So Proud of My Wicked Cozys!

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by Barb, on the Jersey shore in a house with ten adults and two toddlers

Today, I’m celebrating the Wicked Cozy Authors. Yes, I am one, but nonetheless, I’m stunned by the group’s accomplishments and want to celebrate them.

In early June, 2012, four of us gathered for the first time in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Over the previous winter, Jessie, Edith, Liz and I had all signed with agent John Talbot and sold our first mystery series. We all had deadlines looming, and were excited and happy and scared out of our minds.

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At that time, Jessie and I had published one book each with a small press. Mine was The Death of an Ambitious Woman, published in August, 2010. Jessie’s was Live Free or Die, also published in August, 2010. In case you didn’t know about Jessie’s first book, Live Free or Die has sold almost 100,000 ebooks and won the 2011 Mainstream Daphne DuMaurier Award for Excellence in Mystery. It’s currently being translated into German and will be available in that language in time for the holidays. So check it out, yo!

But anyway, we were four terrified, but hopeful people.

By the next retreat, in June of 2013, we’d added Sherry and Julie to our ranks and started this blog (at Sherry’s instigation). Sherry had also signed with John Talbot, and sold her Sarah Winston Garage Sales Mystery series. Julie had a proposal out with John.

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Note that in the photo above we’re all in sweatshirts and a year later, same weekend, in this photo, we’re in short sleeves. This is normal in New England.

Liz and Edith’s first books in their new series, Kneading to Die and A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die, were out, as was the first book in Edith’s second series (as Tace Baker), Speaking of Murder. Jessie and I were still awaiting our series debuts and we were all writing like crazy.

This is us at this year’s retreat, in April 2014.

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Picture by Meg Manion Silliker

And, as of July 15, when Jessie’s second Sugar Grove Mystery, Maple Mayhem, was released, here are our accomplishments.

Wicked Cozy Accomplishments from June, 2012 to July, 2014

  • 9 books published
  • 5 books submitted, awaiting publication
  • 4 manuscripts currently being completed for deadline
  • 2 new series sold (Sherry’s Garage Sale Mysteries and Julie’s Clock Shop Mysteries, written as Julianne Holmes)
  • 7 proposals awaiting decisions by publishers (4 for continuing series, 3 new–WATCH THIS SPACE FOR UPDATES. Shhhh, we can’t tell. BUT WE REALLY WANNA TELL. But we can’t.)
  • 3 Agatha nominations–for Kneading to Die, Clammed Up and “Bread Baby“
  • 330+ blog posts.

No wonder we all look so happy!

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Published by Barbara Ross

Barbara Ross is the author of twelve Maine Clambake Mystery novels and six novellas. Her books have been nominated for multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and have won the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. She lives in Portland, Maine. Readers can visit her website at www.maineclambakemysteries.com

43 Thoughts

  1. You do all look wonderfully, suitably happy. But here’s my question: Why don’t you also look exhausted? I’m exhausted just reading about all these accomplishments. 😉 Congratulations!

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    1. Thanks, Lucy. And though Sherry, Edith and I all knew each other from Sisters in Crime New England, it was Seascape–where the three of us met Liz, that cemented our relationships.

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    1. It’s all your fault, Sheila! If you hadn’t sent John Talbot’s request around to the membership, this group wouldn’t have happened like it did. Plus, when I’m working on two or three or four series, I’m just channeling you. Or hope to be.

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  8. That is a lot to celebrate! I’m looking forward to reading more books by all of you, including the three authors I haven’t read yet.

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  10. Congratulations to all of you on the great books you’ve written so far. You’ll have even more accomplishments to list after next year’s retreat. And thanks for sharing your road to publication with Sisters in Crime outside of New England.

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  11. Wow! So happy for y’all! As a fellow John Talbot client, I soooo wish I lived in the area so I could be a Wicked Cozy too! (Thank you for allowing me to guest post on your blog!) You’re not only accomplished and supportive but you look like you’re having such fun! May you all continue to have great success!

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      1. Oh my, no, I didn’t know that. I’ve always been concerned that somewhere someone would have the same name as a character. I worry more about the villains than the good guys.

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  16. Absolutely wonderful! My day was starting out kind of ho hum, and the I read this and saw your smiling faces. Thanks for the good cheer and the great books!

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  18. Chiming in late, but you gals are all so generous with your time and support to other writers — in addition to all that you’re doing. Congratulations and wishing you many more years of success.

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