Participating Writers and Planning Committee 2025
Top row, left to right: Nicole Asselin, John Clark, Bruce Robert Coffin, Paul Doiron, Jessica Ellicott, and Julia Spencer Fleming
2nd row, L-R: Kate Flora, Chris Holm, Sharon Kitchens, BJ Magnani, and Maureen Milliken
3rd row, L-R: Katherine Hall Page, Dale Phillips, Cameron Rosenblum, Joe Souza, Rebecca Turkewitz, and Carolyn Wilkins
Below: The 2024 Maine Crime Wave Planning Committee!
Top row, L-R: Brenda Buchanan, Richard Cass, Matt Cost, Barbara Kelly, and Barbara Ross
Second row, L-R: and Jules O’Brien, Gayle Lynds, Jule Selbo, and Gabriela Stiteler
PARTICIPATING AUTHOR BIOS
Nicole Asselin graduated from Curry College in Milton Mass with a degree in English/Creative Writing, minoring in Dance in 2004. She also attended George Mason University and received a Master’s in Arts Management. She worked in the Government sector for over ten years before transitioning to Healthcare as a Technical Writer. She lives on the South Shore of Massachusetts with her three cats Madeline, Fern, and Captain. The Ballpark Mystery series is her first published work. www.nicoleasselinwriter.com
John Clark, a retired librarian and author, uses his varied background as fodder for both young adult novels and short stories. Those stories span dark fantasy, mystery, magical realism, and tales of young people facing tough odds and difficult situations. Many come from his 27 years in the mental health field, 44 years as a recovering alcoholic, as well as having grown up on a Maine farm. He’s learned that listening to others while keeping silent is a literary gold mine.
Bruce Robert Coffin is an international bestselling novelist. A retired detective sergeant, Bruce is the author of the award winning Detective Byron Mysteries, the forthcoming Detective Justice Mysteries, and coauthor of The Turner and Mosley Files. His Anthony Award nominated short fiction has been published in more than fifteen anthologies.
Paul Doiron is the best-selling author of the Mike Bowditch series. He has won two Maine Literary Awards, as well as the New England Society’s 2022 Book Award for Fiction. His books have been translated into 11 languages. A native of Maine, Paul attended Yale University, where he graduated with a degree in English, and he holds an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College. Paul also has a long history with the MWPA—he worked as a 23 year-old membership coordinator and then became newsletter editor before heading off to grad school. And then he returned to serve for a couple of years as executive director before leaving to edit Down East. He is also a Registered Maine Guide specializing in fly fishing and lives on a trout stream in coastal Maine with his wife Kristen Lindquist.
Jessica Ellicott loves fountain pens, red convertibles and throwing parties. She lives in northern New England where she obsessively knits wool socks and enthusiastically speaks Portuguese with a shocking disregard for the rules of grammar. She indulges her passion for historical fiction and all things British by writing the Beryl and Edwina Mysteries and the forthcoming WPC Billie Harkness Mysteries. Jessica’s books have twice received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly as well as one from Library Journal. Her first novel won the Daphne du Maurier award for mystery. As Jessica Estevao, she wrote The Change of Fortune Mysteries. When inspiration strikes, she writes contemporary mysteries as Jessie Crockett.
Julia Spencer Fleming is the New York Times bestselling author of One Was a Soldier, and an Agatha, Anthony, Dilys, Barry, Macavity, and Gumshoe Award winner. She studied acting and history at Ithaca College and received her J.D. at the University of Maine School of Law. Her books have been shortlisted for the Edgar, Nero Wolfe, and Romantic Times RC awards. Julia lives in a 190-year-old farmhouse in southern Maine.
Kate Flora’s fascination with the darker side of human nature began in the Maine attorney general’s office. This exposure ignited her curiosity about what drives people to cross moral and legal lines. Now the author of twenty-eight books across crime fiction, true crime, memoir, and nonfiction, Flora’s works have twice earned the Maine Literary Award for crime fiction. She has also taken home the Public Safety Writers Association award for nonfiction, and received lifetime achievement honors from both the New England Crime Bake and the Maine Crime Wave. As the president of her local chapter of Sisters in Crime and a founder of New England Crime Bake and Maine Crime Wave, Flora plays a significant role in the crime writing community. When she’s not crafting dark, suspenseful stories, she divides her time between Massachusetts and Maine, finding joy in gardening, cooking, and watching the clouds.
Chris Holm is the author of the cross-genre Collector trilogy, the Michael Hendricks thrillers, and the standalone biological thriller Child Zero, published by Mulholland Books. Lee Child calls the book "Intense, propulsive, provocative—and shot through with the kind of been-there, done-that authenticity and expertise that makes it really scary... highly recommended." Holm’s work has been selected for the Best American Mystery Stories, named a New York Times Editors’ Choice, and won a number of awards, including the 2016 Anthony Award for Best Novel. He lives in Portland.
Sharon Kitchens has lived in Maine for over two decades. Her debut, Stephen King’s Maine: A History & Guide (Arcadia Publishing, 2024), a Maine bestseller, is an oral history rooted in the real towns behind King’s fictional landscape—endorsed by King himself. Her second book, The Murder of Dorothy Milliken, Cold Case in Maine (Arcadia Publishing, 2025) is a meticulously researched account of a nearly half-century-old unsolved homicide. Publishers Weekly called it a “complex, ethical retelling of a life ended far too soon.” She's currently querying agents for her next project—a cultural study of Stephen King’s female characters. Sharon is a familiar face at her neighborhood café, often buried in a stack of library books with a lavender latte at her elbow.
