Not Another Newsletter!

Hello from Donegal, Ireland!

I am writing to you from what might be the most beautiful spot in the world.

We are living in the seaside country home of complete strangers, for no more than the (admittedly not-nothing) price of plane tickets, a rental car, and our usual food budget. How? It's the miracle of the home swap, the best way I've found to travel. (A lot better than my recent Airbnb horror story, which I'll tell you another time).

We had our first home swap in 2019. A family just outside Paris, and another in Brest, France, wanted to see our corner of the world (the mountains and creeks of upstate New York). It worked so well that it was a bit of a pinch-ourselves situation. The first family left their car in long term parking at the airport and we climbed inside as if it were our own. Two weeks later, we met the second family at a park in Paris and got their keys. Meanwhile, both families traveled to our house where a key had been left. When we returned home, I couldn't even tell that anyone had been in our house.

To be clear, we're not on vacation, and in fact, my husband and I are working probably harder than usual, given the time difference. Some days we don't break till 10 or 11 p.m. where we are, having gotten to work at our usual 7 or 8 in the morning. (Writer's hours! They never end). And what am I working on during these [long] days? More on that in a sec.

First, though, an unpaid endorsement. If you're interested in this approach to seeing the world, this is the site we use. The community is comprised of the most respectful, kind, and generous strangers I've ever met. If you're thinking AirBnB for free—don't. It's nothing like that short term stay site with its hassles and wrinkles and questionable ethics. #hatingonairbnb This is more like visiting family or friends who happen to live in the most beautiful places on earth. Just look at those adorable lambs!

So why did I decide to leave the country?

And go to a place whose languages and accents and customs make me feel at best out of place and at worst totally inept? (What to say when someone asks, "Shall I bin that, luv?")

There are a few reasons, but one is that I am writing a new book.

You all were along with me for the ride when I was writing my first big leap novel, and you may remember how, um, that turned out—or didn't turn out.

I managed to switch up the nosedive for a swan dive, thanks to the inspiration of my current publisher and editor, and have been happily embroiled in the world of my new series with the second now available for pre-order.

But a situation like the one I faced shakes up everything. A few months ago, I encountered exactly the right person at exactly the right time for my next career juncture, a literary agent and former publishing legend who feels about me and my work just what I hope for it too. When we spoke the second time, he seemed to know work I hadn't even written yet—to wit, this new, emerging novel.

Getting away to a physical and geographical unknown felt right for this book, which is itself an unknown. A whole new genre. A whole new way to tell a story. And a new future dreamed for it.

This is a suggestion I often make to emerging writers who feel stuck, and I think it applies to most anyone at a stuck period in their life. Do something different, if you can. Switch things up somehow. It doesn't have to be travel to a foreign country—or travel at all. Drink your morning coffee in a new spot (or switch to tea). Sleep outside one night. Change begets change, and sometimes that's just what we—or our writing—needs.

Some Sad News

We have lost another literary giant. Andrew Gross had an extraordinary range to his writing, from steel-backed thriller to historical nailbiter, and was also a beautiful human being. I took my mom to one of Andy's most special events, a packed luncheon at a women's club when The One Man came out, and he had the whole room rapt with his words. He was kind enough to provide one of my most treasured endorsements, likening my fourth novel to one of my favorite books and films of all time. The literary world has a hollow in it now. Andy, you are very missed.

Not one but two Spotlight guests for you!

Tori Eldridge

Happy release day, Tor! Welcome to the Thomas & Mercer universe--a great place to be.

Who wouldn't want to submerse themselves in the local culture and ambiance of the most beautiful island in the Hawai‘i? Seems like a no-brainer. But that wasn't what inspired me to write Kaua‘i Storm or begin a new mystery series with a hapa-Hawaiian (part Native Hawaiian) protagonist. I was waiting for the literary maturity that came from publishing five novels before I had the confidence to write about my people and my home.

I had earned a reputation for authentic cultural exploration with my Lily Wong ninja thriller series and my standalone dark fiction, Dance Among the Flames. This time, I needed to go even deeper into my heritage with language, lore, history, and the modern issues facing Native Hawaiians today.

But I also wanted to integrate the multigeneration family life drama and thrilling action my readers have come to expect!

Enter Ranger Makalani Pahukula—a national park ranger in Oregon who comes home to Kaua‘i for her grandmother's birthday celebration and finds two of her cousins missing and her ‘ohana's traditional way of life at risk. Writing about Makalani offered the perfect balance of culture, family, and adventure. It also provided the best possible excuse for me to return home…to Hawai‘i…yeah, it was rough.

And as everyone who has ever moved out and returned knows, coming home can be fraught with unexpected emotional, and potentially dangerous, events!

Nancy Bilyeau

Welcome, Nancy, years after we met as baby writers!

Something Jenny said to me a while ago has stuck in my head and become something of a mantra: “We all need to find a way to stay in the game.”

I sold my debut novel, a historical thriller set in Tudor England, in 2010, when the publishing industry looked quite different. Borders and Barnes & Noble were thriving, and newspapers and magazines were still filling newsstands.

My novel was mentioned by People magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and Parade. It won a review as a Page-Turner in Oprah [and] became an Amazon bestseller.

I have never come anywhere close to this level of media exposure and fiction success again.

I published two more novels in this Tudor England series, but due to editor turnover found myself without a publisher. I was crushed and wondering if I should give up writing novels.

Out of nowhere, a small British publisher approached my agent.
I'd never heard of Endeavour Quill, and the advance was tiny. Yet to everyone's surprise—including my own!—the novel sold well. It was a finalist for a UK book award and secured the interest of a Los Angeles producer.

Here's the bad news: Without the muscle of a Big Five sales force, my books made it into few bookstores and libraries. Most sales were in ebook or audio. From 2018 to 2024, I earned modest royalties.

However, something good happened at the same time. I was able to hone my craft by creating complex characters, weaving suspense, and specializing in immersive storytelling with rich atmosphere.

Last month, I published The Versailles Formula. This novel is earning some of the best reviews on Amazon and Goodreads of any book I've ever written. Am I a wealthy bestseller, basking on Nantucket and hanging out with Reese Witherspoon? No. Have I built a steadily growing following of readers who like atmospheric novels of historical suspense? Yes.

And I am doing that by staying in the game.

I'll Be Stateside, Dahling

When I write to you again. Doesn't that sound fancy? Till then, may all your changes be good ones.