Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 38

Friends in Cozies with Guest Alyssa Maxwell

Edith/Maddie here, coasting into the end of August north of Boston.

Someone who never coasts in her writing is today’s guest, the amazing Alyssa Maxwell. (We wish we were actual sisters, but we’re not.) Her newest Gilded Newport Mystery came out this week. I love this series and can’t wait to clear a couple of evenings to enjoy the latest installment set in Newport Rhode Island more than a hundred years ago. Read down for a giveaway, too!

Isn’t that the most gorgeous cover? Here’s the blurb. Back from their honeymoon in Italy, Emma Andrews and Derrick are adapting to 1901 married life as they return to their duties at their jointly owned newspaper, the Newport Messenger. The Elms, coal baron Edward Berwind’s newly completed Bellevue Avenue estate, is newsworthy for two reasons: A modern mansion for the new century, it is one of the first homes in America to be wired for electricity with no backup power system, generated by coal from Berwind’s own mines. And their servants—with a single exception—have all gone on strike to protest their working conditions. Summarily dismissing and replacing his staff with cool and callous efficiency, Berwind throws a grand party to showcase the marvels of his new “cottage.”  

Emma and Derrick are invited to the fete, which culminates not only in a fabulous musicale but an unforeseen tragedy—a chambermaid is found dead in the coal tunnel. In short order, it is also discovered that a guest’s diamond necklace is missing and a laborer has disappeared.  

Detective Jesse Whyte entreats Emma and Derrick to help with the investigation and determine whether the murdered maid and stolen necklace are connected. As the dark deeds cast a shadow over the blazing mansion, it’s up to Emma to shine a light on the culprit . . .

Cozying up with Friends in Cozy Mysteries  

On the 22nd of this month, my ELEVENTH Gilded Newport Mystery came out. Seriously, I never dreamed! But it makes one wonder: what keeps readers coming back for more in a series, book after book? Is it the brilliantly masterminded plotting of crime, clues, and culprit?   Honestly, I don’t think so.   Is it the vividness of setting details?  

Well . . . in my case, when writing about a real place, the setting details do matter. But there’s got to be more. Otherwise, readers would surely have gotten tired of Newport by now, right? HA! – who could ever tire of Newport? No one, but that’s beside the point.

Alyssa at the Elms in Newport

So what is it that draws readers into the same setting and characters and the same game of solving the puzzle time after time? In my humble opinion, it’s the characters, of course! It’s that astute, intrepid, and—let’s face it—stubborn sleuth whom readers fall in love with. Right?   Yes! . . . And no. Once again, I believe there’s more to it. I think it’s the sleuth’s circle of friends, the sidekicks, the partners in crime-solving who create a sense of community and allow the reader to feel as though she’s part of the group—part of the sleuthing family. Because in every cozy, the author sprinkles in clues and invites the reader to join in the fun, to come along and find the answer, if she can.  

How do friends, i.e., recurring, important secondary characters, perform this function? By showing that the sleuth needs allies and a support system, that she surrounds herself with people she can trust and depend on, whom she can confess her fears to, admit her weaknesses and doubts to, and find strength with. This all makes the act of crime solving much more human, and much more relatable to the reader.  

In the Golden Age of Mystery, many sleuths were static in that they didn’t evolve as characters during the course of a series. They remained the same reliable, brilliant puzzle solvers we met in the very first book, with very little in the way of personal story arcs. They do have friends and associates, but those relationships aren’t particularly fleshed out. Modern cozies, however, have embraced the notion of character development, and much of that development depends on and determines who our sleuths welcome into their circle. 

And just as we need a sleuth who captures our imagination and sympathy, so must be the case with secondary characters. They should be smart, upbeat, and a little quirky. We need to be able to love them, to the point that we’d want them as our own friends.  

So then, who are Emma’s friends in the Gilded Newport Mysteries? To start with, she lives with her former nanny—whom she calls Nanny—who is now her housekeeper. But Nanny is much more than that. She has long been a surrogate grandmother, the person who tended to Emma’s childhood cuts and scrapes and was privy to her most pressing secrets. She provides a shoulder to cry on, encouragement, unconditional love, and a kick in the “pants” when Emma needs it. Plus, with Nanny’s connections among Newport’s servants, she’s always privy to information Emma can’t come by on her own.

