There’s a new book coming, and it’s just around the bend.  If you’re “of a certain age” you’ll probably spend the rest of the day humming that old Mama Cass song I just took the liberty of mimicking in my first sentence.  You may find yourself wondering, “Where did that come from?”  Well, here I am, guilty as charged!  And if you’re a blog reader who also receives new book notices, please be advised they are one and the same this time around because the focus of my writing right now is Ali # 9.  (I’ve named the baby, but my editor has yet to approve, so I’m not putting the name out there yet.)

Deadly Stakes is Ali # 8.  (This time, I actually counted right.)  The publication date is scheduled for February 5, 2013.  Here’s the link to my website schedule page:  http://www.jajance.com/jajance.com/Schedule.html.  If you study it, you’ll see that there are a couple of events scheduled on the East Coast prior to the official on-sale date.  These are events for which we’ve been given special dispensation to have the new book available early.  As for the actual on-sale date?  I’ll be hitting the ground running in Scottsdale on Tuesday, February 5.  This time I’ll be doing the Arizona events prior to coming back to the Pacific Northwest to finish the tour.  Then, good lord willing and the creek don’t rise (again!!) I’ll be back in Tucson for the Tucson Festival of Books in March.

For most of this tour, Bella’s bag will NOT be packed and she won’t be in attendance, either.  I know people love to see her, but having her locked up for a cross-country plane trip isn’t a favor for any four-legged little creature.  So, yes Bella is fine, but she’ll be home in Seattle with Bill, helping to keep up with any remaining construction workers who will be here finishing up our emergency bath and master bedroom remodel.  (If you don’t know about that, you haven’t been following my series of whining blog posts that have been grumbling about this for the past several weeks.)

Once again, if you would like autographed bookmarks for Deadly Stakes, please write to me at my snail mail address:  P.O. Box 766, Bellevue, WA 98009.  The stack of requests generally piles up while I’m off on tour and then I answer them all at one fell swoop once I get back home.  In other words, don’t expect your bookmark to show up by return mail.  I’m efficient, but not THAT efficient.

I’m well aware that I have fans who prefer one character over the others.  For those of you who are diehard Beaumont fans, his book is coming in August.  Joanna’s next one should be the following summer.

Believe me, I’m writing as FAST as I can.  Hope to see many of you when I’m out on the road.