The Nuts and Bolts of Building a New Book Series

Dear Reader

I live near the Pennsylvania Dutch Country.  Over the years one sight that I’ve seen is what the Amish call a barn raising, where a good many families from the community come together to help someone construct a barn.  It’s an impressive thing to witness how quickly the barn is built when all the right people and all the right resources come together.

I think the same concept applies to starting a new book series.  When the right ideas and the right creative energy come together good things happen.  For the last few years I’ve had the great pleasure of writing the Bess Bullock Retirement Home Series.  While those books have been quite successful for my publisher, Cozy Cat Press, there was another book series in the back of my mind that needed to be developed.

DEATH AT THE PRESIDENTS CHURCH is the first book in a new series that I began after meeting a very nice woman named Charlotte Bouton.  Well into her seventies, Charlotte had been a political insider.  She spoke passionately about Washington, politics and didn’t hesitate to speak her mind on political figures.  As a young woman she worked in the House of Representatives, worked with some famous political figures, and always had season tickets to cheer on her Washington Redskins.  In my mind, she was the perfect person to build a character around.

Thus the character of Charlotte Dupree was born.  Paired with her sister Ruth, they find themselves drawn to the death of a homeless man on the steps of their church.  Using their social connections, as well as their experiences with former presidents, Charlotte and Ruth begin to unravel a mystery that leads them from a downtown homeless shelter to the one of the most influential families in Washington.

I hope you enjoy DEATH AT THE PRESIDENTS CHURCH as much as I enjoyed writing it.  Look for another installment of the Dupree Sisters in the near future.

Sincerely,

Allen B. Boyer