A Decade of Books

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News Flash: Linda Ortiz is our lucky winner! Linda, please check your email, and congratulations.

Edith/Maddie, writing from north of Boston and feeling blessed.

I’m so happy to share with you my first decade of being a published mystery author! I have a special giveaway to offer, so please read to the end.

Edith, Tace, and Maddie, with all of our books (except A Tine to Live a Tine to Die – novel #2 – which is hiding on the top left)

Yes, Speaking of Mystery, my first novel, came out exactly ten years ago.

Speaking of Murder released under a pen name from a small press, Barking Rain, which has since closed. With the help of Beyond the Page Publishing, it’s out again with fresh edits, a fabulous new cover, and my own name.

It was such a huge thrill to hold my very first launch party in September, 2012, at an indy bookstore in the next town. The Book Rack had about ten chairs set up. From the responses I’d had to my invitation, I told the manager, “You might want to set up more chairs.” More than sixty people from many walks of my life – Quakers, work friends, neighbors, my critique group, and fellow crime writers, including Wickeds Julie and Barb before we were even blogmates – showed up to support me!

Pic by friend and marketing guru, Jeanne Wallace

When the bookstore ran out of books, Hugh brought in the box I’d stashed in the car, just in case. (Pro tip to authors: always keep a box of books in the car.)

Not sure why the photo is fuzzy, maybe because I was so happy!

And now, ten years later, Murder in a Cape Cottage is my twenty-eighth published novel, and it releases next week! This feels like a huge milestone, even though more books are in production and under contract, for a total of six series (three now ended). In addition, I’ve had two novellas release in collections, plus about twenty short stories. Of course I had to bake a cake to celebrate.

Find the cake and frosting recipe on MysteryLoversKitchen.com this Friday!

I have so very many people to thank, tops among them my beloved Wickeds. Nobody could wish for a better support group than Barb, Jessie, Julie, Liz, and Sherry.

Writers farther along the path than me boosted me as I was starting. Bless you, Susan Oleksiw, Kate Flora, Hallie Ephron, Lucy Burdette, and Hank Phillippi Ryan, as well as the late Sheila Connolly.

Sisters in Crime and the New England chapter (note lots of overlap with previously mentioned ladies) made my path to publication possible, with workshops, networking, the New England Crime Bake conference, along with the online Guppies chapter. For many years I read scenes to the Monday Night Writers Group and have to thank those ladies (plus Doug) for their valuable feedback.

Gratitude also to my agent, John Talbot, for taking a chance on me early on, and to my several publisher/editors: Sheri Gormley, John Scognamiglio, Terri Bischoff, Amy Glaser, and Bill Harris. To my sisters, my sons, my close friends, my Quaker community, my partner Hugh – I couldn’t do it without you.

My biggest thanks go to all the lovely fans who keep reading my books, buying them, recommending them, requesting them from the library, and passing them along to others. And to the wonderful book bloggers and reviewers in our community – Dru Ann Love, Mark Baker, Jay Roberts, Lesa Holstine, Kristopher Zgorski, and many others – who help get the word out to readers.

To celebrate, I put together a special giveaway. Apparently tin is the metal for the tenth anniversary, but it was kind of hard to find. Instead I’m adding a pretty metal starfish to a package with an author apron, Kensington coasters, recipe cards, a Wicked Authors bag, and signed copies of the new book and the novella collection!

Readers: Thanks so much for joining me. What ten-year anniversary have you celebrated? Bonus point to anyone who has read all 28 books! I’ll send one lucky commenter the special prize.

Published by Edith Maxwell

Agatha Award -winning author Edith Maxwell writes the historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Beyond the Page) and short crime fiction. As Maddie Day she writes the Dot and Amelia Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries series, the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, and the Cece Barton Mysteries (all from Kensington Publishing). She lives north of Boston in an antique house with her beau and cat Martin, where she writes, gardens, cooks, and wastes time on Facebook.

127 Thoughts

  1. Congratulations on a great anniversary milestone. It is a wonderful anniversary to celebrate, and it shows how popular your books are!

  3. Congratulations on this milestone anniversary! I’ve read many of your books but not all of them.

  4. Thanks so much, Dru! You are one of the reasons readers find my books and I now realize I forgot to thanks wonderful book bloggers like you. Am off to change that.

  5. Congratulations, Edith! I know how hard you work, and I know how hard it is to make it to this anniversary (I’m still 2 years away from the 10 year mark). You are amazing, my friend.

  6. EDITH: Congratulations, Edith on your prolific 10th anniversary!
    I have enjoyed reading each of your series. I think I have read 26/28 books, thanks to Beyond the Page Publishing re-issuing your first books, and getting a copy of Murder at a Cape Cottage at the Minneapolis Bouchercon this month. You’re awesome!

  8. Congratulations on your wonderful accomplishment!! Wowza!! I have enjoyed many of your books, but not all 28. My ten year anniversaries include being with my husband and at work. That’s an awesome prize pack!

