Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 158

World Building

By Liz, enjoying a snow-free corner of New England.

I haven’t shared this broadly yet, but I’m starting a new series. I’m excited to tell you all about it when I have more to share, like a series name and an actual book title. In the meantime, I’m deep into the writing on the first book, which is due over the summer. 

It’s exciting, invigorating, and the possibilities are endless.

And I gotta tell you, it’s kind of hard. And scary. 

World building is daunting. I’d forgotten how much, after one series with seven books and one series with three books. Granted, it took me a bit to hit my stride with Cat About Town, the first in the Cat Cafe series, but it was still a bit easier. Mostly because I could picture the town and the people – and of course the cats! – really well, and it was a real-life scenario I was familiar with. This new book, and this series, has some different elements that take a lot of imagination and creativity. 

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Some days I’m sitting here wondering if I can do it. On the days when I feel like my creativity is sapped and I have absolutely no imagination left, I start to panic and think about what will happen if I screw this up. Like if I make a mistake in the first one that will make my life difficult in the next books. Or pick a direction and later realize it wasn’t the best direction, and be stuck with it. Those are usually the days when the day job is draining me, or the to-dos are piling up, and the doubt that I can get it all done and done well creeps in. 

But then I remember what drew me to writing in the first place. I longed to create new worlds and people that filled those worlds. I remember when I was a kid, transforming the woods behind my house into a witches’ lair. Reimagining the swamp across the street as the headquarters for my space team’s spaceship activation as we went off to fight the other planets. My entire neighborhood became a plethora of different worlds, depending on my mood, my mode of transportation, and which friends were around to play with. If I was by myself, I solved mysteries like Nancy Drew. If my neighbors were home, we acted out Battle of the Planets or some other favorite cartoon. Or we made up our own places, people and stories. 

I’ve always had the imagination. I just have to remember to stop doubting myself long enough to tap into it again. 

And I think I’m going to build a pretty awesome world. I hope you all think so too once the book is done! 

Readers, what do you need to feel pulled into a new world when you start a series?

Christmas Cocoa, Anyone?

Edith here, also known as Maddie Day, writing madly on my last day of solo retreat on Cape Cod.

As most of you know, I am under contract to write three mysteries a year. I also try to push out a short story or two annually. And this year I’m co-chair of the New England Crime Bake for the second time. Wouldn’t you think that would keep me busy enough, seeing as how I also like to watch movies with my sweetie, eat meals, keep in touch with my sons, help my elderly friend, exercise daily, and be active in my spiritual community?

Then…last year my editor at Kensington Publishing asked if I would like to write a Christmas-themed novella for a three-story collection. It’s like the collections Barb has written for lately. I’ve never written a book set at Christmas, and I know they are popular with readers. It’s hard to turn down an invitation like that from the senior editor at Kensington. Still, I’d never written that length of story, which is either a really, really long short story or a really, really short book. And I had enough on my plate.

So, naturally, I took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and said Yes. My editor said the title would be Christmas Cocoa Murders and wanted it to include, well, cocoa. My novella was to be by Maddie Day, featuring Robbie Jordan in her Indiana country store. Okay, I could do that. I brainstormed story ideas with the Wickeds last spring, and Jessie had the brilliant idea to include a chocolate lab puppy named Cocoa, who might or might not be involved with the murder.

[image error]Photo by RichardF at English Wikipedia, via Wikimedia Commons.

I’m not quite sure how I squeezed it in, but somehow a window of time opened last summer and I wrote madly away until I had about 27,000 words and a complete story. I learned my two co-authors would be Carlene O’Connor and Alex Erickson, both of whom write successful cozy series.

And now, voila, the collection has a cover, is in production and is up for preorder!

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Isn’t that fun? The book releases September 24, right smack in many people’s shopping window. Because books make the best gifts! My novella is called Christmas Cocoa and a Corpse. Robbie makes Mexican hot chocolate packets to sell in her store. And then…

When local businessman Jed Greenberg is found dead with a chocolate lab whimpering over his body, the police start sniffing around Robbie Jordan’s country restaurant for answers. Was it something in Robbie’s hot cocoa that killed Jed, or was it Cocoa the dog? As the suspects pile as high as her holiday tree, Robbie attempts to get to the bottom of the sickly-sweet murder . . .

