Two years after I first came up with the idea for Dana Capone, the book is finally out. Phew! Not like anything major happened between September 2019 and September 2021. I dunno what took me so long.
This it not the first series I’ve written by any means, but I’m actually shocked it took me so long to go this dark. I’ve been called a “typical Scorpio” before, and the people who know me best know that if the conversation doesn’t have me laughing out loud or talking about death or crime or dark psychology or ghosts, I’m only half there. Some might call this a personality flaw, I call it “what it is.”
So that night in early September 2019, when my neighbor Martha Carr (also a fun writer; check out her stuff) and I were chatting after a few drinks in our community pool and the suggestion that I try serial killer fiction came out, everything just clicked. The story would have to have dark humor in it for me to be interested, but that was no problem. And it would have to address relevant social issues head-on, which was also no problem (I’ve been told I’m obsessive).
And so, the next day, I sat down and began piecing together the book that became Killer Delivery.
What I’d written down was nothing like the book I released this week. The only constant was Dana Capone. The name came to me in a flash, and her backstory came with it. A homicide detective who’s the daughter of a serial killer. It’s not the freshest idea, but the way I planned on doing it was something I haven’t seen before.
I wanted to ask the question: What is our responsibility to clean up the legacy of evil that previous generations have left behind? Timely, huh? And it’s a question White women (like me) need to grapple with, asap.
That’s where we find Dana Capone. She’s a White woman who sees through that patriarchal lie; she knows that the people who claim we need their protection are actually the ones we most often need protection from. And that’s a pretty unique position for a police detective to be in. Lots to explore there…
The easy part—writing the books—is over now, and all that’s left is marketing the damn thing. Since I’m an independent author, that’s all up to me. I have to finance the production, hire the editors and cover designer, keep everything moving (I have a few awesome folks who I pay to help me with odds and ends—Hi Stephen and Lori!), upload the book, and that just takes me to the starting gun. After that, I have to run ads, beg for reviews, apply for promotions, and all while writing and revising the next books in the series.
And there will be next books. The second one, Death Order, is already available for preorder (January 2022). My husband’s looking it over for procedural errors this week. I’m already about 18,000 words into the draft of book 3. And if you haven’t read the prequel novella, Legacy Killers, then you should check it out for free by joining the Unsubs, my email list.
There’s a lot of Dana Capone heading your way, but no time like the present to dive into book 1, Killer Delivery. And if you love it, would you leave a review?
And away I go…