News from Kaitlyn Dunnett
What
I’m Reading
5/11/13:
I’ve been neglecting this part of
my news page, so to bring you up to date, here’s the latest:
On my iPad
in the Kindle app--Kaye Wilkinson Barley’s delightful novel, Whimsey. I had
the pleasure of meeting Kaye at Malice Domestic. This isn’t a mystery, which
makes a nice change of pace.
On my iPad
in iBooks—Rhys Bowen’s The Family Way
On audiocassette in my car—Sharyn McCrumb’s McPherson’s Lament
I’ve recently finished listening
to Margaret Maron’s Home Fires and, in hardcover, reading Charlaine
Harris’s final Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead Ever After.
And, on my TBR
pile, acquired at Malice Domestic in print format, are the following:
A Dangerous Talent by Charlotte
and Aaron Elkins
More Forensics and Fiction: Crime Writers’ Morbidly Curious Questions
Expertly Answered by D. P. Lyle,
MD
Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea, edited by Verena Rose and Rita Owen
Death of a Dowager by Joanna
Campbell Slan
Board Stiff: A Dead-End Job Mystery by Elaine Viets
Shadows on a Cape Cod Wedding by Lea Wait
And waiting to be read in my iPad are:
There Was an Old Woman by Hallie Ephron
Murder in Chelsea by Victoria
Thompson
As the slogan on one of my
favorite sweatshirts says: “So Many Books, So little Time.”
News
for May 2013
5/7/13:
Sometimes a picture is worth a
thousand words.
This is a copy of part of the
registration form for NEXT year’s Malice Domestic mystery convention. See the person
who will be Guest of Honor in 2014? This Kathy Lynn Emerson? That would be me, Kaitlyn Dunnett being the
pseudonym I use to write the Liss MacCrimmon
mysteries. To say I was thrilled and honored to be asked to be guest of honor
would be an understatement. Gobsmacked is one word
that comes to mind. You can read more about the trials and tribulations of
having to keep this news secret for almost a whole year at Maine Crime Writers by scrolling
down to the entry for May 6 or by clicking on Kaitlyn’s
name on the sidebar. I’ll be writing more about Malice and me in the coming
months, but for now I just wanted to share the news. The color version of the
above flyer is up at the Malice site and registration forms are coming to that
location soon. Check it out at Malice
Domestic
News
for April 2013
4/7/13:
I’ve just finished the rough
(very rough) draft of the 8th Liss MacCrimmon mystery (as yet untitled). There’s a long way to
go yet, but at least now I have something to revise. In the meantime, I have the release of the 7th
entry to look forward to. There’s information about this on the main page of
this website, along with the cover, also reproduced here. I’ve never had a
purple one before! The cat, of course, is supposed to be Lumpkin. The dog’s
name is Papelbon. The good people of Moosetookalook have a tendency to name pets after New
England sports figures, past and present.
News
for March 2013
3/10/13:
First, let me direct you to my
latest blog at Maine Crime Writers, a piece I hope you’ll find amusing.
http://mainecrimewriters.com/kaitlyns-posts/the-computer-ate-me
Next, an update on the short
story front. “A Wondrous Violent Motion” features my series character Susanna,
Lady Appleton from the Face Down series I wrote as Kathy Lynn Emerson. The
contract is signed. I’ve even received payment. Now I’m just waiting to learn
when the story will appear in Alfred
Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. This is the first new fiction from the world of
the Face Down novels since the last short story, “Lady Appleton and the Yuletide
Hogglers” was issued in a limited edition as the
Christmas card from short story publisher Crippen
& Landru in 2010. The last to appear in AHMM was “Any
Means Short of Murder” in the January/February 2009 issue. In case it isn’t
obvious, it takes me a while to write a short story. Longer, in fact, than it
does to write some of my novels.
Related to that, I’ve been
putting together my auction item for the annual charity auction at Malice
Domestic in May. It will feature original framed artwork by Linda Weatherly
from one of my earlier short stories in AHMM, “The Curse of the Figure Flinger,” plus a copy of that
issue of the magazine, plus a copy of the Crippen
& Landru anthology, Murders and Other Confusions (one of the signed and numbered
hardcover editions), plus an offprint of “Lady Appleton and the Yuletide Hogglers.” I’m registered at Malice as Kaitlyn
Dunnett/Kathy Lynn Emerson and am scheduled to appear
on a panel on Saturday afternoon on writing more than one series at a time. You
can find out more about Malice Domestic at Malice Domestic 2013
WHAT I’M READING:
on my iPad
in iBooks—Victoria Abbott’s The Christie Curse (first in a new series)
on my iPad
in Kindle—James Nelson’s Fin Gall.
Jim is about to make a guest appearance at Maine Crime Writers. He’s best known
for his historical non-fiction, most of which has a nautical theme. He’s also
our local expert on pirates.
in hardcover—I’m rereading the
entire Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody Emerson series. Having listened to all
those I had on audiocassette, I’m now working my way through the remaining
volumes from my bookshelves. My bookmark is currently in The Golden One.
on audiocassetts
in the car—still Nora Roberts’s Birthright
(another reread).
