Maine Crime Writers

Appreciating music requires a concerted effort

Posted on September 4, 2026 by John Clark

Medwyn’s flute

John Clark looking back, sometimes recently, sometimes far back. When I was a teen, concerts meant our high school band played in the Thompson Memorial Auditorium, in an exchange concert with another high school, or as part of the annual state band competition.

Everything changed when I started college at Arizona State University. My first true concert experience was attending the Homecoming one at Grady Gamage Auditorium when the Fifth Dimension performed. It was magical and since then has led to many other live performances. I can’t remember all of them, but here are some of those that have stuck with me.

Judy Collins-twice, once at that same university auditorium (I can still picture her singing Send In The Clowns), the second at Scottsdale’s Theater In The Round.

Flo and Eddie, who were also part of the Turtles.

The Doors at the Phoenix Coliseum, with Sweetwater nearly stealing the show.

Gordon Lightfoot-three times, the most memorable was at the then Cumberland County Civic Center and when he sang Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the thunder shower outside seemed to accompany the song perfectly.

Livingston Taylor-twice. The first time was at the University Of Maine, Farmington more than thirty years ago. The second, a month ago at Johnson Hall in Gardiner and I was completely impressed by his enthusiasm which hadn’t lost anything. What a fine human being.

Taj Mahal-at Colby College maybe 40 years ago. What I remember clearly about that performance was him coming out after intermission and chatting with everyone. He said something I remember like it was yesterday. “Moat folks are uncomfortable with the idea of responsibility. Turn it around and you have the ability to respond.”

The Indigo Girls-twice. Their performance at the Civic Center in Portland was one of the most energizing concerts ever.

38 Special-saw them by accident at the NASCAR race in Dover, NH. They were surprisingly good.

Acoustic Alchemy-twice on back to back nights, one in Boston, the other in Portland. One of the few New Age performers I’ve had a chance to see.

David Arkenstone-in Camden during a blizzard that had me white-knuckling all the way down Route 17, but it was well worth it. I think I own every album he’s done.

Dar Williams-twice in small Maine venues. She writes heartfelt ballads and sings them so well.

Tom Rush-at least twice, again some forty years apart. Like Liv Taylor, He hasn’t lost a step.

The Moody Blues-twice, once at the Bangor Auditorium, the other at an outdoor performance by a lake in New Hampshire. I took our older daughter with me and was delighted to see her dance under a full moon.

Fleetwood Mac-once at the Tweeter Center, with giant TV screens so those sitting further from the stage could enjoy the band close up.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young-twice, once at Woodstock, and the second time just a few months later.

The Association-possibly twice. The most recent was last year at the Husson Performing Arts Center. They might have been long in the tooth, but sure didn’t disappoint.

The Who-in Bangor doing Tommy. We were in the nosebleed seats where the marijuana smoke was nicely concentrated.

Iron Butterfly-way back in an outdoor concert while at ASU.

Leo Kottke-twice, again some 40 yerars between performances. The second was all the more impressive because he’d fought back from a stroke to perform.

Mahavishnu John McLaughlin-at the University of Maine Performing Arts Center. I remember him coming out and literally blowing the balcony back three rows with his opening guitar riffs.

Great Big Sea-at the Waterville Opera House. Way cool Celtic band from Newfoundland. After the first song, nobody was sitting and it stayed that way all through the performance.

Garnet Rogers-At Longfellow Square in Portland. After the show, I wanted to buy one of his CDs I didn’t have, but I had no cash. He said he’d trust me, and wrote down his address. I mailed him a check the next day.

Pure Prairie League just a couple weeks back, nothing better than the whole audience singing Amie along with the band.

Two concerts I was not impressed with were The Rolling Thunder Review at the Augusta Civic Center (too hastily put together, unruly crowd, couldn’t see the group), and Paul Simon’s Graceland Tour at the old ballpark in Old Orchard Beach. We had won tickets and took our daughters who were quite young. Between spilled beer by nearby concertgoers, and marijuana smoke whirling around the four of us (I was six years sober at that point), we lasted three songs before heading home.

Of course, the greatest concert experience of my life was Woodstock. Several of us who were painting the old Carleton Bridge in Bath that summer bought tickets and rode together. The next three days were memorable, magical, and not only still have mini-reels flow through my head fifty some years later. I remember helping the Hog Farm get food ready, losing contact with the guys I came with, that electric moment when Country Joe hollered out “Gimme an F”, dancing in a thunderstorm around a giant pile of garbage, listening to Jefferson Airplane play White Rabbit while stoned out of my mind on homegrown weed shared by a guy from North Carolina who was AWOL from the army, and seeing said White Rabbit prancing through puffy clouds overhead.

I ran into two friends from Camden, and we ended up walking miles before a car went by with space enough to give us a ride. Altogether a most memorable event. There are other notable concerts, but this is already a long post.

Perhaps my favorite non-concert musical experience was the discovery of Medwyn Goodall while taking a lunch break at my job as Boothbay Harbor head librarian. I’ve been a fan of him and his allied group of New Age musicians ever since and buy any new album they release as soon as I hear about it. The wooden flute at the top of this post was his. I won it in a contest many years ago.

Next up is Celtic Thunder at the Waterville Opera House in a couple weeks.

