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What are the titles of Jan's novels in the order of publication? Goodnight, Irene Sweet Dreams, Irene Dear Irene, Remember Me, Irene Hocus Liar Bones Flight Nine 18 Bloodlines Kidnapped (coming October 2006) Note: for a list of books and brief publishing info in PDF format to print out and use for ordering, click here. You need Adobe's free Acrobat Reader to view the PDF; download it for free here. Are Jan's books available in other languages? To learn about translations of these books into languages other than English, please click here: International Editions. What about these books: Unharmed, A Fine Set of Teeth, 18, Breaking and Entering? "Unharmed" and "A Fine Set of Teeth" are short stories which were available in bound, limited editions produced by ASAP Publishing. These are signed collectors' editions. The book 18 is a collection of Jan's short stories. Breaking and Entering is a booklet about getting published; Jan edited the first edition of the booklet for Sisters in Crime. There is now a new edition available, edited by Denise Swanson. Sometimes I see a book called Harm mentioned. Why isn't that listed here? For a brief period of time, Harm was the working title of Bones. The book was not published with that title. Is Nine an Irene Kelly book? No. Nine is a stand-alone thriller featuring new characters. Available now! Will there be more Irene Kelly books? Yes. I can't find some of the earlier books. Where can I get them? The earlier books have all been reprinted by Pocket Books. You should be able to order any of them from mystery bookstores or online. Why did you drop Irene's name from the titles? When I wrote the first three books, I had only one title with the name "Irene" in it—Goodnight, Irene. The next one was going to be Season of the Witch, and for a time, Dear Irene, was known in this household as Fall From Olympus. My first editor thought it would be a good idea to put Irene's name in all the titles. I won't say that my original titles were the greatest, or that this change wasn't for the best. But there were problems with it. First, there was another series out with the name Irene in the titles--a series by Carole Nelson Douglas, featuring Irene Adler of Sherlock Holmes fame. Another problem was that whenever a new book came out, readers often thought they had already read it—because the titles were so similar. Every year, I'd try to talk my editor out of this plan. She left the publishing house, and I got a new editor. I tried again. I almost convinced her. For a little while, I was telling everyone that the next book would be called Three Kind of Lies. At the last minute, this editor talked to one bookseller (!) who convinced her that she was making a big mistake. Ironically, of all of my books, the title most often forgotten by people who are trying to list them is Remember Me, Irene. I lucked out with Hocus. A defining look, a title without "Irene" in it. When I first realized I was now going to be coming up with one-word titles, I wasn't sure that I hadn't gone out of the frying pan and into the fire. But I find I like these titles, and that readers have no difficulty telling the books apart, or remembering the names of the books. Will you come to my city for a signing anytime soon? Check the Schedule page for a list of my signings and events. Which of your books is your favorite? Choosing a favorite book would be something like choosing a favorite child, I think. At the same time, I hope that I'm growing as a writer, and that each new work is a little better than the last. I leave it to the readers to judge whether I've succeeded. What inspires you to write a short story instead of a novel? I love writing short stories, both because I am a fan of the form as a reader and because they give me a chance to stretch as a writer. "The Man in the Civil Suit," for example, is comedic and quite different in style from my contemporary novels; "Unsuspected Condition of the Heart" is historical; "Haunting of Carrick Hollow " is both historical and co-authored (my first experience with working with another writer on fiction). And "Abbey Ghosts" is a Christmas ghost story set in Regency England—not something I could work into an Irene Kelly novel. "Why Tonight?" is contemporary, but needed characters and settings not found in my novels. Some ideas for stories clearly present themselves as built for this form; they would not sustain a novel, but that does not mean they are inferior—they are simply meant to travel a shorter distance to strike at the heart of the matter. You can find a complete list of my short stories on this site. Which book is best to read first? If you like to start from the beginning of a series, Goodnight, Irene is my first book. But the mystery in each of the books stands on its own, so if you aren't someone who is worried about reading them in order, you'll be fine starting anywhere. In which book did Irene meet Frank? Frank and Irene have met about twelve years before the beginning of the first book, Goodnight, Irene. They met in Bakersfield, where he was a rookie