Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 285

Getting By With Some Help From My Friends

Julie and Liz, Crime Bake 2013

By Liz, thrilled that it’s finally spring in New England

I’ve been thinking a lot about friendships these days. Which means I’ve been thinking about my Wicked sisters, because they are among the people I consider myself closest to in the world. Bear with me for a few while I get sappy (it doesn’t happen often).

I always had lots of friends growing up. People to hang out with, to shop with, to eat dinner with, etc. In my youthful naiveté, I called pretty much anyone I had some kind of social relationship with “a friend.” Of course, some were closer than others – my select few “best” friends over certain periods of my life, my go-to groups for different activities. I trusted people immensely. I threw myself into my friends with gusto, always making myself available, rearranging my schedule so I could be at their beck and call, dropping everything if they needed something.

Liz and Edith, Writer’s Police Academy, 2011

I considered myself abundant in the area of friendship, so I didn’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about the concept. 

But then the time came when I could’ve used a few good friends, and found out I didn’t have as many as I thought. I also realized I hadn’t necessarily been choosing my friends wisely. Or setting the right boundaries. 

So I went to the other extreme after that, as I tend to do. I decided I didn’t need any more friends. At all. Aside from pets, of course. The first job I got after I moved to Connecticut was in a newsroom. Like most newsrooms, it was full of reporters who liked to go to bars and hang out after long days and nights of work. Being a friendly bunch, they often extended the invitation. I usually declined. (Don’t worry, I eventually got over being an extremist and found four or five new friends.) 

Liz, Sherry and Sheila, Malice 2014

Then I got my agent and my contract to write the Pawsitively Organic Mysteries. Edith Maxwell, who I knew from Sisters in Crime, had also just signed with John Talbot and gotten her contract. She brilliantly connected me and Jessie Crockett, the first of any of us to sign on for a series, and suggested we all start figuring this writing thing out together. The Wicked Cozy Authors were born from there when Barb, Sherry and Julie joined the soiree.  

Barb and Liz, Malice 2014

And so were friendships I had never imagined. Right from the start, we were more than just blog mates. We were support, both in and out of the writing world. We were cheerleaders. We were shoulders to cry on. We were friends. 

We are friends. 

All of us, 2014 retreat at Old Orchard Beach

I once said to them that being with them, even when we’re simply sharing experiences over email, is like going to a family dinner – one I actually look forward to. Even when they put me in book jail. 

They are all unique, amazing women who I’ve come to depend on. When something happens, funny or sad, I immediately think, The Wickeds will get it. They always do. 

I guess that’s what happens when you find real friends. 

Filed under: Liz's posts Tagged: family, Friendship

Wicked Wednesday–cookouts, white pants, and pedicures?

On Wicked Wednesdays the Wickeds weigh in on a topic, or produce a random stream of thought. This week–next Monday–is Memorial Day. This is the unofficial kick off for summer, though many of us still don’t trust the weather enough to put out winter coats away quite yet. What are your summer launching routines?

Jessie: I plant the pots at our house at the beach. We can’t be there full-time until the kids get out of school and watering can be tricky so I wait until summer really is upon us. Then I have a legitimate reason to drive up, even in the middle of the week. Of  course, once I’m there it would be wrong of me not to get a little fresh air and exercise by walking the beach.

Liz: My favorite launch plan for summer – get a pedi and get some fun new shoes! This year, though, I’m more apt to celebrate by getting the lawn guy here to do the first job of the season. I can barely see the dogs above the grass.

Edith: I will confess to having already consumed a delicious gin and tonic on a sunny Sunday a couple of weeks ago, but I’ll certainly repeat that Memorial Day ritual after I’ve spent the weekend planting the rest of the garden: gold cherry tomato seedlings, a couple of Asian eggplant, skinny beans, tender herbs like basil and dill, and more. Can’t wait to stow that wool coat!

Sherry: We usually cookout with friends. Often on the Sunday afternoon before Memorial Day so no one has to worry about staying up too late. I can’t believe summer has finally arrived after a long, cold Virginia winter!

Julie: Grilling, a pedicure, getting the summer clothes out, finally putting the winter clothes away (I hope). I love this weekend, and the ritual of welcoming summer. And for me, this year, writing writing writing!

Barb: When we close up the house in Maine in November, we bring all the furniture from the big front porch and the big back deck inside and pile it in the living room. If we sneak up to do work there in the spring, we leave the furniture where it is and live in the den and the dining room. So summer for me is when we put the outside furniture outside. This year, I am eagerly waiting while the porch deck gets painted. There have been so many wet days. But yesterday, the first coat went down, so soon I’ll be sitting on the porch, reading Level Best submissions and staring at the sea.

Readers: What’s your Memorial Day weekend ritual? How do you launch summer?

Filed under: Wicked Wednesday Tagged: beach, cookouts, gardening, gin and tonic, Memorial Day, pedicure, summer, summer traditions

The Detective’s Daughter — The Grave Digger’s Daughter

By Kim Gray

In Baltimore City

There’s a small house in which the kitchen is the largest room. The old place sits among the graves that are dug by a man who is, more often then not, drunk. And in this place where you find the dead is where my mother lived.

Many times while writing about Dad’s adventures it has occurred to me that I might never have been the offspring of this detective had he not met the grave digger’s daughter. She spent her childhood tucked away in a Lutheran cemetery along with her mother, sister, and brothers. The grave digger came and went, but she and her family cared for the yard and all those who came to rest. Occasionally her father stumbled home and they would share some good weeks before he was off again. Her older brothers took on their father’s responsibilities when he disappeared for days, or even months. In that time the young girl who grew to be my mom found reprieve from her life in books.

She’d curl up in her room or hide away in the small stone house that sat between the headstones and memorials immersed in ghost stories, mysteries and thrillers. It was the love of reading that kept her going even during difficult circumstances.

Dad may have been living out real mysteries, but it was Mom who introduced me to crime fiction. Most sunny afternoons we could find her in a lawn chair near the garden in the midst of a Helen MacInnes or Barbara Michaels novel. There were weekly trips to the library to check out the latest Mary Higgins Clark or read a Patricia Wentworth. One of our favorites was Phyllis Whitney and though we could not agree on which of her mysteries was the best (I still say it was Emerald!) these books always gave us a common ground even through my teenage years.

As I sit in my own kitchen today reading the delightful Boiled Over, my mind wanders back to the kitchen of my childhood where mom and I sat, elbows on table, books in hands, holding our breath as another heroine stumbled onto an important clue. These days Mom visits the library to get audio books. She drives around and listens to her favorite authors, some old, some new, as she goes to work or runs errands. I’ve tried listening to books in my car, but every time I do I become so involved with the story I forget where I’m going.

We continue to discuss what we’ve read, and recommend books we like. Mom is always anxious to learn about the authors I meet at Malice Domestic each year. I was especially proud to have her with me at the Agatha Awards the year I won the William F. Deeck- Malice Domestic Grant. That night we mingled with the authors and left our books at home.

Dad gave me ample stories of murder and mayhem, but it is the love of books I have inherited from Mom that inspires me to put pen to paper and spin mysterious tales for her to someday read.

Filed under: The Detective's Daughter, Uncategorized Tagged: Agatha awards, Baltimore City, Baltimore City Police, Barbara Michaels, boiled over, Helen MacInnes, Malice Domestic, Mary Higgins Clark, Patricia Wentworth, Phyllis Whitney, The Detective's Daughter, William F. Deeck Malice Domestic Grant

You Know You’re a Mystery Writer When…

[Missi Svoboda won the paperback copy of A TINE TO LIVE, A TINE TO DIE from Edith's A Second Life post last week. Missi, contact Edith, and congratulations!]

By Sherry Harris

You know you’re a mystery writer…

When:

Half of your friends have aliases but they haven’t committed a crime.

You have perfectly normal conversations about the best way to kill someone in a crowded restaurant.

Your husband is nervous when you say the Poison Lady is going to be at a conference you’re attending.

Julie with Sgt. Patrick Towle right before our police ride along.

You know how to sink a body and make sure it stays that way.

You have an anonymous source.

You’ve been on a police ride along.

Your friend’s husband, who’s a police officer, answers your questions after he decides you aren’t really planning to commit a crime.

You hear an interesting crime story and you start analyzing to see if it would work in your manuscript.

You can’t wait to:

See your cover.

Hold an arc.

Hold the book.

Sign your first book.

Make the first sale that isn’t to your mother or some other close relative.

You try to:

My first panel at Left Coast Crime with Martha Cooley, Lori Rader-Day, Carlene O’Neil and Holly West.

Be funny and interesting when you’re on a panel at a conference.

Be witty and ask insightful questions when you moderate a panel.

Figure out how many appearances you should make and if you should have a launch party.

Promote but not over promote your book on social media sites.

You force yourself out of bed in the middle of the night because something has come to you and you want to remember it in the morning.

You wake up in the morning wondering what the heck you thought of in the middle of the night that you were sure was brilliant and you’d remember it without forcing yourself out of bed in the middle of the night.

