Next week at Maine Crime Writers there will be posts by Sandra Neily (Monday), Kait Carson (Tuesday), Dick Cass (Thursday), and a group post on Friday.
In the news department, here’s what’s happening with some of us who blog regularly at Maine Crime Writers:
Maureen Milliken and Kate Flora will have a table at the Designing Women Artisan Market from 9:30 to 4 p.m. today (Saturday, Aug. 23). It’s at Longfellow’s Greenhouses, 85 Puddledock Road, Manchester (just next to Augusta). The show has a lot of great artists and crafters, and the weather is expected to be gorgeous. Come on over and say hi!
Maureen Milliken will also be at the Inebri-Arts Pages & Pints Small Press Expo, 12-4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, at Mayflower Brewing, Plymouth, Mass.
Matt Cost will be signing the release of The Not So Merry Adventures of Max Creed at BAM (Books-A-Million) in South Portland today (Saturday) from 1-3 PM. Details Here.
On Thursday, August 28, at 6 PM, Jule Selbo and Matt Cost will be in conversation on their writing conventions with a focus on their recent books, 7 Days and Glow Trap, respectively. Selbo and Cost will dive into how they create and get into the head of the villains to create complex and sometimes vile human beings. This will dovetail into how creating well-developed backstories for the main characters and how other minor roles and the setting make for a more richly layered and resonant story. The authors will explore the necessity and how to of creating red herrings to keep the reader guessing and the use of action in their books to keep the pages flipping without overdoing it. Mysteries are stories that build to a final climax, mano a mano, when the protagonist and the villain have a final confrontation with all the marbles on the table. What are the steps to building to and writing that final showdown? Come see what Jule Selbo and Matt Cost have to say on that and other writing techniques. It promises to be a mysterious, illuminating, and good time. DETAILS HERE.
On Saturday, August 30, from 1-3 PM, Matt Cost will be celebrating the launch of his most recent, Glow Trap, in the town where the book is set. Port Essex is based on the town of Boothbay Harbor and Glow Trap is the sixth and final one in the series. Come to Shermans Maine Coast Bookshop in Boothbay Harbor and leave with a signed copy that will keep you turning pages late into the night. Details Here.
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
