Good News About Dixie

Good news just keeps coming about Dixie Hemingway books.

For example, the giant Weltbild company in Germany has bought rights to do a German translation of RAINING CAT SITTERS AND DOGS. Weltbild both publishes and markets books, and has marketed translations of the previous books in the Dixie Hemingway series.

On the heels of that news came word that Thorndike Press, the major large-print publisher, will issue a large-print edition of CAT SITTER AMONG THE PIGEONS, the sixth book in the Dixie Hemingway series. St. Martin’s will release the book in January, and Thorndike’s large-print editions are usually released about the same time as the originals. If you enjoy the enlarged font size, expect it to be available soon. All of the other Dixie Hemingway books are also available in large-print editions from Thorndike.

Last but by no means least, Bookspan has bought book club rights to CAT SITTER AMONG THE PIGEONS. Bookspan operates about thirty book clubs, one of them being the Mystery Guild. So if you’re a book club member, look for news of CAT SITTER AMONG THE PIGEONS in an upcoming catalog.

I’m delighted and grateful for all these things that make it easier for Dixie’s fans to read her latest adventures.

Publications and Awards

RAINING CAT SITTERS AND DOGS, the fifth book in the Dixie Hemingway Mystery Series, hit bookstores January 19, and I sent out scads of emails to readers who wanted to be alerted when it came out. Along the way, however, weird things happened to my email list and to recipients’ email servers. Some mail came back as “no such person” and some came back as “no such address.” Some people got more than one email, some didn’t get any. If you didn’t get a notice, I apologize. If you got more than one, I apologize.

At any rate, the book is out, and I’m getting mail from readers saying they love it. Several people have found the ending sizzling and are already eager for the next book, which I’m working on.

In the midst of all this focus on the fifth book, my editor called to let me know the fourth book, CAT SITTER ON A HOT TIN ROOF is one of the nominees for a Mary Higgins Clark Award. The award was established by Mary Higgins Clark to honor books featuring a female protagonist who doesn’t go looking for trouble, but when it comes to her she takes it on and solves it. A strong woman, in other words, somewhat like Mary Higgins Clark herself.

Ms. Clark will present the award in April during this year’s Edgar Awards in New York. Other nominees are AWAKENING by S. J. Bolton (Minotaur Books), NEVER TELL A LIE by Hallie Ephron (HarperCollins – Wm. Morrow), LETHAL VINTAGE by Nadia Gordon (Chronicle Books), and DIAL H FOR HITCHCOCK by Susan Kandel (HarperCollins). My congratulations to them. I’m sure they feel, as I do, that being nominated is a great honor.