Next there’s Katie, Emma’s maid-of-all work, who Emma took in after she was fired from her original position for absolutely unfair reasons. But Katie, too, is much more than an employee—she’s more of a younger sister to Emma, and fiercely loyal to her. Another vital friend is Jesse Whyte, who Emma has known all her life and who is now a detective on the Newport Police Force. Jesse comes to rely on Emma’s powers of observation and her own connections with the wealthy summer set.

Rounding off Emma’s circle are Hannah Hanson, an old friend and nurse at the Newport Hospital; harbor boatman Angus MacPhearson; Emma’s cousins, the Vanderbilts, who are always eager to take her under their wing; and Emma’s half-brother, Brady Gale. Despite Brady being a few years older, Emma has sometimes taken on an almost parental role to keep him out of trouble—and out of the overnight lockup. But there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for his little sister.

And then, of course, we have Emma’s love interest—and if you’ve read the book’s blurb, you know he’s now her husband. Their relationship has developed over the course of the series, with Emma having to battle her fears of commitment, of relinquishing her independence, and of opening herself up to vulnerability. After all, marriage in those days typically meant a woman’s identity became secondary to her husband’s. But with his understanding and reassurances, she comes to realize a relationship doesn’t have to mean losing control of one’s life. Rather, she learns that when relationships are built on the right values, they make you stronger. And a strong woman can still stand out, can still shine, all on her own. She can still be a sleuth.  

Readers: Please share a time you depended on friends to help you through a difficult or challenging situation. Or do you tend to power through on your own? Comment for a chance to win a signed hardcover copy of Murder at The Elms (U.S. addresses only due to shipping costs.) I’ll be back tomorrow to announce the winner!

Alyssa Maxwell has worked as a reference book editor, ghost writer, and fiction editor, but knew from an early age that she wanted to be an author. Growing up in New England and traveling to Great Britain fueled a passion for history, while a love of puzzles of all kinds drew her to the mystery genre. She and her husband live in Florida, where they love to swim, ride their bikes, and shop at farmer’s markets and consignment stores. Alyssa also loves to watch BBC productions, sip tea in the afternoons, and delve into the past. She is the author of The Gilded Newport Mysteries and A Lady and Lady’s Maid Mysteries, and is a member of The South Florida Fiction Writers and the Florida Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America.  

https://www.facebook.com/AlyssaMaxwellauthor/  https://www.facebook.com/SleuthsInTime

https://twitter.com/Alyssa__Maxwell   https://www.instagram.com/alyssamaxwellauthor/  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7163135.Alyssa_Maxwell

Scared Off–A Maine Clambake Mystery Novella–Released

by Barb, loving the end of summer here in Maine

I am very excited to celebrate the release this week of Scared Off, a Maine Clambake Mystery novella. Triply excited because I’m sharing the release week with Cate Conte and Maddie Day!

Here’s the blurb

Barbara Ross returns to glorious Maine with a spooky but fun Julia Snowden mystery set during Halloween season.

Three teenage girls having a sleepover on Halloween night get spooked when high schoolers crash the house for a party. But no one expected to find a crasher like Mrs. Zelisko, the elderly third floor tenant, dead in the backyard—dressed in a sheet like a ghost. With her niece traumatized, Julia Snowden must uncover who among the uninvited guests was responsible for devising such a murderous trick . . .

About the book

Scared Off is book 9.5 in the Maine Clambake saga. In other words, it falls chronologically between book 9, Shucked Apart, and book 10, Muddled Through. Scared Off originally appeared in the collection Halloween Party Murder along with novellas by Leslie Meier and Lee Hollis, so if you own that book, you already own this story. This week’s Scared Off standalone release is ebook-only. If you are a person who prefers to read in print, there are still copies of Halloween Party Murder available.

Here’s what some nice people said about the novella.

…my favorite novella in the collection. I enjoyed getting to spend some time with the characters, and I loved how the mystery unfolded.

Carstairs Considers

Barbara Ross always gives us solid characters that cleverly enhance her atmospheric cozies. Scared Off is a tasty Halloween morsel not to be overlooked this holiday season!

