It’s been a minute since I’ve checked in. Don’t worry; I’ve just been working on Mailboat VI. Here are the most recent stats:

• Anticipated finished word count: 85,000
• Current word count: 66,000
  • Current polished words: 36,000
  • Current unpolished words: 30,000

Those 36,000 “current polished words” are very near their final form, the way they’ll appear when I publish Mailboat VI as a finished book—and those chapters have already been released in early access on Patreon. (If you’re burning with curiosity, you’re welcome to join us for the ongoing reading and book discussions! Or you’re quite welcome to wait until I’ve finished the entire book and put it up for sale.)

It’s still too early to announce a release date for Mailboat VI, but you’ll hear plenty of noise from me once I know.

Meanwhile, I had a lightbulb moment on the series, thanks to my partner Charles—and it was such a big deal, I wanted to share it with you, because it really went straight to the heart of the two most common questions I get.

I Just Want to Know…

“When will your next book be out?”

“Is this series ever going to end??”

Those are the two questions I get asked more than any other.

But it turns out, they are perversely hard questions to answer—because by and large, I don’t even know. All I know for sure is that the next book will release when it’s done, and the series will finish when it ends.

Which is clearly not a very helpful answer. In fact, I’m sometimes accused of dragging the series out unnecessarily to rack up sales.

The truth is that I follow where the characters lead, and I’m writing the story the way they always showed it to me.

If I don’t, they quit talking to me—which obviously helps with neither releasing the next book, nor finishing the series.

And while it’s been an unusually long wait since my last book release (due to shaky health, the length and complexity of Book VI, a couple of cross-country moves, and other reasons), I’m at least as impatient as all of you for Mailboat VI to drop.

I used to pride myself on being a consistent book-a-year kind of gal, and it’s been hard for me not to think of this stack of years with no book release as a black mark on my record, even while I understand and acknowledge the many reasons that have prevented me.

My Patrons know I flog myself to release those early-access chapters to them as quickly as possible.

However, I recently recognized that this impatience for the next book (both the fans’ and my own), as well as this accusation of inflating the series, were conditioning me to focus on nothing—and to value nothing—but output. Because the fans will not be happy until the next book comes out, and the fans will not believe the series has an end until the series ends.

But a conversation with Charles this past spring helped me see everything in a different and better light—because, as you all know, Charles is amazing.

Transformations

We were comfy at home one weekend, “talking shop,” specifically regarding two kinds of story structure: “Hero defeats villain” versus “character transformation.”

(There are many other structures, but our conversation focused on these two specifically. And yes, this is the riveting at-home conversation of two authors in a relationship.)

Charles made what felt like a bold statement: That a “character transformation” story was far harder to write than “hero defeats villain.”

“Why?” I demanded, fully recognizing that the Mailboat Suspense Series falls primarily under the structure of character transformation.

“Because it’s far easier to defeat your enemies than to transform them.”

A lightbulb went off in my head.

“Or,” I expanded, “it’s easier to defeat your enemies than to transform yourself.”

Specifically in the Mailboat Suspense Series, the characters that undergo transformation are the heroes.

“Yes,” Charles agreed.

“Are you suggesting,” I asked, “that if a ‘character transformation’ story is harder to write, the resulting story will also be longer?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s more nuanced. It takes a lot for the heroes to not merely dig deep or discover something new about themselves,” (a frequent feature of “hero defeats villain”), “but to wholly transform into new versions of themselves.”

“And what if you’re writing an ensemble cast?” I asked. “In which all the major characters experience transformation?”

Charles grinned, understanding the unspoken question. “Even longer,” he confirmed.

I slumped, jaw loose. “Is that why my series is so long?”

He was still smiling confidently. “Yup.”

Charles is a particular whiz at story structure—which is why I appreciate these kinds of conversations with him.

I observed aloud that, once upon a time, people whose opinion I valued had advised me to quit writing books without endings, and I had given their advice serious consideration.

Charles blinked and shook his head, staring at me dumbfounded. “I never did.”

Like a student following the logic of their teacher, I spoke the conclusion out loud. “Because if I had followed their advice, I’d be writing a completely different kind of story?”

“Exactly.”

“‘Hero defeats villain,’ and not ‘ensemble-cast character transformation’?”

“Exactly.”

In short, Charles assured me that the Mailboat Suspense Series was exactly the length it needed to be, for the kind of story it had set out to be.

While “ensemble-cast character transformation” is not uncommon in, say, the fantasy genre, where a single doorstopper may be a mere fraction of the entire story—this same story structure is exceptionally rare in the suspense genre. In fact, every time Charles and I look for “comparables” (a.k.a. stories similar to my own), we struggle to come up with examples—whether books, movies, or TV. Whenever I ask you guys, my fans, I get either crickets, or the (admittedly flattering) comment, “I’ve never read a series like this before.”