Readers, Do you like Christmas mysteries? How about chocolate labs?

Snow Days!

Hey readers! Liz here. With the abundance of snow in various places around the country this week (although not in my little corner, I’m pleased to report), it seemed like a good time to see what everyone does to keep themselves busy on a snow day.

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I, for one, prefer to stay inside where it’s warm, with something hot to drink and a good book… What about the rest of you, Wickeds? In or out? What do you like to do if it’s outside?

[image error]Sherry: The top of my winter to do list is to try to go some place warm at least for a little while. At home, if it’s not too brutal out or too icy I like to take Lily out for walks in the wood and then scurry back inside to warm up. It’s great weather for writing. I think I heard that’s why there are so many writers in New England. It’s a great time to stay inside.

Edith: Definitely stay inside and write until the snow stops. I actually like shoveling in the crisp sunny air and then going for a solo cross-country ski. But this year Hugh and I are going to sunny Santa Barbara for a week in February and I can’t wait. It’s a research trip. Really!

Jessie: I would prefer to stay in and simply watch the snow fall from the warmth of my house all wrapped up in a cuddly sweater and some handknit socks. But, with a puppy in the house I find myself outside in all weather. I thought I would hate it more than I do. A bit of bracing air seems to pep me right up on days I am feeling like my energy is a bit low.

Julie: I loved snow days before the internet. Now I can work from home, so they aren’t much different than other days. I do stay inside, and am SO GRATEFUL to live in a condo where folks do the shoveling for me.

Wicked Wednesday -Wicked Goals

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We’ve been talking a lot about planning for our goals. Now it’s time for the big reveal: Wickeds, what goals do you want to hit this year? What’s on your must-do list, writing or otherwise?

[image error]Edith: I WILL meet three (gulp) deadlines and promote four books at release time: Charity’s Burden, Strangled Eggs and Ham, Christmas Cocoa Murder, and Judge Thee Not. But I also have a freshly born inspiration. I think I figured out a new historical mystery, riffing on my grandmother’s automobile drive with her younger brother across the country in 1917. I really want to write it. It involves a whole new set of research, and it’s a stretch goal. We’ll see if I make it!

Julie: Edith, that idea sounds wonderful! Why am I not surprised you’re related to someone who drove across the country in 1917? I am SO excited about launching Julia Henry’s new series next week, and Pruning the Dead finally getting in the hands of readers. My goals are to write a wonderful third book for that series, to launch Pruning the Dead, With a Kiss I Die (Theater Cop #2), and Tilling the Truth (Garden Squad #2) well.  I’d like to have another series started as well. I am also doing a new launch for Your Ladders, my online business school for performing artists. My goal there is huge success!

Barb: This year will be one of teaming back and thinking about my priorities–in life and in my writing. Once I hand in the book I’m working on, I will only have one book under contract for the first time in a long time. I want to think about what I’m doing and what I want to achieve.

Jessie: I am working on the fourth Beryl and Edwina mystery. I also am noodling on a couple of new book ideas that are bringing me joy. My theme for the year is Level Up and I hope to do that with many of the things I already have under way like better attention to my social media presence and a more organized approach to  things like my email and filing protocols. I also want to be sure to make time for the sorts of little things that make life more fun like knitting myself more handknit socks and lighting a scented candle in my office each day when I start to work.

Liz: I am working on the first book in a new series and my goal is to make it awesome! I’m also looking forward to a successful launch of my seventh Pawsitively Organic Mystery, Murder She Meowed, and the third book in my Cat Cafe series, Tell Tail Heart. Like Julie, I’m also launching a new business venture, and my goal is to attract my soul clients – women who need to regain their creative selves and need help doing so – and I’m also intending great success. And I want to focus on doing things that have meaning – and enjoying the year. 

Sherry: We all seem to have a lot of overlapping threads. Like Edith, I’m writing three books this year. Like Barb I want to pull back and look at my life. I’m sharing a launch date with Julie. Like Liz one of the books I’m writing is the first in a new series — the Chloe Jackson Redneck Riviera mysteries. It’s going to be a challenging and fun year.

Readers, what are your goals for the year? Let us know!