What concerts are memorable for you?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Classic Rock, Concerts, John R. Clark, New Age Music, Woodstock | 5 Comments

Goodbye to the Hundred Acre Wood

Posted on September 3, 2026 by mainecrimewriters

Kate Flora: This past Thursday, my brother John and I went to Waldoboro to formalize the sale of a hundred acres of woodland to the Georges River Land Trust. No Christopher Robin. No Winnie the Pooh. But yes, a hundred acres. That sale, and the creation of the Sennebec Hill Preserve, means that the woods and fields we rambled through when we were growing up will now be preserved as open land forever.

Saying farewell to the land that mattered so much to our parents was a truly bittersweet occasion. Yes, with buy-in from all the beneficiaries of the family trust, that below market sale protects that land for future generations and recognizes how much our parents loved that piece of land. But it meant letting go of so many of the places that were an integral part of our childhood.

The field across the road from the house is where it flooded in the winter and we had a small skating pond. Where in the spring we collected frog’s eggs and watched them hatch into pollywogs. That same field was where our mother had an enormous rhubarb patch. She sold much of the rhubarb and used the rest for experimenting with recipes for her magazine articles and newspaper columns. And

The world famous Orange Mailbox on East Sennebec Road.

of course for rhubarb desserts. Some of her research shows up in her columns, collected into a book titled From the Orange Mailbox: Notes from a Few Country Acres. At the edge of that field is where we had a pasture for Raisins the calf, and where Asabanana, the chicken, used to ride around on his back. Where I had a stable under the barn for my sheep, Louisa Maine Apricot.

The three of us, John, Kate, and Sara (nice crisp names for our future successful selves), grew up connected to the land. With both parents passionate gardeners and close observers of the world around us, we couldn’t help it. There weren’t playgrounds and parks and organized activities on a farm in small town Maine. There was the world around us.

Kate begins to learn about marketing beside the orange mailbox

Behind the open field, a steep, wooded hill rose up with a path that ran beside an oak with a hollow big enough to stand in. Along the sides of that hill (or cliff) were mossy terraces where we had our pretend houses and castles. Each year, when the weather and blackflies allowed, our mother would create three distinct trails through the woods—the red trail, the blue trail, and the white trail, designated by painted blazes on the trees. All the Sunday School students from the Methodist Church would come to the farm. They would be divided into groups assigned to one of the three trails. Each group would be given clues and go on a treasure hunt. Once found, the hidden treasure, usually candy and peanuts, would be divided among the group. Then there would be a picnic down by the lake.

Both our parents were eager and willing to show us the details of our world. There was lovely clay on the banks of the stream that ran along the back of the orchard. We could collect it and make little pots. Of course, without a kiln, they would eventually crumble, but the creation was the fun. Turning over logs to see what lay beneath, like sow bugs. Scratching our names in the fungi that grew like slates from the trees. Spotting the many types of mushrooms that burst from rotten logs. Finding bones or animal skulls or the distinct tracks of different animals.

In the winter, we would collect balsam branches and sew small balsam pillows for our city-dwelling friends and relatives. Our father would collect small woodland plants and make terrariums in round glass bowls.

Dad was an hunter, and he and John would head into the woods each fall, hoping for a deer to help with grocery bills and fill the freezer with meat for the year. There were also pheasants and partridges. And our mother, being a good sport, would also cook some of the other things John shot, such as a porcupine (unless it was a woodchuck).

Of course, we can still visit the land. And we have our memories and mom’s writing to help us remember. But it’s always hard to let go of something so precious.

Posted in Kate's Posts | 9 Comments

How I (Don’t) Plot a Novel

Posted on September 1, 2026 by kaitlynkathy

Kaitlyn Dunnett/Kathy Lynn Emerson here, thinking about how the plots of some of my published novels came about. Since I’m not one for advance planning, the route from idea to book was often roundabout, but throughout my career I have firmly believed that no writing is ever wasted. If something doesn’t work for one book or short story, it may be just right for another project. In other words, I recycle.

Henry VIII’s Greenwich Palace, setting for a 1513 novel

Very early on, well before my first sale, I wrote several very long, very bad historical novels, most set (no surprise here!) in sixteenth-century England. My first version of one of them, way back in 1977, was titled The Princess of Pleasure Palace. Set in 1513 at Greenwich Palace, it featured a real person, Henry VIII’s younger sister, Mary, as the protagonist. I wrote one chapter and an outline and sent the proposal to the Harlequin Historicals line that existed at that time. They were, not surprisingly, uninterested. Undaunted, I switched to a fictional protagonist and completed a 72,000 word manuscript retitled The Perils of Pleasure Palace. This opus received two rejections before I did another revision and this time (1978) came up with a 96,000 word version retitled Pleasure Palace. It focused on a girl from the London streets who, through a liaison with a courtier, ended up at the royal court and interacted with a series of real people there. It collected ten rejections.

Skipping ahead to the 1990s, after a detour to write children’s books and contemporary category romance novels that, starting in 1985, were published, I borrowed the 1513 court setting for a new proposal titled My Lady’s Ransom, in which an English gentlewoman falls for a French nobleman who is at Henry’s court pretending to be a commoner in order to foil the schemes of his evil uncle. What little I wrote of this novel contained a scene in the room at Greenwich Palace that was used to store the set pieces and wagons used for court masques. When, once again, my idea for a historical novel set in 1513 failed to appeal to an editor, I abandoned it.

