Next week at Maine Crime Writers there will be posts by Kaitlyn Dunnett/Kathy Lynn Emerson (Monday), Kait Carson (Tuesday), Brenda Buchanan (Thursday) and Jule Selbo (Friday), with a writing tip from Jule Selbo on Wednesday.
In the news department, here’s what’s happening with some of us who blog regularly at Maine Crime Writers:
From Kathy Lynn Emerson: All my ebooks will be on sale at 25% off at Smashwords during the first week in March.
Also, this is a link (gifted, I hope) to an article in the New York Times on the subject I wrote about in my last post: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/books/review/publishing-scams.html?unlocked_article_code=1.O1A.1NNu._9rJccgB90Q9&smid=url-share
Kate Flora: A bit behind, I know, but our bundle of books winner for January is Janet Anderson-Murch. Janet, please send your snail mail address to me at writingaboutcrime@gmail.com and tell me what type of mystery you prefer.
Matt Cost was excited to submit his final draft of a new series to be published in October of this year by Level Best Books. 1955; A Jazz Jones and January Queen Mystery, takes place in that year in Raleigh, North Carolina. This is the tentative back cover copy.
“Welcome to Antebellum,” the ghoul said. “You are the guest of honor.” Things are not right in 1955, Raleigh, North Carolina, and it will be up to Jazz Jones to get to the bottom of the murk and clear things up.
“You heard about the dead boy?” She had said that her name was January Queen and that she was with the NAACP. Her eyes were a pair of sins, or maybe they just mirrored my own.
“Maybe we came to you,” she said, “because not only are you fair, but you have a firm grasp on what the word justice really means.”
And there it was, I thought. I was being asked to bring the killers to justice and expose the underbelly of seething hatred in my city, even if it meant offending my neighbors and inflaming the ire of otherwise good white folks who just didn’t know any better. And, possibly, break the law along the way. Whatever it took. Even if I had to dig some six-foot-deep holes along the way.
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
AND DON’T FORGET! One lucky Maine Crime Writers reader who leaves a comment on the blog this month will win a bundle of books!
