Haitian Graves

I have been sorely neglecting this blog of late.  As an excuse, I do have rather a lot going on. And it's summer, so when I haven't been writing or doing any of the other varied chores associated with the writer's life, I've been outside.

But now, it's time for a new book announcement.  Haitian Graves, my new novella for the Rapid Reads line of Orca Books will be released on August 25th.

This is the second Ray Robertson book.  The first, 2014's Juba Good, saw Sergeant Ray Robertson of the RCMP working with the UN in South Sudan. If you recall I was lucky enough to spend some time in South Sudan in 2011 and 2013, and while I was there I met with some RCMP officers.

Since then the security situation in South Sudan has deteriorated and when Orca wanted another Ray Robertson book, I didn't think I could set one there.  But I just happened to be going to Haiti, so I took Ray along.

Here's some pictures of my trip that inspired some of the scenes in the book.

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A busy desk: what I'm working on.

(Reposted from Type M 4 Murder)

A heck of a lot.

I am juggling a lot of writing balls these days, so I thought this would be a good time to let you know what I’m up to.

Other than a couple of day trips over the spring and summer, I have no book tours planned until the Suffolk Mystery Festival in August.  I am hoping to squeeze in a vacation to London in the fall. I love to travel, both for book events and for holiday, but I have to stay at home sometime and work!

The weather here in Southern Ontario has been nothing but gloomy for the past week. Which is a pretty good thing for the productivity.

As I write this, I have just finished four days of solid writing and managed to do 14,000 words. Which is pretty mind-boggling, as most authors will tell you. That’s about 14,000 good words. Very few of it will be discarded when I do edits.

A lot of people have written to ask me if there will be another Molly Smith, and I am happy to say 

I’m working on the eighth book in that series now. The nice people at Poisoned Pen also asked me for another. How can I say no?

Here’s what on my plate:

Constable Molly Smith #8 – half finished first draft.

Lighthouse Library. #2 – Booked for Trouble.  Completely finished and waiting for copy edits back. Publication date September 2015.

Lighthouse Library #3 – Reading up a Storm. Finished and now with my editor. She may, or may not, want changes major or minor.

Lighthouse Library #4. No contract as of yet. That will depend on how books 1 and 2 do. It’s all up to the readers now (Hint, Hint).

Christmas Town #1 – Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen. Completely finished, edited and waiting for copy edits back. Publication date November 2015.

Christmas Town #2 – We Wish You a Murderous Christmas.  Ready for me to give it one last polish before going to the editor.

Christmas Town #3. Nothing done yet. (But heck, it’s not due until April. That’s April 2016)

Ray Robertson #2 (A Rapid Reads Novella) – Haitian Graves. Completely finished and in production. Publication date August 2015

Ray Robertson #3 – outline and opening chapters sent to editor for her approval.

Oh, and one last thing.  Proposal for a new cozy series. Three chapters and series outline are now with my agent.  No hints until (if) I have a contract! So stay tuned. 

By Book or By Crook

It's here! By Book or By Crook, the first in the Lighthouse Library series was released on Feb 3rd.

The reviews have been excellent.

Library Journal Starred Review: Charming, entertaining, and smart

Lesa's Book Critiques: Eva Gates excels at setting this new series in a delightful small town setting and enchanting library. If you're looking for an enchanting getaway, a mystery to help you escape the winter doldrums, you can't go wrong with this first in a new series, By Book or by Crook. Cats, Jane Austen, books, and a lighthouse library. It doesn't get much more appealing.

A Cozy Girl Reads: Author Eva Gates makes you feel like you are there and are a part of the library, the mystery and the story, that is what made this book so engaging to me. I can't wait to read and review the next in the series.

Aunt Agatha's Bookstore: A little extra verve, and a brisk, hard to put down way of telling a story that will have you flipping pages.

Fresh Fiction: BY BOOK OR BY CROOK has a wonderful charm that pulled me in right away.

The Quillery: Setting the library in a historic lighthouse gives the library itself a character of its own that helps to set this series apart from other cozy mysteries of its class and gives it the potential to stand out. This book was a fun introduction to what I think will prove to be an interesting and, hopefully, long lived series.

Night Owl Reviews:

Eva Gates has written a truly magnificent Southern mystery that will immerse its’ readers right into the very heart of the Outer Banks, and have them hearing the ocean waves, smelling the salt air, and tasting the delectable shrimp and grits! 

Have you discovered Lucy and the Lighthouse Library yet?

Another contest!

By Book or By Crook comes out next Tuesday!  So I'm having one more (for now) contest for some lovely Outer Banks swag.  When I've visited the Outer Banks doing research for the Lighthouse Library series, I've come home with an enormous amount of touristy stuff. I'd love to give some of it away to people interested in learning about the background and the real setting of the new series.

The contest is open to anyone who "Likes" the FB page https://www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor or Vicki Delany's page https://www.facebook.com/Vicki.Delany

If you are not on Facebook, and don't want to be, that's okay, because you can send an email to to evagatesauthor@gmail.com.

Today's question is: What was the best book you read in 2014? To be fair, (because I really do want to know) don't mention a book by me.

Here's a pic of today's swag. Contest closes Friday evening.

Contest Time!

When I've visited the Outer Banks doing research for the Lighthouse Library series, I've come home with an enormous amount of touristy stuff. I'd love to give some of it away to people interested in learning about the background and the real setting of the new series.

The second contest is now underway.  The contest is open to anyone who "Likes" the FB page https://www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor or Vicki Delany's page https://www.facebook.com/Vicki.Delany

If you are not on Facebook, and don't want to be, that's okay, because you can send an email to to evagatesauthor@gmail.com.

Today's question is: What place have you never been but would love to vacation one day.  There is no wrong answer!

Here's a pic of today's swag. Contest closes tomorrow evening, but there will be more.

A New Year's Gift

Wow!  I couldn't' have started the new year out in a better way.

I opened my computer to find that Library Journal had given By Book or By Crook by Eva Gates a starred review!

Here's what they had to say:

Gates, Eva. By Book or by Crook: A Lighthouse Library Mystery. Obsidian: NAL. Feb. 2015. 352p. ISBN 9780451470935. pap. $7.99; ebk. ISBN 9780698165885. M

Reference librarian Lucy Richardson has decided to leave Boston behind, along with her Harvard University job, almost fiancé, and unending social circles, to stay with her aunt on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Then she lands a delightful position at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, although Lucy is one of the few who are pleased. When the chair of the library board is killed at a reception honoring the installation of a collection of first edition Jane Austen novels, and then one of the Austen novels is stolen, Lucy suddenly realizes that reading mysteries has definitely not prepared her for a real-life one. VERDICT This charming, entertaining, and smart series launch by Gates, who also writes under the Vicki Delany pen name, features an unusual (and real) setting and colorful cast of characters that set it apart from other bookish cozies.

The book will be released on Feb 3rd, and is now available for pre-order in paper and ebook formats.