While Tangled Roots is being edited (by others), I’ve been brainstorming for Book 3. One of the first things I need is a working title, something to save the file under. The working title for Driftless Spirits was actually “Note To Self” before the book blossomed into its final version, because I knew journals played a big part in the overall story. Tangled Roots was always Tangled Roots because the beginning was very clear from the start. Book 3 is going to have a working title that will not be the final title, I am sure of it.

Unless I come up with something better when I actually save the file for the first time, I’m calling it “Under Wraps” for now. The book will take place around Christmastime and involve revealing more hidden secrets. I’m toying with the idea of a tight storyline showcasing Casten’s Horn’s version of celebrating the holidays as a town on a special day, rather than the roughly weeklong timelines in the first two books. It’s daunting to think about hour-by-hour plotting instead of day-by-day, but part of the fun of writing is trying new things.

The downside of trying new things as I write this series is the difficulty in assigning a genre to the result. Driftless Spirits isn’t a mainstream version of a cozy mystery but I felt comfortable with placing that moniker on the cover. Three different book bloggers backed up the label. However, after much consideration, the latest version of the cover for Tangled Roots drops the “cozy” word and just says “ghost mystery.”

A lot of the book is still very cozy but the climax gets a bit intense, not in a blood or gore sense but still scary. Where’s the line in a cozy climax? I’d rather not promise something the book doesn’t deliver, but I also hope cozy mystery readers who try and like Driftless Spirits won’t be put off by where the story goes. My style remains steady but I understand that, for some, “cozy mystery” means something very specific. Those thoughts are what make me the most nervous as Tangled Roots gets polished for release in September, just in time for Halloween. Mostly though, I’m excited to get it out there because I think I’ve written a really good story, better than Book 1.

Until I get the file back for Tangled Roots though, I’m pondering Book 3. It’s the empty stare of the blank page all over again. What is that elusive first line?

Driftless Spirits: “I woke up with car keys in my hand.”

Tangled Roots: “Every storm has a story to tell, if you listen to it.”

Under Wraps: ?????????