Dear Burning Questions,

I was talking with a customer recently (a fellow John D. MacDonald fan) about the Travis McGee series, and she said she had heard a rumor that MacDonald had written one last, as yet unpublished book in the series (after The Lonely Silver Rain). It's supposed to have "black" in the title, and Travis dies. Any truth to this? I sure hope not.

Sean Mick
Manager, Kennedy's Books
Carson City, Nevada

Let us dispel this nasty rumor once and for all. Leona Nevler, MacDonald's good friend and paperback editor for many years, says "that old (false) rumor keeps rearing its ugly head. There is no truth to the rumor about an unpublished manuscript in which Travis dies -- or even one in which he lives! That was something John MacDonald said in an interview years ago -- but it was a joke."

The Great American Novel

Dear Burning,

I've heard that E.L. Doctorow has a new novel in the works. What is it?

via the Internet

The Doctor is in. Doctorow's next novel, City of God, will be published in February by Random House. As you might expect, the author again captures an era -- this time, our own. Set in the fall of 1999, the novel begins in mystery: The cross behind the altar of a church in lower Manhattan disappears and is later found on the roof of a synagogue on the Upper West Side. The story unfolds from there, with many surprises along the way.

Summer suspense

Dear Burning Questions,

Iris Johansen keeps me riveted with her on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense. I especially liked And Then You Die and The Ugly Duckling. I'm dying for another one!

via the Internet

Atlanta-based writer Iris Johansen -- author of more than 60 books, most recently The Killing Game (her first hardcover) -- is currently working on her next novel. It will star secondary characters from The Killing Game and will be published in the summer of 2000.

Hoppin' down the bunny trail

Dear Burning Questions,

Getting anxious. When can we expect Jan Karon's next book?

via the Internet

Rest easy. Though you'll have to wait a little longer for the next Mitford book, you'll love Karon's Mitfordesque new children's story, to be released in January. Jeremy: The Tale of an Honest Bunny (Viking) tells the tale of, you guessed it, an honest bunny. This little guy hightails it from England to North Carolina to find his new owner.

Gone where?

Dear Burning Question:

Whatever has happened to novelist Robert R. McCammon (Swan Song, Stinger, Boy's Life)? I haven't heard from him since 1992's Gone South.

Scott Wiers
Grandville, Michigan

McCammon took time off after Gone South to be a full-time dad (for which we applaud him), but he has been writing. In his recent works, as yet unpublished, McCammon moves beyond the horror genre into new territory. A great source for McCammon fans may be found on the Web. Lights Out!, which was the official McCammon newsletter from 1989 through 1991, is now the official McCammon Web page: www2.wku.edu/www/lights-out. McCammon is the author of 13 novels and numerous short stories.

Star power

Dear Burning Questions,

Nora Roberts. Love her. What's next?

Candy Grissom
Nashville, Tennessee

Love is what it's all about. You wished for it, you got it: Next month, Roberts brings us an anthology, Once Upon a Star (Jove), in which her story "Ever After" appears. If tales of castles and spells warm the cockles of your heart, you'll want to catch this one.

Sick 'em, Carl

Dear Burning Q.,

I love Carl Hiaasen and all his wackiness. What's next?

Mary Motley
Sonoma, California

This January, the environmentally conscious Carl brings us Sick Puppy (Alfred A. Knopf). This novel introduces us to a, shall we say, eclectic cast of characters, human and otherwise: dung beetles, greedy politicians, eco-terrorists, toads, a hooker, and a millionaire to name but a few.

News for the die-hard fan: Hiaasen opens up a can of whoop ass in this month's release, Kick Ass (University Press of Florida), a collection of columns. (Reviewed in this issue!)

Correction:

In our August romance column, we listed incorrect price and ISBN information for The Edge by Catherine Coulter. The correct information is: (book) Putnam, $22.95, 0399145060; Putnam Audio, $24.95, 0399145192; Brilliance Audio, unabridged, $39.95, 1567404308.