Meanwhile, in an odd twist of fate, another historical novel I had written did sell. In 1991, Harper Paperbacks published Winter Tapestry (recently revised and reissued as Death of an Intelligence Gatherer—you can find the tangled story of that book’s journey from mystery to romance and back to mystery here). Later, Harper offered me a contract for Firebrand, set in seventeenth-century England and New England, for their Monogram line. They bought the book on the basis of a one page synopsis and I ended up having to write it in three months because they decided they really really wanted it that fast. Rather desperately, I appropriated what had been the opening scene in Pleasure Palace to start a story that was, at that point, almost totally unplotted. Talk about having only the concept of an idea! The result was published in 1994 but I was never really happy with it. Last year, I completely rewrote it and reissued it as Treacherous Visions. It still contains that key scene from Pleasure Palace but now it takes place later in the story.

But wait. There’s more. After writing five books for Harper, I sold my first Face Down mystery featuring Susanna, Lady Appleton, sixteenth-century gentlewoman, herbalist, and sleuth, to St. Martin’s Press. In 1998, I was trying to come up with an idea for the third book in the series, about to be the first in my second St. Martin’s contract. I had a pretty good handle on the continuing characters and their conflicts and I had decided before I started the series that there would be a time lapse of roughly two years between each book, so I knew this story would take place in 1563, but I didn’t have a clue about any further details. All I was certain of was that I wanted to increase the tension between Susanna and her philandering husband, Sir Robert, already slated to be the murder victim in the fourth entry in the series.

That’s when I remembered that scene in the storeroom at Greenwich Palace from My Lady’s Ransom. Recycled, it takes place in 1557, not 1513, the storeroom is in Whitehall Palace, not Greenwich, and the cast of characters is different. Face Down Among the Winchester Geese takes place in 1563, but the novel starts with a scene six years earlier, one that shows the events surrounding the murder of the first victim of a serial killer. The rest of the plot flowed easily once that first scene was set. After one of Sir Robert’s many mistresses is murdered, Lady Appleton discovers her husband also had a connection to the woman killed at court in 1557, and that a woman similar in appearance to those two victims has been murdered on the same day in each year in between. Most were “Winchester Geese,” the popular name for prostitutes in the London suburb of Southwark.

By 1999, my 1977 idea for a book set in 1513 had provided starting points for two published novels, but I still had a hankering to write about the early days at Henry VIII’s court. When the agent who sold my Liss MacCrimmon series (written as Kaitlyn Dunnett) to Kensington asked if I had any other ideas, the one that sprang to mind was Pleasure Palace. To my surprise and delight, she was enthusiastic. The new incarnation ended up with a new protagonist and a much more complex plot using a cast of characters almost entirely made up of real historical figures. Much of the book, however, still takes place in 1513. Even better, Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace (2009) became the first of six historical novels I wrote for Pocket Books/Gallery as Kate Emerson—all of them set during the reign of Henry VIII.

The original name of Henry VIII’s Greenwich Palace was Placentia. It means “pleasant place,” but somewhere along the line I translated the word as “pleasure.” When my editor at Pocket loved the title I was delighted. (I really hate it when editors mess around with my titles!) In this case it might have been better if she had. I had no clue until years later that most establishments referred to as “pleasure palaces” were actually bordellos.

Kathy Lynn Emerson/Kaitlyn Dunnett has had sixty-four books traditionally published and has self published others. She won the Agatha Award and was an Anthony and Macavity finalist for best mystery nonfiction of 2008 for How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries and was an Agatha Award finalist in 2015 in the best mystery short story category. In 2023 she won the Lea Wait Award for “excellence and achievement” from the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance. She was the Malice Domestic Guest of Honor in 2014. She is currently working on creating new editions of her backlist titles. Her website is www.KathyLynnEmerson.com.

Posted in Kaitlyn's Posts | Tagged 1513, Henry VIII, historical novels, Kaitlyn Dunnett, Kathy Lynn Emerson, plotting, recycling ideas, rejections, story ideas, writing | 1 Comment

Some of the Books We’re Reading

Posted on August 31, 2026 by mainecrimewriters

It is frequently said that if you want to be an author, you need to be a reader. That’s certainly true for the MCW Team. And of course, summer is supposed to be a time for lots of reading. If you’ve seen our postings, you know many of us are doing a lot of driving and promoting, but we’re still reading. For this month’s group post, we’re each sharing one really good book we’ve recently read.

Kate Flora: I confess that I didn’t read my book. I listened to the audio book while I was doing some of that driving to libraries. The Maine Turnpike is a lot more bearable when someone is reading to me. My choice for one great book is Ann Patchett’s Whistler. For a writer like me, whose books are usually linear, it was interesting to “read” a book that has flashbacks and time shifts, as this one does. But from the moment that the narrator, Daphne, encounters her first stepfather, Eddie, in a museum, I was hooked. Probably in part because from the moment she starts telling the story of their car accident on a winter’s night when she was nine, and how she and Eddie handle it, I was hooked. It was so interesting to find a work of fiction not in the crime genre that made me lean in because I had to know what would happen. So, when you’re not reading one of our books, I urge you to give it a try.

Matt Cost: I just finished You’ll Be Sorry by Lisa Gardner. Read it. You won’t be sorry. The book weaves a tale that goes back 300 years and then 30 years and then to the present day, around and around again as the ties between these time periods tighten. The tension ratchets up higher and higher in this small New Hampshire town as it is discovered that the past cannot be buried, even in an old, covered-up well. It will seep out and taint the present, and sometimes what is needed is a dog to set things right, if it’s not too late. The characters are wonderful, and the mystery is better. Give it a shot. You won’t be sorry.

