Dear Burning Questions,
I am looking for new books by Mary Monica Pulver, who wrote a mystery series with the main character Peter Brichter. There were about four or five books published, and then they stopped. Is the series still in existence? Or is there a new series penned under a different name? Thanks.

Holly Miotke
via e-mail

We recently heard from Mary Monica Pulver, aka Monica Ferris, via e-mail, and she caught us up on her recent writings: "There were five books in the Peter Brichter series, Murder at the War (renamed Knight Fall in paperback), The Unforgiving Minutes, Ashes to Ashes, Original Sin and Show Stopper. The first one is about to be reissued in a very small press run by a local (Minnesota) small press.
"Not long ago I teamed up with a friend to write six medieval mysteries under the pseudonym Margaret Frazer. The collaboration has ended, but Gail is continuing the series, still writing as Margaret Frazer.
"Currently I am writing a series as Monica Ferris, a very cozy needleworking series set in a small town called Excelsior. So far there are Crewel World, Framed in Lace and A Stitch in Time. On July 8, bookstores should have Unraveled Sleeve, and I am in the closing chapters of A Murderous Yarn."

Aching for Allison

Dear Burning Questions,
I love the straightforwardness of Dorothy Allison's writing, but there hasn't been anything new since Cavedweller. When can we expect something?

Suz
New Castle, Penn.

Allison is writing another book to be published by Penguin Putnam next year.

A bone to pick with Pickard

Dear Burning Questions,
Please, please, answer me this time. I miss my Jenny Cain series by Nancy Pickard. Could you possibly find out if she intends to continue the series? In the meantime, I am so happy that she is writing books left unfinished by Virginia Rich. They are wonderful and so is she for writing them.

Barb C.
via e-mail

How could we refuse such an urgent request? We contacted the author to ask about Jenny Cain's future, and Pickard responded, "Jenny may come back some day, but she and [her policeman husband] Geoff needed a little time off from solving mysteries. She's happily running her own foundation now and so Geoff's having to handle most of the town's homicides on his own. I suppose if it gets to be too much for him, we'll have to bring her out of retirement to lend a hand. It's possible they're busy having children, although if they are they haven't told me yet. The town of Port Frederick also needs a chance to repopulate, since so many of its citizens have gotten killed off!"

An update from the Edge

Dear Burning Questions,
What's up with Judith McNaught's new book Water's Edge? It's been given at least two different publish dates, and it's still not on the bookshelves.

J. Phifer
via e-mail

Earlier we reported that Water's Edge would be published in December, but, alas, it has now been rescheduled once again. Pocket Books tells us the book has been indefinitely postponed and will most likely be published in 2002.

The bloodhound gang

Dear Burning Questions,
Could you tell me when Virginia Lanier will be releasing another one of her Bloodhound books? I love her books! They are so entertaining and informative. Thanks.

Debbie King
via e-mail

I have been looking for a new book from Virginia Lanier. I thought she was supposed to have one in October 2000 but haven't seen anything yet. Could you please find out any information on when a new book is coming out? I really love JoBeth and her bloodhounds.

Mary Dwyer
via e-mail

I have not read anything from Virginia Lanier in over a year. What has happened to her?

Kayla Gordon
Fitzgerald, Georgia

We've been bombarded by requests from readers who are out for bloodhounds. It seems that everyone wants to know about Virginia Lanier these days, and she's not the easiest author to track down. Our contact at HarperCollins, which plans to publish her next book, says, "All I can tell you is that we do have Virginia's next book under contract, but no publication date as yet." Late 2002 is the earliest likely release date.