cop and she was a green reporter. She moved back to Las Piernas, her hometown, and they lost touch. Shortly after that book opens, though, they meet again, and Irene acknowledges to herself that there has always been an attraction there. Readers will find Frank and Irene's first encounters in Bakersfield mentioned in Remember Me, Irene. In Hocus, there is much more information about their time in Bakersfield—Irene returns there to solve an old mystery in order to free Frank from captivity. What mysteries do you read? Favorite authors? I love crime fiction and mysteries of all sorts, and read outside the genre as well. My favorite mystery writers of the past include Chandler, Hammett, Woolrich, Sayres, Allingham, Tey, and Christie, not necessarily in that order. If I start naming contemporary writers, I'll undoubtedly forget to mention a friend whose work I truly enjoy. How do you research your books? The research for the books is important to me, and I appreciate the help I receive from the many people who take time to answer my questions about forensic science, law enforcement, and a host of other subjects. I know the acknowledgment sections of my books are long, but there are always many more people who helped out than those who are named there. See the Crossroads section of the site to meet some of the experts who have shared their expertise with me. The short version of how I do my research is that I use libraries, reputable Web sites, course work, a private collection of texts and materials collected over more than a decade, contacts made over the same period, friends, and friends of friends. I try not to take up the time of people working on cases until I have done as much homework as possible on my own and either need verification of what I think I've learned, or can't find an answer to a question any other way-- I would rather not distract someone who is doing the real work of catching violent offenders with a question that could be answered by reading any basic text. I enjoy the research, and hope my enthusiasm for various subjects comes through in the books, but the story itself determines what stays in and what is cut—I don't think more than 2% of what I learn ends up in the book itself. The other 98% helps me to write a better story, so it isn't wasted, but I know that it's no fun to buy what you hope will be an engaging work of fiction and instead find the author is so enamored of the research, the book is nothing more than a long term paper. So I try to use the research for the story, and not the other way around. Which novel covers the events in the cabin that fuel Irene's nightmares and claustrophobia? Sweet Dreams, Irene Are there any audio versions of your books available? Sorry, at the moment, there is only an audio version of two of my short stories. The Malice Domestic 6 Anthology won an "Audie Award," and I think Reed Diamond's marvelous reading of "Mea Culpa" must have had a lot to do with that! ASAP Publishing sold out of the print version of "A Fine Set of Teeth," but you can still get the taped version from them. See the Short Stories page for more information. Are there any movie adaptations of your books? Nine has been optioned and a screenplay written. See the home page for some current info, and watch this site for further news. How do you tap into the dark side of characters like Nick Parrish in Bones? Nick Parrish came out of lots of research on sexually motivated serial killers. Some through non-fiction books, some by watching taped interviews, some through talking to people who have encountered his real-life counterparts through their work in law enforcement, forensic science, psychology, and related fields. Although I was greatly interested in the work being done in this area, I must say that I had to take the research in doses, because much of what had been done to the victims was so horrific. I have a book report due tomorrow. Can I e-mail a set of special questions about her books? No, unfortunately the number of these requests has become unmanageable. You can find a lot of information about Jan and her books on this site and on the Internet in general. May I send my unpublished manuscript to you? Sorry, but no. Due to the overwhelming number of requests of this nature, and other demands on her time, Jan won't read your unpublished manuscript. If you want to look at some of her tips for new writers, please see Not From Mount Sinai. May I send a book (or book plate or photograph) to Jan for a signature? Again, the number of these requests makes it impossible to respond with a "yes." You can meet Jan at any of the places where she signs books or makes public appearances (see the Schedule page) or contact a store where she is doing a signing about obtaining signatures on other works. Will Jan endorse my book? These requests should be sent by your editor or agent to Jan's agent. Will Jan please send my book to her agent? Sorry, no, she can't offer to be a manuscript forwarding service for you. Please see Not From Mount Sinai for some suggestions for new writers.  |
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