My sister is a librarian, and her library carries a copy of all my books. Today she told me that a little old lady was borrowing the second book. My sister says, "Oh I really like that one." The lady responds, "Yes, I read the first one. It was very quirky!"

That just cracks me up. Not a bad description, really. I should make that a blurb on the back of the next book.

Hello.

So, it's been a while. It's been well over a year since Sherlock Returns came out. Book Four is not so much a work in progress as a work in limbo. I started it. I got about halfway through, maybe. But... 

I think the problem is that all these stories, every single one, were written a long time ago. Then when I assembled them for publication, they changed. They changed a lot. I'm happy with the direction the relationships and plot have taken, but Book Four is now starting from a dramatically different place than I ever imagined. I also started listening a little too much to other people.

Writing as a hobby is such a treacherous thing. This doesn't pay the bills, this is primarily an activity I love doing and so will do to the best of my ability, and all of you lovely people seem to enjoy it, which is incredible and humbling. But I'm a selfish human being who abso-fucking-lutely thrives on praise. Whether it's my husband saying, "so you're gonna tackle that sexual tension thing, right?" or a friend of mine squeeing over "boys kissing" or another friend saying "they've got a great thing, just keep doing that" or a reviewer I respect making a point of mentioning how good I am at writing friendship between men - I'm constantly trying to address all the concerns of everyone at once, and that's shit for writing a story.

I thought Book Four was going to be a sort of Magnificent Seven sort of plot. Then it turned into a Twilight Zone-esque horror story.  All I know now is that these two friends, who have been through a hell of a lot, are in this weird setting and I don't know what the plot should be.

So... fuck the plot. Book Four might wind up being a single long soap opera of a character study, but damn it, I think that's what I need. I started writing these books as a pure whim - this was an idea for characters that I loved, and they spoke to me constantly for years. Then I lost them. I want to reread the books, get reacquainted with James Watts and his friend Sherlock, and then let them explore each other and the world they find themselves in. Watts is such a great person we've seen so little of. Yeah, he narrates everything, but what do we really know about him? Sherlock's Colony past has only briefly been shown - it's a cult, folks, when it's all said and done. What does that do to a person?

My biggest struggle the past year has been trying to figure out what plot is going to fit the characters at this point in their relationship. Well, maybe there isn't one. Maybe what needs to happen is no "plot" at all. Just the plot of two men, two friends who are so much more than that, trying to survive and learn where they stand in the world, with each other, where they come from.

Anyway. I hope you stick around to see what the end result of all this ends up being. There will be an end, a result, I promise. I just don't know when it's going to happen... and I think I'm ok with that.

When I write, it's almost always in bursts. I'll get into a groove and write for hours if there's nothing to distract me, but more often than not responsibilities mean that I'm writing in whatever little free time I can scrabble together anywhere I can jot down an idea. Snippets of dialogue, scenes that get written down more like play scripts that then get turned into actual paragraphs, things like that. Most of Watts and Sherlock's dialogue happens this way - if there's a domestic scene in one of my books, it was probably written while riding in the car, or on break at work, or while waiting for water to boil. (Have to be careful about writing while cooking, though - tend to get caught up in scenes and forget the beeping sound means I need to take food out of the oven.)

I've got so many snippets and ideas for the fourth Watts and Sherlock book (and a few for the fifth), and there's even a plot outline to go with them! I know, that doesn't sound thrilling, but it's a significant step for me. Book 4 is going to be a more traditional novel, rather than the 'short stories with an overarching plot' style of the first three. I think. I'm going to give it a try and see what happens, at least. Thus far, you can look forward to kidnappings, bar fights, mysterious figures causing trouble, Drifters, Corporate Security forces, cyborgs, Crusaders, horses... I should probably stop before I spoil anything.

If you haven't seen the Extras page, check it out, there's a bunch of stories featuring the Irregulars, a few scenes from the books from Sherlock's point of view, and a newly posted interview Sherlock has with a talk show host.

Book Four is coming. I'll update the page whenever I have something to tell you.

Thank you for reading.

Greetings!

Sherlock Returns has been out for a few months now on Amazon, and I'm happy to announce that after a far too long delay (my apologies), the ebook edition is now available to be purchased from Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and many other ebook sellers. Check your favorite, and if you can't find it, let me know!

The print edition is available online at both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

If you haven't stopped by the Extras page in a while, be sure to say hello to the Irregulars Ben and Bit! I'm working on some more scenes from Sherlock's point of view, and I might post a short 'deleted scene' that didn't make it into Sherlock Returns. Or maybe I'll save it and use it in Book 4...

I hope you had a happy holiday, whichever one you celebrate. Nothing like reading a good book to recover, right?

Book three of The Adventures of Watts and Sherlock is now Live!

Buy it on Amazon for Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078MK5H8C/

And on Amazon in Print: ​https://www.amazon.com/dp/1981657711/

I'm awaiting the proof copy of Sherlock Returns to arrive. If everything is as it should be, then print copies of the book should be available a couple days before Christmas. The ebook versions will go on sale as soon as I'm done checking the formatting, hopefully in the next few days. I'm so excited!

If you need something to tide you over, don't forget about the holiday themed shorts over on the Extras page. Keep an eye on the Facebook page, and here of course, for more updates!

Happy Thanksgiving from my part of the world! In honor of the occasion, the first two books are half off as ebooks this over on Smashwords, for the whole weekend! There's also a short holiday story over on the Extras page.

​I'm very thankful for each and every person who has given my stories a chance, and enjoyed getting to know these characters as much as I have. I'm also remarkably grateful to an old friend of mine, Travis Perkins, who has illustrated the cover of each book in the series. With great pleasure, I present the cover of book three!

Being the avid fan of Halloween that I am, I wrote a case for Sherlock a while back that takes place at a costume party. It's completely independent of the books, though it probably helps if you've read book one I guess. And yes, the blatant references to a particular board game are entirely intentional.

And after you're done at the costume party, why not go trick or treating with the Irregulars?

Here are the chapter titles of Sherlock Returns to whet your appetite:

The Murder of Adrian Rolands
The Almandine Drive Affair
The Story with the Snake
Corporation vs Colony
Sebastian
Kitty’s Back
The Mayor’s Letters
Rescue from a Brothel
Lights Out

Another portion of chapter 1 is available, and I'll hopefully have a release date to announce before the end of the month.

I apologize for the long delay in updates, but summer is coming to a close, and I am back in the writing chair. The end of book three Sherlock Returns is still causing me a bit of grief, but I'm getting there. At any rate, there's another bit of teaser posted, as well as a short little scene for the Irregulars after the end of Of Jackals and Crusaders. I'll be back with more!