From 2009 but we more or less look the same

Kaitlyn Dunnett/Kathy Lynn Emerson here. As you may have seen in a recent Weekend Update or on my Facebook page, I’m no longer the only writer in the family to have published a book. My husband, Sandy, is the author of Well, Hell: the yarns of Bobby Wing, constable of Skedaddle Gore, Maine. He’ll be visiting Maine Crime Writers on October 18 to tell you more about that himself, but I can’t resist chiming in with a few comments about what it’s like living with someone who’s totally wrapped up in producing a publishable piece of fiction.

Sandy tried his hand at writing fiction twice before. The first time, when the state was having budget difficulties back in the late 1980s and laid off almost all of their recent hires, he had time on his hands and filled it, in part, by writing short stories and one pretty decent science fiction novella. None, unfortunately, sold, but he did sell a short nostalgia piece titled “When Dad Went to Sea” to Down East Magazine. His grandmother was so proud she had it framed.

More recently, after he retired from a long career in law enforcement and we gave up the Christmas tree farm, he started writing stories featuring Bobby Wing. Three were published, in the Best New England Crime Stories in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Then his focus shifted to other things, like his woodworking business, skiing, and cycling. He’ll tell you more about that on October 18, too.

Not too long ago, he got another idea for a Bobby Wing story, but this time things were a little different. I guess you could say he was inspired. Or maybe obsessed. I may not have written anything new lately, but he sure has.

the author (at least part of him) at work

It’s been an experience for both of us. I wasn’t used to having him hole up in his office for hours on end, losing track of time and even, on occasion, forgetting to eat. He started getting up in the middle of the night to jot down an idea before he forgot it. He got defensive after asking me for feedback when he didn’t like my gently worded suggestions for change. On the other hand, he often came up with a compromise after he had time to think about it.

Has it hit you yet? He turned into ME!

Now that the book is out, will things go back to normal? I doubt it. He’s just discovered that Facebook isn’t so bad after all. And he’s exploring other avenues of online promotion. I have a feeling he may be better at that than I am. That said, at least for the moment, he’s back to making his jigsaw puzzle tables to sell online. And me? I need to return to revising that book I was working on in August.

If you like eccentric characters, rural settings, and weird crimes, please consider a visit to the world of Bobby Wing, Constable, Fence Viewer, Animal Control Officer and Deputy Fire Warden of Skedaddle Gore, Maine. Bobby’s “yarns” are humorous stories of murder, romance, mystery, redemption, adventure, reluctant derring-do and the wages of sin. They run the gamut from a severed head to a body on a ski lift with plenty of local color in between.

The e-book is readily available for the bargain price of $7.99. Here’s a link to Amazon, B&N, and others: https://books2read.com/wellhell

A trade paperback is also available. Any bookstore can order it, but there are still “supply chain” problems with printed books, so be patient. We haven’t even received our author copies yet. It’s priced at $15.99.

Kathy Lynn Emerson/Kaitlyn Dunnett has had sixty-four books traditionally published and has self published others, including several children’s books. 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. She was the Malice Domestic Guest of Honor in 2014. Her most recent publications are The Valentine Veilleux Mysteries (a collection of three short stories and a novella, written as Kaitlyn) and I Kill People for a Living: A Collection of Essays by a Writer of Cozy Mysteries (written as Kathy). She maintains websites at www.KaitlynDunnett.com and www.KathyLynnEmerson.com.