Buy This Book: Colleen's latest 'Deadlier Than the Male' is a Waldenbooks/Borders Top 10 Bestseller!

So apparently all you have to do is be extremely talented, work incredibly hard, come up with awesome ideas, weave rollercoaster ride plots with resonant atmospherics, generously share your knowledge, and...what am I forgetting...oh, yeah: rescue dogs!

Congratulations, Colleen!

New Cover Love: Deadlier Than the Male

Indulge me for a moment, will you? I'm always excited to receive a new cover, and this one is a landmark for me. First book for a new company. First novella in an anthology (though there are only two novellas here), and a wonderful opportunity to work with my good friend Sharon Sala, an author whose stories I have so long admired.

This duo was pitched as a way to bring to the forefront "everyday" women working in traditionally female roles, who are forced by extraordinary circumstance to find their untapped strength and courage. (And yes, we each include an epigraph from Rudyard Kipling's "The Female of the Species." My contribution, "Lethal Lessons" features the Gothic-styled tale of a young-woman who moves across country to the (fictional) town of Red Rock, Arizona, seeking a fresh start with a new teaching position.... something I did myself (to my parents' horror) right after college. Only I never encountered the kind of hair-raising adventures (or gorgeous former crush, devoted single dad... and suspected murderer) as does Mara Stillwell.

And since I *was* a teacher for so many years, I had a blast with the wickedest PTO mom-from-you-know-where ever put to paper. Not that 99% of them aren't wonderful, but there's always that one that stands out in memory. A few of you may have encountered her in organizing class parties yourselves! :)

The book will be in stores everywhere on November 1st, or you can preorder it here.