(Note: This letter contains spoilers for O’Toole House (NCPU#11), available for sale September 21, 2025)

I know what you’re thinking. At the end of O’Toole House, only one question truly matters. Why would anyone be so stupid as to leave kerosene-soaked rags under a rug and cause a house fire? That’s a step too far, Amanda. It’s a convenient way to reveal that O’Toole messed up and all the demonic activity is connected to Nick Bana, sure. But it’s unrealistic, even in a paranormal story like this. Where did the inspiration for that little detail come from?

My front hallway. That’s where. Several years ago, I was looking up details about the history of my house for some electricians that were doing work for us. And apparently in the early 1900s, there was a fire in the front hall of my house. Nobody was injured and the house was obviously repaired. But what was the cause?

Kerosene-soaked rags under a rug by the stairs.

So, a much worse version of that fire found its way into O’Toole House.

(And yes, if you’re a member of my Patreon, then you know that I also had a house fire about six months ago. Again, everyone was fine and there were no kerosene-soaked rags involved in that one.)

Anyway, there’s a lot going on in O’Toole House. Going in, I intended this book to cover the entirety of James’s month-long medical leave, which could be a story in itself. But each book revolves around a case and I wanted to keep that format going. So there needed to be a case that was intricate enough to last for a month. Which added in another storyline. And after that, all the details and implications of James being gone, along with the uncertainty if he’s coming back or how he’ll be if he does. 

And I ended up with a grand total of 70,000 words, nearly twice the size of 72 St. Margaret’s Way. Most of the previous books have been 40-50K, but I think the size should really fit the story being told. I don’t want to pad something just to hit a certain wordcount, or remove scenes I truly think belong there because it’s getting a bit long. That’s why I self-publish, because I don’t have to make those compromises. So don’t be surprised if there are fluctuations in size between the stories as the series progresses. And more short stories scattered throughout as well. 

While James’s medical leave and the mystery at the O’Toole House are the main storylines, they aren’t necessarily the main focus of the book if that makes sense. The biggest thing I wanted to explore here is the connection between everyone else on the team. They’ve all been traumatized by what happened, even if they’re not willing to admit it. Gabriella has seen James shatter for the first time in her life. Graham’s safety at home was impacted. Madelyn has guilt about both hurting James and the fact that deep down, even if she hates it, she’s a little afraid of him now. Bradley’s lashing out, he’s mean in a way that he hasn’t been in a while. And Amelia puts on a brave face as she assumes the duties of captaincy, then goes home and cries alone every night. Everyone attempts to hide it for both James and each other, but the cracks are showing.

But they still have to keep things afloat. So this volume was also about how they connect with each other without James there to hold things steady. They’re closer now, even if they don’t realize it. They’re more of a unit. And that could be a good thing. Maybe.

That connection also goes further by involving the extended McManus family more. In case it isn’t obvious from my writing, I grew up in a large family that revolved around my grandmother, the family matriarch. And now, in my thirties, my cousins are still a major part of my life. In a family the size of the McManuses, it makes perfect sense that there would be this connection and this trading of favors among everyone. And it comes so naturally to Gabriella to do all of this, but not at all to Bradley, who grew up far more isolated.

But involving family and other branches makes the world of NCPU bigger. Yes, the main focus is the North County Branch. Even with all the various storylines and spinoff ideas I have, the main series will always be about these characters. But I want their world to be big. I want it to feel real and lived in. I want there to be characters weaving their way in and out the same way that people do in real life. It should be full of life and color and relationships, even if you don’t always remember who is married to who, or how you know that person you just spent ten minutes chatting with.

And that brings me to the final part of this fairly scattered author letter. Richard McGovern. Oh, my beloved mess of a man. You are so well-intentioned, slowly realizing you’ve been oblivious to your own compliance, and on the edge of something great or terrible. Which it’ll be is up to you. You are what Gabriella might have become if she’d stayed on her original trajectory for thirty years. And you have some decisions to make.

I asked once if a story could be a bildungsroman if the main character was a fifty-three year old man. My very unimpressed English teacher husband told me no. But that’s alright. We’ll just see where McGovern takes it from here.

That’s it from me for O’Toole House. Book 12 is from James’s POV and is the final part of this story within a story. But that doesn’t mean that everything will be resolved, or that this won’t come up again. Because Adele’s actions and their aftermath are a significant turning point in the series. 

I’ll see you then.

-Amanda