And from the blurb-o-sphere, I
have just given a quote (as Kathy Lynn Emerson) to new writer E. A. Allen for
his historical mystery, When Beggars Die.
Set in France in the reign of Edward VII, it introduces a detective who is a
cross between Sherlock Homes and James Bond. Coming up, I’ve agreed to read two
more historical novels for quotes. One is Eleanor Sullivan’s second mystery set
in the 1830s, Graven Images. The
other is a non-mystery historical by Kim Ostrom set
at the court of Charles I of England. The title of that one is The Royal Menagerie and the point of
view character is the royal fool. I’m looking forward to reading both.
Short
Story News
2/2/13: I’ve written a new Lady
Appleton short story, “A Wondrous Violent Motion,” set just after the
earthquake of 1580 and it looks like it will be appearing in print later this
year. I haven’t signed a contract yet, so I can’t give you details, but I’m
really pleased with the way the story came out and I hope fans of Liss MacCrimmon, as well as of my
Face Down series, will enjoy it. Check here for updates.
WHAT I’M READING:
on my iPad
in iBooks—Kim Harrison’s Ever After
on audiocassetts
in the car—Nora Roberts’s Birthright
on my iPad
in Kindle—about to start Miranda James’s Out
of Circulation (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery)
As I mentioned last time, I am
sometimes asked to give quotes for books about to be published. I’ve just
finished a terrific read that will be in stores September 3, 2013. It is
Barbara Ross’s Clammed Up, a mystery
set on an island off the coast of Maine and the first in a new series.
First
Update for 2013
1/4/13: I’m blogging
tomorrow at Maine
Crime Writers on how hard it is to
find the right starting point for a new book. And that’s where I am right now,
at the beginning of the eighth Liss MacCrimmon novel. The copy edits are done on #7 (Vampires, Bones, and Treacle Scones,
scheduled for the fall), the paperback reprint of #6 (Bagpipes, Brides, and Homicides) will be out in July. I’m still
struggling with the historical mystery/suspense novel I’ve mentioned before,
but Liss #8 (as yet untitled) is due September 1st
and will now definitely become my fiftieth traditionally published book. I’m
looking forward to writing it, and to using a Christmas tree farm as the
setting, but it always takes an effort to start a new project, in part because
there are so many decisions to make, everything from what to name new
characters to how much backstory to give when introducing those who have
appeared in previous books. Ideally, each novel should stand alone, so that
those who have not read the earlier books in the series can still enjoy it.
Sometimes, the writer has to walk a fine line between saying too much and not
saying enough.
WHAT I’M READING:
on my iPad in iBooks: rereading the late Charlotte MacLeod’s humorous mystery, The Plain Old Man (another in the Sarah Kelling series)
on my iPad in the Nook app: Victoria Thompson’s thirteenth Gaslight Mystery (late 19th century New York City), Murder on Sisters’ Row
on my iPad in the Kindle app: Sharan
Newman’s collection of short stories, all related to her Catherine Levendeur historical mystery series, set in Medieval
France, Death Before Compline
in print format: an advance reading copy of The Boleyn King by Laura Andersen, for a quote. It’s alternate history, built on the premise that Anne Boleyn gave birth to a son and Henry VIII only ever had two wives.
on audio cassettes in the car: still listening (20 minutes or so at a time) to Elizabeth Peters’s The Falcon at the Portal
Of
“Historical” interest (and other updates)
12/8/12: I’m blogging today
(http://mainecrimewriters.com/kaitlyns-posts/honoring-chester-greenwood#comments)
on the inspiration for my very first publication as a professional (ie. they paid me money!) writer, waaaay
back in 1984. As for current writing, I’m pretty much taking the month of
December off, since our cut-your-own Christmas tree farm is open and
time-consuming even though all we have to do is “net” the trees and collect the
$30 plus tax for each tree. I have the copy edited pages of the 7th Liss MacCrimmon novel to go
through before January 4th. Then I’ll return to that historical
mystery proposal I’ve been working on and start Liss
#8, which is due September 1, 2013, just about the time #7, Vampires, Bones, and Treacle Scones,
hits stores.
WHAT I’M READING:
on my iPad in iBooks: rereading the late Charlotte MacLeod’s The Family Vault (first in the Sarah Kelling series)
on my iPad in the Nook app: Maine mystery writer Kieran Shields’s debut novel, The Truth of All Things
on audio cassettes in the car: still listening (20 minutes or so at a time) to Elizabeth Peters’s The Falcon at the Portal
Three
More Liss MacCrimmon
Mysteries in the works
11/16/12: Good news. My
publisher, Kensington, wants three more Liss MacCrimmon mysteries, which will take publication dates up
through the fall of 2016. First up will be another Christmas book, this one set
on a Maine Christmas tree farm, but NOT the one my husband and I run at this
time of year. The second will take a reader’s suggestion and feature a dog . .
