As predicted, moving cross-country was Highly Disruptive, and we did it in the middle of my Very Busy Summer Event Season.

But right now, I have nothing but wonderful news.

• First, Charles, Angel, Fergus, and I are safe and sound back in Montana.
• Second, my health has been doing way better than it was. Not perfect–but better.
• And third, I finished the first draft of Mailboat VI.

You heard that right, my friends: I finally have a new manuscript in the Mailboat Suspense Series. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. Between illness, a cross-country move, and record-breaking hours spent on research for this particular instalment, this manuscript was very hard-won.

And this leads us to the next, more exciting, dare-I-say more tangible phase in the novel-writing process: Very soon, you can actually start reading the next book in the Mailboat Suspense Series.

You see, on Friday, September 19th, I’m going to start releasing the chapters from Mailboat VI over on my Patreon page.

Patreon was something a few of the fans and I tried back when I was writing Mailboat V: The End of Summer. It stemmed from me trying to find the solution to my fans’ biggest problem (waiting so long between books), as well as my own biggest problem (not really knowing what the fans were experiencing while they read my books).

The fans couldn’t stand the long waits in between book releases. (Thanks to my health taking a dive, it’s been a particularly long wait between Mailboat V and Mailboat VI. I assure you, that was definitely not intentional.)

And I couldn’t stand spending a year or more of my life, carefully crafting a new book, then releasing it into the world–and never really knowing what my readers were thinking and feeling as they experienced every page.

And so, we built our Patreon page.

I have different membership tiers that offer different rewards to suit every budget. But the core experience is included in the tier called “The Captain’s Log”:

• Chapter Releases just as soon as I’m done writing them.
• Book Club Questions where you can delve deeper into the story and the characters with your fellow fans, converse with me, and potentially even alter the course of the story through your conversations.
• Behind-the-Scenes Posts where you’ll learn tons about me, my personal backstory, and how I write a novel; the inspiration that went into the series, each book, and every chapter; and the conversations and interactions I have with the characters who live in my head.

These were the experiences that the veteran Patrons and I invented together, back when we were building the ship as we were sailing it. What we didn’t anticipate was the way we created absolute magic.

Turns out, those very first Patrons loved going deeper with the books and characters than ever before, as well as getting to know both me and their fellow fans like never before.

And I got to see my readers’ reactions to every moment of the story. We more or less broke the curse of loneliness that shrouds every writer. After we released Mailboat V this way on Patreon, I swiftly realized I never wanted to write a book any other way again.

Mailboat VI is set to launch really soon!

• “Last Time in Lake Geneva” will release on Friday, September 19th. If you don’t want to re-read an entire series in just a couple of weeks, this post will get you caught up on everything you need to know.
• Mailboat VI: Chapter One drops on Friday, September 26th. If you’ve been wracking your brains, trying to decide who The Man Upstairs is–the elusive mastermind behind all the evil doings in Lake Geneva–this chapter might have you questioning and re-questioning everything you thought you believed. I wouldn’t be shocked if there’s a Very Hot Discussion amongst the Patrons in the Book Club Questions, and personally, I can’t wait!

Reading my next book on Patreon is the deepest dive you can get with my series, my fans, and me. If this sounds like your kind of scene, I recommend you join us now, before you miss a single moment!

Also, I’m Making It Rain Bookmarks

I wanted to celebrate the launch of this new Patreon cruise, so I made a whole pile of handmade bookmarks to include with a limited-time promo.

When I updated my Patreon tiers earlier this year and polled the fans, these bookmarks were a most-asked for reward. They’ve also been super popular in my sporadic online giveaways–and until now, they’ve been incredibly hard to acquire; when they appear in the giveaways, only one of dozens of participants will win one; and on Patreon, they are ordinarily only included in one of my premium membership tiers.

But to welcome as many new Patrons aboard as possible, I’m including my popular handmade bookmarks at “The Captain’s Log” tier and higher. (Tiers that already included a handmade bookmark will instead get two.)

To receive this special promo, you have to sign up at “The Captain’s Log” tier or higher by September 18th. The bookmarks are first come, first serve. Once your favorite bookmark is gone, it’s gone. I’ll probably never make another one exactly like it.

You have through Thursday, September 18th to select your bookmark before this promotion ends.

So, I recommend you hop in there now, select your new tier, and claim your reward!

Once you sign up to “The Captain’s Log” or higher, look for an email from me and/or Patreon with a link and instructions on how to claim your bookmark. If you have any problems, message me, and I’ll get you sorted as soon as I can. If you opt not to select your own bookmark, I’ll wait until the promo is over and select one for you (or two, if you sign up to one of the premium tiers).

Mailboat VI Sets Sail Soon…

My friends, I can’t wait to welcome you aboard to a book reading experience like you’ve never had before. The veteran Paid Patrons and I are already piling barrels and boxes on the shore, ferrying them to our ship in the bay, and generally preparing to weigh anchor, unfurl the sails, and catch the tide on our next adventure.

I’m so stunned, relieved, and delighted to finally be able to sail this little ship back to the bay where–if you borrow my spyglass–you can finally make out Bailey, Tommy, Ryan, and Monica standing on the shore, waiting to greet you. It was never my intention to keep you all apart from each other for so long.

I’d hate for you to miss this unique opportunity to enjoy the next installment in the Mailboat Suspense Series–and I’d be honored to welcome you aboard as a Member of My Crew.

This Week’s Bestsellers: