Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 133

Murder on Cape Cod is Everywhere

Edith/Maddie here, secretly pleased to have the house cleaned, restored to its non-holiday state, and quiet again, no matter how much I loved having my family home for the holidays. Read on for two special giveaways!

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It’s release week for Murder on Cape Cod, Maddie Day’s first Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery. What, you ask? Didn’t that release last year? Sigh. Yes, it did, but only from Barnes & Noble and only in paperback. The exclusive arrangement was urged on me by my agent and my editor, and it has been a very nice boost to my career.

That said, so many of my devoted readers, possibly you among them, only read on Kindle or other eformats , sometimes for reasons of a disability. Or only read via audiobook. Or don’t have a B&N near them and can’t afford the shipping cost. Or are Canadian and … see previous. Or are devoted to buying only from their local non-chain bookstore. All were made to wait a year.

I’m delighted the book is now out everywhere. In ebook. On audio. Locally!

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Summer is busy season for Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida’s bicycle shop, nestled in the seaside hamlet of Westham, Massachusetts. She’s expecting an influx of tourists at Mac’s Bikes; instead she discovers the body of Jake Lacey, and her brother soon becomes a suspect. Mac’s only experience with murder investigations is limited to the cozy mysteries she reads with her local book group, the Cozy Capers. To clear her brother’s name, Mac has to summon help from her book group co-investigators. For a small town, Westham is teeming with possible killers, and this is one mystery where Mac is hoping for anything but a surprise ending.

I have to tell you, I am loving writing this series. Murder at the Taffy Shop releases March 31 – in another limited, exclusive paperback release from Barnes & Noble.

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I’m a third of the way through writing Murder at the Lobstah Shack. Stay tuned for how that turns out – even I don’t know!

To reward all you readers who had to wait for Murder on Cape Cod, I will send one commenter a code to listen to the audiobook, and to one lucky (and patient) Canadian reader, a gift of the book from Chapters/Indigo, which my sister in Ottawa tells me is the one big Canadian bookstore chain (or an audiobook code, if you prefer).

Readers: Do you have a favorite memory of a bicycle you rode as a child? Have you ever rented a bike and, if so, how did it go? If you haven’t had bikes in your life, tell me your favorite way to read books.

Write What You Suspect and a Giveaway!

By Sherry — I’m so delighted that Sell Low, Sweet Harriet is out in the world

[image error]My husband was sitting on the couch reading Sell Low, Sweet Harriet the other day. All the sudden I hear him say, “Are you kidding me?” I had a fairly good idea what he was referring to, but I wandered into the family room and asked, “What?” in an all too innocent voice. He looks up at me. “This sounds like my family.” Oops. Well not, oops because I knew he’d recognize that bit of his families’ life that I had borrowed. I just said, “Write what you know” and got the heck out of there.

Since I couldn’t move out I had to talk to him about that particular scene. He said, “Maybe it should be write what you suspect and not what you know.” Brilliant. (Don’t tell him I said that—I already have enough trouble dealing with his ego. I have two friends who come to visit and call him the prefect man. Then when they leave, I’m left to deal with the aftermath. Don’t tell him this either—honestly he’s lovely and I’m lucky to have him in my life.) Where was I? Ah, write what you suspect.

I quickly realized I suspect everything. That teenage girl walking alone in the woods when I’m walking my dog? Meeting someone her parents don’t approve of. The guy sitting in his car at the far end of the library parking lot? Drug dealer. The two guys exchanging an envelope outside the post office? Russian spies. Hey, I live outside of DC – they really could be and notorious spy Robert Hansen used a park not too far from where I live as a dead drop.

Suspecting things is what leads us to story ideas. It’s why you always hear writers talking about “what if?” Because when we aren’t suspecting something we are “what iffing.” What if that girl meets her boyfriend, gets pregnant, her parents kick her out, and the boyfriend deserts her? What if the drug deal goes bad, and some poor person walking across the parking lot witnesses a shooting and is kidnapped? What if the spies realize someone has seen the exchange and is following them? What ifs are so much fun.

And if I’m not suspecting or what iffing, I’m borrowing. The opening for Tagged for Death came from a conversation I overheard in an airport. I tucked that puppy away for future use and was delighted to pull it out. Around fourteen years ago an ambassador told us a story about what her kids did in a foreign country. It was hilarious and it’s in Sell Low, Sweet Harriet. There’s one more thing I don’t want you to tell my husband. He might come across a few more things that sound familiar.

Suspecting things, what iffing, and borrowing are corner stones for how I write. How about you? Is that how you write? Readers did you know that’s what writers are always doing? Do you do it too? I’ll give away a copy of Sell Low, Sweet Harriet to someone who leaves a comment.

Wicked Wednesday: Book Launch Week!

Three Wickeds and an Accomplice have books releasing this week!

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Wickeds, how do your characters celebrate extra special, non-holiday events?

Jessie: Congratulations,ladies on your releases! My adventuress, Beryl Helliwell, celebrates even when there is no occasion. She feels every day is a worth celebrating and does so with a glass or two of champagne or maybe a rousing jaunt in her automobile. She never combines the two, however! Her dear friend, Edwina Davenport, is more restrained about most things. She loves to mark down things of note in her diary and does invite a close friend round to dinner if she feels circumstances warrant. She also loves to take note of the celebrations of others by whipping up hand knits for them or sending along a bouquet of flowers from her garden.

Edith/Maddie: Mac Almeida loves wine spritzers – pinot grigio and cranberry juice, for example, or a special drink like pineapple juice and Cuban rum with mint, lime juice, and tonic water. But a celebration can also be something as simple as a cookout in her parents’ Cape Cod back yard with Mac’s brother, her little niece, and boyfriend Tim, of course.

Julie: First of all, congratulations my friends!! I’m so looking forward to reading the next books in the Sarah and the Julia series, and glad that Mac will be meeting the wider world. I’ve been thinking about the difference between the Theater Cop series and the Garden Squad series regarding life and celebrations. In the Garden Squad series, Lilly and her friends spend a lot of time together–going out to eat or eating at Lilly’s house. Sometimes it’s to solve a crime, other times it’s so that folks don’t eat alone. Always it’s an event. In the Theater Cop series, Sully doesn’t celebrate easily. I suspect she did when her folks were alive, and when she was married. But now (though this is changing) she flies solo most of the time.

Barb: Julia Snowden celebrates special occasions with her family, which is often expanded to include Julia’s boyfriend Chris, the Snugg sisters from across the street, and Julia’s landlords Gus and Mrs. Gus.

Sherry: Very interesting–and I’ve never really thought about what Sarah would do. If she gets good news or bad news she usually rushes over to share it with the DiNapolis.  With good or bad news they would feed her to celebrate or prop her up. And like Beryl in Jessie’s books, Sarah likes sparkling wines!

Readers: How do you celebrate a special occasion?

Whither Windsholme? and a #giveaway

by Barb, first post from Key West for 2020

Hi All. The eighth Maine Clambake mystery, Sealed Off, was released in New Year’s Eve. The Wickeds thought you might be a little tied up with the holidays, so Sherry, Edith/Maddie, and I held off announcing our new releases until this week. One lucky commenter on the blog will win a brand new copy!

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There’s a major subplot in the book about a diary found in a sealed off room in Windsholme, the abandoned mansion on the island where my fictional Snowden family runs their authentic Maine Clambakes.

Recently, Sherry Harris asked me if I knew from the first book, Clammed Up, that Windsholme would become a central character in the series.

The answer is –100% no. I don’t remember now why I put an decrepit mansion on the island in that first book, though you’ll find echoes of the theme of abandoned spaces in many of my earlier books and stories. Even the first book in my new series, Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody, includes a community for active adults 55+ built on the grounds of an old estate.

The influences for these places are many.

In Clammed Up, the playhouse on the island, a replica of Windsholme, plays a large part in the story. My grandparents had a summer house in Water Mill, Long Island that was in a little enclave on the edge of an large estate. The playhouse that had originally belonged to the estate was our nearest neighbor. When I was a child a friend of my grandparents’ owned it and used it as her summer home. The playhouse is long gone, sadly, renovated beyond recognition, and finally knocked down to make way for a more expensive property. You can get a look at the original mansion here–all $18 million dollars of it. It looks very similar to the way it looked when I was a kid. Can you imagine the impact that place had on the imagination of a suburban child? Windsholme looks nothing like this mansion, but the idea of the playhouse was definitely an influence.

There are other abandoned and demolished mansions in my childhood. I told the story of two of them in this blog post.

(Spoiler alert.) I didn’t intend to burn down the mansion on Morrow Island. It was already crumbling, but I got to a point in the plot in Clammed Up where I realized I had no choice.

So now I had even more of a wreck sullying my tourist attraction, or “dining experience” as the Snowdens call it. The logical thing was to tear it down, though even demolition, carting the materials off the island, and paying to dispose of them was beyond the family’s means in the first three books when the business was teetering on the edge of foreclosure. I really didn’t want to knock Windsholme down, and I heard from some fans who didn’t want me to either.

So, I had written myself into a corner, which is something, perversely, I like to do. What to do? First, I had to figure out how to get the Snowdens, who run a modest family business, the money to fix up the mansion. (Iced Under) Then I had to come up with a rationale to fix it up. (Stowed Away) Then I had to get an architect and a plan in place. (Steamed Open) Finally, in Sealed Off, the work has begun.

Windsholme has never been more than subplot in any of the books, at most. But I have had the opportunity along the way to write about the family history and why the mansion is unlived in. (Mostly in Iced Under and Sealed Off.)

I’m working on book 9 now. It takes place largely on the next peninsula up from Busman’s Harbor, among the oyster farms on the Damariscotta River, so Windsholme and Morrow Island are not really a part of it. After that, who knows? Will there be more books? Will the renovation ever get finished? We’ll all find out if and when I write myself out of the holes I’ve most recently dug for myself.

Readers: Is there a place that lives in your memory and informs your imagination? Tell us about it in the comments below or just say “hi” to be entered to win a copy of Sealed Off.

Fatal Roots!

Wickeds Accomplice Sheila Connolly has a new County Cork mystery out tomorrow! Fatal Roots is the eighth in the series. Thanks to author pal Krista Davis, we have two copies to give away today.

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Some secrets are too big to stay buried…

A few months ago, Boston expat Maura Donovan was rekindled with her mother after more than twenty years of absence. Since then, Maura has been getting accustomed to Irish living, complete with an inherited house and a pub named Sullivan’s. But now, her mother has returned–and she’s brought Maura’s half-sister in tow. To make matters more confusing, a handful of Cork University students are knocking on Maura’s door asking about a mystical fairy fort that happens to be located on Maura’s piece of land.

The lore indicates that messing with the fort can cause bad luck, and most everyone is telling Maura not to get too involved for fear of its powers, but Maura is curious about her own land, and she definitely doesn’t buy into the superstition. Then one of the students disappears after a day of scoping out the fort on Maura’s property.

Maura treads carefully, asking the folks around town who might have an idea, but no one wants anything to do with these forts. She has to take matters into her own hand–it’s her land, after all. But when she uncovers a decades-old corpse buried in the center of the fort, nothing is for certain.

Readers: What do you love about Ireland? Have you ever made or visited a fairy fort? What other books by Sheila have you read? Do you have a favorite series by her? We’re sending a book each to two commenters (US only)!

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Sheila Connolly is the New York Times bestselling and Anthony and Agatha Award–nominated author of over thirty titles, including the Museum Mysteries, the Orchard Mysteries, and the County Cork Mysteries, in addition to the Relatively Dead paranormal romance e-series, the standalone books Once She Knew, a romantic suspense, and Reunion with Death, a traditional mystery set in Tuscany, as well as a number of short stories in various anthologies. Sheila lives in Ireland.

Ask the Expert: Sue Nakanishi, Librarian

Edith here, bringing back our Ask the Expert feature.

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Sue Nakanishi is head of Programming at the Langley-Adams Public Library in Groveland, Massachusetts. It was my home library for five years, and I’ve been Sue’s guest as an author several times. Sue runs an active program of speakers, bringing in an impressive number and array of authors. I invited her here to answer some questions.

How long have you been a librarian, and how did you train for this job?

Thank you for saying I do a good job hosting speakers. I do my best. This is my 20th year of being a librarian. I majored in HPE and Sociology in college. I also have my MAE in special education. During the summers, I worked in recreation in the Cleveland, Ohio area, which is where I first got “programming” experience. Programming is more than having authors come and speak. Being a high school Health teacher, I always was inviting guest speakers (Suicide Prevention, and so on). Later I was a K-8 PE teacher. I would team up with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, and others for special programs. It wasn’t until I became a school librarian in Maine that I started having authors. Later I began working at Langley-Adams Library in Groveland. Scheduling programs is just one part of my job, and I try to invite a variety of speakers, not just authors.

My first year here was hard. Luckily, three book clubs were already in place, as well as Scrabble Fridays. Inviting authors was a no brainer. I try to have at least two evening events a month. I also began doing what I call “movie Fridays” at various intervals during the year. Three years ago I helped establish an Italian Conversation Group with one of our regular patrons (for which I have made a connection with IAM books located in the North End of Boston and discovered more local authors).

How big is Groveland? The town’s population is around 6700. We estimate seventy-five percent are regular patrons.

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Do new people come to listen to talks who then return? Yes! Do they come just for authors? No.

How do you find speakers?  Good question. Other librarians, co-workers, patrons, newspapers, book fairs, IAM Books, conferences, authors reaching out to me, and…lots of luck. Sometimes while cataloging a book (that I know my patrons will be interested in reading), I see that the author is local. So I reach out to them.

Do you pay authors? Most of the authors who come do not ask for an honorarium. They realize that we help their careers and we have limited funds. At the same time, I feel bad if hardly anyone attends a program for someone who is here pro-bono. I want everyone to have a good audience and a positive experience.

You’ve hosted Bruce Coffin from Maine. How did you learn about him? Small world. His mother was the Middle School librarian in the town where I lived and also worked as a school librarian. His mom was my mentor. I bought a copy of his first book-partly to support him but also because…I love mysteries. I instantly knew my mystery book club would enjoy his book. So, I went out on a limb and invited him down here. Luckily, he took me up on my invite. Bruce was a big hit! I then turned around and let other libraries know about him.

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What have been some of your most popular programs? Besides my outdoor concerts, Former FBI undercover agent Michael McGowan (Ghost: My 30 Years As  An Undercover FBI Agent; I had him twice and both times were standing room only), documentary producer & author Rick Beyer (Ghost Army), and Hank Philippi Ryan are my record holders to date! A couple of summers ago we did Jane Austen themed programs-which also were well attended. The historian from Friendly’s had a full house. I am sure the fact that she provided ice cream helped, ha! Mystery authors do well here because of our mystery book club (it’s 25 members strong and I had to cap it), and the fact that the majority of the books that circulate from our library are…mysteries! Our library has a designated mystery section with over 3000 mysteries.

The The Haverhill Life newspaper has been a great help in increasing attendance at our library! They consistently print our upcoming events. Lately when I have noticed new faces and ask them how they heard about our program, it is because they read about it in The Haverhill Life.

What are some tips for how authors can be good library presenters? Talk about why you got into writing and how you came up with the idea for your book. Share what you went through in getting it published. If you write series, share how you created and are developing your regular characters. If you read, keep it brief – just a taste to hook them into wanting more. Also, don’t depend on the Q&A being the bulk of your time. It’s better to overprepare content and leave some out if you run too long. Finally, please know that I and most librarians will do everything on our end to promote your program (and we talk to each other). Let us know what you will need ahead of time. Your success here is our success, too. 

Sue, thank you for joining us!

Readers: Who has been your favorite speaker at a library? If you are a librarian, how do you find authors to feature?

Guest: Susan Furlong

Edith writing from north of Boston, where all is quiet and cold.

I’m happy to welcome author friend Susan Furlong to the blog to celebrate her new Bone Gap Travellers mystery, Shattered Justice and to talk about joy … for introverts.

In the Appalachian town of Bone Gap, Tennessee, backwoods justice is more than just blind. It’s swift, silent, and shockingly personal. Especially for Irish Traveller turned deputy sheriff Brynn Callahan . .

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More Joy in 2020

I’m not afraid to admit it – I’m an introvert.

But let’s face it, New Year’s Eve with its loud parties and rambunctious crowds isn’t exactly an introvert’s venue.  In the past I’ve caved into the pressure and forced myself out of my comfort zone and hit the party scene, only to feel like a fish out of water. But this year I planned to do New Year’s Eve my way: at home, spending a quiet evening with family, eating pizza and playing games.

This decision made me evaluate a few of the other decisions I make throughout the year and spurred on a list of resolutions that I want to share with fellow introverts:

Know Yourself

Being an introvert is an asset, not a negative. Introverts are not anti-social or shy, they simply need extra time to be alone and recharge. Introverts are deep thinkers, good listeners, observant and sensitive to others’ needs. In short, introverts have an abundance of quiet strength.

Lose the FOMO (fear of missing out)

While I love my family and friends, and cherish my time with them, my propensity for togetherness isn’t the same as theirs. I prefer to grab a cup of coffee with a friend rather than go to a big party. Do I feel like I’m missing out? Sometimes. But I value those one on one, meaningful discussions I have with my friends, and it’s difficult to do that in a noisy crowd. So, even though I’m missing the party, I’m not missing out on true relationship connections.

Lose the Guilt

There is nothing wrong with being an introvert, even when it seems like the rest of the world is partying. Introverts know how to make their own parties. It may not look exciting to some, but to me, an evening alone, curled up in my favorite chair with a book is actually very exciting. I make no apologies for that! And this year, I won’t feel guilty for saying “no” to extraneous social invitations.

Be a Quiet Source of Strength  

Being a friend often means listening to problems and providing gentle encouragement and advice. Introverts possess the ability to think through problems and resolve issues and conflict. They excel in one-on-one, meaningful interactions, and value their relationships. Introverts are true, loyal friends. Whatever 2020 brings, I plan to be there for my family and friends.

Embrace Your Inner-self

I read somewhere that almost ninety percent of New Year’s Resolutions fail. Maybe that’s because we’re always reaching to attain things outside our natural tendencies. So, this year, let’s resolve to embrace our inner-self, introvert or extrovert, and do more things that will bring us happiness.

Readers: Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Comment below with one resolution that suits your personality and will bring you more joy in 2020. One US commenter will receive a signed hardcover copy of Shattered Justice.

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Susan Furlong launched her Bone Gap Travellers series with the acclaimed novel Splintered Silence. She’s worked as a freelance writer, academic writer, translator, high school language arts teacher, and a martial arts instructor. She and her family live in central Illinois. You can find her at www.susanfurlong.com.

Happy New Year!

It’s Wicked Wednesday and the first day of 2020! The year is a blank slate stretching out ahead of us all.

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We Wickeds wish you each a healthy, happy, and safe year, full of new things and old, and many blessed hours of reading. We’re all taking the day off to enjoy our new books and a break from the routine, and hope you can, too.

Ball Drop Book Launch!

Happy New Year’s Eve!

Three Wickeds have book releases today, which you’ll hear more about in coming days. Sherry, Barb, and I want to invite you to a fun launch party tonight on Facebook, organized by Libby Klein.

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We hope you’ll join us and a bunch of other talented authors – all published by Kensington – to celebrate the release of Sell Low, Sweet Harriet by Sherry Harris, Sealed Off by Barb Ross, and the wide release of Maddie Day’s Murder on Cape Cod.

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Here’s the party description:

Twelve Kensington Authors ~ One Fabulous Book Launch

Join us as we ring in the New Year while celebrating Fantastic Fiction with Phenomenal Giveaways! Watch the ball drop in Time Square with some of your favorite authors online.

The event will be live from 8:30 pm until midnight, but commenting will stay open until 6:00 pm New Year’s Day to give everyone a chance to join the fun and enter the giveaways!

Prizes will be announced between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm New Year’s Day. Everyone who attends will be entered into the Grand Prize drawing from Kensington Publishing! All sales and prizes are final. All times are Eastern.

Readers: What are your plans to ring in the new year? Will you be out partying hard, at home asleep by your usual time, or, maybe, joining us online to schmooze in a virtual party with a bunch of awesome authors?

Guest: Nancy Coco & #Giveaway

Edith here, happy to welcome my friend Nancy Coco (aka Nancy J. Parra) to the blog with the first book in a new mystery series!

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Death Bee Comes Her blurb: Meet Wren Johnson, owner of Let It Bee – a shop that sells all things honey, from candy to lip balm to candles – in the small town of Oceanview along the Oregon coast. One day when Wren is walking her cat, Everett, on the beach, the kitty points Wren to the prone body of Agnes Snow among the dunes. Agnes is the arch-rival of Wren’s Aunt Eloise, and she is definitely dead. The only clue is a label from one of Wren’s handmade lip balms clutched in Agnes’s right hand. Wren calls 9-1-1 and meets Office Jim Hampton, a Paul Newman lookalike who is suspicious of Wren from the start. Wren is suspect number one in his eyes – and her Aunt Eloise is suspect number two. Wren, along with Everett, must follow the clues to catch the real killer and clear their names.

I read that a German proverb says “if you eat honey on New Year’s Day you will be sweet all year.”  A Jewish saying is “a piece of apple dipped in honey guarantees a sweet new year”. I love researching and researching about bees has been a lot of fun.

I love bees and if I didn’t live in the city I might even have a hive of my own. When I was a child, we lived beside a blueberry farm and each spring the farmer would bring in rented hives to ensure the bees would pollinate the blueberries. I found it all incredibly interesting. Then when my children were little we would visit the Natural History Museum on the campus of the University of Kansas. They had a live hive built into one wall with glass between visitors and the hive so that you could sit and watch the bees. That became my inspiration for the hive inside, Wren Johnson’s store, Let It Bee. Wren makes and sells all things bee and I enjoyed looking up bee lore and adding it to the story.

It’s amazing to know how many ways people use bee hive products. I read that honey used to be made with figs and then bee honey became the norm. When people use smoke to “calm” the bees, what really happens is bees get agitated and eat honey until they are so full they are calm. I think I’d love to have that much honey.

Honey in Baklava is my favorite way to use honey. Also, honey with peanut butter in a sandwich makes it crunchy and sweet.

Readers: Do you love honey? What is your favorite way to use honey? I’m offering a book to one lucky commenter (US only). So feel free to join in the conversation, and good luck!

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Nancy Coco is the national best-selling author of the Candy-coated mystery series set on Mackinac Island, Michigan and the new Oregon Honeycomb series. She also writes cozy mysteries under Nancy J Parra and Nell Hampton.