Wonder Woman Sixty

…my favorite cozy author, Barbara Ross, …provides us with another excellent installment of her Maine Clambake Mystery series.

Criminal Element

What is the deal with the novellas anyway?

This year library speaking events have really come back and I’ve done a bunch. The most common questions seem to be about the novellas. Here are some answers:

Yes, they are about the Maine Clambake characters, Julia Snowden and friends. They take place in the world of Busman’s Harbor and they do move the narrative forward in important ways. (Especially the later ones.) For those of you eagerly awaiting the next full-length book, they are a good way to visit with the Snowden family and friends.Novellas from Kensington are typically 25,000 to 35,000 words, or round and about 100 to 125 pages.Given the length, only one of my novellas is structured like a traditional mystery, with the central question of whodunnit? (That one would be Hallowed Out .) The others are structured around the central question, whatisgoingonhere? Though I do promise an answer to all reader questions, including whodunnit by the end of each.The novella stories do fall chronologically between the books (see below). In the beginning I had a little trouble with this and the chronology of the first couple is just a little off. Once I got into the flow of one full-length book set immediately before, during, or after the Snowden Family Clambake’s summer season, and one holiday-related novella set during the off-season each year, it really seemed to work.I’ve indicated the novellas chronological placement in the list below. Nogged Off , book 4.5, comes between Fogged Inn and Iced Under . Logged On , book 6.5, comes between Stowed Away and Steamed Open Hallowed Out , book 7.5, comes between Steamed Open and Sealed Off Scared Off , book 9.5, comes between Shucked Apart and Muddled Through Perked Up , book 10.5, comes between Muddled Through and Hidden Beneath . (This novella has not yet been published as a standalone ebook. The story is available in the hardcover, ebook, audiobook and large print formats in the collection Irish Coffee Murder . The mass market paperback is coming December 26, 2023.) Hopped Along , book 11.5, comes between Hidden Beneath and Maine Clambake Mystery #12. (This novella is coming in hardcover and ebook formats in the collection Easter Basket Murder , on January 23, 2024.)

Please join me in congratulating Cate and Maddie and celebrating a big week for Wicked Authors books.

Readers: Do you think it’s fair to move the series characters’ stories forward in the novellas, or no because many people skip them?

Wicked Wednesday: Relaxing with a New Release

Edith/Maddie here, basking in release week north of Boston.

As we’ve been hearing for the last two days, the Wickeds are rich in releases this week!

Wickeds, when you have a riches of new books in front of you, how do you choose which to read first? Feel free to plead the Fifth.

Julie: Congratulations to Cate, Maddie and Barb! What an embarrassment of riches for us all. The books are all on my Kindle, and I have a lot of traveling over the next few weeks, so lots of time to indulge. Which one first? I plead the 5th!

Sherry: What a happy problem! Congratulations, ladies! I can’t wait to read them! I’m a very in-the-moment person when choosing what to read next. I like to balance something dark with something lighter.

Barb: New releases from old favorites first. Experiments, recommendations from others, and impulse purchases second.

Liz: Thanks!! I also go by mood, but also by old favorites. If I try to plan my reading, plans usually change at the last minute because I inevitably find I’m in the mood for something else.

Jessie: Congratulations to you all! I totally chose by my mood, whether the books on my shelf are new releases or old friends.

Edith/Maddie: Thanks, all! I’m with Barb – new releases from favorite authors first, then recommendations and maybe some non-fiction.

Readers: How do you decide which of several books to pick up first?

It’s release day for three of us!

By Liz, celebrating a book launch with Edith and Barb!

First, I love book releases when they happen with other authors – especially Wickeds! It’s just way more fun. Happy release day, girls!! Looking forward to these two books.

And to make it even more fun, Barb’s and my release are foreshadowing the upcoming Halloween holiday, my favorite time of year.

Somewhere along the way I realized that Maddie and the Daybreak Island gang hadn’t celebrated Halloween with all of you. Which just seems, well, wrong, since I can’t get enough Halloween. So I went all in on this one.

Here’s a little about the book:

It’s October in Daybreak Harbor, which means everything Halloween. The town is going all out for the holiday, hoping to one-up the festivities in neighboring Salem, Massachusetts, and Maddie James is delighted to be part of the planning for the annual happenings.

