As you may remember from the summer newsletter, I have recently reacquired the rights to my Tai Randolph/Trey Seaver series. Poisoned Pen/Sourcebooks will continue to carry the first editions of the paperbacks, and my own micro-press—Mojito Literary Press—will carry the e-books.
As soon as I get them re-edited. And since this is a one-person operation here at Whittle Central, than means I get the assignment.
This—like most things that happen during a pandemic—is taking longer than I anticipated. But I am enjoying every second of it. Getting to watch Tai and Trey come together has been a treat, especially as their relationship deepens and strengthens with each new challenge. I am currently three-quarters of the way through Blood, Ash and Bone, the pivotal third book in the series. At this point, it's all bickering and badinage for my two protagonists.
I licked salted butter from my fingers. “So this is a stakeout?”
Trey thought about it. “I suppose so.”
“I thought it would be more exciting.” I stirred my coffee. “Is this typical for a stakeout? Sitting around for hours?”
“We’ve been here thirty-five minutes.”
“You know what I mean.”
Below us, the crowd surged in a river of alcohol and high spirits, and the sun set behind the bridge in sluicing orange light. One couple stopped at the sweetgrass weaver to buy a rose. The man presented it to the woman with a courtly flourish, and she pressed it to her nose, even though it had no scent.
I looked over at Trey, so capable and efficient, his eyes riveted on the tour shop. “Trey? Do you ever wonder how we ended up together?”
He sipped his tea. “Your brother hired me for a personal protection detail.”
“No, I mean romantically.”
“You propositioned me.”
“No, I…I mean yes, but…you’re messing with me, aren’t you?”
So yes. Romantic bickering is fun. But the shadows in the corners are lengthening. I'm taking the opportunity to darken those shadows, sharpen their edges. And I'm taking my time.
Another thing I'm enjoying about the re-issue process is having new covers designed. For this, I turned to the talented Karen Phillips at Phillips Covers. She created a series of book covers not only for the six published books, but the seventh (which is currently being written, tentatively entitled Crooked Ways). You'll get a chance to see them all as soon as the books are re-published, but here's a peek at what she did for the first in series, The Dangerous Edge of Things.
I love this cover for lots of reasons, but the main one is that it captures the essence of my girl Tai—sexy, assertive, a breaker of rules and bender of truth who has a soft spot for underdogs and a thing for a well-tailored suit. Look for her on an e-book very soon!