Here in Maine I should say almost mud season!

Sorry for the long time between posts and also for not answering emails as quickly as I used to. In the immortal words of Marcia Brady: "Something suddenly came up." And in my case, it's a doozy. I'm now trying to remember what that was for her–a date with a cuter guy or was she just lying to get out of something? Anyway, I do apologize for not responding to the many emails I've gotten in the past few weeks asking about another Abby Foote mystery. It's made me so happy to know that Abby has her fans! In LOVE YOU TO DEATH, there's a note at the end that says another Abby Foote mystery is coming, but that book went to press before we could change that. 

I may come back to Abby and Ben in the future, but when I sat down to write a new novel about them, a different set of characters kept popping up on the page and there was no way to integrate their world and story in Abby's, so I decided to back burner Abby and write something completely new. Those characters were Ruby and Stella Miller, twin sisters who couldn't be more different, and who embark on a very long and bumpy road trip from Maine to Las Vegas, where Ruby may or may not get married in an Elvis wedding chapel. She won't if Stella has anything to say about it, and Stella never shuts up. Will she, won't she, does she, doesn't she are just some of the questions both sisters face in QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE MARRYING, which will be published in early June (check out the very cute cover to the left). The book is available for pre-order on Amazon. If you check it out on Barnes & Noble's site, note that it is NOT a Christian novel, despite the category above the title. That's an error my publishing house is working to correct. QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE MARRYING is good ole chick lit at, I'm hoping, its irreverent finest. 

This spring so many novels by my favorites are coming out. I can't wait to get my hands on the new Elizabeth Strout, the new Jennifer Weiner (Certain Girls, which I believe is a sequel to Good In Bed), the new Emily Giffin, the new Sarah Dessen, and the new Jhumpa Lahiri. Is it not time for another Anne Lamott? I wish there would be a new Anne Lamott once a week. I have a back log of books already out that I've been unable to get to, like the new Sophie Kinsella, who always makes me crack up. And trust me, a good laugh is exactly what I need these days. 

Hope your March has come in more lamb like. We are constantly under storm threat. And two more are scheduled this week. Late spring and the entire summer in Maine are worth every inch of snow.

:) Melissa