Ask the Author: Ben Guterson
Answered Questions (13)
Ben Guterson
Hi Megan, For now, I'm not planning a fourth book in the Winterhouse series--my hope is that THE WINTERHOUSE MYSTERIES, the final book in the trilogy, was a satisfying conclusion to the set! I do have more books coming, though. In fact, THE WORLD-FAMOUS NINE (the first book in a new series) was released today, and I think readers who enjoyed the Winterhouse books will like this new book a lot! Take a peek here for more information (and thank you for writing to me!): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Ben Guterson
Hi Megan, I'm very glad to know you enjoyed the Winterhouse books! I had a lot of fun writing them. For now, I'm not planning a fourth book in the Winterhouse series--my hope is that THE WINTERHOUSE MYSTERIES, the final book in the trilogy, was a satisfying conclusion to the set! I do have more books coming, though. In January, THE WORLD-FAMOUS NINE (the first book in a new series) will be released, and I think readers who enjoyed the Winterhouse books will like this new book a lot! Take a peek here for more information (and thank you for writing to me!): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Ben Guterson
Hi Sukriti--Glad to know you are enjoying WINTERHOUSE! And thanks for reaching out. While it's ideal to read the three books in the Winterhouse trilogy in order, I've tried to make sure each book stands on its own without any major cliffhangers at the end of each story. There's definitely a progression of things as a reader moves from the first book to the second to the third, though. I hope you'll read the books in order--and I definitely hope you'll enjoy the series overall!
Ben Guterson
Many thanks for reaching out, James--and I hope you enjoyed the book! The Tower was 100% based on a real place--take a peek here for more info and a photo: https://benguterson.com/the-einsteins... Tweens Read was fantastic--glad I had a chance to join in all the fun! Best wishes--and thanks, again, for the note. Regards--Ben Guterson
Ben Guterson
While working on the Winterhouse books, I had in mind a hotel known as the Fairmont Château Lake Louise. Although I've never visited the hotel, which is located near Banff in Alberta, Canada, I saw a photograph of it years ago and retained the image in my mind because the place looks so spectacular. I hope to have a chance to go there someday! Incidentally, I've had several readers over the past few years mention the Mohonk Mountain House to me as a destination that seems to have some overlap with Winterhouse. I'll need to add it to my travel list!
Ben Guterson
Many thanks for the kind note, Simone! I'm very glad to know you enjoyed the books and felt the trilogy concluded well. I was hoping to put a satisfying wrap on the final volume! I have no plans to revisit Winterhouse or the primary characters at this point, though I do have a notion to extend certain elements of the overall conceit or world into my upcoming middle-grade novels. Winterhouse is "one of nine"--I'll leave it at that for now, but perhaps you will find interest in the next few books I'll have out. THE VISTA POINT EINSTEINS is set for release by about January of next year, and then THE HIDDEN WORKSHOP OF JAVIER PRESTON about a year after that. A new trilogy most likely will follow those. Again, thanks for the kind notice--and happy reading! There are so many great books out there to enjoy!
Ben Guterson
Hi, Amelia--Thanks for reaching out...and glad to hear you enjoyed the series! I've always found wordplay and word games enjoyable--everything from Scrabble to Hangman to crossword puzzles and acrostics--and I thought it would be fun to work a lot of that stuff into my books. Codes and puzzles seem kind of interesting on their own, but I also thought it would be nice to include them as a way of bringing Elizabeth and Freddy closer together as friends, while also helping them solve some of the mysteries they encounter in the hotel. Mostly, though, I just love playing around with words!
Ben Guterson
Hi, Jason! Many thanks for your question. Although I'm not planning to write more books about Winterhouse, you never know what the future might bring! Right now I'm focusing on my next two books. The first one should be coming out in about a year or so, and it is going to be called The Vista Point Einsteins. It's about a family that moves to a rural area above a huge river--one night the four children in the family see lights flashing on the far side of the river, and they realize someone is trying to send them a message...I can't tell you more than that! The next book, which will come out in about two years, will be called The Hidden Workshop of Javier Preston, and it's about a twin boy and girl who move to a town in the state of Georgia with their parents and end up involved with a mystery about a reclusive artist and a secret code that might open a safe with valuable items inside, and...well, I can't tell you anything more about this one, either! But if you happen to read the books, I hope you enjoy them. Thanks, again, for writing to me--and I hope you are able to read plenty of great books in the months ahead!
Ben Guterson
Hi Mary--Thank you for your kind note. WINTERHOUSE is basically contemporary, taking place in about 2016-2017, though I tried to minimize references that might make the era of the book too conspicuous. Freddy does use a computer, however! I really wanted the book to have something of a "timeless" sensibility, so that the reader might imagine the story taking place half-a-century ago, perhaps. I'm not totally sure why I aimed for this sort of "feel," but I think I wanted the hotel and the overall environment to have a sort of nostalgic glow. I hope I succeeded! Best of luck to you with your writing, by the way--I'm wishing you much success! Regards--Ben
Ben Guterson
I'm not planning a fourth book in the Winterhouse series--my hope is that THE WINTERHOUSE MYSTERIES is a satisfying conclusion to the set! I do have more books coming, though. Here is the announcement from Publisher's Weekly this past September (and I'm very much looking forward to the release of these two books):
"Christy Ottaviano at Christy Ottaviano Books/Macmillan has acquired World Rights to two new middle grade novels by Ben Guterson, Edgar Award-Nominated creator of the WINTERHOUSE trilogy. The first, THE VISTA POINT EINSTEINS, is a suspenseful mystery featuring a grieving family eager to start fresh by relocating to a remote bed-and-breakfast, pitched as Summerlost meets Front Desk and scheduled for 2021. THE HIDDEN WORKSHOP OF JAVIER PRESTON, scheduled for 2022, is an atmospheric mystery layered with art, puzzles, friendship, and family in the vein of Chasing Vermeer and Book Scavenger. Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency negotiated the deal."
"Christy Ottaviano at Christy Ottaviano Books/Macmillan has acquired World Rights to two new middle grade novels by Ben Guterson, Edgar Award-Nominated creator of the WINTERHOUSE trilogy. The first, THE VISTA POINT EINSTEINS, is a suspenseful mystery featuring a grieving family eager to start fresh by relocating to a remote bed-and-breakfast, pitched as Summerlost meets Front Desk and scheduled for 2021. THE HIDDEN WORKSHOP OF JAVIER PRESTON, scheduled for 2022, is an atmospheric mystery layered with art, puzzles, friendship, and family in the vein of Chasing Vermeer and Book Scavenger. Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency negotiated the deal."
Ben Guterson
I'd love to get to Edinburgh for the festival, though it's not on my calendar just yet. Perhaps one of these years I can make the journey! That would be really wonderful--would love to visit.
Ben Guterson
Hello, Catherine! Many thanks for your kind note--I really appreciate hearing from you and am glad to learn your daughter enjoys the Winterhouse books. The third book, entitled THE WINTERHOUSE MYSTERIES, is scheduled to come out at the end of this year, and I hope your daughter finds it a winning conclusion to the trilogy! I'm trying to keep my website, benguterson,com, up to date, so I hope to share more there as the release draws near. Again, thank you for reaching out--and please give my regards to your daughter!
Ben Guterson
Hi, Amanda--Thanks for reaching out, and I'm glad to hear you are enjoying the Winterhouse books. There's definitely a third one on the way--THE WINTERHOUSE MYSTERIES will be released in December, and it will wrap up the trilogy. I hope you enjoy it!
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