The Detective’s Daughter – Story Time

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Kim, in Baltimore, binge-watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

I come from a long line of story tellers. Some of my fondest memories of childhood were those spent listening to my Aunties or grandparents sharing family secrets disguised as magical tales. Though they were fun, and tales I’ve passed on to my own children, the best story times were with my mom as I was snuggled under the covers in my bed.

Mom would pull the fairy tales book from the shelf and settle in bedside me to read. Despite knowing that Cinderella would marry her prince and Red Riding Hood would out-smart the wolf, I enjoyed every moment of every story.  The familiar stories were comforting. I’d memorized nearly every word yet still found myself rooting for Cinderella as if this were the first time I’d heard this story.[image error]

When my children were younger I read to them much in the same way my mom did for me. After baths were finished and teeth were brushed we’d all tuck in under the quilt. Night after night, I read the same books over and over  until I barely needed to glance at the words. Goodnight, Gorilla was such a favorite book three copies had to be purchased in under a year because the pages were so worn. I suppose it didn’t help that my son liked to teethe on this particular book as well!

Pass the Fritters, Critters and I Don’t Want to Go to Bed were two of our last favorite bedtime books  before they were old enough to move onto Mad Magazine and Meg Mysteries. I miss those days, especially on snowy evenings when we each sit in our own rooms reading. [image error]

Even as an adult I have several books I go to when I need that comfort zone to live in for awhile. Dorothy Cannell’s The Thin Woman and Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express are two of the books I call old friends. No matter how many times I read them, they still fill me with delight. I’m always ready for story time.[image error]

 

Dear Reader, which stories did you enjoy hearing as a child? Have you passed them on to younger family members? Which books do you read for comfort?

Cover Reveal-Murder Cuts the Mustard!

Jessie: Snowbound in New Hampshire where the puppy keeps insisting on going outside anyway!

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One of the many fun parts for me of the publishing process is getting a first look at a cover for one of my books. It always seems like such a long time between the time a book is proposed to an editor and when it actually releases to the public that all the little steps along the way feel so encouraging. Sort of like adding a stripe to a scarf one is knitting. It  doesn’t mean the project is ready to wear just yet but it makes one feel progress is being made.

With that in mind it is my pleasure to share the cover for the third Beryl and Edwina Mystery with all of  you! I think the colors are cheerful to behold in the depths of winter and the whole thing is rather eye-catching.

Readers, I’d love to hear what sorts of covers attract your attention when browsing bookshelves and online book vending sites. Writers, how do you feel about the cover process? 

Guest Gigi Pandian

Edith here, hosting a bunch of relatives for my honey’s 70th birthday! Today I’m delighted to welcome Gigi Pandian back to the blog. Her tenth mystery is out – which I’m excited about, because I love this series – and she’s talking about how she writes through good times and bad. Check the end for a special giveaway.

Writing Through Good Times and Bad

Last week was a big milestone for me – my tenth book was published!

[image error]This is an especially meaningful milestone because The Alchemist’s Illusion is a novel in my Accidental Alchemist mystery series, which is not-so-subtly my “cancer survival” series. I began writing the first Accidental Alchemist novel while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer shortly after my 36th birthday, exploring ideas around the Elixir of Life through a centuries-old female alchemist.

My cancer treatments left my body feeling exhausted and crummy, I was stuck at home with no immune system to speak of, and my agent hadn’t been able to sell my first novel. It wasn’t a great time in my life.

However, several unexpected things happened.

First, facing my own mortality much earlier than I’d expected, I was more clearly able to see the important things in life, without the noise that usually gets in the way. My family mattered. As did my beloved friends. And also, even though I wasn’t yet a published author, I realized how much my writing meant to me. But do you know what used to matter and no longer did? The stresses of modern life.

My writers group took me wig shopping and picked out a mystery-writerly wig for me. I never would have picked it out for myself, but it was perfect! It made me feel powerful and in control at a time when outside forces told me I wasn’t.[image error]

I was in that state of mind when I saw I’d be going through chemotherapy during National Novel Writing Month. I’d been writing for years, but never fully committing to it. But now, who knew how much longer I’d have to write? When I wrote during chemo, the words rushed out of me, and what came out was a story of transformation, the central theme of the whole series. (You know the key transformations of alchemy: transforming lead into gold and finding the Elixir of Life that grants immortality. So I had a lot of material to play with!)

