AN IDEA FOR A SPINOFF

A future release.

I've had an idea in the back of my mind for some time, for a series I'm calling Happily Hereafter. There aren't a lot of details to it yet, but I know this much: The main character's name is Catrina Shaw, and her magical talent is as a matchmaker. For ghosts.
I've been noting this or that detail, how Catrina does her job, where she lives, how she gets on with her landlord (not always very well), and so on, but as a launching point I'd been struggling.
And then, as I work on book four for my Poppy Blue series, the problem that is plaguing that gang in that particular installment, well, it suddenly came to me: Catrina would be the perfect person to contribute to the solution. I'm still writing Poppy's book four, titled A Spot of Bother, but I was thrilled when it came to me that Ms. Shaw's skills would be extremely useful pertaining to one troubling matter that needed a solution.
Unfortunately I can't say more. One, I don't want spoilers -- though mentioning Catrina's talents may be a giveaway, but there's the how and the where and the why, which should remain a mystery, and she may surprise me as I write (oddly, I sometimes feel like I'm channeling these characters, like they take on a life of their own in my mind) -- but two, I also am still developing it. But when A Spot of Bother is released, it'll be set during the Thanksgiving holiday, and readers will have a chance to meet more of Roger's family, a familiar character will return, and Poppy will be all over town trying to help a good friend who's dealing with a bad problem. Seeds are also being sown for some future developments as the series progresses.
And in the meantime, because I like to play around with design, I decided to mock up a cover for the first Happily Hereafter book. It's tentatively titled Diva de los Muertos, but I have no idea if that will stick. Being a writer and a bit of a goofball, the pun called to me. Plus I love sugar skulls and the whole Day of the Dead tradition, so there's that.
I'll post updates and snippets as A Spot of Bother comes closer to completion, and possibly a few other goodies as well, both pertaining to Poppy's world, and to Catrina's story. I hope you'll enjoy.

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