Booklist Gives Trespasser a Star!

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 vs. Blogging

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.

A Flattering Review

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?

Trespasser Is a RT Book Reviews Top Pick!

Trespasser is many things, but it's definitely not a romance. (I do try to handle Mike's rekindled relationship with Sarah Harris with a bit more realism than I usually find in crime novels.) Nevertheless, I'm thrilled that RT Book Reviews has chosen my book as one of their Top Picks and gives it 4.5 out of 5 stars! They say:

Doiron’s second thriller featuring Mike Bowditch makes effective use of Maine’s ‘mud season,’ that time when the weather is unpredictable and new life struggles to emerge from the snow, as a metaphor for Mike’s internal struggle to put his life back on track. Doiron’s sense of place, and of the people of Maine, adds lush nuance to this suspense-filled read. Well-paced, with an interesting array of elegantly rounded characters, this effort more than lives up to the promise of Doiron’s debut.

Only subscribers can read the full review for the time being, but an insightful review like this one sure seems like a good reason to subscribe to me.