Lilian Jackson Braun - dead, dying...or alive?

[Jackie Houchin]

Has anyone read the latest "Cat Who--" book? (60 Whiskers) What's your opinion? Do you think the author is still alive and writing them? If so, she must be in her nineties. Or...do you think the last several books have been written by writers using her name, like Carolyn Keene with the Nancy Drew mysteries?

[Karl Knickrehm]

I have read each book and enjoyed them. However, I noticed with the last one a drop in quality. I think that someone should write one more book to finish the series. Qwilleran has lost his love and his house and cats don't live forever. Koko and Yum Yum should die some heroic death saving Qwilleran and then he should leave Pickax never to return. Ms. Braun is 96 years old (born 1913) if she is alive. If she can't finish the series someone should.

[Isabelle Clark]

-LISA, YOUR BLOG ABOVE MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO ME.  YOU ARE AS GOOD A DETECTIVE AS KOKO.  THERE WAS THAT LONG INTERIM FROM HER VERY FIRST FEW BOOKS  UP TO THE 80'S. I HAVE QUITE A FEW OF HER BOOKS AND AM TRYING TO COMPLETE THE LIBRARY WITH ALL THAT HAS BEEN PUBLISHED TO DATE.  ANYBODY WANT TO SELL COPIES, LET ME KNOW.  I WILL POST THE NAMES OF THE BOOKS I AM LOOKING/WAITING FOR.  MY LIBRARY OF THE CATS ARE SMALL, PAPERBACKS, DO NOT HAVE ROOM FOR HARD COVERS  OR LARGER PAPER BACKS.

ISABELLE

[Anne Johnston]

A friend and I were discussing the decline in the quality of the last few books. Disappointing, yes, but what he told me got me to thinking more openly. He said that Ms. Braun has already written the final book, and that it will be published after she passes. So...I'm wondering if someone (perhaps not LJB) is trying to lead into this final book while Ms. Braun is not in good health, but still on the planet???
Just a thought.
There is no way she has written at least the last couple of books. Just not her style. Editorial work has slid downhill as well.

[Marija Unrau]

Hi Anne,
This is a very interesting premise. I hadn't thought of it. I remember hearing somewhere that Ms. Braun refused to allow a TV/movie version of her books to be made while she is living. If that is true then, your comment is very likely true as well. We will not see the final book while Ms. Braun is on this planet. Ahhhh, it all becomes clear to me now, lol.

[Carrie Wilcox]

It's been a year since anyone posted here but I just finished the 60 Whiskers book and was looking for answers when I ran across this forun. I was very disappointed with this last book. The barn burning was treated like "oh well". Polly staying in Europe was almost "oh well - next". The last of the book was disjointed to me so I wondered if Lilian Jackson Braun was suffering from dementia or something, kind of in and out so to speak. If this was the farewell I didn't think it was handled well at all. I thought the book before this one, The Cat Who Dropped A Bombshell, wasn't up to par with her other books. Something is definitely up, but what??????? What went on with the last writings and what is going on now, new book coming or not, who is or isn't writing; this is a mystery in itself. I saw a notation that the publisher cancelled the next book....hmmm

[Marija Unrau]

Hi Carrie,
I am sorry you didn't enjoy the last book, you aren't alone. There is another forum on egirlbooks that may have answers for you and talks to the changes you have found in the recent books. Please don't judge Ms. Braun too harshly, she is almost 100 years old ( 96 or 98 I think) and in poor health the last we heard. Go to the other forum it will help.

[Carrie Wilcox]

I am sorry, I did not mean to be so harsh with my posting. At Lilian's age it is miraculous that she was able to get the books out the way she did. I do believe though that there should have been editing by someone to try to straighten things up a little or work it out in a more even keel adding emotions where they should be. so that the final books flowed with the initial books character wise. I guess I was more questioning what happened but got on a soapbox because I was so confused by the change. I just started reading "The Cat Who" books about three months ago checking out two at a time at the library. So, I just wanted to apologize if I came off a little strong. It will be a miracle if I ame able to write a few sentences that people can understand let alone a book when I am in my nineties.

[zephyrweb]

I agree with you completely....it was the editor that dropped the ball...either he/she had never read any of her previous books, or just didn't care...if the editor HAD, none of those character problems would have happened, or the errors--tipsy's being famous for chicken is my biggest pet peeve! are you kidding me??? ....and all the people dying for no reason pertaining to the plot....what was that about? elizabeth hart dies and we don't know why, no famous pickaxe funeral, nor does it mesh with the plot nor do we hear from derek cuttlebrink? so what was the point? and why did it matter? ....again i ask, where was the editor....and polly's leaving, ok she's gone on random vacations in earlier books and that was fine, but to just stay away and have MILDRED go through all her belongings and get rid of them? after she went through all the trouble of saving them after lynnette died? ....there would be SOME things she would want to keep--personal papers, keepsakes from Qwill, i mean seriously...that was just ridiculous....it was like it was written as an outline and just turned in "as is" and never developed.....the editor fell down on the job from "talked turkey" to the present.....

[Marija Unrau]

I agree with you too zephyrweb, the editor did drop the ball. Maybe I am a bit more skeptical and take it a step further. The editors are doing this on purpose, they have no emotional connection to these books or the characters who came to life in them, they are just after the cold hard cash! Read my theory in the previous post, I think there is another book but the issue is not about whether it has been written but about when it will be published ... when Ms. Braun is no longer on this earth and that may even be her request. That still does not excuse the inconsistencies and wild plot deviations. I have to say that I sadly miss Ms. Braun's touch in the later stories.

[zephyrweb]

i read somewhere that the last book got postponed...it did have a release date and lots of people preorded it on amazon/etc but all ordered got cancelled...and it will be released upon her death....the above poster said that she has always been against tv versions of her books, which is too bad...i thought they'd make great 2-4 hour movies like the BBC "Poirot" or "Midsommer Murder" series, however maybe she'll release them after she's passed...

of course it's about money at this point...they know regardless of their quality after 20 odd book we'll buy them sight unseen just to see what happens next, even if the previous one, two, three, then four have been subpar...we're that devoted!....and that hopeful!!!

[Marija Unrau]

Isn't that the truth. It somehow all gets reduced to money. Ms. Braun has had a wonderful run with her stories and entertained so many, I hope the editors to a better job of the last book. We can only keep our fingers crossed. Yours news is somewhat bittersweet. When we finally get our last book, we will know that Ms. Braun is no more. That will be heartbreaking.

[zephyrweb]

but then that's just something i read....who knows if it's true....it is telling that it was all set to be released and then pulled...i saw it reading for pre-order on amazon myself so i know it existed or exists....yet there was no explanation for the pulling that anyone could find in the news...for all i know it could be conjecture, but it makes sense, that's for sure....either that they just decided that the past 4-5 books reviewed so badly with fans and reviewers that it was best to cut their losses even though they knew it would sell