It’s been a very busy and exciting few months since The First Murder came out. There have been readings, signings, and discussions in bookstores, libraries, senior housing complexes, and private homes. And I was thrilled to learn that my book got a Reader’s Choice Five-Star rating!.

One of the programs I’ve done is “What Makes a Mystery a Mystery.” How is that genre unique in literature?

It’s also been a real treat to participate with fellow authors in Sisters in Crime’s “Making a Mystery,” an interactive improv program in which attendees “write” a mystery story together. So much fun!

(It’s amazing how the choice of a character’s name can change the tone of a story. A cozy with Gretl the baker turned into a much darker story with the introduction of Dante.)

My short story, “Skin Deep” also appeared in the anthology Totally Psycho Logical. In it, my character Leni dips her toe into cosmetic plastic surgery, only to find out too late she’s up to her eyeballs in trouble.

Many readers have asked if there will be a sequel to The First Murder. I’m working on it now! It’s tentatively titled The Second Light, and it takes place in the same Berkshire Hille village of Queensbridge. Many of characters you met in the first book will make a return appearance.

And now, I’m starting this newsletter about all things mysterious. I’m hoping to send it out quarterly—I promise that your inbox won’t get flooded. If you’d like to receive it, just email me here at cgoodmankaufman@gmail.com, with the word “Newsletter” in the subject line.

In the meantime, I wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year filled with many new adventures—and maybe some mysterious ones, as well!