Smiles Don't Fade.

Years slip away fast, but the smiles don't fade. My <cough cough> reunion at Vermont Law and Graduate School was wonderful.

 

AUTHOR CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS: WILLIAM MARTIN & WILLIAM LANDAY

 AUTHOR CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS: 

WILLIAM MARTIN & WILLIAM LANDAY

💕

I'm thrilled to have been asked to interview two AMAZING authors at the upcoming Newburyport Literary Festival. Known for gathering some of the best authors and newest literary voices, this lit fest has something for everyone. Set in the gorgeous seacoast town of Newburyport, this is one event you cannot miss!

I have the pleasure of knowing both of these gentlemen from many New England author events. When the organizers of the lit fest asked me to interview them, I had to confess that each has been a not-so-secret author crush of mine. 

I interviewed William Martin at the recent New England Crime Bake. His newest book, December '41, is a historical thriller in the best way. Set in the early days of World War II, Bill takes his readers on a high-stakes coast-to-coast chase to thwart a highly-trained killer from assassinating the president. Referred to as the King of the historical thriller and a master storyteller, Bill is as charming as he is talented. I promise to get him to dish on his inside secrets of writing his multiple award-winning New York Times bestselling titles and his stint as a screenwriter on movies that <ahem> didn't quite make them award-worthy

Oh, and then there's William Landay. I haven't yet had the pleasure of interviewing Bill, but we've chatted at mystery galas and library events. We've compared notes on how our legal backgrounds infuse our novels with realism and suspense. Of course, Bill's Defending Jacob sets the Gold Standard for legal thrillers and his new All That Is Mine I Carry With Me does the impossible: It matches and often exceeds the expectations set by Defending Jacob.

My job is to do my homework and create an interview that informs, entertains, and lets both of these incredible authors shine without displaying my crushes too much. I don't yet have the time or the location of our interview, so check back here or on the Newburyport Literary Festival website for updates. While you're there, check out the other amazing authors who will be participating.

The 2023 Newburyport Literary Festival will feature the following:

• Friday, April 28: An opening event at the Firehouse Center for the Arts, hosting authors Peter Orner in conversation with Andre Dubus, and a cocktail party to follow at The Grog Restaurant. (Paid event)

• Saturday, April 29: A vibrant day of in-person author readings and signings (No cost to attend) 

• Sunday, April 30, an exciting day of virtual author readings and discussions (No cost to attend)

A REVIEW OF 2022 AND A 2023 WISH

I've decided that 2022 wasn't so bad after all.

Many opinions this time of year revolve around how exhausting the past year was for them. Adjusting to new normals nudged folks out of their comfort zones, or some might say cocoons. Working remotely had been pretty terrific for many of us. We didn't have to know if the pandemic was over or if we could simply exist maskless in a place of benign neglect.

I've been on the slow-to-adapt side of the New Normal Bell Curve. Yes, I'm fully vaxxed and boosted, but being a writer has its benefits, and not having to wear hard pants or heeled shoes are two of them. Zoom has been another great tool, but life is more than seeing other humans sixteen to a screen.

In April I hit two amazing goals. The best was the release of my short story, Currents, in the Mystery Writers of America's anthology, Crime Hits Home. The thrill of seeing my name alongside crime-writing greats like Walter Mosely, Sara Paretsky, Naomi Hirahara, and more as crime fiction's top authors hasn't faded. Nope. Not one bit.

The second April goal? Fitting into said hard pants for the book launch at the iconic Mysterious Bookshop. Yep. April was a banner month.

I watched my fellow writers inch back into in-person events over the summer. Masks became optional. Heartfelt hugs returned. As wonderful as these things were, I found my writer's brain had taken a vacation to points unknown. My productivity for new work tanked but I found I was able to focus on revisions of a WIP and submissions. 

The lead-up to November brought all things Crime Bake to priority status. This three-day conference for writers of crime and mystery has been an anchor of the New England writing community for over twenty years. From dreamers with an idea or unpublished manuscript to seasoned pros with dozens of titles and awards to their names, it's truly a must-go event and I'm proud of being its co-chair even if I whine a bit about the time commitment involved. (Truth be said: running a conference during that pesky COVID uncertainty is not easy.) My interview of NYT best-selling author William Martin with co-chair Paula Munier was an absolute highlight. Yes. I wore heels and lived to tell the tale.

December brought the publication of a non-fiction piece in Mystery Reader's International's Legal Mysteries compilation of essays and columns edited by Janet Rudolph. I was happy to leverage my doctorate in law, my writing chops, and my passion for giving to the larger community into this piece. 

This past year wasn't all about writing. I'm the parent of three amazing kids who have grown into adults despite my habit of referring to them as kids. Each has set their own course and I try really hard not to over-parent but to be as supportive as possible. This support has come with the following conversation:

Middle Son approached me one day last summer. "Mom, can you watch my dog when I travel?" 

"Of course!" I said with too much enthusiasm and commitment thinking this would be at most a two-week stint. "How long will you be gone?"

"About a year."

<Gulp>

It appears that two weeks was not enough time to pedal a bike from Boston to Key West to California with a planned hike on the PCT. Silly me for being so naive.

So, my husband and I are the proud keepers of a very adorable Beagle named Pop. Our two cats are not as pleased, but if 2022 taught me anything, it was to just roll with it.

This is my round-up for 2022 and I'm looking at 2023 with guarded optimism. 

I wish you and yours all the best.