  9. Congratulations to you!! And how awesome for the new cover and re-release of your book. That is a wonderful giveaway pack you have put together. I have celebrated a 10 year anniversary of my wedding (now over 50), 10 year at work (25 now).

  10. Edith, congrats on your tenth anniversary as a published author. I know that I came a bit late to the party but I’ve obviously made up for lost time. And I’m glad that there is any number of books to come to keep us readers glued to the page for years to come!

    Thanks for the shout out in the post as well. I love being able to play some small part in getting the word out about your books!

  13. Wow! I have read almost all of your books I believe!! I have celebrated my tenth anniversary many years ago and now both of my daughters anniversaries! I love my mysteries and they have been a godsend these past few years. Keep writing as we really enjoy them!

  14. Congratulations on your ten year anniversary!! So exciting and special!!!
    I got hooked on your A Country store mystery series. I love cozies mysteries and this one is set in Indiana ( which is my hometown) and I love the Quaker Midwife Mystery series. Oh, heck I love all your books! Lol! 🥰

      1. Congratulations, Edith! 28 books plus your other stories in ten years is amazing! Wishing you many more years of success. Cheers!

  15. Congratulations! I’ve read a lot of your books – I’m making my way down the list. I’ve celebrated 10 years at work, marriage, different members groups.

  17. Congrats on the awesome milestone! I’ve enjoyed your writing since 2013 with the release of your Local Foods Mystery series (thanks to a recommendation from my bud Diane Weaver). I’ve read all of your series except the Quaker Midwife and most of your shorts and enjoyed them all. Here’s to many, many more years of writing/publishing/reading to come.

  18. Congratulations on 10 years and 28 books! What a testament to your writing. I’ve read many of them but not all 28, I need to work on that. Wishing you many more anniversaries and book releases. The only 10 year anniversary I would have hit was at my work.

  19. Congratulations! What a wonderful event to celebrate! I haven’t read all 28 books yet but will work on it. So many terrific books and authors, not enough time, ha ha.
    Love reading the Wickeds blog!

  20. C.O.N.G.R.A.T.U.L.A.T.I.O.N.S. Edith/Maddie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Thank you most sincerely for the hours of fun we readers have enjoyed by entering your worlds and befriending your heroes and heroines and being able to travel with our minds while trying to out sleuth you…mostly unsuccessfully, but in a good way! Everything you write and everything about your extraordinary life is so exciting, and the news that there is more to come is just joy overflowing my cup! No, I can’t lie and say I have read all your books, but those I haven’t yet are on my TBR pile and in Kindle. I realize I have so many in all three formats…paperback, Kindle and audio books. It is fascinating to hear your wonderful narrators interpret what I have read and imagined on my own. At the moment I have no specific 10-year anniversaries to celebrate, but I do celebrate every day, since there is so much to be thankful for…53.5 years of blissful marriage is my highlight, followed by 73 years breathing and trying to bring light where there may be shadows. A lifetime of blessings! Thank you for your generosity in offering so many ways for your readers to win gifts from your heart Cheers!!!
    Luis at ole dot travel

  22. I haven’t read your novellas, but I have read all the Farm to Fork, Quaker Midwife, Cape Cod & Country Store series. Congratulations on your anniversary! I wish you many more happy writing years.

  23. Congratulations Edith! What an amazing body of work! I’ve never really celebrated a 10th anniversary, although I was married over 10 years, worked at 2 jobs for over 10 years, and have now been happily retired for over 10 years. Much of the happiness in my retirement comes from reading, including your books and other cozy mysteries.

  24. Congratulations! I own the Local Foods, Country Store and Cozy Capers and enjoy re-reading them all. I will be picking up the new release too. Thank-you for all of them.

  26. Congratulations! 🎉 What a great milestone. Fun fact: you’re 10-year milestone is on my 72nd birthday. May you have many more years of successful writing. I’ve read many of your books, but know I haven’t read all 28, although I would like to. 😊

  27. Congratulations, Edith, on this great milestone. I have read many (not all) of your books, beginning with Speaking of Murder and then the organic farming, then Quaker midwife, and so on … it’s a lot to keep up with. Ten years that stands out in my mind is that it was about ten years ago that we met and you introduced me around Sisters in Crime, the Salem Monday Writers Group, and helped my start in crossing the threshold from writing to being published. What you gained from others you certainly shared with me. So thank you and congratulations. Keep writing!

  29. Congratulations, Edith! I can’t believe it’s been ten years but Speaking of Murder has been popping up in my Facebook memories. Here’s to many more!

  31. Congratulations on your Anniversary and the new books! My husband and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary with a cruise to the Bahamas. It was absolutely wonderful. our room was in the lower part of the ship and the elevator didn’t go down that far so we took steps down the rest of the way to what we affectionately called the boom boom room ( our accomodations ). Some of the staff of the ship were down there too. Our room was so small that we had to take turns getting ready for things like dinner or the Captain’s Invitation Only Cocktail Party. We had bunk beds that filled up most of the room and a bathroom. LOL 😂 it was a wonderful trip. We got what we could afford but we figured we didn’t want to stay in our room anyway. When we were docked at one place a Princess Cruise Ship docked next to our little Dolphin Cruise Ship. When we returned to the ship to board it looked like the Princess shop had given birth to our “baby” ship! I kid you not. We had to laugh. It was such a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary. After we got home, I made a scrapbook of our trip and scrapbooking wasn’t even a thing yet. Mine doesn’t compare to what they do now but I think it’s the best scrapbook in the world. The memories it contains and evokes are priceless.

