Two new books out!

The way I deal with this plague is to get more books out for you to read.

So here are the latest- and each is about the price of a coffee! Enjoy!

(Print coming soon, and audiobooks are up for narrator auditions!)

Deadly Encounters: 3 Zack Taylor Short Stories

Grieving over a past tragedy, troubled ex-con Zack Taylor has spent a lifetime in the shadows. He has finally found a measure of peace in Maine, helping others as a way of dealing with his grief, guilt, and rage. But he finds even simple problems have unintended consequences, and danger lurks in the most unlikely places. 

In these three tales, Zack encounters murderous individuals who hide below a surface of normality. He uncovers more than he bargained for at every turn, and must deal with the fallout of taking on deadly people willing to kill. 

And The Return of Fear: A 5 Story Collection  (scary stories)

Here are five scary stories about different types of terrors that haunt us. Some are deserved, some come from pits of evil for the innocent. These tales come together for the first time to keep you up at night. Enjoy the ride on the scary rollercoaster. 

Sherman's Book Signing

Had a great Saturday in Portland, Maine, first going to my book signing at Sherman's Bookstore on Exchange Street, down in the Old Port section.

They were ready for me, with a fun sign. Didn't know I was beguiling!

Got all set up and ready to make new fans.

It's a great bookstore, with so much to choose from.

And a friendly staff

Sold some books, said hi to my friends Rhonda and Clay, who dropped by for support, and enjoyed greeting people who came to browse.

Then it was across town to Letterpress Books, to drop off more copies, since they're selling well there. Sold another on the spot!

And a lovely lunch on the water at DeMillo's. Superb dining with terrific views! Make it a stop when you're up that way.

I'm Featured on a Blog, and Portland Book Signing Saturday

As a member of the New England Chapter of Sisters in Crime, I love the support and encouragement given by the organization members. We have a strong, vibrant, community of mystery writers, and the Sisters group provides so many opportunities for career advancement, with workshops, speaking engagements, and fun get-togethers.

And promotion... today they feature... me!
Here's a Q&A with Kathryn Gandek-Tighe about my new book, the sixth Zack Taylor mystery, A Darkened Room, coming out later this month.

And to prime the pump for the new release, I'll be signing books at Sherman's in Portland, Maine, this Saturday, August 3rd, from 11-12. They're down on 49 Exchange Street, so come to this beautiful city, do some shopping and sightseeing, buy some books, and check out my mystery series- set in Portland!

Maine Crime Wave Conference 2019

We had a blast at the recent Maine Crime Wave Conference in Portland, ME, which is helped by the Mystery Writers of America, the Sisters in Crime, and the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance. Lots of authors- old friends and aspiring writers came together for a weekend of craft sessions, panels on various subjects, and schmoozing with fellow writers.

To see a writeup of the conference from last year, click here.

Nothing says a New England Writer Conference like Connie Johnson Hambley.

To see an interview with Connie, click here

Brenda Buchanan

And we were off to a rousing start, with a good crowd.

Plenty of books for sale by the attending authors.
 Sales were handled by Barbara Kelly of Kelly's Books To Go.

This fellow Dick Cass was instrumental in getting things to run smoothly. 

To see an interview with Dick, click here

Here he is with Jessica Sweet.

 Superstar thriller writer Gayle Lynds with another conference helper, Hannah.

Gerry Boyle with his latest book

And with agent Meg Ruley and the best-selling Lisa Gardner

 

Here's James Hayman checking out my books!

To see an interview with James, click here

More superstars: Tess Gerritsen, Neil Nyren, Kate Flora

To see an interview with Kate, click here

The Milliken crew: Maureen, Rebecca, and daughter

To see an interview with Maureen, click here

Bruce Coffin (R) making a point

Barb Ross and John Clark

To see an interview with Barb, click here

Vaughn Hardacker, who has a Wendigo novel which makes a great pairing with my Shadow of the Wendigo.

The Holms- Chris and Katrina

Julia Spencer-Fleming

And here with Jessica Elliott

Eddie Vincent, of Encircle Publications

Ruth McCarty

James and Meg

A lovely day, with lots of learning and good information being swapped.
Thank sto all who worked to make it happen!

Big Trip to Portland

Recently I took a couple of days off to go to Maine with a couple of friends and just hang out.
With a day job, a writing career, and sporadic attempts to engage in marketing the books I write, I seem to be always busy. So a brief interlude of idleness came as a welcome change.

We had an AirBnB- the price was right, as was the terrific view, even if the rest left a tad to be desired. But we mostly didn't care, because we could sit out on the little deck and look out over the water.

Of course we had to stop at the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland.
Hey, they still sell my novel Shadow of the Wendigo.
Out there at Thompson's Point, next door to the museum is a beer tap room, a winery, and a distillery!

I ponder the mysterious universe...

We tried to visit the Portland Observatory, but they were closed for the season.

As the weather turned into a warm sunny day, we went next to Fort Williams State Park, which holds the famous Portland Head Lighthouse.

Perfect time to be there, and quite a crowd taking advantage of the day- even had a few brave waders.

In the town of Wells, we ate at Congdon's Donuts (a great diner), and at the Maine Diner, and got too-full at both. Yes, you MUST try the cod cakes, and the chowder.

When I go back up to Maine, I'm reminded of how wonderful it is, and how much I miss it. I set my Zack Taylor mystery series in Portland, because I wanted to feature all the good parts. The Portland bookstores sell the books, so if you go up, drop by Letterpress Books, Sherman's, Longfellow Books, or Nonesuch Books (South Portland)


Now to look for more excuses to get back up there.

Maine Crime Wave 2018

Portland, Maine was the site of the Maine Crime Wave, a great conference hosted by the
Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, and sponsored in part by
the Mystery Writers of America- New England chapter. 

We had panels on various topics, craft sessions, a reading session, 

and a keynote address by famed Defense Attorney F. Lee Bailey.

Quite an enjoyable day, even as we learned a lot.

There was also a chance to buy books written by the noted Maine mystery/crime/thriller authors in attendance, and get them signed.

Sales were handled by Barbara Kelly of Kelly's Books To Go. 

Author Richard J. Cass mans the MWA information booth.

 

 Gerry Boyle (standing) led a panel on various methods of publishing:

L to R is Lea Wait, Jen Blood, Sandra Neily, and William D. Andrews

Gayle Lynds (standing) led her panel on Conflict:

L to R is Joseph Souza, Barbara Ross, Gerry Boyle again, and Kate Flora

 Chris Holm (standing) of course was in charge of the panel on Sex, Booze, and Violence:

L to R is Dick Cass again, Elizabeth Hand, Shannon Kirk, and Daniel Palmer

And our last panel, led by Bruce Coffin (standing), was what book reviewers look for:

L to R is William Bushnell (who reviews thousands of books), Katrina Niidas Holm, and Frank O. Smith

Lots of writers spent part of Friday and all day Saturday having a good time talking about the biz.

Here's Joseph Souza getting snapped with F. Lee Bailey

And Maureen Milliken with sister Rebecca

Vaughn Hardacker with reviewer William Bushnell, who loved Vaughn's book Wendigo.

Review here

Barb Ross and Brenda Buchanan pose for a shot

And Brenda again, with Kate Flora this time

Dan lunches with Chris and Katrina

Then we get the group pics

So if you've got any interest in the writing business, Maine, or the many talented authors working there, make plans next year to attend!