You have to cover the word count on your computer so you don’t check every few minutes to see if you’ve reached your goal.

Liz in book jail on our recent retreat.

Your friends put you in book jail and yell at you if they see you’re online when you should be writing.

Your friends give you word counts, deadlines, and encourage you.

Anyone have something to add to the list?

Filed under: Sherry's posts Tagged: anonymous source, ARC, book cover, book jail, Carlene O'Neil, Holly West, Lori Rader-Day, Martha Cooley, Poison Lady, police ride alongs, word count, You know you are mystery writer when

Willing Victims

To be entirely honest I’m not sure my family really understands a lot about what it is that I do. Sure, they realize that I spend a lot of time in front of the computer. They know I get excited when I complete a draft of a novel or when I get my first glimpse of new cover art. They even have come to expect that I will enthusiastically flit off to conferences a couple of times each year to spend time with other people who also like to think of ways to get away with murder. On occasion they have even attended author events with me and have gotten to see what all that entails.

But the one thing I am absolutely certain they do understand is the taste testing. My Sugar Grove Mysteries include recipes and my family, and sometimes my friends, serve as willing victims for whatever I might dream up. Of course, for them, I always leave out anything lethal from my real concoctions.

They’ve already put their stamp of approval on recipes for Drizzled with Death and Maple Mayhem and now we’re in the thick of things with the third book in the series. I may be met with a few groans when I tell the kids I need to spend a beautiful Saturday at a book store or a library event instead of with them, but I only hear applause when I ask who wants to try something like a Maple Blondie. The recipe they raved about is below. Let me know if your  household likes it too!

Maple Blondies

Ingredients

I stick or ½ cup butter

¾ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1 large egg

1 teaspoon maple extract

1 cup all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

a pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 8 x 8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a saucepan heat the butter and brown sugar over low heat until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the maple syrup, egg, and maple extract. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, nutmeg and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the contents of the saucepan. Whisk together until smooth. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 22-28 minutes.

These are meant to be soft, even a bit undercooked by most baking standards. If this is not to your liking, increase the baking time by three-minute intervals until a desired degree of firmness is achieved.

Filed under: Uncategorized

A Second Life

Edith here, writing from n orth of Boston where spring has finally arrived!

I am delighted to announce that my first Local Foods mystery, A Tine to Live, a Tine to Die, has been re-released in paperback. It’s a little bit unusual for a cozy mystery to come out in hardcover, but that’s what my contract with Kensington Publishing specified. My agent said libraries and collectors prefer hardcovers, so who was I to argue? 

The contract also said that eleven months later, each book would reissue in mass-market paperback. Yes, the little ones with an affordable price and an easy heft. And it came out last week! They changed up the cover a bit, and included the recipes they forgot to include in the hardcover version. Isn’t it a nice cover?

I am excited to be able to offer an eight-dollar book when I go to libraries and farmers’ markets instead of the twenty-four dollar version. So if the price tag on the original version was too much for you, I hope you’ll go find it in paperback. And tell your friends and neighbors, too. My sister already reported seeing it in an Indiana Barnes and Noble!

Of course, when ‘Til Dirt Do Us Part releases on May 27, it will be in hardcover, but next May the whole process will repeat. And speaking of Book Two, I am offering the most gorgeous sky blue silk scarf, handpainted and signed by the artist, for every person who sends me proof of preordering ‘Til Dirt Do Us Part.

I really want the series to continue, and its fate might rest in the number of sales the week it comes out. Publishers like to see a ton of sales when the book is brand new. Preordering from your favorite indy bookstore or online outlet is the best way to ensure those kinds of numbers.

Isn’t that a beautiful scarf? See details of the contest on my web site. You have until May 27 to let me know. And if you don’t wear scarves yourself, I’ll bet you know someone who does and who deserves a really pretty present.

I’m delighted to have a second chance or two.

Readers: Have you had a chance to start over, to reinvent yourself, to reach more people? I’ll send a copy of the paperback TINE to one commenter! Make sure you leave your email address if I don’t already have it.

 

Filed under: Edith's posts Tagged: 'Til Dirt Do Us Part, A Tine to Live a Tine to Die, contest, cozy mysteries, giveaway, Kensington Publishing, mystery, paperback, recipes, silk scarf

Wicked Wednesday: What I Learned at Malice Domestic

On Wicked Wednesdays, the Wickeds weigh in on a subject. Almost two weeks ago we were all at Malice Domestic, a wonderful convention in Bethesda, Maryland that celebrates the traditional mystery. We had a lot of fun. But we also participated in many ways–Malice Go Round (Edith and Jessie presenting; Barb, Sherry, Julie and Liz listening); the New Author breakfast (Liz spoke); panels (Sherry moderated her first panel), and more. So Wickeds, what did you learn?