But… because I write on the lighter side of the mystery genre, my way of exploring mortality wasn’t dark. It turned out to be a humorous not-quite-cozy romp with alchemist Zoe Faust, her impish gargoyle sidekick Dorian Robert-Houdin, and their lovable misfit friends.

I’d been writing in my stable life for several years before cancer, thoroughly enjoying the world of words and the company of other writers I was meeting. But until I realized how easily it could all be taken away, I didn’t fully commit to seizing the day.

I was writing the story for myself, but unexpectedly my agent sold The Accidental Alchemist quickly. The fourth book in the series is out this month, and the series is now in the early stage of development for television. If I hadn’t let my imagination run wild based on that dark time, I don’t know that I would have had the courage to write the story.

I’m now more than seven years cancer free, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Have you had any experiences that shaped you in unexpected ways? I’ll send a set of Alchemist recipe cards to one commenter!

THE ALCHEMIST’S ILLUSION , the fourth in the Lefty Award-winning Accidental Alchemist series, came out last week. A perilous painting leads Zoe Faust and Dorian Robert-Houdin on an audacious alchemical adventure in Portland, Oregon, in search of Zoe’s old mentor Nicolas Flamel.  Like the earlier books in the series, this one includes delicious vegan recipes.

[image error]Gigi Pandian is a USA Today bestselling and Agatha and Lefty Award-winning mystery author, breast cancer survivor, and accidental almost-vegan. The child of cultural anthropologists from New Mexico and the southern tip of India, she spent her childhood traveling around the world on their research trips, and now lives outside San Francisco with her husband and a gargoyle who watches over the garden. Gigi writes the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mysteries, Accidental Alchemist mysteries, and locked-room mystery short stories.

Learn more about Gigi and her books at http://gigipandian.com/, sign up for her email newsletter for the latest news, and connect with her on social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Leave Folks to Their Joy

By Julie, not believing we haven’t had snow in Somerville yet!

[image error]Around the end of 2018 I noticed a couple of people posting on Facebook, letting people know they shouldn’t bother to see Mary Poppins Returns, and listing the reasons why. When folks disagreed, they shut them down. As someone who spent the last half hour of the movie weeping with joy, I disagreed. (The Balloon Lady!!) But I’ll admit, in a social media world that is often overly opinionated, those posts bummed me out.

[image error]I wasn’t sure why until I saw this post, which I shared last week and have been thinking about ever since.  Leave people to their joy. I’ve decided that I’m holding that idea close in 2019.

I’ve worked in the arts for over 30 years, and I’ve been a published writer since 2015. While I believe in the need for critics, I don’t believe in a binary “like/don’t like” rating system. Like something or don’t, but because you feel one way doesn’t mean folks who don’t agree are wrong. Of course, if you have a ton of experience in a genre or art form you will have a more informed opinion. But that doesn’t mean you “win” an argument.

Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t have opinions, because I do. Strong ones. But here’s what I’ve noticed. I can go to a play with my critical hat on, and question a casting choice or a set design or a beat in the play. But if I’ll look around and see folks having a wonderful experience, does that make them wrong? Or even if there’s a “this isn’t great” consensus, a handful of folks may love the piece. Because they’re in the minority, does that make them wrong?

The arts are subjective. Have your opinion. Share your opinion, respectfully. Give reasons for your opinion. But don’t make someone feel badly for disagreeing with you. As my friend Marg-e used to say, that’s why they make different colored refrigerators. Not everyone agrees all the time.

Leave folks to their joy.

Wicked Wednesday – Goal Setting Schedules

[image error]Happy Wednesday! We’re continuing with our theme of planning and goal setting. We’ve talked planners and tips for effective goal setting. Now let’s talk scheduling.

It’s a common refrain: If it’s not scheduled, it’s not real (or some variation of that phrase). This is something that always trips me up – breaking down the really big goals into small chunks. It’s the difference of saying, “I have to write a 75,000 word book (gulp!)” and “I have to write 1000 words today.” The second choice feels a little better, right?

So Wickeds, how do you break down and schedule the pieces that will eventually make up your overall goals?

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Edith: On the broadest canvas, I need to keep track of my books’ due dates and release dates. If I lose those, I’m screwed. So I use a super hi-tech three-year calendar to track them. Yes, this one. It’s a piece of printer paper with months drawn on it. I started off color coding but have already lost track of that. And I don’t yet have a few release dates on the calendar. But it’s always on the wall above my laptop. I can glance at it at any moment and make sure I haven’t lost anything. Everything else is a drill down from there. (That said, I also have a daily word count goal of 1500 when I’m writing first draft.)

