Happy summer everyone. I’m always happy it’s summer, but this year even more so.

I recently did a promotion for Her Dear & Loving Husband, and nearly 2000 copies were downloaded in five days. The book was as low as #88 overall in the entire Amazon store, and it hung out at #1 in Historical Fantasy Fiction, #1 in U.S. Historical Fiction, and #2 in Paranormal Vampire Romance for most of that time. Even as I write this several days later, the book is #338 overall in the Amazon store and #1, #2, and #4 in its categories. If you’re one of the readers who recently downloaded Her Dear & Loving Husband, welcome!

I received some great questions from readers recently, so I thought it was time to do the FAQs for And Shadows Will Fall.

Where did the idea for And Shadows Will Fall come from?

And Shadows Will Fall was one of those books that took a little time to come together, mainly because it’s a mix of a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

When I began writing Down Salem Way, I thought the book would be written in the same style as the Loving Husband Trilogy, which has third-person narration with past and present storylines. At some point along the way, I realized I wasn’t happy with DSW that way. I’m not even sure I can say why I wasn’t happy. It’s just one of those things that happens sometimes when I’m writing. Something wasn’t working with DSW and I needed to fix it, so I put the manuscript away and worked on other things. Down Salem Way ended up becoming a historical novel written as James’ diary from the time of the Salem Witch Trials.

As I said in the author’s notes at the end of And Shadows Will Fall, the idea for ASWF came from a fan. A lovely fan said that James must have had a hard time adjusting after his change in Her Loving Husband’s Return, and, pretty please, couldn’t I write a book like that?

I was busy writing other projects, but one day I realized that not only could I write a book like that, but I wanted to write a book like that. How does someone adjust to being human again after being decidedly not human for more than 300 years? That was the main question that guided me while I wrote ASWF.

As I pieced together the story for ASWF, I remembered the present-day passages I had written for the first draft of Down Salem Way. I pulled the passages out of their computer files, dusted them off, and found that they would work well for ASWF.

If you like And Shadows Will Fall, you have the fan to thank. If you don’t like it, it’s all the fan’s fault.

Is And Shadows Will Fall a stand-alone?

And Shadows Will Fall is not a stand-alone. Where Down Salem Way, the prequel to the Loving Husband Trilogy, and The Duchess of Idaho, the sequel to the Loving Husband Trilogy, are both stand-alones, And Shadows Will Fall will not likely make as much sense to readers not familiar with the trilogy.

As I was writing ASWF, I felt very strongly that this story was a gift for fans of the Loving Husband Series. There are readers who have been following James and Sarah Wentworth since Her Dear & Loving Husband was published in 2011. The fact that ASWF was inspired by a fan’s comments is incredible to me.

I knew going in that And Shadows Will Fall will not be a huge seller because it’s not a stand-alone, and I’m okay with that. Fans who have visited my online bookstore recently have discovered how much of a gift this book really is. And Shadows Will Fall is a story about gratitude. Gratitude is a good topic for me because I am so grateful for the Loving Husband Series readers all over the world.

What is the right order to read the books in the Loving Husband Series?

My answer is: it depends. Great answer, right?

Readers have their own preferences about the order they like to read the books in a series, so I think readers should read the books in whatever order they prefer. I think most readers begin with the first book of the trilogy, Her Dear & Loving Husband. Others with an interest in the Salem Witch Trials have started with the prequel, Down Salem Way. Some with an interest in the Oregon Trail began with the sequel, The Duchess of Idaho. Whatever floats your boat.

If you’d like to read the books in the order they were published, which works well in my opinion, here it is:

1. Her Dear & Loving Husband
2. Her Loving Husband’s Curse
3. Her Loving Husband’s Return
4. Down Salem Way (prequel)
5. The Duchess of Idaho (sequel)
6. And Shadows Will Fall

My best way of describing And Shadows Will Fall is to say it’s Book 4 of the trilogy, which makes no sense, I know, but that’s why I need a calculator to balance my checkbook.

If you’d like to read the books in chronological order of events, here it is:

1. Down Salem Way
2. Her Dear & Loving Husband
3. Her Loving Husband’s Curse
4. Her Loving Husband’s Return
5. And Shadows Will Fall
6. The Duchess of Idaho

Will there be another Loving Husband book?

Yes!

That’s all I can say right now. I’m currently working on two projects: my next nonfiction book about writing called The Swirl and Swing of Words and my next novel, which is a change of genre for me. I’m having more fun than should be legal writing it. The new-to-me genre is Dark Academia and…that’s all I can say right now. More than that would be spoilers!

If you’ve been following me for any length of time you know I’m terrible at guessing when books will be done. As soon as they’re ready for the world, you guys will be among the first to know.

Thank you as always to the readers who contact me through the Contact link at the top of the page. I love answering reader questions, so keep them coming!