Julie with Reine Carter (on a stick) and former SINC National president Frankie Bailey.

Julie: As always, I learned so much by watching, meeting, and listening to other authors. My biggest take away? That I need to work on the pitch for my novel, and for myself. One or two sentences to intrigue the listener, but not telling too much of the story.

Edith: That even when I’m tired, or have a lunch invitation, I’ll learn more if I hang out at a session or with folks I don’t know well. One day I attended Lucy Zahray’s session on poisons (she’s the famous Poison Lady) instead of going out to lunch, and came away with murder weapons for my next two books. Another day I skipped a session and took a nap, then wished I had stayed in the conference, met some new folks, made some new friends. It’s only three days, after all. So many readers to meet, so little time!

Look at all the Agatha nominations among just four Sisters in Crime New England members! Liz, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Barb, and Julia Spencer-Fleming.

Barb: I learned, once again, what a wonderful, welcoming, supportive community tradtional mystery readers and writers are. The excellent program reinforced how critical good moderators are to the success of a panel. The women of Mystery Lovers Kitchen are always good role models. Look at how they describe themselves and their books, what they give away and how they handle themselves on panels, and you’ll learn plenty. And I learned, once again, that Guest of Honor Kathy Lynn Emerson is a talented writer and a gracious person.

Liz: This was my first Malice, and it was wild! What a great experience (although exhausting). Having now seen many traditional mystery readers in one place, I saw firsthand how devoted they are to the genre and to the books. It’s an amazing thing. And it was wonderful to meet so many new friends.

 

Jessie: This was my third Malice and I learned how easy it is to feel at home amongst so many enthusiastic readers. It is like being surrounded by friends even when the faces are new because there is so much everyone has in common. Absolutely everyone I spoke with was warm and approachable and seemed to be genuinely having a wonderful time. I was exhausted by the time I got home but I think it was mostly from all the smiling and laughing!

Sherry: I learned that moderating a panel is a lot of fun! I enjoyed getting to introduce my friends from the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crimes to the Wickeds. I met a lot of fun new people and also some old friends. Bethesda is only about 15 miles as the crow flies from where I live in northern Virginia but once immersed in Malice it seems like I’m in a whole different world.

Readers: What do you love about Malice? Who would you most like to meet there, if you got the chance to go? (And who wants to go on a stick next year?)

 

Filed under: Conferences, Wicked Wednesday Tagged: Agatha awards, Bethesda Maryland, Dru Ann Love, Malice Domestic, traditional mysteries

Opening Lines

Hello Readers! Opening lines time-write your opening lines for the following picture.

Photograph by Howard A. Phillips. Used with permission.

Jessie: Every spring Vera asked herself how much she really wanted to pull her bicycle from the basement storage area. After all, no matter how many years had passed since George’s tragic and fortuitous accident, his ghost made a point to lie in wait for her at the base of the stairs.

Julie: The trick was going to be getting up the fire escape without Mrs. Violet seeing my shadow. In a half hour, it wouldn’t be an issue. But I didn’t have a half hour. I needed to get up to the apartment before someone called the police.

Edith: Every day just about now Merinda floats up those stairs like she owns them. She sure looks real for somebody who died seventeen years ago.

Barb: Virginia crouched on the basement stairs, the cement cool through her white underpants. If Georgie couldn’t find her, he couldn’t hurt her.

Liz: The last thing I wanted to do was go into that house, but I had no choice.

Readers: Add your lines in the Comments.

Filed under: Opening Lines Tagged: ghosts, Howard Phillips, paranormal, shadows

Reine Harrington Reigns at Malice

Reine Harrington won our Stick with Us contest and attended Malice Domestic on a stick.

Sheila Connolly is delighted Reine could make it to Malice!

Our handsome waiter with the resonant voice at the French bistro makes sweet with Reine.

Liz and Edith are so pleased she could join us.

As is Julie!

 

 

 

 

Reine joined us at dinner. From left counterclockwise: Barb, our long-time New England friend Pat Remick, Julie, the Detective’s Daughter Kim Gray, Liz, Sherry, Sheila, Jessie, and Edith.

 

And Reine helped us assemble the goodie bags for Malice-go-Round and Liz’s banquet table.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All that tired her out, so she grabbed a nap in the hotel, followed by a cup of coffee.

