by Jacqueline Diamond
In
writing a long series, challenges include keeping track of the characters,
varying the storylines and making each book fresh. Given all those issues, why
would an author (me) who’s written a successful 17-book romance series want to
spin off a mystery series?
Hold
on while I backtrack a little.
My
career began 100 books ago. Lady in
Disguise, a Regency romance, came out in 1983. Since then, I’ve sold
Regencies, medical romances, romantic comedies, fantasy and paranormal
novels, and mysteries including Danger
Music and The Eyes of a Stranger.
I
love the tension and puzzle aspect of mysteries but, despite excellent reviews,
was never able to connect with a consistent publisher for them. I was luckier
with my romances, which found a home at Harlequin.
An
area of interest for me and readers has been the medical field. I wrote a
five-book series called Downhome Doctors, inspired by my father, who was for
many years the only doctor in a small town.
A
few years later, in 2010, when I began the Safe Harbor Medical® series with The Would-Be Mommy, I planned to
write three books. Ideas sprang up until, in February of 2016, the series
concluded with entry 17, The Would-Be
Daddy (the related titles were my suggestion).
I’d
been eager to return to writing mysteries. However, I loved my fictional
hospital and town, and enjoyed the medical research.
So
I drew on them for The Case of the
Questionable Quadruplet, the first of my Safe Harbor Medical mysteries. The hero is young, widowed
obstetrician Eric Darcy, who’s taken over his late father’s medical practice.
In Chapter One, the mother of triplets stuns him by claiming she had a fourth
baby, a quadruplet who was stolen from her. Is there a deadly secret hidden in
an old file… which has just disappeared?
When
someone murders his patient, Eric believes the police are dismissing a vital
clue. As bodies pile up, he turns amateur sleuth, partnering with his quirky
sister-in-law, a private investigator. He never imagines that his own life
might be in danger.
The
publishing world has changed dramatically since I entered it more than thirty
years ago, and I’ve chosen to self-publish the new series. It’s great to have
the freedom to write exactly what I want, without worrying about whether my
books fit into a publisher’s mystery “line.” Whether I’ll earn more or less
remains to be seen.
How
many books will the mystery series include? I plan at least three, and have
jotted ideas for three more. Who knows? Could be a lot more.
I
hope you’ll join me!
Bio:
USA Today bestselling author Jacqueline Diamond’s
101st novel, The Case of the Questionable Quadruplet,
launches a new cozy series, the Safe Harbor Medical® Mysteries. A spin-off from
her popular Safe Harbor Medical romance series, the books feature an
obstetrician who solves crimes affecting his patients. Following a career as an
Associated Press reporter and TV columnist, Jackie has sold medical romances,
mysteries, Regency romances and romantic comedies to a range of publishers,
including St. Martin’s Press, William Morrow and Harlequin.
Blurb:
Young, widowed obstetrician Eric Darcy is
stunned when a patient, the mother of triplets, claims to have borne a fourth
baby, a quad, that was stolen from her. When someone murders his patient, Eric
believes the police are dismissing a vital clue, and teams up with his PI
sister-in-law to investigate, never imagining his own life could be in danger.
Links:
Twitter: @jacquediamond
Comments
Thank you for sharing!