"The Last Page Sells Your Next Book"

That's part of a quote from Mickey Spillane. Here's the full thing: “Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.”

At Maine Crime Writers today I talk about last pages and last lines. Nailing the ending is one of the hardest parts of writing a novel. As I write in the blog, The Poacher's Son didn't originally end where it now does. And it took me a number of drafts to find the right note on which to conclude Trespasser. I knew the last line of Bad Little Falls early on. 

I guess the test will be if it helps sell my next book, right?

My 12 Favorite Maine Stories of 2012

Happy New Year! At Maine Crime Writers today I look back at the last year at Down East Magazine and pick my twelve favorite articles. It's a real grab bag of stories covering everything from famous paintings to gutter politics to spicy hot sauces.

One of the great things about being Editor in Chief is that it gives me the freedom to pursue some offbeat interests. As perks go, it's a pretty cool one.

"A Year of Surprises"

The Bangor Daily News is out today with a follow-up to the piece it did last January on "12 Mainers to Watch in 2012." It was an eventful year:

Doiron describes his 2012 as “a year of surprises.” His third novel in the Mike Bowditch series, “Bad Little Falls,” was released in August. In the fall, the Kindle edition of his debut, “The Poacher’s Son,” was released in the United Kingdom and reached No. 4 on the best-seller list of all Kindle books in November. “I even beat the ‘50 Shades of Grey’ juggernaut,” he proudly wrote in an email. Doiron also signed a new two-book deal. On Dec. 19, he finished work on his fourth novel, “Massacre Pond,” which he thinks might be his best. That book will be published in July 2013. And perhaps the biggest surprise: “I learned that the Pete Kilpatrick Band had been inspired by my novel to write a song titled ‘Trespasser,’ for its album ‘Heavy Fire,” Doiron wrote. (John Holyoke, BDN)

With the print publication of The Poacher's Son in the UK looming just a few weeks away, 2013 is shaping up to be another year to remember.

Facebook Is the Place

Happy holidays, everyone.

I've been busy working on the fourth Mike Bowditch novel, Massacre Pond, which means I am behind on answering letters, among other things. In the new year I will be sending out my next newsletter with an update on when you can read my next book, some interesting news from the United Kingdom, and maybe even a sneak peek at a project I have in the works with a talented Maine artist. Sign up at the bottom of my home page or by clicking the Contact menu.

In the meantime I wanted to mention that, if you use Facebook, you should check out my Paul Doiron Books page. I post there whenever I have a random bit of news that comes my way. I also moderate discussions about the series. Today's conversation is about which of the secondary characters—Charley, Ora, Kathy, etc—is your favorite. I'd be curious to hear who you'd like to read more about in future books, too.

I always appreciate hearing from you—via Facebook, comments to my blog posts, or via email. And I promise to answer you!