“What is she doing?” Andy asked in a furtive whisper, leaning close to Abby and Phil.
Abby studied the object of his attention for a moment, then pursed her lips. “I know that far-away look.”
They turned to look again at the person staring out the window, her fingers frozen over a keyboard while a wreath of steam curled up from an untouched mug beside her.
Phil glanced at his siblings meaningfully. “I think we can guess what’s going on.”
Andy’s cheek rose in a lopsided grin, and Abby caught the glint in his eyes.
Phil summed up the twins’ thoughts, fears, and excitement in one steady sentence–but even his voice had a thrill of expectancy as he spoke.
“I think she’s sending us on another adventure.”
********
That’s right! Baker #7 is underway!
The planning stage for this story is about finished, and actual chapters are appearing. 🙂
I’m really excited to follow the characters on this next installment of the Bakers’ escapades. It’s not usual for me to release many details about my works-in-progress, but I’d love your input on this one. Who are you most anxious to see return? What burning questions were you left with after Iceland Intrigue?
Though the flow of a story often changes within the process of writing and re-writing, my current plan involves:
- A man-hunt in the Scottish wilds
- Horse-riding, a castle, and a mystery at a hunting lodge
- Unraveling the secret of Jigson’s first name
- Tom getting a little more involved in the action
- Maybe a little falconry?
- The return of a character we haven’t seen in a while
Now it’s over to you. While I can’t include every suggestion, I’d love to hear what you dream the Bakers would do next. Maybe a few of your ideas could make it into the final version . . . ? Let me know your thoughts!
Photo: Sorin Tudorut
crhedgcock.com 
This sounds so exciting, Caitlin!! I think Scotland, horse-riding, and castles are going to be amazing! I’m very anxious to know how Jigson’s family got tangled up in the spy business in the first place, and why his name was changed 🙂
Wonderful! I love Scotland, and hope to do it justice with a story that’s as exciting as possible 🙂 Thanks for writing, Eliza!
I can’t wait for the 7th Baker book!!!!! I’m really curious to know what Jigson’s first name is!!! I think Rolf Klaus should come back(I really liked him in the 6th book). Jigson’s uncle should come back too..If he had been on the right side he would have been a awesome uncle.
Burning question: what is the significance behind twelve lemons???
I’m glad you enjoyed Rolf’s character in book 6 — he was fun to write about! Hmm… Dainn would be quite difficult to bring back, and there are already a few new characters to juggle beside the main ones. Let’s see what happens!
I have a few questions. Will Phil win or lose the competition? And, I thought maybe you could bring Briosa back into the story???
Good questions! Thank you 🙂
Ooh it all sounds exciting! Maybe some how explain Jigson’s faith a little more? It sometimes seems like he only sorta believes in God.
That’s a great idea, FarmerGirl!
I am so excited! I can’t wait!!!!
I would love to know more about Jigson and how he got into the spy business.
Why did Jigson tell Detective Mortimer twelve lemons in Iceland Intrigue?
What are the ages of everyone?
I’m so glad you’re excited, Savannah. Another question about ‘Twelve lemons’ … hmm, intriguing! Thanks for the ideas 🙂
I can’t wait either! The ‘Twelve lemons’ question has been torturing me as well. I think a cliff hanger for me was not getting clarification on Anna Predzel’s statement that her brother Ira had been framed before. Other than that, I think talking about Jigson’s faith would be great, and maybe a more detailed scene with Abby playing the cello?
I love Scotland, the Bakers, and Jesus, so you are bound to write something I enjoy. Go for it!
It’s so great to hear what different readers pick up on! Thank you, Emily!
We love your books! We like Miss Verton, we want her to change to the good side. Could you make a character with a Russian background? We also hope Rolf Klaus is in this coming book. Could Detective Clement Gray come in again, but as a bad guy? What if Mrs. Baker is pregnant… These are just our ideas, but I’m sure we’ll love the book any way you write it. Love, the Plocharczyk family
Thank you, Plocharczyk family, those are great ideas. (I love your surname!) It’s interesting that you mention Detective Clement Gray, as I had thought of him recently too. And I would love to include a Russian character sometime! Let’s see how the plot develops around the outline.