But trouble brews when Maddie’s youngest sister, Sam, books a famous medium, Balfour Dempsey, to come to town for the celebrations and stay in the local haunted inn―along with his equally famous black cat. The town busybody books a secret reading with Balfour and doesn’t want anyone to know why. Maddie’s best friend Becky is hell-bent on getting Balfour to help her solve two 40-year-old mysteries―a murder and a missing maid. And the psychic has a stalker who’s followed him here to the island, demanding he connect with her dead husband.

When Balfour is pushed off the cliffs behind the inn to his death and his beloved cat goes missing, it throws the whole town into a frenzy. And Maddie and her family find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery straight out of a Halloween movie.

So – we’ve got a murder (of course), a psychic, a haunted inn, black cats, ghosts and cold cases. And, saving the best for last, a funeral home. Yep, it’s a pivotal piece of the setting. And it’s the first time we’ve gotten to go inside Daybreak Island’s only funeral home, which just felt right given the time of year.

There’s a story here.

One of my best and oldest friends, Glenn Burlamachi, owns multiple funeral homes. He’s been working in this industry for 30-something years, and so it’s something I’ve been able to get an up-close-and-personal look at. I actually worked at his first funeral home for a while (bookkeeping, not embalming) and it was so helpful to see how the business operates. For research purposes, of course.

Fun fact: The first series I started writing (one that’s still sitting in a drawer) was set in a funeral home. I still haven’t let go of the idea of dusting it off. I’ve always been drawn to this as a setting or a pivotal piece of a series. There are tons of possibilities, and its’ definitely one of those industries that intrigues people, even if they don’t want to admit it!

Glenn has actually been on the blog before – we did an “Ask the Expert” segment with him a few years back. If you’re at all interested in this job, check it out here.

Unlike me, Maddie isn’t thrilled to have to spend time in the local funeral parlor, which adds a bit of levity to the book. I suspect most people are in her camp. But it was really fun to write and revisit this part of my life.

I hope you enjoy Nine Lives and Alibis. If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, you can find it here!

And let me know in the comments how you feel about Halloween-themed books in general. You’ve probably guessed that I love them, but I want to know.

Murder at a Cape Bookstore Release Week!

Edith/Maddie here, writing from north of Boston

I’m so excited that Murder at a Cape Bookstore releases tomorrow. It’s even more exciting that I get to share release week with both Liz (as Cate Conte) and Barb!

Congratulations to both these dear friends and brilliant authors. I’ll celebrate with a giveaway, so read down to the end.

My new book is the fifth in the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, so I thought I’d (briefly) run through the whole series for you.

Murder on Cape Cod introduces Mackenzie Almeida, the Cape Cod town of Westham, and the Cozy Capers book group. I really enjoyed setting up this series, discovering who the regulars would be, and designing the fictional Cape Cod town.

In Murder at the Taffy Shop, Mac’s friend and walking buddy Gin is suspected of murdering the woman she and Mac discovered dead one morning next to Salty Taffy’s, Gin’s candy shop.

I loved opening Murder at the Lobstah Shack with Mac’s friend Tulia giving a hat tip to the start of Fogged Inn, one of Barb Ross’s Maine Clambake Mysteries, which the Cozy Capers group is reading.

Murder in a Cape Cottage begins with a different kind of corpse – a ninety-year-dead skeleton bride Mac and fiancé Tim find in the wall of their cottage only five days before their own wedding.

Murder at a Cape Bookstore is the new release. I hope it doesn’t make you nervous to walk behind a tall shelving unit in your favorite indy bookstore! Here’s the official blurb:

Everyone loves a festival, though Mac has a few concerns about the Spring equinox event organized by the new Chamber of Commerce director, Wagner Lavoie. After all, March weather is unpredictable. Still, there’s plenty to enjoy, between flower-shaped candies at Salty Taffy’s, spring rolls at the Rusty Anchor, and a parade of decorated bicycles. But the festivities soon take a stormy turn. Mac glimpses conflict between Wagner and other locals during the festival, but it’s a shock when he’s found dead in the Book Nook, pinned beneath a toppled bookshelf. Mac and the rest of the Cozy Capers will have to use all their sleuthing skills to bring the killer’s story to an end.

