Happy holidays, everyone. The end of the year has arrived and many of us are celebrating our favorite holidays with our families. It’s a great time to get loved ones gifts to put under the Christmas tree. One of the best gifts to give are books, especially psychological thrillers like the kind I write. Hint: THE NEIGHBOR (Kensington).

End of year is also a time to re-evaluate and reflect on the year leaving us, and  think what we can do better in the year to come. We hope to fix what we did wrong and do better the following year. Some years are better than others. The new year is always a fresh start and the beginning of something new and exciting.

I consider most years to be pretty good, but 2018 was a great year for me as an author. Kensington Books published my psychological thriller THE NEIGHBOR in the spring and we garnered some recent film interest in the book. I finished my next novel, PRAY FOR THE GIRL, which will be published in the spring of 2019. In addition, I signed another book deal with Kensington, with the hopes that it will be my home for years to come. I also had a short story chosen and published in LANDFALL: NEW ENGLAND’s BEST CRIME STORIES 2018 (Level Best Books). I performed a few readings and sat on two Crimewave panels.

I have a lot to be thankful for this year. I have a great family that I love very much. My wife and I shipped off our youngest to college in the fall, while our older daughter continues to work and attend college near home. They support me in my writing and have always been there for me. Thanks, Fam!

I consider myself so fortunate to have Evan Marshall as my agent. His wisdom, pep talks and sage advice have proved invaluable to me. Thanks to my brilliant editor, John Scognamiglio, who helps make my novels shine their brightest. In November I had the great pleasure of traveling to New York and meeting with my agent and editor at Kensington Books. What an amazing and informative visit it was. Breakfast with Evan and a great conversation about books and career goals. Then a tour of Kensington Books to meet all the people who make my books come to life. We had a nice lunch at a nearby restaurant in midtown.. Everyone treated me like a rock star and made feel so welcome. I could not have been happier.

Of course, a HUGE THANKS goes to all the people who’ve supported my career by reading my books and  reviewing them. Without readers, and their love for books, it’s all trees falling in the forest.

Finally, I’m so lucky to be a crime writer in Maine. It’s amazing the writing community us crime authors here in Maine share. Trust me, there’s nothing like it. Everyone is helpful and supportive of each other. We read together and socialize as a group and assist each other when possible. We promote each other’s works and have each other’s backs. I’d thank them all but I’m afraid I’d forget someone. So thanks to all of you fellow crime writers who have made me feel so welcome and supported in this community. We all write stories about backstabbing and murder, crimes and misdemeanors, but the crime writing community here in Maine has the kindest most helpful people you’ll ever meet. Hopefully, we can all have a productive and joyful 2019 and produce our best works to date.

Happy Holidays, everyone! Here’s Brenda Buchanan, Barb Ross, Julia Spencer-Fleming, E.J. and yours truly at Julia and her daughter’s talk at One Long Fellow Square.