We can’t wait to see what you do with book! When do you think it will be out?
It’s early days as of now, but I will be sure to post on this website again as the project progresses, and as the release date becomes clearer.
That’s funny you mentioned Mrs. Baker pregnant, I’d thought of that before. funny!
That would be cool.Pregnant with a girl maybe.
Y’know who I’d LOVE to be written in again? Garth!! And Jigson needs a younger brother!
Yes!! Garth should come back in.
That’s a good one! I forgot about him.
– For Tom to play with.
Interesting idea! The problem is that Jigson’s parents died a long time ago 😦
Maybe you could bring Dr. Roth and Sigurd back into the story? Roth was one of my favorites in Iceland Intrigue.
I enjoyed him to!
John and Jubilee, you both liked Dr. Roth? That’s great to hear — he was a lot of fun to write about 🙂
Could you explore Jigson’s past a bit more? It seems kind of fuzzy. And could you bring Garth back, and maybe Rolf again? And what does ‘Twelve Lemons’ mean?
My plan definitely involves unraveling more of the mystery in Jigson’s past … but not *too* much. He is a ‘secret’ agent, after all 😉 Thanks for the suggestions!
Oh, and one more thing. This isn’t related to Iceland Intrigue, but it is still Intriguing. In your first book Sergeant is described as being white and brown, but in the fifth book his described as a gray… Just wondering what that means.
Thanks for writing amazing books,
Jubilee
Oh! That intrigue was not intentional! I’ll have to go back and have a look to see what happened there. Thanks 🙂
I also love your books, they not only have encouraged me to write my own book but also have encouraged and challenge me with my faith as well. Jigson is probably my favorite character, I loved how you made him supposedly dead. I would love if you could have Jigson and detective Mortimer work more together. But thank you for all you do, I have enjoyed each book and love each character. You have encouraged and challenged me in many ways. Love Alyssa Plocharczyk.
That’s so wonderful to hear; thank you, Alyssa! It’s a marvellous thing to know that the books have been a blessing to you. Keep on walking in the ways of the Lord and writing for Him!
Yes, please bring Garth and Rolf back into the book. Also, do you think you could try to have the Baker’s at their own house instead of another country for a little part of the book?
Yes, please bring Garth and Rolf back into the story. Also, do you think you could try to have the Baker’s at their own house instead of another country for a little part of the book?
Yeah, it is nice to see what life is like for the Bakers at their own house.
That’s good to know! It might not work out for this story, but I will bear it in mind going forward.
We love the Baker Books, and we are excited to hear that there is another one coming out! Maybe you could add in there a little bit about Jigson’s background, and the background of his name? Also to add Detective Mortimer in there, we really liked him! Also maybe to add Rolf back in there and to see what happened to him? Maybe also have Phil going thru courtship in preparation for marriage, so it could show readers what a Biblical courtship looks like? We are looking forward to reading the book when it comes out!!
Team Browder
Maybe bring in a new young lady for Phil to start courting?
Yeah, seeing Phil go through a Biblical courtship would be really neat. Cool idea, Team Browder.
Thank you for the suggestions, Team Browder.
I have an outline of Detective Mortimer’s involvement this time, so I’m glad you’re keen for his character to feature a little more. I’ll keep the other suggestions in mind as I go along!
Hi, Caitlin!! I’m really excited for the seventh book! I don’t really have anything to say that’s not already been said….I just love what you’re doing! Every book has gotten progressively better and I know you’re going to do it again with the seventh!! ❤ ❤ ❤
Thank you Meg, that is a wonderful encouragement! SDG!
Blessings ❤ ❤
I liked Garth. Definitely one to bring back!!!!!
Yeah, Garth was swell! Please bring him and Rolf back into the story!
Yeah, Garth was swell. Please bring him and Rolf back.