Gabriela Stiteler: I’ve read a number of great books this summer, but the standout for me is SMALL MERCIES by Denis Lehane. Set in Boston in the summer of 1974 against the backdrop of bussing and school integration, the story mostly follows Mary Pat, a tough Southie mother in search of her missing daughter. While plot and setting are important, it’s the characters that drive the story. Mary Pat’s arc, which is at times painful, is rendered with real care and compassion. While gritty and dealing with relevant issues (racism, brokenness, community-sanctioned violence), Lehane somehow manages to communicate a real faith in the capacity of people to learn, grow, and change. I read the book and then immediately listened to the audiobook and would recommend both. Lehane has indicated that this may be his last novel, and if that is true, it’s a heck of a way to go out.

Allison Keeton: I always have a few books going at once, mainly because I read one in my hand, and I listen to another in the car or when I walk. In paperback, I’m finishing up Massachusetts author Dennis Pierce’s Swinging for Power, a well-written, fast-paced story of a newspaper journalist–turned-investigator (out of necessity, given the changing media landscape). I recommend it! I just picked up Body in the Blueberry Barrens by Maine author Claire Ackroyd on Saturday at a book fair. I’m excited to start that. Audio-wise, I just finished, when driving to and from the book fair, An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good, short stories about a misbehaving almost ninety-year-old woman, by Swedish author Helene Tursten. It’s a quick but enjoyable listen. I’m just glad that Maud, the octogenarian, doesn’t know me. On Sunday, I started The Queens of Poisons by Robert Thorogood on my afternoon walk. It’s book three in the Marlow series. I hate to say I was lukewarm about book two, but I’m hopeful I will like book three as much as book one. And yes, I use the Kindle app, but mainly for cookbooks. Milk Street’s Shorts is up on it now.

John Clark:I’m offering a trio, all set in Maine. I discovered Everyone Knows But You last summer at the Peavey Memorial Library book sale. This summer, I bought the second one We Can’t Help You and read it in one evening. I got via interlibrary loan, Big Money, Small Town yesterday and read it last night. All are written by Thomas Ricks and have Ryan Tapia as the protagonist. I will tell you that it took the second book to appreciate the author’s style, but after I started that one, I was hooked.

Book 3

What stands out are the following: The author knows Maine well, even though he sometimes plays fast and loose with geography (notably how he describes several towns’ proximity to Moody’s Diner), his plots are multilayered, the action fast, and he leaves the reader with no illusions about his opinion regarding the current political climate as well as how deep in you know what we are thanks to greedy oligarchs.

Book 2

Book one deals with Ryan, at that point an FBI agent who is grieving the loss of his wife and children killed by a drunk driver. His new assignment in Bangor starts with a murky homicide that involves Native Americans and the closed society of a Maine fishing village.

Book two expands his involvement with Native Americans in Maine, a lover who runs for governor and some supernatural elements

Book one

Book three is grimmer than the first two, involves an out-of-state mining company bullying poor Mainers in three small towns. It’s bloody as all get out and has a dreary, but fully understandable conclusion. All three are fast and highly engrossing reads.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Weekend Update: August 29-30, 2026

Posted on August 29, 2026 by kaitlynkathy

Next week at Maine Crime Writers there will be posts by Kaitlyn Dunnett/Kathy Lynn Emerson (Tuesday), Kate Flora (Thursday), and John Clark (Friday),with a group post on Monday.

In the news department, here’s what’s happening with some of us who blog regularly at Maine Crime Writers:

from Kathy Lynn Emerson: Until September 30 all my middle grades and YA fiction will be on sale from Overdrive at 50% off. That includes two mysteries, The Mystery of Hilliard’s Castle and The Mystery of the Missing Bagpipes. The other titles are Shalla, Katie’s Way, Julia’s Mending and Someday. All except the last were written for ages 8-12. Someday is a YA for slightly older readers. The same titles will be available from Cloud Library at 30% off from Sept.1-Sept. 30.

This Saturday, August 29th, from 10 AM to 2 PM, the Clinton Library will host a Maine Authors fair at Old Mill Park. Free admission. Food trucks. A chance to buy great books signed by the authors. Come say hi to Matt Cost and Allison Keeton among many other authors.

This Saturday Kate Flora and Maureen Milliken will be at the Designing Women Artisan Market at Longfellow’s Greenhouses in Manchester from 9:30-4:00. Stop by and see us!

An invitation to readers of this blog: Do you have news relating to Maine, Crime, or Writing? We’d love to hear from you. Just comment below to share.

And a reminder: If your library, school, or organization is looking for a speaker, we are often available to talk about the writing process, research, where we get our ideas, and other mysteries of the business, along with the very popular “Making a Mystery” with audience participation, and “Casting Call: How We Staff Our Mysteries.” We also do programs on Zoom. Contact Kate Flora

Posted in Sunday Updates | Tagged Group Post, John Clark, Kaitlyn Dunnett, Kate Flora, Kathy Lynn Emerson, Maine Crime Writers news | Leave a comment

Rituals

Posted on August 28, 2026 by kaitcarson

By Kait Carson

Writers are a superstitious lot. There’s no getting around it. We’re the ones in the restaurant tossing the spilled salt over our shoulder without a second glance. As a group, we seem to think that our rituals will ensure our success. Not financially, but something even better than that. Success in pouring out the words. Something to make a blah writing day a bright writing day.

Ernest Hemingway wrote each morning just after dawn and continued until he came to a place where he knew what would happen next. Then he stopped and tried to make it through the rest of the day. His early morning start time makes one wonder about the truth of his allegedly voracious appetite for drink. But then, maybe that’s why he stopped when he knew what was coming next. The buzz was wearing off. Suddenly his writing advice of “write drunk, edit sober” makes perfect sense—for Hemingway.