I’ve turned in Murder in the Rusty Anchor, the sixth book in the series. As she walks to work one rainy July morning, Mac doesn’t expect to be pulled into the Rusty Anchor pub to witness a dead body behind the bar. You can believe that the Cozy Capers are pulled in to help solve the homicide of Mac’s former high school English teacher, a man who alienated almost everyone he met. The book will release at the end of June next year.

I have one more book under contract in the Cozy Capers Book group Mysteries, and it might take place in September in book time.

Readers: What would you like see happen in book seven? Do you have a favorite book or character in this series? If you aren’t caught up, share your favorite coastal location, in fiction or otherwise. I’ll send one commenter your choice of TAFFY, LOBSTAH, or the new book.

Keeping Track with Guest Joyce Woollcott

Edith/Maddie north of Boston, eating all the sweet corn and tomatoes I can.

I’m delighted to bring Joyce Woollcott back to the blog today, with Blood Relations, her new and second Belfast Murder mystery! Joyce and I met at the now infamous COVID super-spreader party at Malice Domestic 2022, and we’re both members of the Sisters in Crime Guppies chapter. I loved A Nice Place to Die, the first Detective Sergeant Ryan McBride story, and can’t wait to sink my teeth into the new one. I know you’ll love it, too.

Here’s the blurb: Belfast, Northern Ireland: early spring 2017. Retired Chief Inspector Patrick Mullan is found brutally murdered in his bed. Detective Sergeant Ryan McBride and his partner Detective Sergeant Billy Lamont are called to his desolate country home to investigate. In their inquiry, they discover a man whose career with the Police Service of Northern Ireland was overshadowed by violence and corruption.

Is the killer someone from Mullan’s past, or his present? And who hated the man enough to kill him twice? Is it one of Patrick Mullan’s own family, all of them hiding a history of abuse and lies? Or a vengeful crime boss and his psychopathic new employee? Or could it be a recently released prisoner desperate to protect his family and flee the country? Ryan and Billy once again face a complex investigation with wit and intelligence, all set in Belfast and the richly atmospheric countryside around it.  

Keeping Track

It’s hard to believe I’m introducing the second book in my Belfast Murder Series, yet here it is. And even if the prevailing thought is that it’s easier the second time around –– well, that’s not true in my case. In a series, especially one with quite a few characters, there’s this thing called a Character Bible. Clever writers keep one, others, like me, scramble when writing number two. I suppose when I started, I didn’t think I’d be doing another book, but frankly––and more truthfully, I’m not that organized.

And it’s not just about keeping names straight, it’s keeping ages right, color of hair and eyes, even personality traits. Friends of mine, other authors, speak of flow charts and other means of keeping track. Excel and PowerPoint, charts and Pages. I have about ten wire-bound notebooks from the dollar store, mostly half-full of scribbled information and ideas.

Sprinkled in those pages are notes on my main characters, ages and critical details. The only thing is I’m constantly asking myself––when was Ryan’s birthday again? What age is he now? And, where the heck did I put that information? The pink notebook with the cats on the cover? So you see, not the best way to write a series.

Being organized is also very helpful in keeping the story straight and as you might guess, that’s another wee problem I have. Again, clever authors keep detailed calendars populated with characters doing various important things in carefully choreographed synchronicity!

Not me my friends. I write the books in my own timeline, asking only of my hero… what’s the next step in the investigation? And somehow, it works out, with the help of the aforementioned notebooks and stickies and index cards all over the carpet, rearranged occasionally by the dog, (bad idea, btw) yes, it does all come together in the end.

Oh, how I wish it could be more streamlined, but I suppose that would be a different book and a different writer. So for now, unless I get struck by lightening and suddenly become organized, my books will form like magic out of post-its, hastily scribbled indecipherable notes, and odd annotations on my computer calendar. I am working on it though. Now, where did I put that notebook?  

Readers: What about you? Are you organised? Do you make perfect lists of things to accomplish in the day or the week, or do you scrawl notes to yourself when the fancy takes you? Do you have
friends and family birthdays and special occasions carefully listed in a special notebook, or have
you illegible messages to yourself scribbled on the fridge?

