote about how to find outside input on your manuscript:
Writer’s Tips & Tricks Day 6 Part A: I have finished my book. Now what?
Do your books have sex and profanity?
Yes, but the Columbia River Series and the Mercy Kilpatrick Series do not have sex. In the other series, each book has one sex scene. Sometimes it is as short as a page and a half. Skip it if you don’t care for that sort of thing. The Rogue River Novellas and the Widow’s Island novellas also do not have sex. My characters swear in my books. I don’t think there is a lot, but I understand some readers are very sensitive to this. I consider my amount of profanity to be low to moderate compared to other books.
Do you have any writing tips?
Here’s an article I wrote for Writer’s Digest on how to improve your romantic thriller, but I feel it applies to almost every genre.