Agreed
Yes, I like the idea of bringing a young lady for Phil to start a courtship. That would be interesting.
What does the ‘A’ in Haeix mean? Normally, it’s spelled Helix.
Good question, Jubilee! I aim to reveal a little more about that name in the coming story 🙂
Where do the Bakers live? I know they live in the U.S, but what state do they live in?
I think they ether live in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Missouri, North Carolina or Indiana. Those are the states that have a town called Bridgeton, and in Summer of Suspense the kids go to Bridgeton auction. There is also a Bridgeton in Scotland.
Ok. Thank you Jubilee!
I had forgotten that Bridgeton was mentioned in Summer of Suspense.
🙂
The location of the Bakers’ farm was purposefully left vague … but I will say that Jubilee has some good suggestions 😉
It has to be Missouri. 😀 just kidding. I live in Missouri
Hamilton is also mentioned in Summer of Suspense.
The Baker family must live in Indiana. Indiana is the only state, as I can see, that has both a city named Hamilton and, going off of what Jubilee said, a city named Bridgeton. Hmm.🤔
Hello! I’ve read the series, and they’re definitely some of my favorite books! Six of my siblings have read either all or some of them, too!
I enjoyed reading about Rolf in Iceland Intrigue, and would definitely love to see him back. But, I didn’t quite understand whether he was a ‘good guy’ or ‘bad guy’. Is he concerned about helping the Bakers in whatever situation he meets them in? It would be great if his position was made clear, and I’d love for him to be in the next book!
Also, I felt like there was a lot brought in all of a sudden in Iceland Intrigue. What has happened to Miss Verton and Herr Klaus now? They and Rolf are probably in prison now, right? And did Phil win the competition? What happened to Anna and Ira? Will they ever see Briosa again?
I liked Dr. Roth too, and would like to see him again. And, although my mind is burning with questions about Jigson, I do think it’s a good idea to always keep something secret. He’s an agent, and is almost better with a mystery. And I think it’s a great idea to bring Tom into more action. And bringing Garth in is an interesting idea.
I love your stories, and am excited for the next book! Thank you for writing!
Abigail
Hello Abigail,
Thank you for the feedback and your questions!
As more and more characters are introduced over the series, it becomes increasingly difficult to invent situations that would reunite them. At the moment I have an idea that could at least relate to Rolf, even if he doesn’t play a role in the action. But let’s see how the elements of my outline tie together; maybe the plot will call for another familiar face or two … or maybe ideas can start to take shape for an adventure after this!
Thanks again! 🙂
I sword fight as a hobby and Walking Stick Battle was my favorite chapters in Book 6. One of my favorite historical character’s is Sir William Wallace, a Scottish knight. You could use him in your story, like you used Nikola Tesla and Leif Ericsson in your last one.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that scene in Iceland Intrigue! It was a lot of fun to write. 🙂
William Wallace is such an inspiring historical figure, isn’t he? I relished the chance to visit the Wallace Monument last summer and see the sword that was reputed to be his.
I am so excited!!! I think Phil should become an inventor for the secret agency or maybe Andy can become partners with Jigson. Bringing another kid into the story or maybe the family in the riddle of the ruby ring. I REALLY LIKED THE PART IN BOOK FIVE WHERE THERE WAS THE SPY CAR AND GADGETS!!! So please have more high tech things
how long till it will be finished?
thanks!!!
Oh or maybe Andy will become a pilot
Probably.
Hi! I see my friend Jubilee has left you a lot of suggestions 🙂 We gave her the books as a gift!
My suggestion is that the Sloanes might possibly be Briosa’s parents. For example, they look similar and are from another country. If the adventures are all connected it would be a really good connection between Miss Verton and Del Quara.
We forget who the Sloanes are?
They are the people that kidnap Abby and Millie in Summer of Suspense. You might remember Mrs. Sloanes as the lady from the candy stall.
Oh yeah. Thank you.
Briosa never did say what happened to her parents… Besides, it seems a bit unusual that they would both die at the same time.
Also, I think Lewis Nickel should come back….
