It honestly doesn’t seem that long ago that I was beating my brains out on Madeline’s 6th adventure, “Houses of Deception.” Yet, here it is, release day, and I’m nearly halfway through the 7th book in the series. It makes me wonder—am I addicted to writing? Do I have no life outside of my imagination? Do I just like to punish myself??

I’m not actually a masochist, and I do have a life outside of writing, but I think I’ve become so caught up in Madeline’s world that I miss being there. I enjoy watching the way she tackles the unusual cases and circumstances that come her way. And as weird as it may seem, the storylines are always a mystery to me. After I set a few loose ideas into motion, I never know which direction they will head or how they will expand and change the storyline. The truth is, I don’t actually care—I’m really just along for the ride. Fortunately for me, the stories always manage to come together, but not without a few anxious moments here and there.

So, on this day, I take a deep breath and thank the powers that be for the way “Houses of Deception” has turned out. I ended up reading it 13 times before I felt comfortable handing it over to my publisher. This is payback for being such a…let’s call it “discriminating” reader. Knowing how anything that interferes with my reading pleasure gets my hackles up, I have to make sure I haven’t missed anything that might provoke the same response from another discriminating reader.

To all of you who have followed Madeline’s rise from the ashes and into her dual careers, I thank you with all my heart. I hope you enjoy her latest adventure in sleuthing!

As always, I wish you all happy reading!

Until next time,

Cynthia