Dear Burning Questions,

I have always loved the book The Twilight of Courage by Brock and Bodie Thoene. The characters are so richly drawn out that you begin to believe you know them personally.

Do the authors have any plans for a sequel to Twilight? Every time I read it, I always wonder what happened to the characters and how they survived WWII, since the setting of the book is pre-war Europe. Thank you!

Diane Schultz
Belleville, Illinois

We contacted the husband-and-wife writing team of Bodie and Brock Thoene, who told us, "Twilight of Courage does have a planned sequel, as yet unwritten, to be titled Conflicting Fire. It will pick up after Dunkirk in 1940 and carry on through the Battle of Britain and the Blitz. The release date, however, is in the Lord's hands."

While you're waiting, you may want to check out The Zion Chronicles and The Zion Legacy, two series that contain some of the same characters from Twilight.

If that isn't enough to keep you busy, these inspirational fiction writers have just signed a contract for a 12-book series, The Ad Chronicles. Here's what the Thoenes have to say about the new series, which will begin in July with First Light (Tyndale): "It might interest you to know that the new series is based on 17 years of reader requests. In The Zion Chronicles, we told 1948 stories introduced by first century prologues. Over the years, we've received literally thousands of letters asking for more details about the time when Jesus walked in Galilee and Judea.

"The Ad Chronicles is the result. The research and writing have led us to a profoundly fuller, deeper understanding of the real, historical person of Yeshua of Nazareth . . . and we are certain readers will feel the same."

YOUNG VOICES

Dear Burning Questions,

Do you know anything about Greg Rucka? His last book, Critical Spaces, came out in hardcover in April 2001, and that has been the last I have seen from him. Usually the paperback is out in a year with another new book. He really writes a great, gritty novel. Where is he?

Cheryl Crenshaw
Livonia, Michigan

Suspense writer Rucka is hard at work, but perhaps not in the format you're looking for. At the moment, Rucka is concentrating on his other interest, comics. He's set to take over DC's Wonder Woman series this summer and recently completed three volumes of a new original comic series, Queen and Country. Rucka hasn't completely abandoned novel writing though: A Fistful of Rain is set for release in late July from Bantam Books. A new book in the Atticus Kodiak series is also in the works, but won't appear until early 2005.

A bit of trivia: Rucka's first name was shortened to "Greg" from "Gregory" to make the name fit into the cover design of his first novel, Keepers. He's been Greg ever since.

MAD ABOUT MICHAEL

Dear Burning Questions,

What is southern belle Michael Lee West doing these days? My friends and I have loved all of her books so far, and were expecting a new read last year, but nothing so far. Most of us are nurses as well, so we can certainly appreciate the sense of humor that she expresses so well in her books.

Brenda Binkley
Galion, Ohio

West has come a long way from the walk-in closet where she wrote her first novel, Crazy Ladies. Our guess is that this popular Southern author has been busy writing the screenplay version of She Flew the Coop, which was sold to Showtime and will be directed by Laura Dern. But you and your friends can look forward to reading new adventures of West's eccentric yet engaging characters. The second book in the Crazy Ladies trilogy, Mad Girls in Love, will be published in July by HarperCollins, and West is already hard at work on the third book, Mermaids in the Basement.

LOST AND FOUND

Dear Burning Questions, Many years ago (1950s), I read a great book about a boy who was canoeing across a huge lake in Canada. His canoe capsizes in a storm, and he makes it to shore in his swimsuit, with a sheath knife and his dog. Those were his only resources. The rest of the story is about how he survives and makes it back to civilization. Unfortunately, over the years, I have forgotten both the title and the author's name. Is there any way you can help me find them?

Dave Edwards
Franklin, Massachusetts

A 1956 novel by Farley Mowat, Lost in the Barrens, has a plot that is very similar to your memories. It deals with the adventures of two boys, an orphan and a Cree Indian, whose canoe capsizes on a lake in Canada. They fight grizzly bears, build igloos and tame lost huskies to survive and make their way back home. There's even a sequel, The Curse of the Viking Grave. Mowat was an avid outdoorsman who spent much of his time exploring Canada, the Arctic and Siberia.

For an updated version of the survival story, check out Gary Paulsen's young adult classic, Hatchet(1987). It's the compelling story of a young boy stranded after a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness with only a hatchet.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Dear Burning Questions,

I read recently that Sue Grafton's father wrote mysteries. Could you tell me something about what C.W. Grafton has written?

Jamie Clifton
Milton, Delaware

Mystery writing seems as easy as A-B-C for members of the Grafton family. We passed the question on to Sue Grafton herself, who had this to say about her father's work: "My father, C.W. Grafton, was a municipal bond attorney whose secret passion was writing mystery novels. His first, The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope, won the Mary Roberts Rinehart award in 1943 when it was published. He also wrote The Rope Began to Hang The Butcher, those two books being part of a projected three-book series starring Gil Henry, an attorney. His third published mystery was a stand-alone, Beyond A Reasonable Doubt, in which a young attorney kills his brother-in-law in the heat of passion and later ends up representing himself when he's charged and brought to trial for the murder.

"During the years when I was growing up, my father often talked to me about the process of writing, but the lessons didn't mean much until I started writing myself. Though he died four months before 'A' Is for Alibi was published, his wisdom and counsel have carried me for years. My biggest regret in life is that I never had the opportunity to sit down and discuss his work with him, especially his plotting methods. He was a very clever man and I wish he'd lived long enough to write more."

The latest book in Sue Grafton's alphabet series, 'Q' is for Quarry, was published in October.

Author photo by I. Earle.