In fact, it is the very question that filled my inbox within the first 48 hours following the release of this short e-novella, and the email just kept coming… It overflowed the inbox, filled my office, and then advanced down the stairs to start taking over our living room. My wife told me in no uncertain terms that I needed to do something about it, immediately if not sooner. When my wife tells me to do something, I listen. She is, after all, a redhead.
And so, after a bit of negotiation with my publisher – who was also being overwhelmed with “Where’s the rest of it?” email, it was decided that a new series should come into being – that being, The Special Agent Constance Mandalay Novels. In truth, it didn’t take much negotiating. My editor had been hinting at a spin off series for some time.
As my long-time followers already know, SA Mandalay has been a “supporting cast member” in my Rowan Gant Investigations series since the beginning. As a character, she has grown and evolved. Many fans are somewhat enamored of her, which is okay, because I am, too. Hence, the reason she starred in the novella you just finished reading.
So, to address the outpouring of requests for “answers” about Merrie Frances Callahan and her unique situation, it was decided that perhaps the first book in the Special Agent Constance Mandalay Novels should be “the rest of the story.”
IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER is that novel. It starts you out in 1975, giving you the complete back-story of Merrie Frances Callahan and the fateful day when she was abducted. It then takes you through a greatly expanded version of the novella you just finished – some material the same, an enormous amount added and notably different. There is much more detail to the story, and more avenues to follow. Finally, it culminates in a different ending. One that shines the spotlight on what is really happening in the small town of Hulis, Missouri.
IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER:
A Special Agent Constance Mandalay Novel
In 1975 the small town of Hulis was ground zero in a frantic search for 10 year-old Merrie Frances Callahan, as well as an intense manhunt for her abductor.
35 years later, it seems the FBI would like to pretend it never happened.
Special Agent Constance Mandalay didn't get that memo...