Liz: I’m trying to get better at chunking things up. For my books, I’m sticking to my 1000 word/day goal, since I’m in the early phase of creating my new book. For my new business venture, it’s a little more overwhelming. I’m finally getting the hand of scheduling a couple hours a week to batch-write content, and then using time when I’m feeling less creative to do the more administrative things.

[image error]Jessie: What a great question, Liz! Like Edith and Liz I use both calendars and daily word counts to keep me on track. I use a physical planner to have the space to block out time to accomplish the ings that are important to me. I have a white board type yearly calendar that I use to see deadlines, travel, personal life events and book events at a glance.

Also every day I pick out the top three accomplishments that will make my day feel like a success and write them on a sticky note. Then I postion the note in a small frame that I keep on my desk. It helps keep my priorities at the top of my mind. To wrangle the daily to do list I use the Personal Kan Ban method that I have mentioned on the blog in the past.

Sherry: I don’t have a system. I have in my mind what my writing goals are, what needs to be done around the house, and then I check my emails to see what other work has popped up that I wasn’t expecting.

Julie: I’m working on a time goal rather than a word count goal for 2019. At least an hour a day of writing or editing. I’m blocking separate time for blogging and business tasks. Since I’m working on amping up my business and writing, smart scheduling has been something I’m trying to tackle mindfully.

Readers, do you schedule everything relating to your goals? We’d love to hear how you all do it!

Writing YA Books and Adult Books—What’s the Difference? Guest Julie Moffett

[image error]I am delighted to welcome back author Julie Moffett! Look for the giveaway at the end of the post. Julie had two books coming out in two months — one for adults No Stone Unturned which just released yesterday and Knight Moves that came out at the end of November. Since one is for adults and one young adults I thought it would be interesting to hear more about their differences.

I wrote twenty-one romance and mystery novels for adults over twenty-three years before I finally penned and published my first young adult book. Actually, I’d written a middle grade novel before that, but since it went into the proverbial “drawer,” I’m not counting it. However, I’m often asked by other writers if writing a young adult novel, after so many years of staying in the adult lane, was a hard transition to make.

The answer is yes…and no. After all, a good story is a good story no matter the age of the protagonist. But it is interesting to point out a couple of things. First, by publishing standards, a young adult novel features a protagonist aged 13 to 18 years old. Anything younger, say from ages 10 to 13, is considered middle-grade literature. While that fits neatly into a publisher’s chart, the problem is there are plenty of young advanced readers, aged 10 to 13-years-old who will often read up to young adult. At first glance, there shouldn’t be a problem with this, but there is. That’s because more than half of all young adult books are purchased by adults older than 18.

This is important because after I’d written a first draft of my first YA mystery novel (not knowing this about young adult readers), I ran it past a few editors who made the following comments:

“Great story and mystery. Unique and clever. But the protagonist is 16. That’s a tough sell for young adult. Add a year, some romance and sexual tension, and this would be great!”

“There isn’t a lot of teen angst in this one. It’s kind of happy and upbeat—not a big seller these days.”

“No romance? No sex? A young voice? This doesn’t seem to reflect an accurate portrayal of a teenager.”

Whoa! What?!? I’ll be honest, these comments surprised me until I realized that a lot of publishers were focused on marketing and buying YA books for adults! But it also saddened me that if publishers weren’t taking books that were truly written for teens between 13 and 18 (and not adults), then what book choices were these “actual” teens left to make?

I had a decision to make regarding my book. Did I switch it up or keep it as is? In my opinion, good writing is good writing. Authentic characterization, exciting plots, and a fulfilling ending are critical regardless of the audience. Personally, I find something innately rewarding when writing teenagers. Teens are blank slates—young individuals searching for their identities, where they fit in, and how they intend to make their mark on the world. Everything is changing, they are constantly being pushed, pulled and challenged in multiple directions.

They are growing and learning new things at a rapid pace. A writer has the opportunity to oversee great character change and growth for each book and a series as a whole. While I think there is definitely a place for angst, pain and drama in YA—it’s an authentic part of the teenage experience, after all—it’s not the only part of being a teen. There are plenty of teens who grow up without super deep angst and drama. Besides, I figured many might want to read something OTHER than angst while they are going through it.