Kurt Vonnegut was another early riser. His workday began at 5:30. He stopped for breakfast and then pushed on until 10, when he went for a walk and started his day job. Vonnegut had a DAY job. Impressive.

Fellow Mainer Stephen King claims he begins his writing day with a slice of creamy cheesecake he refers to as ‘brain food’. Why do I think King’s tongue was firmly in his cheek when he told that to an interviewer? Maybe because Bangor, Maine, for all that it’s a lovely place, is not exactly known for its cheesecake. Now, a Whoopie pie, okay, I could believe that. On the other hand, his author son Owen claims he plumps for crème brûlée before he hits the keyboard. I ask you, who are these people?

At the other end of the foodie spectrum is Joyce Carol Oates. No morsel of food touches her lips until she’s finished writing for the day. The interviewer didn’t specify her rising time, but Oates says that on good writing days (thank you for admitting you have some not so good ones, too) she doesn’t get breakfast until 2 or 3 in the afternoon.

Victor Hugo wrote in the buff. He famously instructed his servant to hide his clothes so he couldn’t leave the house until his writing work was done. Guess that’s one cure for writer’s block.

My ritual is cleaning. I can’t write if I have “stuff” on my desk, including dust and cat hair. I can Facebook, Instagram, and Thread, read and comment on blogs, and e-mail, but don’t ask me to write creatively. Paper, notebooks, sticky notes, and more unrelated to my current project instantly suck the creativity right out of my head. So, before I settle in for a good writing session, all the “junk” hits the floor. Not too far away, I never know when I might need it, but beside my chair out of my line of sight.

As rituals go, mine is tame. I think I should zhush it up a bit. Maybe have sherry in a yummy Waterford glass before I commence creating. Something with a little class. Oh, wait, my writing day begins at 6:00 a.m., and I can’t even handle a glass of wine with lunch. I’m doomed. Best I stick with the tried and mundane. Want to help me clean the desk?

Readers and writers-what’s your ritual and when does it call you?

Posted in Kait's posts | Tagged Kait Carson, writers' rituals | 10 Comments

No Excuses

Posted on August 27, 2026 by Allison Keeton

In talking to fellow writers this summer, I’ve been hearing a pattern of reasons why people can’t write that sound similar to why people can’t do other things, like exercise.

It’s summer.
 I have company.
It’s too hot.
I’m stuck.
I’m too busy.
It hasn’t been raining.
Work is crazy.
I’m taking a break.
 I’ll pick it up again in the fall.

Let’s call these reasons for what they are: excuses.

I had them, too, once, and a wise woman finally said to me, “If you really wanted to write, you would. I don’t think you really want to do it.”

I was insulted. I was angry. How could she say that to me?

She was right. I wasn’t invested in writing. I didn’t want it enough.

We all know as writers that the writing, and the editing, only gets done if we sit in the seat. An excuse I didn’t list above that is very real is Imposter Syndrome. “Why am I carving out this time to write when I don’t have any proof that I am a good writer?”

I was there, too. Trust me, just keep going.

Richard Bach, of Jonathan Livingston Seagull fame, said it best: “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”

Don’t quit. Don’t give up. No excuses. We do not find time. We make time. Even when no time seems to be available.

This spring arrived and my Book Three, Lobster Red, wasn’t completely finished. I had a mid-July deadline with my publisher, and in May I was marching toward it, knowing what I needed to do: finish up a few chapters and then rewrite them. I wouldn’t be able to let the manuscript breathe as long as I would have liked before the final rewrite, but if I followed my plan, I could make it work.

My routine has been to write in the morning before my full-time corporate position starts and after I take care of our dogs. Also on my plate are the demands of household duties and hitting the road for book events to promote Books One and Two of my mystery series. Additionally, we have a bounty of summer guests, with the first arriving in June and the bulk coming in July. Keeping on track with my writing was a necessity.

At the end of May, I was humming along toward Lobster Red’s deadline.

Then, on June 1, my husband saw a puppy in need of adoption.

“We should get her,” he said.

If that puppy could just wait until mid-July, I thought.

Of course, that couldn’t be an option. Puppies keep growing. They need to find homes. On June 6, Sally arrived, a young Labrador retriever puppy, to join our twelve-year-old Portuguese Water Dog, Kelton, and two-year-old Lab, Roger, still kind of a puppy himself. Now we had three dogs and another layer on my plate. Not that I had to go it alone with Sally, but all the mothers reading this know the sense of obligation I felt both to the puppy and to ensuring the other two dogs were happy.

Thankfully, I had that looming deadline. I’ll admit, it helps to hear a ticking clock. Perhaps if I hadn’t had a drop-dead date, I would have tabled finishing Lobster Red until Sally was older or the calendar had cleared of visitors.

Instead, I pivoted.

Sally’s first morning with us

I couldn’t write in my normal place because I needed to keep an eye on Sally without killing my concentration. I moved from writing at a table—I keep my desk for my day job—to writing on my laptop while sitting on our bed. All three dogs, after their breakfast and morning walk, sprawled out on the bed next to me for their nap.

Amazingly, it worked.

I had two solid hours of uninterrupted writing time every day.

The answer wasn’t finding more time. It was changing how I used the time I had.

Sally napping while I write

To finish on time and with the quality I wanted, while still meeting all my other obligations, I had to plan every moment of my day through mid-July.