J. Woollcott is a Canadian writer born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers and BCAD, University of Ulster. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers and Crime Writers of Canada. In 2019 her first novel, A Nice Place to Die,  won the Romance Writers of America Daphne du Maurier Award for Unpublished Mystery and Suspense, in 2021 it was short-listed in the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence and is now a finalist in Killer Nashville’s 2023 Silver Falchion Awards. Find her at her web site and on Twitter:  @JoyceWoollcott       

Genre Hopping with Mandy Naglich

Edith/Maddie here, writing from north of Boston and loving the tastes of high-summer produce.

I saw a notice earlier this year about a new book focusing on tasting coming out. Many cozy mystery authors, including Barb and me, include recipes in our books. I thought it would be fun to invite over an author who writes about the enjoyment of eating. Mandy Naglich’s How to Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavors and Savoring Life came out at the end of June, and I can’t wait to dive into it. She’s giving away a copy to one lucky commenter.

I posed the following questions for Mandy.

What genres do you write in?
I write exclusively non-fiction, both narrative and service-focused journalism. I have some poetry stuffed in notebooks and journals around my apartment but for now those are just for me! 
What drew you to the genre you write?
I went to school for journalism. I’ve always been drawn to inform people through my writing. With the new book I’m hopeful that my research and reporting will help people live a more fulfilling and joyful life. 
What sets your book apart from what is out there?
There are many books focused on tasting one medium like “tasting tea” or “tasting whiskey” and of course “tasting wine.” However, before my book there was no book that focuses on getting in touch with your senses and learning to taste everything generally. 

With all the food enthusiasts out there, there was definitely space in the market for a book exploring taste. And it’s aimed toward total beginners so it’s accessible to anyone interested in getting more pleasure from the experience of eating and drinking (and that’s all of us right??). 
Do you write a series or standalones? Why?
Standalones for now. I would love to expand on my taste research in a follow-up book, but we’ll see what happens! 
What are you working on now?
I’m working on an event series touring the country to give tasting workshops, demonstrations, and speaking events to spread the word on my research and the book. Writing for live events is certainly different than writing for a book and it’s just as rewarding. I’m looking forward to hosting more events and reaching a wider audience through the rest of the year before I think about future book projects. 
What are you reading right now?
I’m almost finished with Oliver Sack’s autobiography On the Move. I’ve always admired his ability to blend human stories and science writing and I can’t believe I just discovered he wrote an autobiography, almost a decade after it was published, ha! 
I tend to have a separate book I’m listening to on audiobook and at the moment it’s Heartburn by Nora Ephron. Meryl Streep narrates the audiobook and puts all her dramatic efforts to work in the role. Between Nora’s friendly writing and Meryl’s engaging performance I don’t even mind the long drives I’m taking on book tour. 
And finally my “beside the bed” book, the one I read a couple pages of each night before going to bed is Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. I love her writing style, it’s descriptive yet easy to read and to the point. The characters jump off the page as real people, even though so far they are experiencing some harrowing situations of loss and hardship. 
Do you have a favorite quote or life motto?
I love the Maya Angelou quote “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use the more you have.” I just change one word and it becomes my motto of sorts: “You can’t use up curiosity. The more you use, the more you have.” 
I’ve always been driven by my personal curiosity and I love sharing what I find with other people. As long as I’m finding and sharing stories with an element of the thrill of discovery I think I’ll always find happiness and success in writing. 

I’m also an ardent stoic and begin most days reading from Seneca or Marcus Aurelius. There are so many quotes by both writers that I’ve highlighted, rewritten, and recited. Two that come to mind are “Happy is the man who can make others better, not merely when he is in their company, but even when he is in their thoughts.” – Seneca “The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius 
It’s a lofty goal to be continuously improving, but I think it is a worthy one! 
Favorite writing space?
I work out of The Writers Room in NYC. It’s a beautiful, very quiet, grant-supported space for working writers and I have churned out endless pages at the desks there. When the quiet becomes too much it’s a quick walk to Washington Square Park to clear my head and one of my favorite cafes Daily Provisions is close by. There’s nothing like a little street noise and sunshine to jumpstart my creativity and then it’s back to the writing desk. 

