The Maine Crime Writers
Author Archives: Maureen Milliken
This isn’t about when the cat threw up on the bed, but it could be
Back a little more than 40 years ago, I had just started as a reporter at my second newspaper, the now-defunct Haverhill (Mass.) Gazette. It was a very shallow step up from my first job, at the also now-defunct Biddeford … Continue reading
It’s summer in Maine and the book will be out… when?
NEWS FROM AWAY, the fifth book in my Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery series was supposed to be out by now. I’m reminded about that quite often by readers anxious to get their hands on it. It’s gratifying and flattering that … Continue reading
Posted in Maureen's Posts
Tagged Bernie O'Dea mystery series, finishing a book, Maine summer
2 Comments
Travels With Willow…not exactly Steinbeck, but what is?
At some point when I was a young teenager I read “Travels With Charley,” by John Steinbeck, a rather sour and depressing (in my memory) account of his drive across the U.S. with his poodle, Charley. It didn’t spur my … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
5 Comments
Writing and spring and Maine and things
Spring in Maine! One day it’s in the 80s, the next frost kills the forsythia. After the bugless joy of winter, it’s ants in the mailbox and ticks on your pants and the brown-tailed moth microscopic poison in the air. … Continue reading
Posted in Maureen's Posts, Uncategorized
4 Comments
The question isn’t ‘Is it original?’, but ‘Is it yours?’
An article in the newspaper the other day gave me that uncomfortable feeling a lot of authors get at least once in a while — there’s my story (kind of) and now no one is going to think my book … Continue reading
Posted in Maureen's Posts, Uncategorized
Tagged Shakespeare, writing craft, writing ideas
3 Comments
The author question I never get – it surprises me, yet doesn’t
Authors can expect certain questions at events, whether it’s a table at an author fair or a library presentation or a book group: Where do you get your ideas? How long does it take you to write a book? Do … Continue reading
Writing and stopping by the woods on a snowy morning
I’m sure I’m not the first one to write about this, even on this blog, but it’s worth saying again: Never underestimate the value of a nice walk as part of the writing process. Now that I have a dog … Continue reading
Yes, books make great gifts; love of books is an even better one
I recently read an article about how high school kids were no longer being assigned full books to read, just snippets. Reasons ranged from “you just can’t get young people to read anything long” to whatever entity that’s dictating curriculum … Continue reading
Posted in Maureen's Posts
12 Comments
Fiction is fiction…but it’s all relative
When I’m writing a mystery novel, which seems like all the time now, things that I read about or see on TV often spark ideas. Sometimes I feel compelled to add whatever it is to the book I’m writing. I … Continue reading
Writing Tip Wednesday: Putting a dog in the book? Pros & cons
There’s some sage — or not so much — writing advice that if you want to make a character likable, give him a dog. On the other hand, once you give a character a dog, if it’s not just a … Continue reading
Posted in Writing Tip Wednesday
Tagged Bernie O'Dea mystery series, dogs, Maureen Milliken
4 Comments
