Retrospect: The Mystery of the Bones

Welcome to the final retrospect of the Snow & Winter series! If you're just coming into the posts, you can visit the previous titles here at: Nevermore, Curiosities, and Moving Image. I suppose this isn't technically a retrospect, as The Mystery of the Bones is actually releasing next Tuesday, but I want to give the conclusion of Sebastian and Calvin's lives the same send off. So without further ado, let's dive into this whirlwind!

Man... now that I'm really staring at THE END, what is there to say? In a small sense, these individuals represent parts of me. I mean, look, it's fiction. But the fiction came from somewhere—my brain, specifically. Sebastian is my sarcasm, Pop is my love, Calvin is the patience I wish I had more of. I invented these characters, sure, but I hope I managed to properly pour in elements of myself, be them good or bad, to shape and define them all into believable personalities. 

I want the time and investment readers have made to feel worthwhile. I want readers to have enjoyed an adventure, wracked their brains to solve a mystery, maybe fall in love a little, but if nothing else, to feel content as they finish and close Bones. I think that's all any author can hope for, really.

Bones was tough to write, but I don't think it really had anything to do with plot or characterization, and mostly everything to do with making sure I tied up loose ends and bid my cast a proper farewell. I needed to make sure by the end of the Snow & Winter series that Neil was redeemable, that Calvin was going to be okay, and that Sebastian learned to love himself in ways he'd been too afraid to even realize. I think I managed to do this. Sebastian and Calvin certainly deserve their vacation away from me and my 'oh but what if there's just one more dead body' thought process! Neil—we're not done with him. He'll be back.

I mentioned before that I enjoy writing dialogue, but as the relationship between Sebastian and Calvin progresses, I love their interactions just a bit more every book. Flirting between couples in healthy, long-term relationships is some of my favorite stuff, especially when there's wit and smartassery involved! Here are a few spoiler-free excerpts below.

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“Seb.”
I blinked. “What?”
“Stop,” Calvin said firmly.
“But I—”
He took a step closer. “I can see the cogs turning, baby.”
I put my hands up, like I’m innocent, copper! Innocent, I tell ya!

“You shutting me down, Detective?” I asked, turning back to Calvin.
“I know it’s your busiest time of year.”
“What’s money matter? Now I have time to pick up our Christmas tree. It may end up being a Charlie Brown, though.”
“It wasn’t that long ago I threatened to arrest you for being a smartass,” Calvin warned.
“And instead you put a ring on it,” I said, raising my left hand and tapping the matte tungsten band with the tip of my thumb.

“Please don’t start poking around.”
“I’m not,” I replied. “The deerstalker is hung up for good.”

“You know why this entire thing sucks?” I asked suddenly.
“I can think of a few reasons.”
“We haven’t had sex in six days.”
Calvin snorted. “You keep track?”
“Not intentionally.”

-

Bones releases next Tuesday and is slated for audiobook production. (Date TBA) To celebrate its release, the first three books of the series are on sale and can be found below at the following third party vendors.

| Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo |

You can add the book to your Goodreads shelf or find it on BookBub. Codas are also available for free at my website.

Make sure you check out the giveaway below. I'm offering one signed paperback of The Mystery of the Bones! Event ends September 23, 2019.

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Well, that's it. The Mystery of the Bones goes live in one week, and the Snow & Winter series draws to an end. Thank you for staying with me throughout these posts and for your support these last four years. I hope you'll give my upcoming books a chance, which includes a new mystery-romance series starring two NYPD detectives, as well as a Steampunk-romance series taking place in alternate-1882 New York City.

Random fact: Bones was the hardest of the four titles to come up with, despite it being very obviously the ideal name!