Eventually, after carefully considering the unexpected comments from the editors, I decided to stick with my novel the way it was. I didn’t add more years, dark angst, heavy themes or significant romance. WHITE KNIGHTS, featuring a female teen hacker, was released in December 2017 to little fanfare.

Guess what? It sold like gangbusters! It’s STILL selling like gangbusters a year later! I just released Book #2 in the series, KNIGHT MOVES, in November 2018. Libraries are buying the series, adults are buying it, and teens (yes, actual teenagers and even tweens) are buying it. I’m SOOOO glad I stuck with my initial concept and book. Apparently, there IS a market for fun, non-angsty, teen novels that can be enjoyed by both teens and adults alike. Sometimes, trusting your own gut and instinct really works!

Here are some reader and reviewer comments:

“What a great book for all ages! It shows how people with different personalities can come and work together, and become friends.” ~Goodreads Reader

  “It is difficult to find books for my 9-year daughter that interest her, aren’t too easy, and don’t have content that is too old for her. She loves mysteries and isn’t interested in reading about romantic relationships. This was perfect. According to her the book is a page-turner and intriguing.” ~Amazon Reader

“If you enjoy cyber-mysteries this book needs to be at the top of your pile….My robotics loving tween is looking forward to reading it after hearing me laugh out loud while I read it.” ~Amazon Reader

” I like the geek-girl/hacking concept and think it brings a fresh concept to YA books…I would recommend this to fans of humor, nerdiness, spies, secrets, and hacking!” ~YA Books Central

  “Absolutely fantastic! Not normally a fan of young adult fiction, but the themes, quirkiness and the fast pace kept me glued.” ~Amazon Reader

“Read this before giving it to my granddaughter & I enjoyed it so much!!!” ~Amazon Reader

“To say that I enjoyed this book would be an understatement. It was positively awesome and an epic read. I am not one that will usually get in a fan club moment on a YA novel but this one does something for readers. It is smart, witty and just plain fun. Anyone between the ages 14 and oh, heck, 99 can enjoy this book.” ~Amazon Reader

“I think Angel is a great role model for younger girls! I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it to anyone.” ~Goodreads Reader

“As a child, I loved mystery books; Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, the Five Find-Outers by Enid Blyton, etc. So now, even when I’ve grown up, mystery books has been a soft spot for me. YA + Spy mystery is my weakness…I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.”  ~ Erucchii’s Books and Recs

So, back to the initial question of whether it has it been hard switching from writing adult stories to young adult novels. As I mentioned before, the answer is both yes and no. Yes, because of the way young adults novels are traditionally marketed. But no, because a good story will always sell regardless. So, trust your gut and take risks. It’s the way of a writer!

**GIVEAWAY!** I’m giving away an e-copy of either the first book in the Lexi Carmichael series, NO ONE LIVES TWICE, or the first book in the young adult mystery spin-off of the series, WHITE KNIGHTS. How to enter? Let me know if you read YA novels, and what were your favorite mysteries growing up!

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[image error]Award-winning mystery author Julie Moffett’s new book, NO STONE UNTURNED, Book #11 in her popular Lexi Carmichael Mystery Series from HQN/ Carina Press just released yesterday! Geek extraordinaire, Lexi Carmichael, is faced with her hardest mystery yet—her fiancé!

Getting engaged is supposed to be a fun, exciting time in a girl’s life. But things are never that easy for Slash and me. Instead, someone is threatening to expose Slash’s past–a past so secret, even I know very little about it.

Before I can get used the weight of Nonna’s antique ring on my finger, he’s on his way to Rome…and we’re farther apart than we’ve ever been. Still, I have no intention of sitting at home and letting him take on the Vatican by himself.

With a little expert-level hacking, I learn Slash is keeping secrets from me. Big ones. Dangerous ones. In fact, the more I dig into Slash’s past, the more I discover things about him I never knew–things that eventually pit us against each other.

From Rome to the Amalfi coast to the highest levels of the Vatican, we both race to discover the truth. No matter what I find, we’re officially a team now, so I won’t let him face this alone. Even if I don’t know if our relationship can survive it.