I hope you are as excited about the arrival of Moll Dyer’s story as I am! This was a book that I wrote in only four months. I’m a slow writer, and it typically takes me six to eight months to complete a manuscript, which means I was writing at about twice my usual speed. I had to do so, as I wanted to bring this book to you in February, instead of waiting until my typical July release date.
Something funny happened with the development of this book. I not only wrote it fast, but it also ended up being one of the longer books I’ve ever written. Why so long? Well…
I don’t want to give too much away, but I ended up running a parallel timeline between Moll and another family in colonial Maryland—a family that becomes important to Moll later in her life.
I was quite proud of the worlds I was creating, let me tell you.
Enter my sharp-eyed editor. “Nope! Stop! This should be Moll’s story, you don’t need this other family in here.”
Me: “You mean you don’t recognize the brilliance of my plotting? The depth of emotion between characters? The poignant parallels between Moll and the Woodall family?”
Editor: “Yes, yes, I recognize all that. But you need to be focused on Moll.”
Me: “Sigh.”
So, I carved a lot of plot out of the book and, as usual, my editor was right. It read so much better as just Moll’s story. However, all is not lost for me, because I’ve decided to take the eliminated story, add some more to it, and create another book titled, Before the Madness: A Moll Dyer Prequel. Look for more details later this year.
Meanwhile, you can pre-order The Madness of Moll Dyer at Amazon or your other favorite online retailer.
Moll Dyer Launch Event Reminder
If you are in the area, I hope you will consider attending my book launch!
February 21, 2026
2pm-4pm
Marie & Nash
22675 Washington Street
Leonardtown, Maryland
Lots of Moll Dyer activities this weekend in Leonardtown as it is Moll Dyer weekend. I will be signing all books in the Heart of St. Mary’s County series.
If I haven’t met you before, I’d love to do so at one of my signings. If you’ve been to a previous signing, I hope to see you again! Click here to see my calendar of appearances.