In the Narthex with Julia Spencer-Fleming

It's been three years since Julia Spencer-Fleming brought out a book, and her fans have been dying to know what's happened to Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstine. I'm one of the lucky few to have read Julia's forthcoming book, One Was a Soldier, and I guarantee readers won't be disappointed. Julia is at the top of her game in this one.

If you are a mystery fan—and if you're not I'm not entirely sure what you're doing here—you should visit her Web site. Over the years, Julia has interviewed a couple of dozen crime authors including Steve Hamilton, Louise Penny, Nancy Pickard, and now me. Check it out.

Another thing I love about Julia's Web site is her tagline: "Novels of faith and murder for readers of literary suspense." I can't think of a better description for her excellent series. One Was a Soldier hits bookstores on March 14.

A Chat with the Bangor Daily News

I had a really enjoyable conversation with John Holyoke of the Bangor Daily News this morning for a piece he was writing for the weekend paper. In the interview we talked about The Poacher's Son, the Edgars, and a sartorial conundrum I am pondering:

The last time Paul Doiron had to worry about dressing up in a tuxedo, he was getting married.

In April, Doiron will again don a penguin suit at a black-tie gala that will be held in New York City.

The occasion: the Edgar Awards, which are handed out each spring by the Mystery Writers of America. Doiron, who lives in midcoast Maine and is the editor-in-chief of Down East magazine, is among five nominees in the “Best First Novel” category for The Poacher’s Son.

One nagging question that Doiron is facing: Rent … or buy?

“I wish they would tell me what my future would hold,” Doiron said with a chuckle during a Friday interview. He said he would buy a tuxedo if he knew this current string of successes was going to continue.

Doiron has been on a whirlwind ride over the last seven months, since The Poacher’s Son was published by Minotaur Books.

That's an understatement if ever there was one.

Happy Birthday, Edgar

On the 202nd anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe's birthday, I was the one who received a present. The Mystery Writers of America announced that The Poacher's Son had been shortlisted for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. The other nominees are Bruce DeSilva for Rogue Island, David Gordon for The Serialist, Nic Pizzolatto for Galveston, and James Thompson for Snow Angels. Every year, when I watch the Oscars, I hear an actor say how it's an honor just be nominated for an award, and I always chuckle. But the truth is: Being chosen as a finalist for something like this really is cool in and of itself—especially since I never dreamed it was possible. And now I get to attend a black-tie banquet in Manhattan this spring. There's only the small matter of renting a tux.

Stereotypes

People think that all of us Mainers are lumberjacks and lobsterman; we eat clam chowder for breakfast and pepper our sentences with "wicked"; we call moose, dress in shiny yellow sou'westers, bury our cats in pet semataries; all of us wear Bean Boots; trade dry one liners about not getting from there to here down at the variety store; live in quaint little cottages by the sea with views of pointed firs and Mount Cadillac rising in the distance; have a weird fetish for moderate Republican female senators; drink maple syrup straight from the tree; spend our Sundays locked in life and death curling matches; talk like a bad actors doing a bad version of a Down East accent; ayuh.

Having said that, here I am curling.

Radio Forum

I had the pleasure this morning of being interviewed by Joan Clemons on WERU 89.9 FM's "Writers Forum." It's an unusual radio show in that it usually features two or more writers reading from their work and having a back-and-forth conversation. My fellow guest was another Camden mystery writer, Vicki Doudera, author of the Darby Farr series, A House to Die For and Killer Listing. I have to admit that, having finished my reading from the prologue and first chapter of The Poacher's Son, it was nice to be able to sit back and listen to Vicki. As is always the case once I get behind a microphone, I didn't want the show to end so soon. Click here to listen to the segment.