Lea Wait here, nervously anticipating next week’s release (August 25) of Threads of Evidence, the second in my Mainely Needlepoint series.

Twisted Threads, the first in the series, got some great reviews and I was pleased with sales. So far pre-orders of Threads of Evidence look good; pre-publication reviews have been great. But until the final numbers are in, an author (and her publisher) don’t really know how many readers a new book will find.

And no matter reviews, sales determine whether a series will continue. I’ve been lucky: based on sales for Twisted Threads and the manuscripts of the first three books in the Mainely Needlepoint series, my publisher has contracted for six books in the series. By the time I’ve completed those six manuscripts, readers’ verdicts on the series will be in. Sales numbers will determine whether Angie Curtis and her friends in Haven Harbor, Maine, will continue solving crimes.

In the meantime, I’ve spent the summer writing the 8th in the Shadows Antique Print mystery series (which won’t be published until September of 2016). The 4th in the Mainely Needlepoint series is due to my editor December 1. So, no. I’m not bored.

Every time I begin a new book I’m excited about the characters and plot I’m putting together. In Threads of Evidence, I combined some of the elements I love in books I choose to read myself: an old, deserted, Victorian house, full of old furniture, art and needlepoint.  A mysterious  death in the past that is shadowing people today. A small harbor town in Maine with a working waterfront. Neighbors who’ve known each other, and each other’s families, for generations … but may or may not know all their secrets. A few plot twists and turns and surprises.

I’m hoping my readers will enjoy coming with me on that journey.

So — my fingers and toes are crossed. I’ll be sending out notes and postcards to readers on my mailing list. I’ve already written a couple of dozen guest blogs about Threads of Evidence, hoping to reach new readers. My website is updated. (There’s a link to a prequel of Threads of Evidence there.)

But, after that, like a child who leaves home to seek his or her fortune, Threads of Evidence will be on its own. I hope it finds many friends in many places.

In the meantime, I’ll be starting to prepare promotion for Thread and Gone, the next in the series, which will be published at the end of December. And writing Dangling By a Thread, the book after that.

And wishing Threads of Evidence well in its journey.