donalee Moulton is an award-winning freelance journalist who has written articles for print and online publications across North America including The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Lawyer’s Daily, National Post, and Canadian Business. In addition to writing nonfiction books, she’s penned stories that were shortlisted for Derringer and Crime Writers of Canada awards. Her first mystery book, Hung out to Die, was published in 2023. A historical mystery, Conflagration!, followed in 2024 and won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense (Historical Fiction). donalee has two books out in 2025, Bind and Melt, the first two books in the Lotus Detective Agency series.
In her latest novel, Melt, Luke Castle is arrested for transporting narcotics in the back of a food truck. He confesses, but everyone knows the teenager is not the mastermind behind the $6 million in cocaine nestled among 150 sacks of flour. The lead prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the reluctant detective first class who are all hauled into the judge’s office, admit the kid is innocent. The problem is his professed guilt—a confession he refuses to recant. But why is Luke Castle lying? Enter three yogis with a penchant for solving crime who are asked to help figure out what is going on with Luke Castle, bringing new approaches and new ways of ingratiating themselves with the likely suspects: a drug lord, the drug lord’s sons, a bitter daughter-in-law, and a rebellious younger brother. Lending a helping hand brings them together in unexpected and ultimately profound ways.
donalee stops by In Reference to Murder to talk about writing a series:
Getting serious about writing a series
By donalee Moulton
I have a new book out—and with the publication of Melt, I officially have something else. My first series: the Lotus Detective Agency. Melt is the second book to feature Charlene, Lexie, and Woo Woo, three women who meet in a yoga studio and go on to discover they have a penchant for more than downward dogs.
When I wrote Bind, the first book that brought these women together, I knew it would be a series. I do not know why I knew that, but it was a feeling I didn’t question. That feeling also shaped how the first book unfolded, knowing a second would soon be in the works. I could give some things away; I couldn’t give everything away. What happened in the first book had to be the reality on which the second book would be founded.
While each book must stand on its own, they are indelibly interconnected. The women grow as detectives. They refine their skills, and their collaboration. Their friendship also deepens. There’s also a romance that blossoms in the pages of Bind and is more firmly rooted in Melt. There is also a dog whom I’ve become quite fond of.
I realized that the style and tone of the first book, my voice, must also be the same in book two. Readers expect consistency, within reason. What resonated with them in the first book should be found in the second, third and subsequent books. Personalities do not abruptly change unless this is part of the plot and clearly spelled out. Lighthearted stories do not suddenly become dark without buildup and explanation.
That said, sequels cannot be mere reproductions of the original. There must be growth, there must be new challenges, there must be hiccups, stumbles, and imperfections that will further be explored in future books.
Logic must also prevail. My three women are not in law enforcement and have no background in crime solving. As I result, I didn’t feel they could realistically help to solve a murder in book one, or book two. Their credibility and expertise had to develop over several hundreds of pages. Now they’re ready.
The real question is: Am I? I’ve discovered the joy of writing a series also comes with angst. I feel an obligation to get it “right” for readers who have embraced Bind and Melt. I also feel an obligation to Charlene, Lexie, and Woo Woo.
And, of course, I’ll need another one-word title that reflects what goes on inside a yoga studio and what happens outside that studio when a crime has been committed.
You can learn more about donalee and her books via her website and follow her on Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Bluesky. Melt, and its predecessor, Bind, are available via all major booksellers.
