News
Over at the day job, I gush about my enviable workspace. It makes going to the office in the morning a lot easier when you get to smell mowed grass instead of auto exhaust and are more likely to hear the keening of ospreys rather than the blaring of car horns.
Best First Novel
The nominees for this year's Anthony Award for excellence in crime fiction are out. I am delighted to be one of the finalists for "Best First Novel." Here are the others:
Rogue Island- Bruce DeSilva - Forge Books
The Poacher's Son - Paul Doiron - Minotaur Books
Snow Angels - James Thompson - Putnam
Damage Done - Hilary Davidson - Forge Books
Sherlockian, The - Graham Moore - Twelve
Worthy competitors! The Anthony is named for Anthony Boucher and will be presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in St. Louis this September. Each of the various mystery awards has its own claim to fame, and what sets the Anthony apart is that it is voted on by the hundreds of Bouchercon attendees. Even being nominated means you have a groundswell of support for your book, which is a very encouraging thought in and of itself.
Booklist is out with is long-awaited (by me, at least) review of Trespasser, and it's everything I could have wanted:
While Trespasser initially may seem to lack some of the emotional punch of Poacher’s Son, it certainly makes up for it with both its realistic portrayal of life after traumatic events and its truly nail-biting finale. Doiron, editor of Down East magazine, delivers another perfectly plotted mystery peopled with multidimensional characters, but, in addition, his writing has matured. His descriptions of Maine’s midcoast are incredibly evocative of the sights, sounds, and smells of early spring, and the heart-pounding account of Mike’s four-wheeling chase through the woods is a masterpiece of high-octane narrative.
Anytime anyone uses the word "masterpiece" about something you wrote, you have to pinch yourself.
Writing novels, I mean. E-publishing wunderkind Amanda Hocking tweeted recently that she tweets more when her novel writing is going well. For me, it's just the opposite. My online writing of all sorts (Twitter, Facebook, my blog) fades steadily into the back of my mind when I'm engaged with a book. It's tough, because in this era novelists are expected to be tireless circus barkers for their own books, and authorial silence is viewed with suspicion, dismay, or disdain. I'll take my cue from the Book of Ecclesiastes and assert that to everything, including self-promotion, there is a season. A time to write and a time to write about writing. And for me, now is a time to complete my third novel, especially with my book tour for Trespasser looming on the horizon.
After a winter lull, The Poacher's Son is getting press again thanks to the award nominations it has received and the recent paperback publication. I have to say that among the excellent reviews I have received this one made me especially happy:
I read a lot of books. A lot. But I don’t think I have ever found a new author that had such a stunning debut. Doiron’s ability to create such vivid, intense characters and scenes is amazing.
The Poacher’s Son isn’t just another suspense thriller, but just as much a coming-of-age, so to speak, novel about a young man coming to terms with a neglectful father and the past that made him who he is today.
I spoke to a group of readers the other day and said that I was surprised by authors who didn't enjoy doing public events. You work so long and hard in solitude when you write a novel. Why wouldn't you want to meet someone who was deeply moved by your book?
