The Narthex discussion

Through the Evil Days is the most recent title of the eighth book. It was something else before, I can't remember what now.

This is for general discussion of the upcoming book. There will be a book discussion post when the book comes out. Obviously expect spoilers for the first seven books in this post. Keep anything about the WIP snippets in that post. Anything else truly spoilery for TtED that may come up definitely needs to be put under a cut.

I'm guessing at some point JSF posted on her blog that the eighth book is supposed to take place over seven days. This was back when it had that other title.

I'm wondering if that is still going to be the case. I'm hoping the title change means it isn't, but I doubt it.

Two things concern me about it. 1) That it'll be more like books three and four, which weren't my favorites, than the other five. 2) And most important, the baby won't be born by then!! So I'm already thinking about the anticipation for the ninth book.

Gah! TtED won't be out until April 2013. I'm going to go crazyyyy!

Alicia wrote: "Gah! TtED won't be out until April 2013. I'm going to go crazyyyy!"

We're going to have to do a reread. Will we remember? Haha!

Ashley wrote: "We're going to have to do a reread. Will we remember? Haha!"

I'm still reading Book 3 again right now. I'll probably put off re-reading the rest until it'll lead me into TtED coming out.

Definitely. I'll want it too much if I read them too soon.

I love these books so much! I've devoured the entire series in about two weeks, and they just keep getting better (I'm only part way through One Was a Soldier, so I'm not really looking at posts until I finish tonight to avoid spoilers).

I may or may not have done a little jig at my excitement that someone else has finally joined! Feel free to post in the OWAS post while you're reading if you want.

Alicia wrote: "I may or may not have done a little jig at my excitement that someone else has finally joined! Feel free to post in the OWAS post while you're reading if you want."

Thanks! Have you checked out her blog? There are some good author interviews on there - have you read any of the books by those authors?

I'm afraid I am going to get completely depressed when I finish it, because I just read above that the next book isn't scheduled for release for almost a year. I've been looking for the info everywhere. Sad face. :(

Yay! We have a new person! *dances*

Mayhem wrote: "Alicia wrote: "I may or may not have done a little jig at my excitement that someone else has finally joined! Feel free to post in the OWAS post while you're reading if you want."

Thanks! Have you..."

I haven't paid attention to the other authors on her blog yet (I have such a huge TBR pile as it is). I mostly go for the WIPs and to see if there's news.

When you finished there are some extras to be had (I've posted them in the group), so at least it won't be completely over yet. But even with the WIPWs it's still such a long road to next April. =/

Alicia wrote: "Mayhem wrote: "Alicia wrote: "I may or may not have done a little jig at my excitement that someone else has finally joined! Feel free to post in the OWAS post while you're reading if you want."

T..."

I understand that! My TBR pile is enormous. Notwithstanding, once I decided to read In The Bleak Midwinter (which I bought when it was cheap this spring), I pretty much just plowed my way through the whole series. And Ms. Spencer-Fleming has literally reignited my interest in mysteries. I'd been reading tons of romance because I burned out on mysteries a couple of years ago.

I love mysteries with snowy settings. I think that's one of the reasons I have so enjoyed this series (especially during the July heat). That and Russ & Clare. I want to move to Millers Kill, except the economy seems sort of depressed, and there's a lot of homicide there. ;)

Mayhem wrote: "Alicia wrote: "Mayhem wrote: "Alicia wrote: "I may or may not have done a little jig at my excitement that someone else has finally joined! Feel free to post in the OWAS post while you're reading i..."

That's funny, I mostly read romance now (though that was more of a direct result of law school than anything else). Thankfully I was so interested in ItBM that I read it after I took the bar and plowed through the series.

I totally agree with you, I love the books in the series that are in snowy winter so much. The ones set in the summer months I lament the lack of snow, haha.

NGL, I totally just applied for a job in that area. Not for that reason, obviously, but the fact it was in that region made me smile.

Alicia wrote: "Mayhem wrote: "Alicia wrote: "Mayhem wrote: "Alicia wrote: "I may or may not have done a little jig at my excitement that someone else has finally joined! Feel free to post in the OWAS post while y..."

Another lawyer here. Practicing law since 1992 (20 years!!!!).

Mayhem wrote: "Another lawyer here. Practicing law since 1992 (20 years!!!!)."

