A Visit with an Old Friend

Ramona here, and a few days ago, I found myself trying to explain to someone the nature of a “post-book slump.” That’s what happens when a writer finally types “The End” and sends the manuscript off to the editor. You’d think we’d be cheering that it was finished, but many writers don’t. Sure, there’s a momentary elation that we’ve accomplished a goal, but we also sort of shut down and the world seems just a little dimmer.

Anyone who has been through the last performance of a play or the final delivery of a project your group has worked on for months has probably felt something similar. The closest analogy I’ve found is that it’s like having a good friend move to another city. She’s still your friend, and you’ll see her again, but it’s not the same. You’ll have occasional visits and phone calls . . . but it’s not the same.

For writers, there are line edits and proofreading stages, and the release of a final cover. We’ll promote and write blurbs and do interviews . . . but it’s not the same. So you cherish those moments, and find you want to celebrate them – I often see posts on email loops when someone has “finished the final edits!” Cheers ensue.

So . . . this week, I’m cheering. The cover for my December book has finally hit Amazon and the other book sites. I feel “official!” Field of Danger takes my readers to a new state (Tennessee instead of New Hampshire) and a new set of characters. I adore them, and was glad that this week we could get together for another short visit.

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“Who killed my father?”

Eyewitness to a murder, April Presley wants to answer the deputy sheriff’s harrowing question. But she can’t. She barely caught a glimpse of the crime through the deep Tennessee cornfield, and cannot recall anything to help the investigation. Or can she? Daniel Rivers is certain that April remembers more of his father’s death than she realizes. And the killer agrees.

In the race to uncover April’s missing memory before the killer finds her, Daniel is the only one she can trust to keep her safe. Yet will he stay by her side when the shocking truth is unveiled?