I think it’s a shame the character-transformation format isn’t being used in suspense more often (with or without ensemble cast), because, in my opinion, the literally life-altering events in suspense, mystery, and thriller are inherently positioned for character transformation.

Also, I believe now that this dearth of the character-transformation format in the suspense, mystery, and thriller genre is why so many of my fans, while delighted by the series, are also confused by it. Historically, the genre has revolved around “hero defeats villain”—quite literally, “catching the bad guy.” Hence, for a series billing itself as suspense, readers are conditioned to expect a series of books that each wrap up at the end, villain vanquished, hero victorious.

And here I went and wrote a suspense that’s “ensemble-cast character transformation,” and they’ve probably never encountered such a thing before. (In fairness, neither have I.)

Hence, so many of my readers’ confusion. (And, on a certain level, even my own.)

Turns out, this conversation with Charles was exactly what I needed to hear, exactly when I needed to hear it.

Now that we’re somewhere in the middle of the series, with some sources accusing me of never intending to let it end, I have to confess, I was questioning whether I had, in fact, lost the plot—even while the characters themselves confidently led me forward, in precisely the same direction they always had.

And while I continued to faithfully follow Bailey, Tommy, Ryan, and Monica down the paths where they led, I realize now I was becoming impatient, trying to demand that they hurry up and arrive at the conclusion already—because so many of the fans were expecting and demanding it.

Now I see more clearly: If I were writing a “hero defeats villain” story—then yes, I would be very, very lost, and I would be inflating the series unnecessarily.

But this is a character transformation story with a huge ensemble cast (even beyond the main four)—and it always has been. And so far as you and I can tell, it is the first and still the only of its kind in the mystery/suspense/thriller genre. (Tell me if you know of another. I’m still looking for comparables.)

At the end of the day, the only difference between “heroes” and “villains” in my series is not whether they represent good or evil in the story, but whether or not they transform.

When I look at the series in that light, I can see instantly that I’m not lost in the slightest, and the series is exactly where it needs to be.

Because it’s infinitely harder to transform yourself than to defeat your enemy.

Gosh Darn Those Cliffhanger Endings

I wanted to share this revelation with the fandom-at-large, because we’ve all been a little befuddled by the non-traditional format of this series.

I understand that this unconventional story structure isn’t for everyone, and if some readers decide to drop out, I definitely don’t blame them.

But, as I mentioned, I know from experience that if I stray from the story the characters are telling me, they quit talking to me altogether—and paradoxically, that’s how we guarantee the next book will never release and the series will never end.

And so, I’ll continue to follow where the characters lead, and stack and polish the words one by one, and pop in now and again to let you know how the novel’s coming along.

And for the crazy number of you who love the series exactly the way it is—I’m so honored that it brings you this much delight and joy. Thank you.

I’ll Be Spending All Summer Writing

If, by chance, you live or vacation near Flathead Lake, Montana, and frequent the Polson Farmer’s Market, I owe you an apology.

I don’t anticipate being at many, or even any, of the markets this summer—contrary to what I indicated last summer.

That’s due, in part, to the fact that Mailboat VI is proving to be the biggest, deepest, possibly longest, and definitely most challenging book I’ve ever worked on.

But my freedom to absent myself from the markets, vendor shows, and art festivals this year is thanks one hundred percent to that tiny but mighty group of fans who have been supporting the ever-living daylights out of me via Patreon.

I have to admit, with my health and energy at so low an ebb lately, and Mailboat VI proving the most challenging book I’ve ever written, the revelation that an entire season of shows was rendered optional was a massive relief. I had been worried how badly progress on Mailboat VI would be further delayed by having to try to write while also working the shows.

Once upon a time, that was just how I ran my life, appearing at up to three events a week while simultaneously producing a book almost every year. Once upon a time, I had the health and energy to keep up with a schedule like that—but that season of my life is not now.

But thanks to the Patrons, nothing matters but the writing. Thanks to their help, Mailboat VI continues to make actual progress toward its completion.

So, if you’re in Montana and if you’ve been looking for me at Polson, (and if Diane has been observing that “the vibe feels off,”) I’m so sorry not to see you all there! (Someone please give Diane a hug from me and tell her I’m sorry if I threw off the vibe.)

And if you were planning to meet me at the shows and pick up any books from me, I can absolutely ship them to you instead.

Meanwhile, thank you, everyone, for letting me devote myself to creating the best book I can write for you—an ensemble-cast, character-transformation suspense. I hope it’ll be worth the wait, and I hope to see you all when it’s done!