Hahaha, I love how that happens! I wish I were practicing. Still haven't found a job. Sigh. Which field?

ETA: And I just realized that the fact I'm jobless is obvious from my previous comment. Mental atrophy might be setting in.

Alicia wrote: "Mayhem wrote: "Another lawyer here. Practicing law since 1992 (20 years!!!!)."

Hahaha, I love how that happens! I wish I were practicing. Still haven't found a job. Sigh. Which field?

ETA: And I ..."

I'm a prosecutor.

Which brings me to one of the only jarring things about these books - the brown uniforms for the MKPD. Where I come from (Oregon) only county sheriff's wear brown. City PDs wear blue. It's like hearing that the Fed Ex guy was in brown - instead of UPS. Not a big deal, though.

Mayhem wrote: "Alicia wrote: "Mayhem wrote: "Another lawyer here. Practicing law since 1992 (20 years!!!!)."

Hahaha, I love how that happens! I wish I were practicing. Still haven't found a job. Sigh. Which fiel..."

It's just the Troopers in Florida that wear brown. It's ugly.

Mayhem wrote: "Alicia wrote: "Mayhem wrote: "Another lawyer here. Practicing law since 1992 (20 years!!!!)."

Hahaha, I love how that happens! I wish I were practicing. Still haven't found a job. Sigh. Which fiel..."

Aw, jealous.

Haha, where I grew up we only have county police, not individual city PDs, and our county's uniform was brown, too, so it fit just right for me.

Reading this latest WIPW I had another thought (which is random because one has nothing to do with the other): I really hope there's continuity on Clare's drug problem. I'm going to be highly annoyed if that's just dropped.

Nooooooooooooooooo, publication has been pushed back to May 13, 2013! =( =( =(

That said, now you exactly what my birthday present for next year is already, Ashley. ;)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Well, happy birthday to you, dammit.

Sigh. It'd have probably been a better birthday present to get it a month earlier. =/

Alicia wrote: "Reading this latest WIPW I had another thought (which is random because one has nothing to do with the other): I really hope there's continuity on Clare's drug problem. I'm going to be highly annoy..."

She's going to have to deal with it because of the risk to the baby if Clare continues to use the way she's been using. Dealing with addiction + being pregnant = potential disaster.

The proposed cover for TtED!

Oooh, I like it! I like the church, and the ground mist, and the hint of foreboding in the deepending dark/cloudy sky. Very atmospheric.

Mayhem wrote: "Alicia wrote: "She's going to have to deal with it because of the risk to the baby if Clare continues to use the way she's been using. Dealing with addiction + being pregnant = potential disaster."

Exactly. That's my thought that I'm going to be upset if it's glossed over like, 'she just got over it and stopped using!' When it's going to have to be a struggle to go cold turkey and the concern for what her prior using may have done to the fetus.

I probably wouldn't have been concerned about it before OWAS, but I felt like so many balls were dropped in that book I now worry for this one.

Mayhem wrote: "Oooh, I like it! I like the church, and the ground mist, and the hint of foreboding in the deepending dark/cloudy sky. Very atmospheric."

Yes! I'm wondering if that's mist or if it's smoke. I prefer to think it's the latter.

JSF posted on FB a couple of days ago:

Hello, Facebook friends, I'm back from my self-imposed writing exile. The 8th Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne novel, THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS, is in my publisher's hands. Its pub date will be November 5th, so easy to remember, remember, at least for my British readers. Speaking of which, the entire series will be coming out in the UK this year! My British publisher is Headline, and yes, I'm hoping they'll want me to come to England in person.

I'd like to say it's because I'm keen to sell books, but really, I just want to get my hands on authentic McVities and Cadbury Fruit and Nut Bars.

I've started researching and sketching the next, as-yet-untitled book, which will be the ninth in the Clare and Russ (and Hadley and Kevin) series. Excelsior!

ACK! First, NOVEMBER?! Last I saw it was supposed to be May. Now it's six months later!

And no no no no no nononononononononono I thought she was leaning that way in OWAS but I really don't want the series to shift toward being about Hadley and Kevin. I only care about them as secondary characters. They already screwed up OWAS! Ugh, I'm so upset about this revelation and I'm worried about future books.