I also love to write in any quiet hotel room! There is something about a clean generic space that allows me to feel comfortable and productive. I turned out a huge portion of the edits on How to Taste in the Thompson Hotel in Savannah, Georgia. Something about the water view out the window and a nice big writing desk let me really get to work! 
Favorite deadline snack?
Little treats definitely motivate me to hit word counts! A nice glass at of Champagne at the end of a day or week of writing feels like a little celebration of the work. Plus, something about a glass of sparkling always makes me feel like it’s a special occasion, even if it’s just hitting a Wednesday deadline. Pommery is my favorite brand at the moment – it pairs with other treats like a little cheese plate or an almond croissant beautifully. If you’re going to write a book about tasting you definitely get great practice building a tasty reward.
While I’m writing I love salt and vinegar chicharrones or salt and vinegar almonds! 
What do you see when you look up from writing? 
If I get the right seat in The Writers Room I get a stunning view of the Empire State Building! I’ve been in New York nearly 10 years and I have to say, for me, the city skyline just doesn’t get old. I still stare at it in wonder and think about the millions of people in all those buildings creating things, sharing ideas, and building their lives. It’s an inspiring energy if you remember to stop for a second and take it in. 

If I’m feeling stuck creatively or a little scared of taking next steps I might see a sticky note that says “Do you want to stay a caterpillar?” I’m not sure where I first picked up the concept but I love the idea of a caterpillar needing to wrap itself in what must be scary darkness in order to transition into a new phase of life as a beautiful butterfly. Perhaps it’s a little cliche but it’s a reminder that if you follow what you feel like you’re meant to do, even if it’s intimidating or unknown, you’ll see all the beauty you’re capable of.

Readers: What tastes do you love? Ask Mandy questions! She’ll send one lucky commenter a signed copy of the new book.

Mandy Naglich is a certified taster, Advanced Cicerone®, National Homebrew Competition Gold Medalist, drinks educator, and writer. Her first book, How to Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavor and Savoring Life, chronicles her adventures in the world of professional tasting and the methods anyone can use to get in touch with their senses. She also writes for a variety of print and online publications including VinePair, Taste of Home, Food & Wine, Vice, Wine Enthusiast, and more. Mandy lives, writes, and brews in New York City, but she documents her drinks adventures around the world at @drinkswithmandy.

Wicked Wednesday: Barriers to Relaxing

Edith/Maddie here, trying to stay relaxed north of Boston.

Wickeds, let’s talk about what rises up to interrupt your relaxing – and what you do about it. Is it your looming deadline, a piece of infuriating news, a neighbor’s dog barking for hours, someone nagging you about a task? Or maybe your over-busy brain prevents that all important relaxation. Dish! Include how you return to your relaxed state (if you can).

Jessie: Most of time any interruptions are from my own thoughts. Whenever I feel stressed I do a brain dump. I write down everything that is swirling about in my brain on a piece of paper with a beautiful pen loaded with juicy, vibrant ink. Seeing things in concrete form usually lets me sort them, schedule them, and let them be a small as they tend to be when given some perspective. I am generally able to get back to whatever I would prefer after that exercise whether relaxing or working.

Julie: Two factors kick in and don’t let me stay zen. One is my brain, which is constantly in motion. I am a serial multi-tasker, and I think I’ve trained myself to listen to a book and knit, and to let my thoughts take over. This is helpful as a writer, but it’s also exhausting. I’m working on that. The other factor is guilt. I feel guilty doing nothing, or “just” reading/knitting/baking. This is definitely my issue. Does anyone else have that?

Barb: I am more and more taking conscious breaks from my devices–periodic electronic cleanses. Even when I’m doing something like reading a book on my iPad, I’ve turned off notifications so I’m not constantly being pulled away by something that appears to be urgent, but almost never is.

Sherry: Over the past year I’ve become very good at relaxing — maybe too good! I need to clean out the basement storage room, but why bother when I can read a book. I do have that middle-of-the-night thing that makes my brain swirl with thoughts of what needs to be done.

Liz: Julie, I think we’re the same person. I can’t shut my brain off either and it’s definitely a problem. And I also suffer from the “if I’m not doing something that can immediately be identified as productive I’m not doing something productive” disease. I am working on that!

