Is Jean Auel ever going to write the last book in her Earth's Children series? I bought every one of her books and have been waiting for years to find out what happened when the couple got home. Please tell me that my waiting is just about over!
—Brenda F., South Carolina
You'll have to wait until April 30. That's the current date set for The Shelters of Stone, the fifth installment of the Earth's Children series by Jean M. Auel. The series, which continues the prehistoric story of Ayla, began with 1980's The Clan of the Cave Bear and saw the last book, The Plains of Passage, released in 1990. The 65-year-old author has sold more than 34 million books worldwide with 28 foreign language editions. "While this has taken me 11 years to write, it has been a labor of love," Auel says. "I can't wait to be able to share it with the world." Auel went to South Africa and Europe to do research for book number six. She and husband Ray have five children and 15 grandchildren.