 

 

And boy, did she need it once we started introducing her around! Reine meets Vicki Delaney, Victoria Abbott and Erika Chase.Reine enjoys a ginger lemonade at lunch with the Wickeds. Is that Jessie Crockett studying the Malice panels?

 

 

 

Julia Spencer Fleming said that Reine came between her and Ross.

But they are still speaking.

 

 

 

 

 

Agatha nominee and former Guppie president Kaye George, with her Guppie boa, which Reine got to share.Guest of Honor Kathy Lynn Emerson.

Reine poses with Sisters in Crime President Lauren DiSilvero and MWA 2014 Grand Master Carolyn Hart.

Reine hangs with agent John Talbot and some of the authors he represents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reine at the banquet with Jan Kurtz and Elaine Naiman.

Reine sits with Agatha nominee Liz Mugavero at the Agatha banquet.

Reine and the Wickeds are ready to go to the Agatha Banquet.

Reine gets into the Poirot thing with Edith, Jessie, and Jessie’s editor!

Reine attends another Malice panel with Connie Archer, Daryl Wood Gerber, Jessie, and Mary Ellen Hughes.

 

 

 

Here she is with Agatha-ward winning Leslie Budewitz.

And with Agatha-nominee and Malice Program Chair Barb Goffman.

 

We loved having Reine with us, and only wish that her service dog Kendall could have come along, too!

Filed under: Uncategorized

The Week that Boiled Over

by Barb, currently in Boston, but soon to be in Maine. Yay!

Who wouldn’t love an entire week dedicated to celebrating their book? Thank you, thank you to my Wicked Cozys.

It’s been a busy time for Boiled Over.

Blog posts: Here are some blog posts I’ve done about Boiled Over.

Here’s one from this blog last summer about the research I did for the book into wild blueberries

This one from Maine Crime Writers is about the history I created for my fictional town of Busman’s Harbor.

EB Davis interviewed me about Boiled Over on Writers Who Kill. She is a terrific interviewer. Her questions always make me think.

camp beans

And this recipe from Boiled Over appeared on Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen.

Reviews: There have been some terrific reviews. Click on the links to read the full text

☆☆☆☆½  With quick pacing and plenty of red herrings, Ross leads readers on a thrilling ride to track down a killer.

RT Book Reviews, May 2014

Boasting an eclectic cast of characters, engaging dialogue and a wonderful Maine setting, this was a delectably appetizing whodunit that left me wanting more.

Dru’s Book Musings, May 2014

Ross has served us a great mystery with a perfect amount of humor and romance.

Escape with Dollycas, May 2014

Barbara Ross’s Maine Clambake series provides both great characters and a small town mystery that is intricate enough to keep even the best armchair detective guessing.

Criminalelement.com, May 2014

The book was well researched with Maine history and the story told was suspenseful and kept me reading to the very end. In spite of the notes I took to carefully keep track of the characters so I could write this review, I must admit that I missed the solution to the mystery!

Bee Bag Lady, May 2014

…she has given the reader a more detailed view of the residents of Busman’s Harbour. Between these two books I feel like I know these characters better and I absolutely can’t wait to set foot back there again and dive into whatever mystery Julia Snowden has to solve next!

Cozy Mystery Book Reviews, May 2014

This one will definitely catch you and reel you in…

Community Bookstop, April 2014

Experiencing an authentic Maine clambake just like the ones described in this series is definitely on my bucket list…minus the dead bodies, of course.

Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries and Meows, April 2014

 

Appearances: I’m making appearances all spring and summer in support of Boiled Over–some with fellow Wicked Cozys.

Saturday, May 10, 2014 at 1:00 pm

With Edith Maxwell and Liz Mugavero at Nevins Memorial Library

May 15, 2014

I post from the point of view of my character restauranteur Gus Farnham on Dru’s Book Musings.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at 7:00 pm

With fellow short story authors Michele Albion, John Bubar and Sharon Daynard at RiverRun Bookstore

Tuesday, June 17, 2014 at 6:30 pm

With Gary Braver for a panel discussion,“Using What You Know (and What You’d Like to Know)” to Write A Mystery” at the Worcester Public Library

Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 6:00 pm

“The Second Book Challenge” with Edith Maxwell and Liz Mugavero at Bestsellers Cafe

Tuesday, July 8, 2014 at 6:30 pm

With author Lea Wait at South Portland Public Library

More appearances are on my website here.

I’d love to see you at any of these events!

I have really enjoyed this special week. Now its back to “book jail” to finish Musseled Out.

 

 

Filed under: Barb's posts Tagged: Barbara Ross, boiled over, maine clambake mysteries