Bruce Robert Coffin here, manning the helm of the Maine Crime Writer Blog one last time. I have some great news to share, and some sad news. Let’s start with the great news.

In case you haven’t heard, my third Detective Byron novel, Beyond the Truth, was recently a finalist for it’s third award this year. This time it was up for Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion Award for Best Procedural. I am thrilled to tell you it won! I just returned from the Killer Nashville Mystery Conference, with my medal in tow. What a fabulous conference. I took part in three panels, untold book signings, banquets, wine shindigs, etc. But the best part was meeting up with old friends and new.

Now for the sad news. I have made the difficult decision to take an extended leave from my duties at MCW. My current writing commitments have become untenable. I realized that in order to maintain my current pace I would need to take a hard look at some of the projects with which I am involved. As tough a decision as this has been, I think it is the right one for me. Spreading oneself too thin is never wise. It can lead to missed deadlines, mistakes, and poor writing, and nobody wants that.

I want to thank Kate Flora for inviting me to be a permanent MCW blogger four years ago. As you all know by now, Doc Flora has been a great mentor, a great friend, and one of my most ardent supporters. Thank you, Doc.

Thanks also to my fellow Maine Crime Writers. I consider you my writing family. I can’t speak for any other state, but I do know that Maine has a marvelously supportive group of mystery authors, and it has been my absolute pleasure to share the journey with all of you.

Finally, I must thank each of you, our many readers and followers of MCW. Your constant and unwavering support of our blog site means so much to all of us. You’re the reason we keep poking around inside the gray matter for cool blog topics. And while I may be on extended leave, the other MCW bloggers will be hard at it, so keep those likes and comments coming!

Until we meet again, write on!