It worked! Lobster Red was submitted, and I took a deep breath. But there was no rest for the weary. Everything else in my life still needed to go on, and I needed to start writing Book Four.

Sally, Roger, & Kelton

Today, I am still writing in the morning while sitting on the bed. Downeast Blue is appearing on the screen. Each day, the dogs follow me around, sleepy and wanting their naps, until I grab my laptop and lead them back to the bedroom.

Even this blog post is being written as the morning sun streams over my shoulder and their snores emanate around me.

I share this story to hopefully inspire you. If I could finish writing a novel while house-training a puppy, vacuuming up mounds of black hair, rotating company, solving problems in my day job, and pitching my novels at book fairs and library talks, maybe you’ll be surprised by what you can accomplish, too.

You may not be able to find more time. You may have to change how you use the time you have. Carve out a routine. Protect it. Adjust it when life gets in the way.

And keep writing.

No excuses.

Thank you, Dolly.

Don’t forget! Leave a comment on any August blog post to be entered into a drawing for free books!

***

Allison Keeton writes the Midcoast Maine Mystery series. Lobster Red, Book Three, will launch in February 2027. She can be reached at http://www.akeetonbooks.com.

Posted in Allison's Posts, Uncategorized | Tagged amateur sleuth, cozy series, Maine, Maine writer, midcoast maine, mystery series, mystery writer, no excuses, writer's life, writing life | 6 Comments

Author Interview: Bruce Robert Coffin

Posted on August 26, 2026 by Gabriela Stiteler

I first met Bruce Robert Coffin at Crime Bake a few years back and I’ve been lucky enough to bump into him a number of times since. There are a few things that stand out to me about Bruce. First, he’s a really funny guy. Not only does he have a lot of great stories, he knows how to tell them. In person. To a crowd. On the spot. There’s a gift there. Second, he takes writing seriously. He is deeply reflective about his practice and the business of writing. He reads deeply and widely. He asks questions. He writes in both short and long form. As a result, he’s a great person to go to for advice or with a question. Third, he listens. I think this may be a superpower many writers have but it is a real gift when that listening is turned to you. Whenever I see Bruce, he asks about that last project, pays attention to recent successes, and is genuinely supportive part of this wonderful crime writing community.

Last winter, Bruce, Jule, Matt, Ryan, and I all met up at the Great Lost Bear in Portland to connect on our writing. It was great. He was telling me about the Detective Justice series and lately it’s been everywhere. Most recently, Bruce was honored with the Silver Falchion for Best Book by an Attending Author at Killer Nashville.

With his latest book, DARK HARBOR, hitting a bookstore near you, I asked if he could take a minute to share a little about his latest series. It’s getting a lot of buzz, for good reason.

Welcome back our old friend Maine Crime Writers contributor, Bruce Robert Coffin.

GS: Firstly, congrats on your recent success with your Detective Justice series. This follows the success of your Detective Byron series and the Turner and Mosley Files, co-written by Lyndee Walker. The series centers on Detective Brock Justice and his rookie partner Detective Chloe Wright. In the first book, CRIMSON THAW, Justice has been exiled to Major Crime Unit – North for crossing the thin blue line. How did this series come to be? I’d love to know a little about your journey to writing this series.

BRC: Thank you, Gabi. I am so grateful to see both existing and new readers embracing the Justice novels. And I certainly never imagined Crimson Thaw being a finalist for the Anthony Award and the Barry Award!

Brock Justice might never have happened were it not for my partnering with LynDee Walker. LynDee and I had already completed the first book in the Turner and Mosley Files series and were busy writing the second when Paula Munier, my literary agent, reached out to me about the possibility of creating a new police procedural series for Severn River Publishing. At first I was reluctant to commit to anything new as I was already working under a four book contract, but it didn’t take long before the ideas began coming fast and furious and I knew I wanted to get started on the Justice books. I spent a few days working out the series and the storyline for the first novel and then Paula forwarded everything to the publisher, a few weeks later we were under contract for four novels. Since that time the series has been expanded and there will be at least eight Justice books.

GS: I’d love for you to share a little with readers about your latest release, DARK HARBOR. What is the newest Detective Justice about? What surprised you when you were writing it?

BRC: One of the wonderful things about writing a series featuring a Maine state police detective is that it allows me the creative freedom to set the murder investigations anywhere in the state. This is a big departure from my Byron novels, set in Portland, Maine, as John Byron was a municipal detective which meant the crime always had to originate in Portland.

DARK HARBOR involves a break-in to the seaside mansion of Granville Warren, a well-to-do businessman, on Sols Cliff in Bar Harbor. Granville and his very young third wife return home from a day sailing around Frenchman Bay and the surrounding area of Acadia, to discover the break-in still in progress. The resulting mayhem leaves Granville and one of the burglars dead, but as you might imagine nothing is ever what it seems.

GS: One of the things that stands out to me about this series is the setting. From Blue Hill to Moosehead Lake to Bar Harbor, Detective Justice finds himself in communities known for their beauty. But in typical Bruce Robert Coffin style, there is always something a little rotten below the surface. When writing, how do you decide where to set the stories? Does the setting come first or the idea for the plot? In what ways does this compare to your experiences with your other series?

BRC: Truthfully, this newly acquired autonomy makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. I’m reveling in the ability to place my stories anywhere I choose. And you’re right, Maine is such a beautiful and sparsely inhabited state that it lends itself perfectly to the juxtaposition of placing a fictional murder in an idyllic setting. And not only setting, the changing seasons come into play, too. I’m currently writing FREEZE POINT, the fourth book in the series, which takes place in Presque Isle during a nor’easter. To answer your question, I normally think of plot first then try to decide the best locale and time of year to set it.

