Next week at Maine Crime Writers we’ll be featuring posts from Barbara Ross (Monday), John Clark (Tuesday), Kate Flora (Wednesday), Gerry Boyle (Thursday), Kaitlyn Dunnett (Friday) and Vicki Doudera (Saturday).

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

From Barbara Ross: Several of us have been toiling away on manuscripts due September 1 (today!). (Me for the second book in my series, Boiled Over). Since I personally know four people who be pressing the send button for books due on that date, I wondered how many people around the world would be doing it over the next couple of days? Thousands at a minimum, right?

Meanwhile, the good reviews for Clammed Up keep coming. I particularly love this one by Katrina Niidas Holm in the ezine The Seasons for Romance because she so gets what I was trying to do.

“Clammed Up is the first of Barbara Ross’ new Maine Clambake Mysteries. The stakes are high and deeply personal, giving Julia great motivation to start sleuthing. The setup is clever, and the family-run clambake premise seems perfectly suited to carrying a series. Ross’ mystery is complex; just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, she introduces a new piece of information that changes everything. And her narrative style is incredibly engaging, which makes for a compulsively readable tale; I devoured all 350-plus pages in a single afternoon.

Ross completely nails the look, feel, and attitude of small-town Maine – and coming from a curmudgeonly native like myself, that’s high praise, indeed. The dialogue is pitch-perfect. Julia’s a strong, smart, winsome heroine for whom you can’t help but root. And Ross’ supporting cast could have stepped straight off the coast and onto the page; in fact, there are a few (restaurant-owner Gus, in particular) that I wish would do the reverse, as I suspect my world would be a happier and more entertaining place for it.”

On Tuesday, September 10th, Lea Wait and Kate Flora will be at the Thomaston Library at 7:00. Hope some of our faithful readers will be able to attend.

And an update on the New England Crime Bake, jointly sponsored by Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. This is the regional mystery conference held in Dedham, MA on Veteran’s Day weekend. Panels, meetings with agents and editors, workshops, forensics presentations on writing cops right and how to handle injuries in your fiction. MCW contributors Kate Flora, Lea Wait, Barbara Ross, Paul Doiron, Julia Spencer-Fleming and Katherine Hall Page will be among the presenters. As of Friday, there were only a handful of slots left, so if you’re still on the fence, hop over to crime bake.org and nab yourself a spot.

And Dorothy Cannell reports that she’s entertaining Joan Hess, and that the two of them went to Temple Heights for a seance. Dorothy writes: Am still enjoying my visit from friend Joan Hess although I regret to report that she did not take séance we attended as seriously as could be wished.  I was thrilled to discover I was a keen gardener and happiest amidst my flowers, which I had so far failed to realize.  Unlike someone who won’t be named, I did not request a message from a character in one of my books who had met with a violent death.

Dorothy…we would all like to know a little more about this.

Lea: Love your story, Dorothy! And congratulations to Barbara on the fantastic review. I’ve pre-ordered Clammed Up and await its arrival!  Yesterday Bob and I took guests on a boat ride to an island for a lobster and clam bake … a place one of my daughters was married, and where Barb did research for Clammed Up. Great day! And the owner there said he’d read Barb’s book and loved it.  An endorsement from someone who runs clambakes … can’t beat that!

Lea Wait

I’m one of those “pushing the button” on a new manuscript this week. Although in my case the editor is old-style. She wants a hard copy. Shadows on a Maine Christmas will be heading to her Tuesday. Or maybe Wednesday ….

And one fun writing coincidence in my life this week! I was at my booth at an antique show in Damariscotta last Wednesday when who should show up but .. the archivist from the Charleston, SC library who vetted my Seaward Born about ten years ago! We didn’t recognize each other, I’ll admit, but he recognized the book in my booth and we had a nice chat. I’m convinced everyone comes to Maine eventually!

Lea Wait

And my artist/photographer husband Bob took some new author pics of me about 10 days ago … friends on my Facebook page voted, and the ones included here were the favorites. Happy to hear any additional comments on either or both .. I haven’t sent them in yet!

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.