Exciting news here in Arroyo Loco! Yesterday I finished the rough draft of the fourth mystery in the Estela Nogales series. A rough draft is a long ways from a finished project, but at least now I know for sure whodunnit. For a long while there I had no idea, and it was getting hard to sleep with all those potential murderers in my head.

This time around no one in Arroyo Loco actually dies, as the mystery takes place on the university campus where Estela works. All our favorite Arroyo Loco characters still get to pitch in their two cents worth, and you’ll hear plenty from them.

I have to admit that with the world outside my window becoming more like a combination of the fall of the Roman Empire in politics, and the collapse of the Inca civilization in climate change and outlandish weather, I find myself coping by escaping into the friendly fictional hills of Arroyo Loco.

This time of year, the morning sun splashes across the bed where the kitten and I will now curl up and begin line-editing. With a little help from my friends, I hope to have this next installment of Estela’s adventures ready for release by mid-February.

Thank you for your support!