I was doing some research yesterday to update some of the authors on the site, when I came across this news:
Hailey Lind is leaving her established Art Lover’s Mystery Series behind, and will be writing a new series that features a “paranormal theme.” Apparently, the fact that the first novel (Feint of Art) in the Art Lover’s Mystery Series was a finalist for the Best First Novel of the prestigious Malice Domestic Agatha Award in 2006 was not enough to “maintain” (my word!) the series. And, this does NOT appear to be her (as in “their” since Hailey Lind is a pseudonym for a sisters writing duo) choice. She (as in “they”) had the fourth novel almost ready to go…. But, thanks to the publisher$, that will not be “a go”…..
In doing this Cozy Mystery Site, I have noticed that I have been changing more and more authors’ main mystery series. I wonder if that is because the authors make the choice of starting a fresh series, or if publishers force them to change to a new series. Are there themes that seem to be more popular these days?
Two of my very favorite authors seem to have dropped their established mystery series recently…
Charlaine Harris: Lily Bard Shakespeare Mystery Series (last mystery dated 2001) and Aurora Teagarden Mystery Series (last mystery dated 2003)… New Series: Southern Vampire Mystery Series (started 2001) and Harper Connelly (started 2005)
Kathy Hogan Trochek: Julia Callahan Garrity Mystery Series (last mystery dated 2000)… new series (written as Mary Kay Andrews): Weezie and Bebe Mystery Series (started 2003)
And, now we can add Hailey Lind!
There is some good news for Hailey Lind fans out there. Half of the Hailey Lind duo will be writing under a new pseudonym: Juliet Blackwell. She will be writing two new series: Secondhand Spirits and If Walls Could Talk.
Secondhand Spirits will be a paranormal mystery series which features a witch who lives in San Francisco and manages a vintage clothing shop. If Walls Could Talk features a woman who used to be an anthropologist, but who switches her career field to general contractor of historic houses in the San Francisco area.
Don’t get me wrong… I’m all for authors who decide that they should finish up a series if it is no longer fresh. If an author feels like he/she is simply “calling it in” while writing their series, I say: Quit churning them out, start something new. (More on that in my next blog…)
OK, I know that most of us don’t like this particular subject matter… Who likes to clean? Isn’t it nice that it is possible to pay someone to do the cleaning for you? Not everyone has a cleaning service, but I am guessing that all of us would like one. (I know that I would love to have someone who came in and did all of the chores I don’t particularly like doing… We can all dream, though, can’t we?!?)