GS: Last year I moderated a panel where Lori Rader-Day, Edwin Hill, and Carolyn Wilkins shared their reflections about themes. They all said that the themes of their stories emerge organically through the process of writing the story itself. Somebody mentioned this idea of a having a core story – or ideas they come back repeatedly. When you look at your body of work, are there any themes that repeat?

BRC: Sounds like a fascinating panel! I write most of my novels around a central theme. I find that having that theme in mind before writing the story allows me to stay on course and not stray off on some tangent, as writers are wont to do. LOL

As for repeating themes, yeah, I guess I tend to revisit those. I hadn’t really given it too much thought until you asked, but looking back I have explored themes more than once. I think most writers naturally gravitate toward those themes that we find the most interesting. And let’s face it, the human condition is ripe with stories that revolve around its best and worst attributes.

GS: In addition to being a writer, you are also a retired police detective sergeant with more than twenty-seven years in law enforcement. I’d love to hear about how skills and knowledge from your lived experience help you not only think about what to write, but inform your practice of writing and research.

BRC: Coming directly from a field in which finding answers and being able to document those answers was the sole focus has helped me immeasurably. Writing a cohesive and chronological story is something that every police investigator must learn. I had no idea that those very same traits would lend themselves so well to writing novels, but they have. Red herrings and unreliable characters came naturally during my real life investigations, so I have had a lot of experience from which to draw, allowing me to use them to the greatest effect in my fictional worlds. The other ingredient that adds so much is my knowledge of the emotional toll the job takes on real life investigators. I try and use emotion whenever possible to pull the reader into the story and get them to feel what my characters feel.

GS: You first started writing on this blog when you were pretty early in your career. What are some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way?

BRC: I did, indeed. I think my first contributions to this blog were a year before my first novel was published. At that point I had no idea how little I knew about the publishing business, and probably still don’t. But I knew I loved writing and spending time with my “imaginary friends” and that hasn’t changed at all. Which may be the most important lesson. Never stop writing. Never stop creating. This business, like any other, can be daunting at the best of times, there are so many things to worry about, things that will require large blocks of your time and will wear you down if you let them. Never lose sight of the most important things, the writing, the creating. Tess Gerritsen told me when I first started to play the long game. “Being a novelist is a marathon not a sprint.” As I sit here writing the manuscript for my thirteenth novel, I’d say Tess was spot on.

GS: What are you reading, watching, listening to now? Any recommendations?

BRC: I’m currently doing some reading to prepare for my Bouchercon panels, one of which I will be moderating. My pile consists of THE RED SCARE MURDERS by Con Lehane, NO HIGHER GROUND by Nicole Brooks, STATES OF GRACE by Mandy Miller, and Karen Dionne’s THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER (which I’m reading for the second time around, it’s so good!). I’m also on the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original finalists panel with James L’Etoile, Lina Chern, Tracy Clark, and Heather Levy, so I’m reading each of their nominated books too!

My current audiobook is FOX CREEK by William Kent Krueger.

GS: Thank you so much, Bruce! It’s always a pleasure to hear what you have going on and I can’t wait to see the next Detective Justice book.

You find find Bruce in person here in the great state of Maine at any of the following events:

8/29 1-3pm signing at Sherman’s Bookstore in Windham
9/12 11-1pm signing at Letterpress Books in Windham
10/21 – 10/25 Bouchercon in Calgary
11/17 6-7pm Kennebunk Free Library

DARK HARBOR – book #3 of Detective Justice series, published by Severn River Publishing

With intricate plotting reminiscent of Craig Johnson’s Longmire and the relentless, atmospheric tension of C.J. Box’s Joe Pickett, Bruce Robert Coffin delivers another gripping Detective Justice novel that cuts straight to the bone.

One dead millionaire, one dead intruder, and a detective whose only path forward means exposing the secrets of Bar Harbor’s wealthy elite.

HERE.

Bruce Robert Coffin is an award-winning and international bestselling novelist and short story writer. A retired police detective sergeant, Bruce is the author of the Detective Byron Mysteries, the Detective Justice Mysteries, and co-author of the Turner and Mosley Files (with LynDee Walker). His Anthony Award nominated short fiction has been published in more than a dozen anthologies including Best American Mystery Stories, 2016.

Winner of Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion Awards for Best Procedural, and Best Investigator, and the Maine Literary Award for Best Crime Fiction, Bruce has also been a finalist for the Agatha, Barry, and Anthony Awards. His short fiction appears in more than sixteen anthologies including Best American Mystery Stories, 2016.

Bruce is represented by Paula Munier at Talcott Notch Literary Services. He lives and writes in Maine.

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Who is Matt Cost by Matt Cost

Posted on August 25, 2026 by matthewcost

What in life has driven me to want to be a writer? What were the influences that made me want to sit in a dark corner of my house and kill people? What terrible decisions did I make in my life to take me down this path? These are the questions posed to me by my therapist, sometimes known as Saint and other times just plain called Danger.

To answer these nefarious questions, we have to meander back to eight-year-old Matt and the story of the blind pony he rode into a swimming pool by mistake. No, that is probably a story about his stunted personal life and unrelated to writing mysteries and thrillers, where people walk razor-thin paths to stay alive, stop the villains, solve the mystery, and save the day. That attempt of eight-year-old Matt, due to a surprise ambush by a chicken, was far from saving the day, but it was a bit of an eye-opener and spurred many new swimming pool signs being put up in Ohio saying No Blind Ponies in the Deep End.

