An Important Guest Post from Traci Hohenstein!

ROCCO here!
Traci Hohenstein has always been one of our favorite authors; as a matter of fact, I reviewed her very first Rachel Scott novel for Night Owl!  Traci asked if she could guest blog today, because she has a very important announcement to share with all of you

So...here's Traci!

The End of a Series or Just a New Beginning?

Traci Hohenstein

 

When I started to write the first Rachel Scott book I had no idea where it would take me. I hadn’t planned on making it a series. I actually wrote Burn Out first – although the order of books is Asylum Harbor, Burn Out, Cut & Run and Deceptive Measures. All I had was an idea of a missing firefighter and a strong woman who turned her life around when her daughter had vanished. I had no idea that readers would love the story and come to care about Rachel Scott and if she would ever find her daughter. I started writing a second book, Asylum Harbor, when agents and publishers came knocking wanting to represent me and buy the books. I signed a four-book deal with Thomas & Mercer to include Burn Out and Asylum Harbor. It was then that I knew something special was happening. Readers couldn’t get enough of the missing person’s investigator and her team at Florida Omni Search. So I followed up with the third book, Cut & Run, which took place in New Orleans and featured a missing family.  After the success of that novel I knew I had a decision to make. Where to take the last book?

 

Deceptive Measures, the final Rachel Scott novel, was the hardest to write. I knew there had to be some kind of closure with Rachel Scott and her missing daughter. I just wasn’t sure where to take it. I hated to end the series, especially when so many people enjoyed the books. It was after I had finished Deceptive Measures I realized that it didn’t have to end. I could continue to write about missing person’s investigations with a new protagonist.

 

Starting this summer I will be releasing a new series, this time featuring Stacy Case, a member of the Florida Omni Search team. Stacy was a secondary character in the first four books, but now it is her turn in the spotlight. She takes over as lead investigator along with Red Cooper, who is another beloved character and they will continue to search for missing persons. The first book, yet to be titled, features a missing teenager from Alabama. The book is being edited now and slated for release sometime in June 2015. 

 

I hope you will enjoy the final and fourth Rachel Scott novel as much as I enjoyed writing it. And I hope you will continue with the series, featuring Stacy Case as the new lead character. Who knows? Maybe Rachel Scott will make a few appearances.