Hemlock Bay...and what comes next?

I'm feeling slightly liberated just at the moment, for a number of reasons. First, I'm very pleased with the reaction of critics and readers to Hemlock Bay. This is a novel I felt very confident about when I was writing it - not something that happens very often, to be perfectly frank - and so I was hopeful that others would like it just as much as my editor Bethan and my agent James did. But you can never be too sure about these things. And no sensible author is ever complacent.

I was lucky to get a great review in the Daily Mail earlier this month; as a bonus, there was also a nice review of Dramatic Murder, the latest Crime Classic to which I've supplied an introduction. This is a real boost to morale, given that it's extremely difficult (unless you're a big bestseller) to get any coverage in the national newspapers for the fifth book in a series. I've previously mentioned Jeremy Black's nice review in The Critic, and some of the best bloggers around have been extremely supportive too. All this is very motivating when one is toiling away on a work-in-progress.

Second, what about that work-in-progress? Well, I'm glad to say that I have just sent off the manuscript for my latest novel. I can't say too much about it yet, but I can say that it's a stand-alone and it is significantly different from my other crime novels (though it's very much in the detective genre, and yes, there is a Cluefinder!) Writing this book has been quite demanding, but once again I'm very pleased with the very enthusiastic response of my editor and agent, and that is a big positive. Believe me, it isn't a given that discerning editors and agents will like everything that their authors produce, and I don't take their support for granted. More news about this book before too long.

So now I'm turning my mind to future projects. There are a number of them, including two novels. One of those novels is another break from my usual type of crime writing (although it's still a detective story, but again one with a difference and wholly distinct from the book I've just finished). The other is the next Rachel Savernake book. As regards the latter, I'm playing around with various plot ideas at the moment, which I find a lot of fun. In my early days as a crime novelist, I found it quite intimidating to try to think up something fresh (and even when writing a series, I like each book to be distinctive) but I'm glad to say I find it a bit easier nowadays. 

I've been asked many times over the course of this year when (or if) I'm going to return to the Lake District Mysteries. The short answer is that I do intend to do so, but again I'm toying with ideas about some degree of reinvention of the series. So nobody should hold their breath, but I do believe there is a lot of mileage in this series, and I do love writing books set in the Lakes. Which is why Rachel Savernake will go to the Lakes in her new adventure...