Dear Burning Questions,
Have you heard whether or not Jack Whyte has anything new coming out set in the early Roman era?

Mark Cooley

In November, Forge Books will publish the trade paperback reissue of The Eagles' Brood: Book Three of the Camulod Chronicles. His publicist tells us there will be two new books in his Camulod Chronicles series after that, though the publication dates are yet to be scheduled. The first one will be titled The Golden Eagle, and both these new books will focus on the life of Arthur. Whyte is a Scots-born, award-winning Canadian author. He lives in British Columbia.

NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH NORA

Dear Burning Questions,
Hi. Wondering if Lora Roberts (NOT Nora) has written any Liz Sullivan mysteries since 1998? This is a very different heroine, and I hope there are more books coming soon!

Glenna Combs
Middletown, Ohio

In October, Daniel & Daniel Publishing will publish Lora Roberts' next Bridget Montrose mystery, Another Fine Mess. Though Liz Sullivan does make a cameo appearance in this one, Roberts does not have immediate plans to publish another Sullivan book. Her publicist, however, assures us that it is not out of the realm of possibility.

MYSTERIOUS MAGGIE

Dear BQ,
What's up with Wendy Hornsby? Her last novel in the Maggie MacGowen series was published in 1997. Is she planning on writing any more in this terrific series, or is she on permanent sabbatical?

Kymm Stokke
Ames, Iowa

We caught up with Hornsby, a professor of history at the Long Beach City College in California, who told us her hiatus from the Maggie MacGowen series has been due to a large grant project she's been directing. She reports that she recently began a one-year sabbatical from her teaching position and her "first project is to finish the next Maggie MacGowen mystery." If the wait's getting you down, check out Nine Sons (Crippen & Landru), her collection of short mystery stories that was published in April.

OUI, OUI

Dear Burning Questions,
Any news on when Julie Hilden, author of The Bad Daughter, will release a second novel?

Lisa Garrett
Pendleton, South Carolina

Hilden, an attorney and legal columnist for CNN and FindLaw.com, was happy to answer your question. She tells BQ she has indeed finished a new novel, entitled Three. She describes it as "the dark story of a marriage that goes from bad to worse, ending in menage a trois and murder, and of how the survivor fares afterward, haunted by the death." At this point, the novel has been sold to French publisher Actes Sud for French translation and is "currently being considered" by U.S. publishers. Unless you can remember all that French from high school, you may have to endure a little wait for an English version of the book, but rest assured that your patience will eventually be rewarded.

LITERARY MURDER

Dear Burning Questions,
D. R. Meredith has written a couple of paperbacks with the character Megan Clark. She is a librarian who solves murders with the help of her Book Discussion Group. Her last book came out in 2001. Is she planning any more in this series? If so, when can we expect her next title? Her books are great!

Olga A. Martinez

Meredith, who lives in Amarillo, Texas, tells BQ that recent health problems have kept her from releasing a book this year. However, a new Megan Clark mystery, tentatively titled Murder Time and Again, should be out by next summer. While the last Megan Clark book was released in March 2001, Meredith also put out a book of short stories, entitled A Woman's Place and Other Mysterious Tales (Five Star), in December. You may have to have your local bookstore order it for you, but it should be worth the extra effort.

HANKERING FOR HARRY

Dear Burning Questions,
When will the fifth Harry Potter be coming out? I have been waiting for more than a year, and I heard that it would be coming out in July, but it's already the end of the summer!

A young reader

This eagerly awaited book has been delayed several times. It was originally scheduled for a July 2001 release, then pushed back to September 2002, but now it seems as if Harry's legions of fans will have to wait until 2003 to enjoy the next installment of their favorite series. Last year, J.K. Rowling released two companion books to the Harry Potter universe, Quidditch Across the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and many speculate this contributed to the delay on the fifth volume. Early information about the Potter books is notoriously scarce, however, so our only advice is to wait it out, as difficult as that may be.

IT'S A KEEPER

Dear Burning Questions,
Black Hawk Down was riveting reading. I hadn't been able to get into anything in a while, and I found it gripping. What is Mark Bowden's next book going to be about?

Charles Nelson
Columbia, South Carolina

Bowden is quickly becoming the master of turning true-life events into riveting reading. In October, Atlantic Monthly Press will publish Bowden's latest. Finders Keepers: The Story of a Man Who Found $1 Million is the incredible true tale of a dock worker whose life changed dramatically when he found a bundle of cold hard cash on the street.

BQ also recommends you check out Bowden's previous book, Killing Pablo, a fascinating account of America's involvement in the search for drug lord Pablo Escobar. Bowden, who is 50, was a reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer for 20 years. Both Pablo and Black Hawk Down (nominated for the 1999 National Book Award and made into an acclaimed film) began as articles for the newspaper. The author lives in Pennsylvania and writes a weekly opinion column for the Inquirer.