Now that the World Series is behind us (congrats to the Boston Red Sox – I didn’t root for you, but you’re a great team!), I can get back to work.
Yesterday, I was chatting with one of my readers who asked me what comes after the Hot Dog Detective series. Although I plan on a total of twenty-seven books in the HDD, I have given some thought to two other series I’d like to write.
The first series is an off-shoot of the Hot Dog Detective. This series will focus on Mark MacFarland’s brother, Robert, and his adventures before he met Jacqueline Lacey. Robert is a bit of a scoundrel, but he is also a matchmaker, so many of the stories will involve him getting into trouble, all the while trying to bring two people together. Needless to say, sometimes Robert himself is the reason one or both parties strayed from their true love.
The stories about Robert MacFarland will not be murder mysteries, but they will have elements of mystery in them. Part of the story will be Robert solving that mystery to achieve his goals.
The second series will be a murder mystery series, focusing on a grandmother named Sally O’Brien who is suddenly responsible for the care of her granddaughter when Sally’s daughter and husband are killed in Indonesia. Sally’s had some problems in her life. Her beloved husband was killed in a hit-and-run car accident; then her best friend dies when she falls down a flight of stairs. Sally falls into a deep depression, and nothing can seem to pull her out of it.
Then Sally discovers that she has a two-year old to take care of. It’s not something she wanted, but who can resist the charms of a two-year old? Sally’s life gets even more complicated when she is caught up in a murder investigation. Fortunately, Sally does not have to solve the mystery alone. Her best friend, who fell down the stairs, is now Sally’s guardian angel–or is she a ghost?–who offers somewhat dubious help to Sally.
The Sally O’Brien mysteries will include twelve stories, one for each month. As Sally solves the murders, she comes closer to her granddaughter and overcomes her grief and depression.
But before I can write those series of stories, I have to finish the last six books of the Hot Dog Detective series. Time to get back to work!