Since breaking into the writing scene in March of 2020, I have actively pursued creating and participating in writing events. Actually, attending Crime Wave in 2019 is the catalyst that most likely kicked me into high gear. I had previously done several historical fiction conferences and just didn’t seem to jive with that crowd (so MUCH historical fiction is really just romance!). But, in that year, right before Covid struck, I came to realize that crime writers were my jam.

Seven years later, I am on the committee that helps organize Crime Wave. It will be on Saturday, May 30^th. Last year, we made some changes to be more inclusive of writers and readers attending the conference, focusing on round tables rather than panels. These round tables are meant to prompt discussion and interaction instead of a lecture. The feedback on this innovative change was fantastic last year, and we hope to build on that momentum and continue to grow.

Thanks to the hard work of the amazing Gabi Stiteler, Crime Wave has been expanded to include Friday events. Crimes in the Archives with Elizabeth DeWolfe will take place at 1 PM on May 29^th, and then Noir at Belleflower will explode at 7 PM in Portland at the Belleflower Brewery. This year, I will not be reading, but will continue my stint as master of ceremonies alongside the astounding Jule Selbo.

There will be marvelous readings of mayhem, humor, and crime from an array of wonderful writers, including Tess Gerritsen, Allison Keeton, Travis Kennedy, Robert Kelley, Joanna Schaffhausen, James Ziskin, Zakariah Johnson, Gabriela Stiteler, Mo Drammeh, and Rebecca Turkewitz. Join us for a pint, food truck delicacies, and delectable readings from some of Maine’s best authors. This will be my fourth noir of the year, with only one more planned, but I hope to add more!

The last two years, I have introduced COST TALKS to many libraries in Maine. This is a solo event where I speak about the writing process and journey with a focus on my most recent book. So far this year, that has been either Glow Trap or The Not So Merry Adventures of Max Creed. I will be switching that over soon with the imminent publication of EveryThing vs. Max Creed. In November, I will switch again, as 1955; A Jazz Jones and January Queen Raleigh Mystery will be published.

This year, I have expanded to offer libraries (or other venues) three more options for author/reader interaction. The first is my TAC TALKS, with is Two Authors in Conversation. During this, I engage another author to join me in discussing the business of writing as seen through our latest published works. In a slight variation on that, the Topsham Public Library has asked me to conduct four such conversations, in which I interview another author, billed as the TPL Author Interviews with Matt Cost.

A very popular event, originating with the legend Kate Flora, is MYSTERY MAKING MAYHEM. In this popular event, three to four authors sit on a panel and interact with the audience, creating a mystery on the spot with patron participation. Attendees are asked to fill out five slips of paper and then drop each slip into the corresponding bag labeled character, profession, setting, weapon, and motivation. The authors then pull out these slips of paper and create a crime, complete with a victim, a protagonist, red herrings, and a killer.

The fourth option I have proposed is the WOW PANEL, Writers On Writing, featuring three authors discussing their writing process, books, and where everything goes, with me as the moderator. Audience participation and interaction are actively encouraged, as the purpose is to answer the questions that people have about writers.

I also engage in podcast interviews, book club discussions, sidewalk sales, and book fairs. In August, I will be starting a podcast with the extraordinary BJ Magnani, entitled Pets, Plots, & Poisons. There will be more about this new venture in another post at a later time.

If you are a venue looking to engage any of these options, please contact me at matthew-cost@comcast.net for further details. So far, I have 58 events planned this year, and I am hoping to add more.

Matt Cost was a history major at Trinity College. He owned a mystery bookstore, a video store, and a gym before serving a ten-year sentence as a junior high school teacher. In 2014, he was released and began writing. And that’s what he does. He writes histories and mysteries.

Cost has published six books in the Mainely Mystery series, starting with Mainely Power. He has also published six books in the Clay Wolfe Trap series, starting with Wolfe Trap. There are two books in the Brooklyn 8 Ballo series, starting with Velma Gone Awry. For historical novels, Cost has published At Every Hazard and its sequel, Love in a Time of Hate, as well as I am Cuba. The Not So Merry Adventures of Max Creed began a new series this past April. The second book in the chronicles, EveryThing vs. Max Creed, is due out imminently.

Cost now lives in Brunswick, Maine, with his wife, Harper. There are four grown children: Brittany, Pearson, Miranda, and Ryan. Cost now spends his days at the computer, writing.