From Two to Five Stars

Getting a less than stellar rating on a book is not an author's favorite thing. Neither a book nor an author can be all things to all people. If a rating is accompanied by a well-written and insightful review, we can learn from it and move on. If that "meh" feedback is on the first book of a series, chances are pretty good that the rating giver won't move on to the rest of the series.

Well, live and learn.

The Charity has received its share of five star reviews, so when a two star rating on Goodreads popped up without a corresponding review, I chalked it up to experience and didn't dwell on it. That is, I didn't give it much thought until after I compared books with the rating giver. I determined that my book wasn't her thing, and moved on.  

That was three years ago. Last month, the second book in the series, The Troubles, received a four star rating from that same person! 

And last week, the final book in the series, The Wake, received a five star rating from you-know-who.

So, thank you, Goodreads Reviewer, whoever you are. If you read this, I would love to hear why you came back to the series and why it grew on you! But you could be the shy type and don't want to talk too much. No worries. I understand.

Overall, I just want to thank you for clicking that little star button and giving me the feedback you did. So many readers don't bother to do even that!

So, if you're one of those readers who don't rate or review books, please know that authors really appreciate them.

It's summer reading time. Make an author happy with a little click! Thank you!

BOOKSTORE GRAND OPENING Dover, New Hampshire

Wow! In the Age of Amazon, it's WONDERFUL to have a corner of the world book lovers can call their own...a real corner! With chairs! And people!

Kudos to Chris Upton for creating a world where all are welcome at FREETHINKER'S CORNER. There is something for everyone. Children's books. Memoir. Thrillers. How to. You name it, and Chris will either have it or get it for you! There is nothing like the attention to detail and patrons a small book store can provide!

"Like" their Facebook page to stay current on their events and books.

Stop by. Browse. Buy. I'll see you there!


WHEN: Saturday, September 22, 2018

WHERE: A Freethinker's Corner Bookstore
                652 Central Avenue, Ste A
                Dover, New Hampshire 03820

TIME: Ribbon Cutting at 10:00 AM
            Author Meet-n-Greets, Signings until 6 PM

LAUNCHED: DEADLY SOLUTION by Keenan Powell

I "met" Keenan because we share the pages of SNOWBOUND: Best New England Crime Stories anthology published by Level Best. Her story, the Banshee of North Adams, struck a chord in my heart. Banshee is an Irish ghost, so I knew we shared an Irish connection. (Banshee was also the name of my first pony, but that's a story for another day.)

Level Best has expanded to publishing full length mysteries and I'm so thrilled that Keenan is among their first releases. It's a sign of success for both author and publisher to have quality on both sides of the publishing equation!

I know you'll love meeting Keenan and getting to know her stories.

Debut: Deadly Solution by Keenan Powell

Thanks for inviting me to Out of the Fog, Connie! I’m excited about the release of my debut, DEADLY SOLUTION, by Level Best on January 23, 2018 and the warm reception it is receiving.  

DEADLYSOLUTION a contemporary legal thriller set in Anchorage Alaska. The protagonist, Maeve Malloy, has recently opened a private criminal defense practice and is asked to take over a case of a homeless man accused of murder when the prior attorney commits suicide.

The book is the first in a series introducing Maeve and her investigator, Tom Sinclair. I was moved to write it when I trip across a little-known law, to wit: the medical examiner has the authority to declare the cause of death without doing an autopsy and to dispose of (cremate) the remains within seventy-two hours. So, who’s to say he’s right?

We often hear: “Write what you know.”  I, in fact, was a young female criminal defense attorney in private practice aided by one curmudgeon investigator who floated in and out of the office at will.  I write about what it’s like to be a female trial attorney in a man’s world, what it’s like to be in sole practice not knowing how you’re going to make next month’s rent, and what it’s like to believe desperately in your client’s case yet face the very strong possibility that justice will miscarry.

About Deadly Solution

Less than a year after drinking sidelined her career as a public defender in Anchorage, Alaska, Maeve Malloy is asked to defend an Aleut Indian accused of beating another homeless man to death. With no witnesses to the crime and a client who claims to have no knowledge of the night of the murder due to a blackout, the case is stacked against them.

As Maeve works to maintain her sobriety, she and her investigator Tom Sinclair search for answers in homeless camps, roadside bars, and biker gang hangouts. When they uncover more than a few people with motives all their own for wanting the victim dead, they are determined to prove their client's innocence before he is sentenced to a life behind bars for a crime he swears he didn't commit.

When Maeve and Tom discover there may be a link to an unusually high number of deaths among the homeless community, the search is on for a killer hunting among the most vulnerable members of society.   

Find the book on Amazon 

About the author

Keenan Powell was born in Roswell, New Mexico, several years after certain out-of-towners visited. Her first artistic endeavor was drawing, which led to illustrating the original Dungeons and Dragons when still in high school.

A past winner of the William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic grant, her publications include Criminal Law 101 in the June 2015 issue of The Writer magazine and several short stories. She writes the legal column, Ipso Facto, for the Guppies’ newsletter, First Draft, and blogs with the Mysteristas. Several of her short stories have been published in anthologies.

She lives, and practices law, in Anchorage, Alaska. When not writing or lawyering, she can be found riding her bike, hanging out with her Irish Wolfhound, studying the concert harp, or dinking around with oil paints.

Visit Keenan at: www.keenanpowellauthor.com

FB: https://www.facebook.com/keenanwrites