The love of mysteries began with either the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. I’m not sure which one came first, sort of like that chicken and egg thing.

The Hardy Boys is where I first realized the local police were bumblers and that private investigators, curious sleuths, or even a couple of high school boys were needed if any crimes were ever going to get solved. I also realized that boys are smarter than their fathers, aunts are always fussy, everybody has a friend with an endless appetite, and in fiction, even the oldest, most beat-up jalopy can outrace the fanciest sports car.

Which came first? The Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew? The Hardy Boys book series debuted in 1927, while Nancy Drew made her first appearance a few years later in 1930. Edward Stratemeyer of the Stratemeyer Syndicate created both characters. Needless to say, Nancy had a similar ‘oh shucks’ father, a blue roadster, and countless skills such as being fluent in multiple languages, the ability to pilot planes, paint like a pro, and being proficient in judo—all by the age of eighteen.

Other favorites included Encyclopedia Brown, a young whiz of a detective who proves bullies can be outsmarted, girls can be badass tough, adults are useless, and criminals can be bluffed. The Great Brain, aka Tom Dennis Fitzgerald, taught me that the protagonist can be flawed as he cons the neighborhood kids out of their money in between solving crimes. And, of course, adults are useless. I never realized then that I, too, was destined to grow up useless.

Louis L’Amour. These are the preteen years. Every book I could get my hands on. This is the tough, smart, loner with nothing to lose who just wants to be left alone, but the baddies refuse, or want what he has, or are jealous that the women look his way. It is all about the underdog, unwavering principles, and the importance of kin. Lee Child took a page from L’Amour to create Reacher, a wandering hero who comes into town with no baggage, no permanent address, a strict moral code—and proceeds to kick ass on the baddies.

High school for me was all about sports, and I may have temporarily forgotten how to read. I believe I began my relationship with Robert Parker during that time, though, and thus discovered that men can cook, be faithful, wisecrack, and that it is good to have a friend who can kick some serious ass.

College was about getting my work done so I could party. I did play on an intramural basketball and softball team that was pretty good our freshman year but got progressively worse each year after. I did get pretty good at playing quarters, poker, and eating late-night hot dogs.

But then come the Carl Hiaasen years. Humor in mysteries. Colorful characters. Saving the environment, fighting against corporate greed, being wild and zany. Mysteries can have ferocious humor, eccentric kooky protagonists, and despicable villains. Game on.

Carl tag-teamed with Elmore Leonard in the 90s to cement this concept for me: mysteries can be sharp, funny, and cool, and characters can have snappy, realistic dialogue.

That, in a nutshell, is my formation as a writer. In two words. Bad Monkey. Write on!

About the Author

Matt Cost was a history major at Trinity College. He owned a mystery bookstore, a video store, and a gym before serving a ten-year sentence as a junior high school teacher. In 2014, he was released and began writing. And that’s what he does. He writes histories and mysteries.

Cost has published six books in the Mainely Mystery series, starting with Mainely Power. He has also published six books in the Clay Wolfe Trap series, starting with Wolfe Trap. There are two books in the Brooklyn 8 Ballo series, starting with Velma Gone Awry. For historical novels, Cost has published At Every Hazard and its sequel, Love in a Time of Hate, as well as I am Cuba. The Not So Merry Adventures of Max Creed began a new series this past April. The second book in the chronicles, EveryThing vs. Max Creed, is now out.

Cost now lives in Brunswick, Maine, with his wife, Harper. There are four grown children: Brittany, Pearson, Miranda, and Ryan. Cost now spends his days at the computer, writing.

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Just Showing Up

Posted on August 24, 2026 by Robert T. Kelley

One of the most, I don’t know, magical?, parts of writing for me is the characters who just show up to come and play. I was trained as an engineer. I don’t believe in magic. I’m not superstitious. But damned if characters don’t show up unbidden.

I’ll be writing, following my outline, knowing happens next, then a voice enters. A wholly new point of view, a new back story, a new angle.

Maybe this is the core of storytelling, putting a voice to an idea, bringing a narrator to an idea.

I’m halfway through drafting the second book in my new series and I had to put it down to finish final line edits in the first book. Always helps to put a story down and let things percolate, but this particular pause found a new character. I had this vague idea of a bad guy, but he materialized with a name, a back story, a hacker handle, and a voice.

Matt Cost and a few other Maine Crime merry pranksters and I did a Making a Mystery at the library in Bar Harbor a few weeks ago and Matt asked us where our characters come from and I sort of glitched, because my characters come from all different places. This new character came from circumstance. I had a bad situation, and someone showed up to own it.

I’ve come to realize that this happens in every story I write. The primary characters I have locked down. But the cool secondary characters? They just show up to the party.

I’m not quite enough of a nerd to know the brain science of this, but I know the basics. The brain distracted continues to work, and work hard. Give it a task, even implicitly, and it’s toiling away. As a writer, that’s plot problem-solving and character creating.

Shower time also helps for that. Drive time as well. Same with going to writer’s conferences. I’m on the plane right now on the way back from Killer Nashville, and I’ve already written two scenes for that next novel on my phone, sitting on the tarmac.

It isn’t magic. But it is really cool.

In edits for my next book, so I’m still reading Cool Machine, Colson Whitehead, 2026.