Some of you may have gotten an email telling you that the release date of IN HIGH COTTON has been moved to July 31.
First, let me tell you that HELL IN A HANDBASKET, Rose Gardner Investigations #3, will now be releasing April 17 instead of late May as I’d originally planned. This move means you get the next Rose Gardner Investigations book SOONER.
HELL IN A HANDBASKET (Rose Gardner Investigations #3) April 17, 2018
IN HIGH COTTON (Neely Kate Mystery #2) July 31, 2018.
This move has been in process since the beginning of December. Some of you have noticed I’ve been writing a new Curse Keepers book, OF ASH AND SPIRIT. I had originally planned to release that series over the summer, but I stalled big time on Neely Kate. And as I tried to figure out why that book wasn’t working, I didn’t want to waste writing time and worked on OF ASH AND SPIRIT instead.
Why didn’t I write Rose’s book instead while I was stalled? The answer is because I was trying to figure out what was wrong with Neely Kate. Once I put the book aside, I realized it came too soon after FOR THE BIRDS. There were too many questions left up in the air that just couldn’t be answered by Neely Kate.
If this news upsets you, I am truly sorry. I have NEVER moved a release date before. This was a VERY DIFFICULT decision, but I would have cancelled the book completely before I released the small amount I had written. I take pride in my books. I love my characters. And I love my readers too much to release a subpar book.
As a person who likes well written and edited books, I say it’s better to do something well than to do something fast or shortened. Take your time and make them excellent.
I think a sure way to get bad sales on something is to take liberties with quality. Most people who are willing to read a book rather than watch a video will harshly and ruthlessly judge that sort of thing. I am looking forward with a high degree of anticipation to both of the books on Rose and Neely Kate, so I really do want them to move forward, but I would rather you (and by extension, us) be happy with what you are doing than to have you adhere to some arbitrary schedule.
Never apologize for valuing your process. You don’t give us crap to read, which is why you’re the best.
Good for you to have solved your problem without compromising the quality of the book. People, I think, would rather wait to read a good book than a quick put together garbage. I have read some books, not yours, and thought did they even bother with the subject or editing and been total disappointed with the purchase.
hell in a hand basket has arrived on google play yippee, however release is may 18th, my pre=order is done. thank you Denise you have given me hours of reading rapture
Quality before deadlines. I think your books are definitely worth waiting for. It’s much better to switch the release date and then deliver another excellent book that comes up to the same level as all of your others than to release a book that you know won’t please your readers …but makes the deadline. Your authorship reputation has been built on the quality of your books. I, for one, prefer reading your books to any other author’s because of their tremendous realism and twist/turns in the story line. To create anything less just to make a deadline would be wrong, so I am very happy that you chose to move the deadline instead.
Thank you!
Please take the time that you need. I am such an addicted fan! I read Rose’s books over and over. I still cry every time over Rose and Joe. I love the Neely Kate books as well. Just please don’t end their adventures. Thank you!
I completely agree with everyone. Take your time writing. All the books you have written are wonderful. I love the mystery and love stories. Thank you for getting me back into reading books it had been 15 years since my last book. Absuletly love your books. I’m a loyal fan.
A great man told me “If you are going to do something, do it right”. Of course that great man is my husband of 33 years. =)
I can’t say I’m not disappointed. That being said, my disappointment is in the fact that I can’t read the book yet; not in the fact that you have chosen to make sure you are doing your best to put out quality material. So, I will take my disappointment and set it aside while I read the rest of the books you are putting out while I await In High Cotton. BTW, I love the new Curse Keepers books just as much as I do Rose and Neely Kate’s books.
I’m glad that you are a quality writer and do things right even if it means not being able to meet a previous deadline.. Shows you care about the character you write about. Classy…. 🙂
Thank you for the update! No worries on the release dates. I’m so excited to read any of your books! They will be worth the wait!
I trust Denise to make the best decision in this. I’m fine with it.
I love your books so much….I don’t mind waiting for a good story!
No problem. It Just builds the suspense. Take as long as you need to make the book as great as all the other ones.
I think that a lot of people, myself included are more appreciative than you think about the care you put into your story lines. I’m always chomping at the bit, eagerly waiting for the next new book. They never disappoint. Although I do disappoint myself by devouring them so fast, because I have to wait that much longer for the next book LOL
Life happens. Apparently whether or not you are real or a fictional character in a book. Love your books, Denise. Always following your ‘gut’ is good . . even gutsy.
Several times at that certain coffee seller we all love to hate , I have had to wait , sometimes quite a while, for my choice of coffee to be brewed. Did I mind? Not in the slightest. To be able to have the coffee I want and to have it as fresh as wel? That is a no brainer. I feel the same way about your books.
I don’t mind waiting for the best/!
Thanks Denise I love you and I CANNOT WAITTTTT for these books honestly it’s one of the highlights of my year GOD BLESS YOU !!!!!
Same as everyone else – I’d rather wait and read a good book. But quick question, does this mean that the story of In High Cotton will come after the story in Hell In A Handbasket now (chronologically speaking)?
I am a little OCD when I read books from my favorite authors. Sometimes I will even reread the previous book before starting a new one in a series to refresh my memory if it has been a while. I don’t mind doing this if I am reading quality work. I have stopped reading books from at least 2 authors because it appeared that in their attempt to quickly offer more books in a series, they sacrificed content, detail and emotion that had made their earlier books special. Neely Kate and Rose are special – complicated, conflicted and comical. I, and I’m sure the majority of your readers, want you to feel confident that you have told their story as honestly and earnestly as you have done in the previous books. Take your time……..we’ll wait!😉
I am so good with the move because I was going through Rose withdrawals
Agree! Like that Mason is returning.
I’d rather wait and get a thrilling novel. You’ve never disappointed me. I love reading about Rose and Neely Kate. I just finished all 4 books on Magnolia, one right after the other they were so good I didn’t want to put them down you kept me hanging right to the end. Can’t wait until the 17th!!
I’m surprised you even feel the need to make this a apology. It’s a process – one that you re amazing at, because holy hell, two books in a six month period blows my mind.
It’s been a long time since reading about Rose Gardner. I would love for her books to continue and I’m willing to wait!
I love all your books and would rather wait on Neely Kate’s next adventure. I love Rose and am thrilled to have the book coming out next week.
I would prefer to wait to read a well written book than to read a book that even the author isn’t happy with. I love reading your books. I was hooked with the very first Rose book and eagerly await for the new release. If we have to wait a little longer for Nearly Kate’s and get Rose first then that is fine by me too. I think that you should always have pride in your work and so far you should be very proud of all the books you have produced. For the birds was a great spin off book from the Rose books. Nearly Kate deserved to tell her own stories. Keep up the excellent wtiting 😊.
Since the release date changed, does the reading order change as well?
Yes, the reading order should be:
Family Jewels
Trailer Trash
For the Birds
Hell in a Handbasket
In High Cotton
Thank you for that info,
Just finished For the Birds and I’m glad I found this post. I was going to read In High Cotton next, but I am definitely a chronological reader!
Will an audiobook been done for this book?
The audiobook for In High Cotton has already been released. If you’re referring to the audiobook of Dirty Money, it has been recorded and is currently in review on the audio site.