January 1, 2024

Happy New Year everybody! I have some pretty exciting news to share — news that I’ve kept close to the vest for more than a year now because I didn’t want to jinx it, but friends who’re smarter than me are saying it’s time to start shouting it from the rooftops. So here goes…

Dixie is getting a TV series.

There I said it! Now let’s pray the sun doesn’t melt my wings and send me plummeting into the sea.

Almost two years ago I got a phone call from Julian Unthank. The first thing you should know about Julian is that he has a lovely British accent. The second thing you should know is that Julian is a veteran writer of the classic and much-beloved TV Series “Doc Martin” and the creator and writer of the wildly popular (and Emmy nominated) “The Queens of Mystery” TV Series. After a couple of follow-up calls on Zoom where I’m sure I pretended to be calm and cool (I don’t actually remember much — it’s all a hazy blur in my head) we signed a deal with Julian and Sly Fox Productions (the same company that produces “Queens of Mystery”) for an adaptation of the Dixie Hemingway Mysteries for television – UK version.

I can’t imagine a better team to bring Dixie to the screen than Julian and the people at Sly Fox Productions. All you have to do is watch a few episodes of “Queens of Mystery” to know they have a profound respect for the genre and an utterly diamond-sharp ear for humor and wit, plus they’re not afraid to venture into the darker areas of a character’s psyche, all the while celebrating the sheer beauty, whackiness, and diversity of the human race. Oh, and the icing on the cake is that Julian got his start in the business as an animal trainer for film and TV. I couldn’t make it up if I tried! Of course, because it’s a UK project, Dixie’s home won’t be Siesta Key, Florida, but an exclusive island off the coast of Dorset called Sandbanks, home to award-winning beaches and lots of wealthy eccentrics. Sound familiar? I think it’ll make for a really nice twist, and frankly between you and me, Dixie’s looking forward to a nice European vacation.

Anyway, I’m completely excited. And of course you never know with these things. Projects fall apart all the time—getting a TV show up and running is a herculean effort that I can’t even begin to fathom—but I thought it would be fun/scary to bring everyone along for the ride. As far as I know, the cast hasn’t been decided yet. Sometimes the author is the last to know, probably for good reason. I’ll post updates as I get them. Meanwhile, here’s a link to an industry article if you want to read a little more about it: https://www.televisual.com/…/zdf-studios-sly-fox…/

In other news, yes, a new Dixie Hemingway novel is in progress. Slowly but surely. And I know I owe readers an explanation for the long wait since the last book… I’ll get to that soon, but for now just know there’s more to come. AND, the audiobook version of Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof is coming in Spring, read by the incomparable Cassandra Campbell, so there’s lots afoot.

That’s all for now. I’m wishing you and your family lots of love, joy and good reading in the New Year.