Dear Burning Questions,
I am forever indebted to BookPage because it was there I discovered Michigan author Jacqueline Carey. Her trilogy Kushiel's Legacy gave my imagination a roller-coaster ride similar to the one I received when I read The Lord of the Rings for the first time. I have Carey fever real bad. Could you please write out a prescription and tell me a cure is coming soon?

Fred Moore
Lansing, Michigan

Quick, read this twice and call us in the morning. Carey's next novel, Banewreaker (Tor), will be published in November. It is the start of her two-part The Sundering series. The follow-up, Godslayer, is due out in 2005. Here's what Carey had to say about the new project:

"This is a classic good vs. evil epic fantasy with one twist: it's a tragedy written from a perspective sympathetic to the losing side. In fact, it's a bit of a tearjerker. With fantasy getting increasing mainstream attention, it felt like a good time to attempt a project that questions the underlying tenets of the genre. Although I love the milieu of the Kushiel trilogy—and I will return to it—I needed to do something different to maintain my creative vitality.

"Fair warning to Kushiel readers: no sex this time!"

RAMONA THE BEST

Dear Burning Questions,
When my children were young, we fell in love with Henry Huggins and especially Ramona Quimby. Now that we are all grown up, I still find humor in the Ramona series, both in the books and on video. Is there any chance Beverly Cleary is planning more adventures for Ramona?

Sharon Major
Dearborn, Michigan

"Beverly Cleary never knows when a new story will come to her," says Lisa Moraleda, Cleary's publicist at HarperCollins. "It was 15 years between Ramona Forever and Ramona's World," she says, "so we keep hoping." Cleary's books have been as popular with critics as with her fans: Dear Mr. Henshaw won the 1984 Newbery Medal and two of the Ramona titles were Newbery Honor Books. Feisty Ramona first appeared as the four-year-old kid sister in Beezus and Ramona. By the time of her most recent appearance, she's in fourth grade and has a kid sister of her own. Meanwhile, two of Cleary's other characters, twins Jimmy and Janet, will appear in Two Times the Fun, their first chapter book, coming in April 2005.

A BITE OF CRIME

Dear Burning Questions,
I know that Ruth Rendell has at least one more Inspector Wexford story to tell. Do you know of one in the works?

Sherry Germany
Oberlin, Louisiana

You may be right, but you're going to have to wait for it. After all, The Babes in the Wood (2003) was the first Inspector Wexford mystery Rendell had written in a few years, Crown publicist Jason Gordon reminds us. That doesn't mean Dame Rendell hasn't been busy. Her next novel, The Rottweiler, will be released in November. While it doesn't feature Inspector Wexford, it is a dark mystery about a series of seemingly random murders in a London neighborhood. This has the residents of a boarding house on edge—especially when they begin to suspect that one of them may be "The Rottweiler," so named for the bite mark found on the first victim's neck. Gordon says another Rendell novel, Thirteen Steps Down, will be published in fall 2005. Alas, Inspector Wexford won't appear in it either.

DELICIOUS DEATH

Dear Burning Questions,
I'd like to know if Diane Mott Davidson has written any novels lately. I've read all of her books and enjoyed the stories and recipes.

Dona Bettin
Clintonville, Wisconsin

Davidson returns in November with Double Shot (Morrow), her 12th Goldy Schulz mystery. In this one, Schulz's charming, handsome and extremely corrupt ex-husband gets out of prison, resulting in all kinds of problems. Threats, violence and eventually murder ensue, leaving Schulz with a full plate as she tries to hold her family together while searching for the killer. On top of that, she still has her catering business to tend to. This creates added stress for her, but added pleasure for readers because Davidson continues her signature mix of recipes and suspense.

J. CALIFORNIA DREAMING

Dear Burning Questions,
Please find out if J. California Cooper is OK. Her books are simply the best—yet there has been nothing new in several years. My book discussion group and I are worried that she may not be well.

Ida Robinson
West Kingston, Rhode Island

Make room on your book discussion group's calendar for Cooper's Some People, Some Other Place (Doubleday), coming in November. The novel tells a family's story as their fortunes and locations change, starting with the great-grandparents' migration from the Deep South to a farm in Oklahoma. The narrator is a member of the family's fourth generation, growing up on Dream Street in a town called Place. Though the family has finally made it to some degree, they still face ongoing struggles in the pursuit of their dreams.

J. California Cooper began her literary life as a distinguished playwright and has 17 plays to her credit. She started writing short stories and novels—all featuring the storytelling prowess first exhibited in her plays—at the encouragement of novelist and poet Alice Walker. Cooper, who has one daughter, lives in California.