Yes, bring back Lewis Nickel. He is my sister’s favorite character!
Hi! My siblings were thoroughly thrilled when I broke to them the news of book #7!!:):)
We would really like to see Briosa back in it some, as well as maybe the Wilburs, Cervantes, Rolfe, and Julie:) Perhaps Ira and his sister could jump in, to:):):):)
Thanks again for all your work to make your series family-friendly– for all ages– and God-glorifying. May the Lord bless you and further you in all you undertake for Him!!!:)
Thank you Callie for your sweet message!
It’s a bit difficult to bring back all of those characters, but one or two are due to make an appearance in this next adventure 🙂 🙂
Blessings to you!
Remind me who Julie was. I can’t remember.
Was she the girl who was horseback riding when the Bakers met her in England? The girl whose parents were the caretakers of that big building? She was nice
Yes, she is the girl the Baker’s met in England. She was riding her horse down the road when the Baker kids were walking Duke.
Yes– that’s Julie. The Bakers’ cousin Millie would be fun to bring back in:):) They got off to such a rocky start in the first book and now they’re on good terms. I hope she’s lost none of her spunk:D:D
Please bring Guthmunder back too!! I really liked him.
Oh yeah, I really liked Guthmunder also. Can’t wait for book #7!
About Jim Roth, how in the world did a young American college student end up working with an Icelandic hermit who lives inside a volcano?!! Sigurd doesn’t really trust a lot of people unless they are friends of his friends…
Wow! I hadn’t thought of that before! Yes, I think you should go into more details on that. 🙂
Hello Caitlin! I am so thrilled about Baker book 7!!! I have one question. I think it is very neat how in almost every book the Baker children’s age becomes older. Is it possible in the next book that they will be one year older? For example, would Abby be seventeen in the new book? Or is it too early to say?
Hello Cherish,
It’s great to hear that! 🙂
In the current version of the draft, this adventure takes place very soon after book 6, so it’s not likely any of the Bakers would have had their birthdays between the two stories.
Also, I think a few more female characters would be good… there seem to be too many guys.
p.s. I hope that doesn’t sound critical… I absolutely love your books and can’t wait for your newest one!
In Walking Stick Duel, Jigson comments to Guthmunder, ” Its been a long time since I was last an old man.” What is that supposed to mean?
I guess because Jigson is a secret agent, he is often in disguises. But he hasn’t been disguised as an old man in a long time.
That’s exactly the right idea. 🙂
Does Guðmundor’s last name being Arnarsson have anything to do with Arnaru Gorrion?
No 🙂 Arnau is the Catalan version of Arnold; it doesn’t have a second ‘r’ 🙂 That’s a well-spotted similarity between the names, though!
Thanks for clarifying!🙂
Is Jigson’s real name, Haelix, connected in any way to DNA? I seem to remember that Mrs. Wilbur used to be a geneticist. Does this have anything to do with Haelix’s name?
My siblings and I love your books and we cant wait for #7!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you! Isabelle
That’s a great question! Let’s see what mysteries book 7 unravels 😉
Thank you for all your suggestions, Isabelle! 🙂
By the way, how many pages do you think book #7 will be? We’re all excited!
Yes! We hope it has as many pages as Iceland Intrigue. Or more.😀
Yes, I love how the books are getting increasingly longer each time. The last on was huge!
You are all so sweet!
I could hardly believe how heavy #6 was when my copies arrived. 🙂
Even if #7 isn’t quite as long, the plan is to fill it with as *much* adventure as it can hold.
Awesome!
Do you know what you are going to name #7?
After doing some research regarding the idea of the Sloane’s being Briosas parents, when it first describes Mrs Sloanes at the candy booth in Summer Of Suspense, the description of her is almost identical to the description of Briosa, given to us in Prisoners Of The Pyrenees, even down to the both of them being tall and skinny with black hair! Just something I picked up when doing some reading in the books!😎
That definitely stands as evidence to their relation… I wish we knew as much about the Sloanes as we do Briosa, then we would have more evidence to work with.
