What is the title of your latest release?
JOY TO THE BONES
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
This book concludes the 31 novel Sarah Booth Delaney mystery series where Sarah Booth finds out what really happened to her parents, who died when she was 12. It’s a very personal mystery that engages Sarah Booth and requires all of her friends and critters to help solve the case.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I grew up in the Pine Barrens of Mississippi just above the Gulf Coast. The Delta is an area of my state with topsoil “eight feet deep.” The Delta is an area of stark contrast, the super rich and the super poor. It is also the birthplace of the blues. I was fascinated to learn about this part of my state, and book research is the perfect way to learn.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Absolutely.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Smart, compassionate, home-grown.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
Living the struggles of my characters as I wrote reinforced the importance of good friends, loyalty, and the need for a personal moral code of behavior.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit as I draft, then edit again. And again. And again.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Chocolate chip cookies right now. Cheesecake is also appealing.
Describe your writing space/office!
It’ a large room with a terrific view of the pasture where my horses graze. Floor to ceiling bookcases. Always several cats lounging around and dogs under my feet.
Who is an author you admire?
There are so many, but the one author who I believe is the best writer working today is James Lee Burke. His powerful imagery and use of language are the best. His characters are real and engage all of my emotions.
Is there a book that changed your life?
I would have to say TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD was one of the first books that changed my life. I grew up reading Poe, Doyle, Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys. Those books gave me a sense of story that truly changed my life—I am an avid reader. But TKAM awakened me to the need for equal justice and the power that one person with a moral code can make in a world where ethics aren’t always valued.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I had finished a two-book contract for Dutton on two general fiction books, so I was looking for a story. I find my way into a story in various ways, but this time I heard two women arguing with each other. They were really funny. I just started writing down the dialogue. It wasn’t until I was deep into the scene that I realized one of the women was dead! I wrote the book like my fingers were on fire. Then we had 7 publishers bidding on it and finally my agent called to discuss a bid for a 3-book mystery series from Random House. I was petrified. I wasn’t certain I was smart enough to write mysteries.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love almost everything with a good story and clear writing. I do love mysteries. I also love supernatural horror (not slashers but more ghost stories), psychological thrillers, suspense, general fiction, Southern Gothic.
What’s your favorite movie?
The Wizard of Oz. It has everything! Excellent villains, witches, adventure, fantasy, road trip - even music.
What is your favorite season?
Anything but summer. It is unbearably hot here.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With a few good friends over for a drink. When I was young, I always had a swimming party because my birthday fell just before the last day of school.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
There are several older series I love. Supernatural is one. I’m a little late to the party for British mystery series but I’ve been watching all the seasons of Midsomer Murders and really enjoying those. Anything directed by Michael Flannagan (horror, mostly). I’ve watched a number of adaptations of THE TURN OF THE SCREW. Fascinating. If the story is good, any kind of tale came win me over.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I am not a vegetarian, but I am trying hard to be one. I do love good summer vegetables, and in the South, we are blessed with peas, corn, okra, squash, and so many good things to eat.
What do you do when you have free time?
I have an animal refuge at my small farm. I have cats, dogs, and horses. That keeps me way too busy, especially in the heat of summer. I take care of the animals and try to help place stray animals in loving homes.
What can readers expect from you next?
Since this is the last Sarah Booth Delaney story, I’ve turned my hand to something different. I admit, it has almost killed me to end this series, but I wanted to give Sarah Booth the justice she deserves for the death of her parents. Still, it was so hard to do. The members of the Zinnia gang have been my friends for over 30 years. Instead of another mystery, I turned my focus to writing a supernatural thriller with Daryl Marcus, a writer I’ve known for many years. We are almost finished with the first draft. This is a spec book. Will it sell? I don’t know. But writing it has kept me from grieving Sarah Booth too hard. If you’d like to keep up with what happens next, I do have a monthly newsletter, and you can subscribe on my website.
Sarah Booth Delaney #31
In this final installment of the series, sassy Southern private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney is up against her biggest—and most personal—mystery yet.
Still reeling from the discovery that her parents’ deaths, decades ago, might not have been an accident, Private Investigator Sarah Booth Delaney doesn’t know who to believe anymore. Her best friend and business partner, Tinkie, purposefully kept her in the dark; her lover, Coleman, intentionally lied to her; and her meddlesome ghost-turned-spiritual-guide, Jitty, kept more secrets than she can count. Now, even the people Sarah Booth once trusted more than anything are suspect.
Armed with new knowledge about her parents’ car crash, Sarah Booth sets out to solve her biggest case yet: her parents’ murder. And she’s prepared to do it alone if she has to.
But the Mississippi Delta doesn’t pause for anyone, not even Sarah Booth. While trying to untangle the truth about her parents’ fate, Sarah Booth gets roped into investigating the DeLonge Mansion, a magnificent old house with seemingly no one left alive to claim it. With the return of her nemesis, Gertrude Stromm, looming over her head—and the pieces of her failed relationships still scattered around her—Sarah Booth has her work cut out for her this holiday season.
Mystery Paranormal [ St. Martin's Press, On Sale: October 27, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9781250377692 / eISBN: 9781250377708 ]
Carolyn Haines is the USA Today bestselling author of over 80 published books, including the long-running Sarah Booth Delaney mystery series. DOGGONE BONES is the newest in the series. Haines is also the founder of Good Fortune Farm Refuge, a "retirement home" for (currently) 7 dogs, 12 cats, and 2 horses. A lifelong animal rescuer, she loves caring for the animals and writing books. You can learn more about her and subscribe to her newsletter on her website.
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