Negronis, art, and the Next Mystery

You know you have the best readers in the world when they politely demand the next book—with extra exclamation marks and not a hint of shame.

So many of you have been asking (some quite insistently, and with the kind of enthusiasm that makes my day) about the next Magical Papillon Mystery. Those of you who asked on social media — thank you!!! To all of you, I say — bless your sweet, book-loving hearts, and fear not. Pixie will return!

Here’s what happened…

Last Christmas, after one (or more) festive Negronis with my very talented artist friend, I made the kind of pronouncement that can only come after equal parts gin, vermouth, and orange. I looked around her house — absolutely overflowing with paintings, colors, and canvases stacked like leaning towers of artistic chaos — and said something like, “Wouldn’t it make a great story if someone inherited a house full of original art, and every painting had a secret behind it, and they had to solve the mysteries one by one…?”

Well. One thing led to another (as Negronis tend to do). Before long, I found myself halfway through writing The Curator’s Inheritance — an art history mystery filled with secrets, eccentric artists, and a few ghosts who might just have opinions about their own work.

Fast forward to today: the manuscript has survived its dramatic tango with my editor and is officially on its way to publication — just in time for Christmas!

So, to everyone who’s ever asked, “Where do you get your ideas?” the answer is simple: they’re everywhere. In museums. In conversation. In dreams. And, apparently, in Negronis.

Now, about our beloved Pixie and the gang in Rosewood Hollow… yes, the next Magical Papillon Mystery is coming! I’m breathing down my editor’s neck — he keeps reminding me I’m not his only client, to which I gently remind him that I should be. We’re aiming for January, which means more magic, more mischief, and more cozy chaos are right around the corner.

Until then, my friends — cheers to inspiration, good company, and just the right amount of mischief in every glass.

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