Here’s to New Beginnings![photo: La Cantina del Vigia]

I hope your new year is off to a fabulous start. As you may have heard me mention (I hope not ad nauseam), I live in Uruguay in the winter, and I’m here now, working on my next psychological thriller. I have a small home office with a view of some great palm trees and the sound of parrots all around me as I write. While here I try to remain disciplined, writing for a long stretch each morning, but I also love to take time off each day, especially for walks on the beach and meals at restaurants like La Cantina del Vigia (right), where much of the fantastic food is roasted in wood fires.

However….

Though I’m deep into writing my 15th suspense novel, I’m also focused on the marketing plans for HAVE YOU SEEN ME?, my psychological thriller due out on April 28. I think this book has a really compelling plot and some dynamite twists; I can’t wait to share it.

To read an excerpt, click here.

In the meantime, here’s a brief summary:

HAVE YOU SEEN ME? 
The key to her missing memories could bring relief—or unlock her worst nightmare.
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           On a cold, rainy morning, financial journalist Ally Linden arrives soaked to the bone at her Manhattan office, only to find she’s forgotten her key card. When her boss shows up, he’s shocked to see her—because, he explains, she hasn’t worked there in five years. 
           Ally knows her name, but is having trouble coming up with much beyond that, though after a trip to the psychiatric ER, she begins to piece together important facts. Yet she still can’t recall anything about the previous two days. Diagnosed as being in a “dissociative state,” she wonders if it may have been triggered by something she saw—or even a trauma from her childhood that’s somehow risen to the surface. 
           As Ally tries desperately to track where she spent the missing days 48 hours, she must dig deep into the secrets of her past—and outsmart the person who seems determined to silence her.

Be one of the first to read the book by pre-ordering now!

What I’m Reading

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A Madness of Sunshine
By Nalini Singh

This police procedural/whodunit, with a sexy romance thrown in, not only presents a page-turner of a case about beautiful young women who go missing, but it also offers a glimpse of part of the world–the rugged west coast of New Zealand–that most of us will never see.

Asymmetry
By Lisa Halliday

This stunning, exquisitely written debut novel examines the power dynamics in love and war. I know I usually only recommend mysteries and thrillers in my newsletter, but in a way this literary novel is a thrilling mystery. You keep reading the second (of three) section of the book wondering how it could be connected to the first, and when the answer finally emerges, it’s awe-inspiring.

What I’m Cooking

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If there are two things I love, it’s good thrillers and good food, and this easy but delicious recipe for breaded, fried chicken cutlets is where the two meet up! That’s because it’s compliments of the awesome Jessica Knoll, who once worked for me at Cosmo and is the author of the riveting suspense novels Luckiest Girl Alive and The Favorite Sister. Jessica believes in intuitive eating and cooking, so there’s no need for a traditional recipe here. You simply pound the cutlets very thin, season with salt and pepper and stick in the fridge for about 15 minutes while you set up three prep stations. Next dredge the cutlets in flour, then beaten egg, and finally breadcrumbs. Saute in at least an inch of well heated oil in a frying pan until golden brown (don’t crowd the pan). Jessica loves to serve this dish with an arugula salad topped with parmesan. It tastes as good as it looks!

Until next month,

Kate White