. a Scottish Terrier, what else? And the third? Well, readers might just get,
at long last, to visit Scotland along with Liss and
Dan. Stay tuned for more details.
WHAT I’M READING:
on my iPad
in iBooks: Charlotte MacLeod’s Rest You Merry (a reread in honor of the season and because all her
wonderful, witty mysteries are now available as ebooks)
on my iPad
in the Kindle app: Margaret Maron’s Fugitive Colors (I am working my way
through the Sigrid Harald series, having read all the
Deborah Knott books and loved them)
on my iPad
in the Nook app: Victoria Thompson’s Murder
on Bank Street (my husband is also reading this one; I’ve gotten behind on
the series but am delighted to be catching up on what Thompson’s midwife
heroine is up to)
on audio cassettes in the car:
Elizabeth Peters’s The Falcon at the Portal (which I’ve both read and listened to
before)
Next
Book in the Pipeline
10/5/12: The next book in the Liss MacCrimmon Scottish-American
Heritage Series has been officially accepted and will be in stores by this time
next year. To all those who have assumed that this installment will be set in
Scotland, my apologies, but I thought Liss deserved a
pleasant, relaxing, murder-free honeymoon. Her new adventure will take place
the October following her summer wedding, when she’s tapped to organize Moosetookalook’s Halloween festivities. Titled Vampires, Bones, and Treacle Scones, the
story involves a haunted house, an old enemy, and some surprising family
secrets.
Meanwhile, the large print
edition of Bagpipes, Brides, and
Homicides is just out from Center Point.
And of course there is an ebook available, too.
NEW FEATURE: WHAT
I’M READING
I’ve decided, since this is as
close as I get to doing a personal blog (see Maine Crime Writers for the blog I do two or three times a month)
to post titles of the books I’m currently reading when I add updates here. So,
in progress at the moment are the following:
on my iPad
in iBooks: Carolyn Hart’s What the Cat Saw
on my iPad
in the Kindle app: Dorothy Cannell’s Sea Glass Summer
in print format: Elizabeth Peters’s The Guardian
of the Horizon (reread)
on audio cassettes in the car:
Elizabeth Peter’s The Ape Who Guards the
Balance (which I’ve both read and listened to before)
September
8 in Belgrade, Maine
9/12/12: On the 8th of
this month I had the pleasure of participating in a group event at a shop
called 365 Days of Christmas. It’s located in Belgrave,
Maine, near Augusta, and along with Janis Bolster, Kate Flora, Marni Graff, and Lea Wait, I signed books, met readers, and
generally had a great time. Here we are in the shop, with some of our books.
From left to right that’s Lea, Marni, Janis, Kate,
and me. I’m holding a copy of A Wee
Christmas Homicide instead of the latest entry. Somehow it seemed more
appropriate!
A Little Background
8/1/12:
Bagpipes, Brides, and Homicides is mostly about Liss's
wedding and the murder of someone her mother knew years ago, but the reason the
victim ended up dead may have had something to do with the reenactment of an
historical event scheduled for the highland games. Stories about Henry Sinclair
and his discovery of America a hundred years before Columbus abound, and I've
recently blogged about them at Maine Crime Writers You'll also find another recent blog there
about Liss and her mother (and me and my mother).
For my bibliography for this and other legends that may have a basis in
fact, click here: 
.
Here
Now!!!
7/31/12:
Bagpipes, Brides, and Homicides is now out. Yea!
One other note. There have been a few problems with my email address. If you sent me an email and it bounced or you got a message saying the address doesn't exist, please wait a few days and try again. As they say, there have been some "technical difficulties" but I'm still here. Thanks for your patience.
Almost
Here!!!
6/19/12:
Bagpipes, Brides, and Homicides will be in stores at the end of next
month, available in both hardcover and as an ebook.
It will also be a Mystery Guild selection. And in the "other news"
department, I've almost finished the next installment, a Halloween story titled
Vampires, Bones, and Treacle Scones. That one will be published in 2013.
Excerpt
Now Online
5/29/12:
I've added an excerpt from Bagpipes, Brides, and Homicides to this
website. You can get there by returning to the home page and clicking on the
cover. Enjoy!
Librarians
Solve Mysteries Every Day
4/22/12:
As part of a Sisters in Crime 25th anniversary event, I spent Saturday, April
21, helping out at Treat Memorial Library in Livermore Falls, Maine. It was a
thoroughly enjoyable day, and SinC's way of thanking
librarians for all they do every day. SinC provided
the t-shirts and the bookmarks.
New
Page at this Website
3/8/12:
I now have a separate page on Dan and his family, with illustrations. Please
visit by clicking here:
Two
New Covers to Share
1/15/12:
Below are two new covers. The first is for the large print edition of Scotched,
available now. The second is for the next entry in the series, which will be in
stores in August of 2012. Look for more details about Bagpipes, Brides and
Homicides coming to this website soon.
© 2013 Kathy Lynn Emerson. All rights reserved.