The following is an interview with award-winning author Lindy Ryan on the upcoming release of the novel, Another Fine Mess through St. Martins/Minotaur. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Ryan about returning to the world of the Evans women, what she hopes that readers may take away from the story’s themes, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Another Fine Mess! What are you most excited for readers to experience with this latest installment in the Bless Your Heart series?
Lindy Ryan: Thank you so much! I’m so excited for readers to reunite with the Evans women in Another Fine Mess. This next adventure for our ragtag team of Southern monster slayers picks up a month after the events of Bless Your Heart to go even deeper into the Evans family lore—and their past—and expose more gaps in everything these women thought they knew about the restless dead (and other beasties). There are surprises that (I hope) will delight readers, and even more devastating consequences in store for the Evanses this time around, so as Ducey might say, hold on tight.
BD: How would you describe your creative process in crafting a mystery/horror novel? It’s always thrilling to follow a mystery story as the reader, but I would imagine that crafting the narrative and staying 3 steps ahead of your reader is quite the challenge!
LR: One of the most wonderful things about writing in the Evanses’ world is being able to take inspiration from my own friends and family—who inspired the Evans women—and blend in the real history and folklore of my hometown, which has itself become the fictionalized, rural Southeast Texas home of the series. There’s also a fair amount of research to support the world, which tends to spark some juicy ideas, too! All cobbled together, and with so many characters and motivations putting their spin on this series, it’s a tremendous amount of fun (and more than a few headaches) to see where each step of the story will go—and while I usually begin with some expectation of where the story will end and the events that will take us there, I’ve learned to let the Evans women lead. It is their story, after all.
BD: What makes St. Martins/Minotaur the perfect home for this story?
LR: St. Martins has always been home to some of my favorite authors and their books, and a staple publisher in the mystery genre, so finding a home for the Evans women there is a dream come true. ANOTHER FINE MESS (and BLESS YOUR HEART, the first in the series) dances along the line between cozy mystery and grisly horror, with elements of crime, humor, and heart, and POV characters that are male, female, young, and old, and the Minotaur team has embraced this genre-gumbo to give the Evans women such a warm and welcoming place to flourish. I’m very grateful.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that Luna and Lenore’s story may connect with and impact today’s readers?
LR: Though the story is set in late-1998 and leans to events a century earlier, the experiences and obstacles faced by each of the Evanses are, unfortunately, those that linger into the present. Outsiders in their own world, these women are confronted with challenges in family relationships, female dynamics, love and grief, and legacy and courage, and they face issues of public perception, of generational trauma, of biases and prejudices, social norms, and unfiltered hate. The Evans women range in age, but whether they’re independent elder women who refuse to abide by gender norms, or young women trying to find their way in a world that seems to have set their path for them, they offer a lifecycle of familiar experiences, and so I hope readers see themselves in these characters—whether it’s who they are, who they might have been, or who they aspire to become. The ultimate idea: Life is short. Live fully and love freely.
BD: Are there any projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
LR: In addition to ANOTHER FINE MESS and the ongoing saga of the Evans women, I’m excited to share a new standalone novel coming in February 2026 from Minotaur! Barbie meets Scream in DOLLFACE, a modern-day suburban slasher (with a dose of ‘90s nostalgia), where a horror author moves to suburban New Jersey with her family and makes reluctant friends with the other moms in the local PTA, only to have a doll-masked serial killer begin attacking them one by one. This book is so much fun, and I can’t wait for readers to meet DOLLFACE next year!
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Another Fine Mess and your other work?
LR: Readers can find me online at www.LindyRyanWrites.com, on Instagram (@lindyryanwrites), and read along with my newsletter via Substack.
