Q: I haven't read Fuzzy Navel yet. Should I be reading this page?

A: No. This page is about the ending of Fuzzy Navel. Do you want to know how the book ends before you read it?

Q: No.

A: Then stop reading this right now, and come back here after you've finished Fuzzy Navel.

Q: Okay. I'll come back later.

A: Good.

If you already have read Fuzzy Navel, and you want to know more about the ending, you can read on.

SPOILER WARNING!

If you keep reading this, it's because you've already read Fuzzy Navel, and want to learn more about how it ends...

A: Okay, welcome back. Now I can guess what your question is. You want to know about the ending, right?

Q: Yes!

A: Specifically, you want to know who Alex was talking to in the ambulance before she...

Q: Yes! Tell me! I have to know!

A: I'm sorry, but you have to wait until Cherry Bomb comes out in 2009 for the answer.

Q: You're a big jerk.

A: Yeah. I know. But I'm still not going to tell you. Cliffhangers drive me crazy too, but I didn't have a choice here.

Q: What do you mean?

A: The whole plot of Cherry Bomb involves Jack going after Alex and taking revenge. That meant someone close to her had to die at the end of Fuzzy Navel. But if I told readers who was dead, all I'd do is make them angry because I killed one of their favorite characters. It's a smarter move to keep people in suspense rather than make them hate me for a whole year until Cherry Bomb is released.

Q: I hate you now.

A: No you don't. You can't hate me because you don't know who died. You're annoyed. But you're used to being annoyed in this way, because this is how every TV season finale works. Unanswered questions are easier to handle than tragedies.

Besides, when you do find out, I don't think it will be all that upsetting. I like my fans, and I like my characters, and I'm not out to upset any of them. All will be revealed in the very first sentence of Cherry Bomb.

Q: Did you start writing Cherry Bomb yet?

A: I finished it a few months ago. It's all edited and ready to go.

Q: So you know who died?

A: Yes. And boy is it a shocker. I couldn't believe it myself.

Q: Now I really hate you.

A: I'm sorry. But it will be worth the wait. Trust me. Cherry Bomb is a really fun book.

Q: Can you send me a copy of Cherry Bomb?

A: No. You have to wait until June 2009.

Q: What if I bribed you?

A: I'm sorry. This is a really big secret, and I can't let it get out.

Q: I promise I won't tell anyone.

A: I believe you. But really, I can't do it.

Q: You suck.

A: How about this? I'll post a poll. You can vote for who you think died. If I get over 1000 votes, I promise I'll narrow down the choices.

Q: Awesome! I'll just vote 1000 times.

A: Sorry. You can only vote once. And when 1000 people have chimed in, I'll eliminate one of the names, so you know that person lived. So now the poll is six names, but then I'll reduce it to five, and four, and so on.

Q: 1000 is too many. You're not that popular. You'll never get that many votes.

A: Maybe you should tell everyone you know to read Fuzzy Navel then come here to vote.

Q: You'd like that, wouldn't you?

A: You're the one who wants to know so bad.

Q: Okay, where's the dang poll?

A: Right here:

Q: So there. I voted. Now what?

A: Come back every once and a while and check if the poll has been updated. If it isn't moving fast enough for you, you're free to make other people come here and vote. I also encourage you to buy complete sets of my books and give them away as gifts. The more people who read me, the sooner you'll know who died.

Q: You really are a jerk.

A: I know. But I love you. Does James Patterson tell you he loves you? How about Janet Evanovich?

And, seriously, thanks for your interest. The fact that you're on this page and voting means you like my characters and books as much as I do, and I'm humbled and hugely grateful.