  32. To answer your question, I celebrated a 10-year wedding anniversary which was very special to me! To date I have read five of your books from the Country Store Mysteries series and am enjoying them very much. I would be absolutely THRILLED to be a winner in this giveaway. Still, even if I don’t win, I will definitely keep reading your books. I am hooked on the Country Store Mysteries. Now that I know that you have written a total of 28 books, I am interested in a complete list of them. Where can I get one?? I know that you have written books under the names of Edith Maxwell and Maddie Day. I would like to know if there are other names, too.

  33. What a body of work! I’ve read all and await more, and I’ll celebrate the anniversary with you . . . red wine and dark chocolate perhaps? As for my own . . . our district did give recognition at intervals; I think 10 years was a crystal paperweight, which is now on my kitchen counter, holding the bottle of olive oil. I might have paid off my mortgages at around 10 years (a real reason to rejoice, escape from interest-paying). Write on! (please <3)

  34. Congratulations on your decade of success! You sure have given your readers many years of enjoyment. Although, I can’t say that I’ve read them all, given time and the opportunity it’s my dream to do so.

    We’ve celebrated our marriage for several decades, but at present the most memorable one has to be come December hubby will be retired for a decade. It’s been pure joy having him home with me and our adventurous life since he retired. I’m so thankful he planned way ahead and was able to retire when we were still young enough to travel, do the things we have always dreamed about and enjoyed life free from the restraints of the ugly four letter word “WORK”.

    My wish is for your next decade be just as successful and fun as our next one in retirement. If we both succeed in that, there’s no bounds to what we can accomplish and the fun in doing so.

    What an amazing and generous celebration giveaway! Shared, but would oh so love to be the fortunate one selected. After all, I’d get not only all the goodies but be able to mark off more of your books that I’ve read and reviewed.
    2clowns at arkansas dot new

  35. I’ve passed a few milestone anniversaries, and I’ve accomplished at lot, but you are truly amazing, Edith. Congrats on 10 years of very successful writing and publishing. Boy, would I ever love to win that wonderful stash of goodies. Thanks for being an important part of our lives.

  36. 28 books in 10 years? That is a huge accomplishment. Congrats!! And thanks for the shout out. (No need to enter me in the giveaway.)

  37. Congratulations!! I have read 5-6 of your books. Love them all, Looking forward to reading the rest. Thank you for a wonderful giveaway!

  39. Edith, congratulations on 10 years and 28 books!! Thanks also for being a good friend to Sheila and providing a loving community as she left us a couple years ago!! I remember celebrating with her and a group of college friends when she published her first in 2008.

    Congratulations again on your writing adventures
    Marcia Armstrong

  40. It’s been a pleasure to watch your career unfold, ever since I purchased that first book from your suitcase during a WPA weekend all those years ago. Best wishes for many more books to come! Keep writing and we’ll keep reading. 🙂

  41. Congratulations! I have read most of your books, just not the earliest ones! I have celebrated ten years of being a pastor, ten years living on the west coast and ten years of having the same home. Thanks for a chance on the swag. Love your books, keep writing!

  42. And you make it look so darn easy! Lifting a toast to you from CT, dear Edith. Keep those wonderful books coming! You are an inspiration, from your terrific writing to your cheerful heart.

  43. I have celebrated 10 years as a wife, as a parent, as a teacher, and as a home owner.

  44. Congratulations on 10 years and 28 books! Thank you for all the wonderful hours of reading and fun recipes to try out. Keep ’em coming!

  45. Congrats on your 10 year publi-versary and on 28 books. Thanks for the many hours of entertainment your books have brought me. Your Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery series and A Country Store Mystery series are two of my favorites.
    Here’s to 10 more years and lots more books!! ❤📚

  46. We have celebrated our 10th year wedding anniversary three times. We will be married 34 years next month. I was also blessed to celebrate 18 years at my employer before I became disabled. Congratulations on 10 years of writing. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.

  48. I only recently found your books but I am a fan now. I started with Country Store Mystery. I look forward to the Quaker series. So nice to have something to look forward to.
    Congratulations on your 10th anniversary.

  49. Congratulations!! What an amazing accomplishment! I didn’t know about the Tace Baker book, so happy to hear of the new edition! I am caught up with Robbie Jordan, but catching up with Cape Cod. I just hit a 21 year milestone at work last week! Crazy to think! Thanks for the chance to win a fun prize pack!

  50. Congratulations on your 10th anniversary and 28 books. That’s quite an accomplishment. I’ve read quite a few of your cozies, but not all 28. Thanks for the chance at your great giveaway.

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