Dear Burning Questions,
I have a question that has been killing me concerning the Earth's Children books by Jean Auel. My mother and her best friend read the books when they were younger. Now her daughter and I (best friends also) read them together.

We have disagreed on how to pronounce some of the names. Like the medicine woman Iza. Also the clan leader Brun—I pronounce it like the word "prune." She says you are supposed to say it like "run." Then Broud, I pronounce it as "proud," proud Broud! She says it's pronounced "brood." If you know anything, please reply!

Amanda Grzadzielewski
Rosholt, Wisconsin

Hope we've made it in time to salvage your friendship! BQ contacted Jean Auel, author of the acclaimed Earth's Children series starring prehistoric heroine Ayla, and can now settle this dispute for once and for all.

According to Auel, Iza is pronounced "Eat-za." Brun rhymes with moon, but the "oo" sound is a little shorter, like the German ü. Broud does rhyme with "proud." And just in case there was any doubt about the correct pronunciation of the author's name, Auel is pronounced like "owl," not "all."

Read in peace!

TEEN SCENE

Dear Burning Questions,
I have a favorite author, Valerie Hobbs, and I was wondering if she has a new book coming up in the near future.

Elinor Homann
New Berlin, New York

Valerie Hobbs, a popular writer of books for teens, does have something in the works. Stefan's Story, which will be published by Frances Foster Books this month, is a sequel to Carolina Crow Girl. Stefan, now 13, is going to Oregon to visit his friend Carolina for the first time since they set free a rescued crow two years ago. But will things be the same between them?

PLAIN SPEAKING

Dear Burning Questions,
Does Belva Plain have a book coming out this year?

Dennis Adams
Morristown, Tennessee

Nothing's on the horizon for this year, but you can start 2004 off right with Sight of the Stars, which will be published in January by Delacorte. Plain is the author of over 20 novels, most of them bestsellers full of family drama and long-kept secrets. We're sure Stars will be just as compelling.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

While we here at BQ do our utmost to help our readers find the books and authors they're looking for, there are questions even we can't answer. Here are a few that have stumped us. If you think you might know the answer, write or e-mail us—we'll print the responses in an upcoming issue. Don't forget to include your full name and hometown!

Dear Burning Questions,
Many years ago I read a book based on a true story set in the 1700s about a young girl (French, I think) who lost her parents and was left very wealthy. Her guardian wanted her money, so he sent her to America, bribing the ship's captain to throw her overboard. Instead, he left her on an island off the coast of Canada. She survived six years until she was picked up by another ship. Could you identify it?

Grace Godwin
Portland, Connecticut

Dear Burning Questions,
Please help me find the series whose protagonist is a female hitwoman. She became a hitwoman by accident when she shot her landlord. Thank you!

Rose-Ann Tuck
Stapleton, Alabama

Dear Burning Questions,
About five years ago I read a mystery novel whose protagonist is a black welfare mother. When the story opens, she has just been arrested and is being sick in the ladies' room. She escapes from the police and ends up being an amateur sleuth. Any help?

Nancy Leigh
Fair Lawn, New Jersey

Dear Burning Questions,
Many years ago I read a book about a young boy growing up in a circus family; his parents were lion tamers, but he hung around with a family of trapeze artists. He became a trapeze artist himself and had a homosexual relationship with one of the sons. It was a great story. Can you help find it?

Joan Nye
North Haven, Connecticut

FOR THE RECORD

In our July issue, we misstated the name of Lisa Gardner's new suspense novel. The correct title is The Killing Hour.

BITS ABOUT KITTLE

Dear Burning Questions,
I loved Katrina Kittle's first two books, Two Truths and a Lie and Traveling Light. Quite some time ago I heard that she was working on a third book and I've been waiting anxiously.

Lonna McDowell
Santa Cruz, California

We have good news and bad news for you and the others who've asked about this popular novelist. The good news is that she has completed a third book. The bad news is that it won't be published by William Morrow until late 2004. To tide you over (and whet your appetite!) we'll tell you what we were able to learn about the new novel.

"It's really about rebuilding family," Kittle told BQ from her Ohio home. Sarah and her three children have only just begun to recover from the loss of Sarah's husband. The discovery that a neighbor boy, Jordan, has been sexually abused by his parents, shocks everyone, especially Sarah—Jordan's mother had been a friend to her after her husband's death. Sarah takes Jordan in, but as she tries to help the troubled boy, she and the rest of the community question their responsibilities to their families and to each other.