Edith Maxwell, author of Deliver the Truth is here today to answer our questions about her books and writing. Edith was also our guest this past Friday for Drinks with Reads.
EDITH: The book grabbed me by the throat and shook me (gently). I now live in the town where the series is set, in the northeast corner of Massachusetts. I have been a member of my protagonist’s – and her mentor John Greenleaf Whittier’s – Quaker Meeting for twenty-seven years. Since I moved to Amesbury four years ago, I now walk to church. The characters and setting popped into my head and wouldn’t go away. I couldn’t not write it.
Amesbury Friends Meetinghouse, used with permission from Kathleen Wooten |
What is the best thing that has happened to you as a result of your novels?
EDITH: Meeting so many avid readers. What a delight to get to know fans of the mystery, whether in a library, at a conference, or online. Reading is not dead, people.
What was the last mystery novel you read, other than your own, that you LOVED? Why did you love it?
EDITH: I just read a debut mystery that blew me away. The Immaculate, Marian McMahon Stanley’s new Boston-based novel, is an intriguing, compelling read about a murdered nun, hidden past relationships, and unscrupulous business dealings. Go preorder it. Find it when it releases next month. You won’t be sorry.
If your protagonist were actually a real person, would you be friends with them? Why or why not?
EDITH: I’m sure I would be friends with Rose. I admire her forthrightness and her curiosity. She’s loyal, hardworking, and intelligent. She’s also a good listener, and knows how to have fun with her friend Bertie Winslow. I taught childbirth classes a couple of decades ago and worked as a doula. I greatly admire the expertise and dedication of midwives, and know Rose and I would have much in common.
How long did it take you to get your first draft done of this book? How much time do you spend in revisions?
EDITH: It takes me about two months to write a first draft (and since I write three books a year, that’s a good and necessary thing...). Then I let the manuscript steep for a couple weeks before taking up revisions, which can last a month or two. All of my books are independently edited during the revision process, and then I have even more work to do before I send them in to my editor.
Bio: Edith Maxwell writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries and the Local Foods Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries (as Maddie Day), and the Lauren Rousseau Mysteries (as Tace Baker), as well as award-winning short crime fiction. Her short story, “A Questionable Death,” is nominated for a 2016 Agatha Award for Best Short Story. The tale features the 1888 setting and characters from her Quaker Midwife Mysteries series, which debuts with Delivering the Truth on April 8.
Maxwell is Vice-President of Sisters in Crime New England and Clerk of Amesbury Friends Meeting. She lives north of Boston with her beau and three cats, and blogs with the other Wicked Cozy Authors. You can find her on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, and at her web site, edithmaxwell.com.
Tour Participants
April 8 – Back Porchervations - REVIEW
April 9 – Shelley's Book Case - REVIEW, GUEST POST
April 9 – Mystery Playground – INTERVIEW
April 10 – Melina's Book Blog - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
April 11 – StoreyBook Reviews - REVIEW
April 12 – Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, GUEST POST
April 13 – The Girl with Book Lungs - REVIEW
April 14 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
April 14 – Griperang's Bookmarks – INTERVIEW
April 15 – Book Babble – REVIEW
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