If you've made it through the first three books you know that Violetta has grown up quite a bit. It's funny - if you're a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan you've seen the same thing. I wrote Shoe Leather before Buffy became a hit, but in watching it over the years I've been struck by similarities - both feature young women with amazing powers and a daunting responsibility - both just wanna have fun - but bad things happen when they do - and both have trouble with relationships because their power is a jealous master. And both feature the woman who'd be ideal to play Violetta - no - not Buffy - but Faith - Eliza Dushku - yeah, she'd have to punk it up a bit - but her onscreen attitude, ability to kick ass, and she isn't afraid of being sexual makes her a perfect Violetta.

And both Buffy and Violetta came to an end this year ... or did they?

I wanted to take a break from cranking out the Shoe Leather series as books. So I brought Violetta to a natural pause. Someday she'll return - in one form or another - but for now she needs to rest her feet while I move my career into the next level. Lucretia: Baddy Two Shoes really goes to town on the Catholic Church and what they've done to young boys over the years - so let me say here once and for all - I'm not Catholic, never was - I'm a Pagan - and I never was therefore abused as an altar boy and am seeking my revenge through anti-Catholic writing. The whole anti-Catholic thing in the Shoe Leather series evolved out of Violetta being Italian-American by descent - hello - she's a shoe repairer - and given she has this awesome, sexual power - well - yeah - she'd come into conflict with the Church. So, no I don't have an anti-Catholic axe to grind, other than most organized religions, especially one based upon the notion of a virgin birth ruled by a senile old guy who makes insane pronouncments, denying women their rights, while raking in the cash, are stupid and fair game for ridicule - to me - such institutions are nothing more than big businesses selling the feel good factor - they're as far removed from divinity as it gets. The Catholic Church as a long history of zealously supressing anything that challenges its cash cow might, so yeah, it made perfect sense to me that Violetta would come into conflict with them and that they would try to end the Cutrero curse by kidnapping her baby.

Bringing in Jack the Ripper was something I had to do being that my great, great grandaunt was Catherine Eddowes, the 4th victim of Jack the Ripper. I've spent many years researching those crimes and have several books in work based upon my relationship to the most famous serial killer of all time. As I outlined the fourth book, since Violetta was the fated serial killer of serial killers, it seemed perfect to have her battle the evil of Jack the Ripper.

So, when you get to the end of Lucretia you'll see that I could never write another Shoe Leather book and the series would have reached a logical stopping place, but then again, remember Violetta's mantra - the feet cannot be denied. Someday there will be a fifth book.