Happy new year!—and maybe more to the point, here's hoping you've enjoyed some pleasant distractions lately. A few recent favs at our house: Cajun food, mystery puzzles and sled gladiating.

In case you missed it, Casey Grimes #2, Trickery School, was released right before Christmas. Feliz Navidad! I never know how many industry details to include in these updates, but I’ll be honest: Getting that second book published during the pandemic was rough.

Various parts of the process—cover design, in...