An artist has a vision that is given to him by someone else, something outside himself. And that vision never changes. If you don't take risks in art, you're not any good. Safe and predictable isn't art. Art is outrage.
Art never seeks convenience.
Dave didn't go away. Another Dave Robicheaux novel is due out next summer. I write different things all the time. I've published 16 books. Been doing it since Guttenberg published the first Bible.