You will also notice that the Sloanes have a heavy accent and speak a foreign language….
Do you think you could also include a very challenging situation for Detective Mortimer? He seems……almost perfect sometimes. I love all of your characters, but I think my favorites are Andy, Abby, Miss Verton and Jigson….
Does anybody get kidnapped in this book???
You’ve written the 100th comment on this post, Isabelle! *Hooray!*
That’s a good suggestion. I think I’ve got just the kind of baffling mystery Detective Mortimer needs. As for anybody getting kidnapped … quite possibly. We’ll have to see! 🙂
Abby gets kidnapped more times than any other character in the whole series!
Andy is the only one who has never gotten kidnapped….
Well, Andy did get kidnapped in the 4th book by Albany…
Totally agree!
Gleymmérei seems very important do Sigurd, why would he let a stranger (Haelix) ride her? And how did he know that Jigson’s father is Icelandic, or that his real name is Haelix?
I think it would also be really cool if you included some historical figures like you’ve don in some of the other ones…..since this one’s in Scotland, you might could use William Wallace and/or Robert Bruce, who both helped win Scotland’s freedom from England, against overwhelming odds. Both men used hideouts all over the Scottish countryside, and since you mentioned that there would be a manhunt in the scottish wilds, I thought I might could throw that in:):)
CanNOT wait for this nxt book!!!!!:):):):)
I agree.
William Wallace is one of my favorite historical figures! I think I said something to that affect earlier…
Was Jigson raised in Iceland? He seems to know a lot about Icelandic culture and language, even though he had only been in Iceland a few weeks, not to mention he had been unconscious most of that time… just wondering.
Yah, he knows Icelandic terms for things and he knew about the naming laws and Icelandic Pony laws…
He also knew what Arne meant by “Virtu kaffi?”
Half of Jigson’s family were Icelandic weren’t they?? I think the book said one of his parents were Icelandic and the other American plus his uncle is Icelandic and Jigson was raised by his uncle.
Since you’re going to show a little more of Jigson’s past, maybe you should bring his grandparents into the story. The first book says he had grandparents, but he didn’t know where they were…
So, what is Jigson going to do now that the Agency is gone? Hardly anyone knows that he’s alive (Detective Mortimer is his only colleague who knows, and then there’s Miss Verton and Jigson’s uncle. Did any of the bad guys know his agent number? Because that could cause a real problem if they did.). Does that leave only the Detective to work with or is there an option that has not yet been explored?
I’ve been puzzling about that too…
What do the letters RDC stand for? I have been trying to figure it out, but nothing makes sense.
I would like to see Abby’s cousin Millie back in the adventures. I think you should involve Tom more too. Please keep detective Jigson in this next adventure. My family loves your stories. A manhunt sounds great; falconry sounds good too. I really like mysteries that include secret passages and hidden rooms. So, it would be great if you could write about that in this next adventure too. I liked Briosa from Spain could you possibly bring her back? Horse back riding talks are always good too:). I hope this is not too much to ask:). Thanks for using your talent for God’s glory. Happy writing, In Christ, Kaitlyn Rinehart
Great suggestions; thank you Kaitlyn! 🙂
please bring Guthmondur back and Jim Roth Maybe Sigurd too:)
What agency does Jigson work for? For example is it like the NSA or CIA? Or something totally different?
I think something totally different. He mentioned in Prisoner of the Pyrenees that the person who runs his Agency is named Mr. Patterson. I expect he works for an international agency, you’ve already named those Isabelle. It could’t be FBI because the work in cases within the states, and Jigson does work all over the globe. e.g. England, Spain, Iceland, Scotland (probably)
But Jigson does work on some cases in the US, like Miss Verton’s crime organization, and the Oakwood Reserve Escape System…
Yes, but the international agencies do local cases sometimes though rarely. Jigson has only had two in-country cases, and he has had three (going on four) out-of-country cases. This is one of the reasons I think he does something totally different than a normal agency.
Or he might work for an Embassy,