From Charlie: "Does waiting for the release date create its own stress, or is this just on the back burner as you gear up on the next book?"

Stressarama, Charlie. I'm working on the next one, but the upcoming release of ABSENT FRIENDS is never far from my mind. I think it's always that way for writers waiting for a book to come out, especially one that means a lot to them. The problem, of course, is that it takes a year or more from the time you finish a book for it to be published, so it's not like you can take a vacation after you turn it in and when you come back there it is. You have to start another one, because, well, what else are you gonna do? You're a writer, you write. And I think it would be worse not to be writing now, because at least when I'm working I can distract myself from the worry.