Paperback Pub Day

Today is a special day in my career as an author, and yet I almost let it slip by without commentary. The paperback edition of The Poacher's Son — sporting a spiffy new jacket design that I prefer to the hard cover — was published today. The occasion isn't as momentous as having a brand new book in stores, but it's a big deal nonetheless. Many readers won't even consider buying a first novel until it's available as a less expensive paperback. So seeing your book appear in softcover is like watching it be reintroduced to the world. A new audience of readers is going to discover The Poacher's Son now that it's a trade paperback. That's definitely worth commemorating.

Publishers Weekly Finds Trespasser "Compelling"

One of the nice things about having a new book coming out is that you know, more or less, what to expect. Reviews will begin appearing a few months before the publication date. Your editor will email you about foreign rights sales (you hope). Your publicist will volunteer you to write a blog post on a mystery web site.

What you don't know, however, is when these things will happen.

So I had the experience of waking up this morning to the pleasant surprise of a review for Trespasser in the new Publishers Weekly:

In Doiron's compelling sequel to his debut, The Poacher's Son, troubled 25-year-old Mike Bowditch, a Maine game warden, is still coming to grips with the realization that his estranged father--now deceased--has become known as the state's most notorious murderer. Bowditch finds solace in his job, but when he investigates a car accident involving a deer on a remote stretch of road, the driver, 23-year-old Ashley Kim, from Cambridge, Mass., has disappeared. Later, in an empty house, he finds Kim's naked body, bound with sailor's rigging tape, with the word slut carved into her chest. As Bowditch becomes increasingly obsessed with finding the killer, he puts his already tenuous career in jeopardy as well as his equally tenuous relationship with his possibly pregnant girlfriend. Doiron complements this thriller's decidedly dark tone with introspective existential and spiritual musings and atmospheric imagery (houses in a fishing village "clung like barnacles" around a harbor).

It's always interesting to see what the reviewer fixates on: the atmosphere, the existential musings. "Decidedly dark?" Yes, I guess it is. 

Strand Critics Award Finalist

Today I got word that The Poacher's Son has been named as a finalist for a Strand Critics Award, sponsored by The Strand Magazine, in the category of "Best First Novel." The five nominees are: 

  • Blacklands by Belinda Bauer (Simon and Schuster) 
  • Rock Paper Tiger by Lisa Brackmann (Soho Press) 
  • The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron (Minotaur Books) 
  • The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (Twelve) 
  • Snow Angels by James Thompson (Putnam)

 The Critics Awards are a little different from the other awards I'm up for in that they are chosen by a panel of book critics and journalists. This year's judges were Dennis Drabelle (The Washington Post), Dich Lochte (Los Angeles Times), Jordan Foster (Publishers Weekly), Jack Batten (Toronto Star), Jeff Ayers (Associated Press), Mary Ann Gwinn (Seattle Times), Jeff Johnson (Chicago Sun Times), Sarah Weinman (Los Angeles Times), and Larry Gandle (Tampa Tribune).

It sounds like a cliche, but it really is just an honor to be nominated for something like this. I'm very grateful to the judges for giving me a shot. Fingers crossed.

Shocker in the Maine Woods

Photo by Dennis Redfield

The proposal by the Plum Creek Timber Company to develop thousands of acres of forestland around Moosehead Lake ran into an unexpected roadblock today:

A Maine judge on Thursday halted Plum Creek’s rezoning plan for the Moosehead Lake region and ordered regulators to reopen hearings on one of the largest and most controversial development proposals in state history.

Maine Superior Court Justice Thomas Humphrey did not comment on the substance of Plum Creek’s massive plan for nearly 1,000 houses and two resorts in the Moosehead region — a point that supporters of Plum Creek’s proposal noted Thursday.

Rather, Humphrey invalidated the Land Use Regulation Commission’s decision on procedural grounds, saying commissioners did not follow their own rules and voted on a substantially rewritten rezoning application without first holding a public hearing.

Plum Creek’s supporters argue that the 975 houses and two resorts — to be developed over as many as 30 years — will create jobs and economic development in an area of the state where opportunities are few and many families struggle to make ends meet. Additionally, the conservation deals negotiated as part of the proposal will protect more than 400,000 acres of forestland, most of which will remain open to recreational activities and commercial timber harvesting.

But critics contend the houses, resorts and resulting traffic will mar the scenic beauty that makes Moosehead unique. They also warned that LURC’s decision set a dangerous precedent, allowing Plum Creek to benefit financially from the development as well as the conservation easements or land sales to conservation groups.

Plum Creek's plan, if enacted, would constitute the largest real estate development in Maine history, so you can imagine the emotions it has stirred up. For my part, I've been skeptical that the economic benefits to the Greenville region could ever live up to Plum Creek's promises. Moosehead is so distant from the East Coast's major population centers. I've always wondered who would drive six hours on poorly maintained back roads from Boston to play golf among the biting black flies. Maybe more people than I imagine. Nor do I have any idea what Judge Humphrey's decision will mean for Plum Creek or Moosehead Lake. I suspect I'm not alone in that regard.

"One Hellacious Ride"

Kirkus Reviews has weighed in with a review (link to come) of Trespasser:

Seven years after a trial sent a police suspect up for murder, a disturbingly similar new killing reopens the case, dragging Maine game warden Mike Bowditch along for one hellacious ride.

The review calls the book "a complex, heartfelt, altogether impressive piece of work." That's exactly what I'd hoped for!