Edith: Oh, man. I’m with you, Liz and Julie. I had a minor health glitch or two this summer. Me doing nothing on the couch? With my need to be productive and my overactive brain, that’s not a good recipe for anything. I guess I need to take lessons from Barb and Sherry, although maybe I already have. With deadlines at bay for the moment, I am truly taking in the summer. Reading on the deck. Steaming and savoring sweet corn. Going to the beach. Harvesting the last of my blueberries. Making fruit pies for loved ones.

Readers: How do you return to the delight of relaxing?

Opening Lines, Maine Version

Edith/Maddie here, (wistfully) remembering her vacation in Maine a month ago.

Wickeds and readers, add your opening line for this picture I snapped one foggy morning in Owl’s Head.

Jessie: She’d heard tales of the menacing, suffocating fog that slithered up from the sea like a live thing but she’d dismissed it as something the locals dreamt up to scare off people from away. Seeing it undulating towards her lonely cottage reminded her that they also claimed the fog ushered in the weeping ghost of a woman who had become disoriented when no landmarks were to be seen and had died of exposure only yards from her own home.

Edith/Maddie: You can rent the little writer’s cottage, she told me. It’ll be perfect, she said. What she didn’t tell me was about the life-sucking fog, or that the inlet floods and cuts off access to to the road. Worse, that a creepy guy camps in the woods and spies on me day and light. I hope I get out of here alive.

Barb: During low tide, we walked to and from the island. At high tide we took the boat. Walk to town in the morning, the boat’s not there when you need it to cross in the afternoon. Take the boat over in the afternoon, it’s marooned on the sand when you return after dinner. By the time we had been there a month, we were so in sync with the movement of the tides, it was like they were the rhythms of our own bodies.

Sherry: Every night she went and sawed into the beams that held the house up, knowing soon enough it would collapse just like their relationship had.

Readers: We love it when you add your opening lines.

Variety is the Spice of Creativity

Jessie: In New Hampshire where the late summer blooms are attracting hummingbirds!

It has been a busy year, writing-wise and lately I have been feeling a great need to keep my creative well topped up. Every once in a while I feel as though I need to turn my attention to new spheres in order to all the wheels of productivity greased. Whenever that happens I know that I need to stop whatever it is that I am trying to produce and to try my hand at something new for a while.

It could be that a day trip to somewhere interesting and new is in order. It could be taking the time to read a completely different sort of book than I usually read. But generally, the most effective way to fill myself back up is to dive into a different sort of creative process than the one used for writing.

So, yesterday I took the morning off to indulge in a favorite summer pastime, yarn dyeing. I have mentioned on more than one occasion how much I love to knit. I think I’ve even included at least one knitter in each of my novels. But like with so many things, one passion leads to another and last summer I picked up some dye and some bare sock yarn in order to try my hand at the process.

It was surprisingly fun and the process feels to me a lot like writing a novel. Like with a book, I have an idea for a project that I would like to make. It is usually nebulous at first, then more and more clear as time goes by. I do a bit of research about what it will take to create the sort of effect I have in mind. There is so much to consider. Do I want a soft, blended sort of effect? Something speckled? What about striped? What is the color palette and the saturation of color? What will the yarn be used for in the end?

The yarn has to soak at the right temperature long enough to become completely saturated. I usually need to soak up the research for long enough to feel like I can’t hold much more either at the beginning of a book. Then, the fun begins. The heat is turned up, and the color is applied. Right before my eyes the bare yarn begins to transform and the colors blend, or don’t, stay vibrant or soften. Like the first draft of a novel, it begins to show the possibilities of what it might become.

After the dye is applied it is time to let the skein simmer at just the right amount of heat until most of the color is absorbed.

Then the cooling-off period begins. I usually prefer to give my writing a chance to sit for a while between drafts too. Once it reaches room temperature the rinsing begins, removing excess dye and water. This reminds me of the second draft where the initial refining of the story takes place. After that the skein is hung to dry and then it is wound into a ball or a cake before being swatched.

Swatching, or knitting up a small sample, is where the results reveal themselves. Even though I started out with an idea, a plan, research and sound methods for execution the end result is never exactly what I had envisioned. It might appear brighter, or more blended, or even completely unlike the expectation. But like with my novels, it is never a disappointment. It is always magically fun. And it always leaves me wanting to try my hand at the process again!

Readers, have any of your interests spawned others? Writers, do any of your other passions remind you of writing?