BJ Magnani’s fascination with toxicology led her to a career in pathology and laboratory medicine. She is Professor of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Emerita at Tufts University School of Medicine and the author of the Dr. Lily Robinson thriller series (The Queen of All Poisons, The Power of Poison, A Message in Poison, We’ll Always Have Poison) about a Boston physician recruited by the U.S. government as a covert assassin. A portion of the proceeds from her novels helps women receive free breast and cervical cancer screening through the CAP Foundation. You can learn more about Dr. Magnani and her Poison Blog at https://www.bjmagnani.com
Maureen Milliken, author of The Bernie O'Dea mystery series, is a third-generation newspaper editor, whose books reflect not only her affection for journalism, but also her love of her home state, Maine. She grew up in Augusta, Maine, and is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. She lives in central Maine. The Bernie O'Dea mystery series, set at a weekly newspaper in Franklin County, Maine, includes debut Cold Hard News, No News is Bad News, Bad News Travels Fast and Dying For News. Maureen is also the author of two nonfiction books, Get it Right: A Cranky Editor's Guide to Usage, Grammar and Punctuation, and The Afterlife Survey.
Katherine Hall Page’s first mystery, The Body in the Belfry, was the 1991 Agatha Award winner for Best First Mystery Novel. The fifteenth book in the series, The Body in the Snowdrift , won the 2006 Agatha Award for Best Mystery Novel. William Morrow published the 26th in Katherine’s Faith Fairchild series, The Body in the Web, in 2023. She was also awarded the 2001 Agatha for Best Short Story and has been a nominee or finalist for an Edgar and multiple Agathas, Maine Literary Awards, and Mary Higgins Clark Awards. Katherine received the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from Malice Domestic and the 2022 Maine CrimeMaster from MWPA, and the Mystery Writers of America named her a 2024 Grand Master.
Dale T. Phillips has published novels, story collections, articles, poetry, non-fiction, and over 80 short stories. Stephen King was Dale's college writing teacher, and since then, Dale has found time to appear on stage, television, radio, in an independent feature film, and compete on Jeopardy (losing in a spectacular fashion). He's a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the Sisters in Crime (where he's on their Speaker's Bureau). He's traveled to all 50 states, Mexico, Canada, and through Europe.
Cameron Kelly Rosenblum is the author of The Stepping Off Place, named a Kirkus Best Book of 2020 and a Top 10 YA Dealing with Mental Health. Her second novel, The Sharp Edge of Silence was a finalist for an Edgar Award. Her books have been translated into Polish, Russian, Hebrew, and German. Cameron has been a teacher and a children's librarian. She lives on the Maine coast with her family.
Joe Souza’s award-winning short stories have been published in various literary journals throughout the country. Winner of University of Southern Maine’s Andre Dubus Award for short fiction, he also received Honorable Mention for the Al Blanchard Award. In 2013 he won the Maine Literary Award and in 2020 he was a finalist for the same award for Best Crime Novel. His novels The Neighbor, Pray for the Girl, (finalist for the Maine Literary Award) and The Perfect Daughter were published by Kensington Books.
Rebecca Turkewitz is a writer and high school English teacher living in Portland, Maine. She is the author of the story collection Here in the Night (Black Lawrence Press), which was a finalist for the Maine Literary Awards and named one of Debutiful’s Best Debuts of 2023. Her fiction and humor have appeared in Best American Mystery and Suspense 2024, The Normal School, Alaska Quarterly Review, Electric Literature, Best Microfiction 2023 and 2024, SmokeLong Quarterly, The New Yorker’s Daily Shouts, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in fiction from The Ohio State University. She has been a resident at Hewnoaks Artist Residency and won a 2020 Maine Literary Award in the short works category. She loves cats, the ocean, and ghost stories.
Carolyn Marie Wilkins is a Reiki master, a psychic medium and a Professor at Berklee College of Music Online. A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and the Eastman School of Music, Carolyn has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony and represented her country as a Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department. Carolyn's latest book, Murder At The Wham Bam Club is the first in her new Psychics and Soul Food Series. Carolyn's other novels Death at a Séance, Melody for Murder and Mojo for Murder, are available from Pen-L Publications. Carolyn is also the author of Tips for Singing (Hal Leonard Press) and two memoirs: Damn Near White: An African American Family’s Journey from Slavery to Bittersweet Success, and They Raised Me Up: A Black Single Mother and the Women Who Inspired Her, available from the University of Missouri Press.
The 2024 Maine Crime Wave Planning Committee Bios:
Brenda Buchanan is a Portland lawyer and former journalist who sets her novels in and around Portland. Her three book Joe Gale series features a contemporary newspaper reporter with old-school style who covers the courts and crime beat at the fictional Portland Daily Chronicle. Brenda's short story, “Means, Motive, and Opportunity,” was published in the anthology Bloodroot: Best New England Crime Stories 2021 and received an honorable mention in Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022. Her story “Assumptions Can Get You Killed” was included in Wolfsbane: Best New England Crime Stories 2023. A new short story, “Cape Jewell,” will be published in Snakeberry: Best New England Crime Stories 2025, to be released in November.
Richard Cass is the author of the Elder Darrow jazz mystery series. The first book, Solo Act, was a finalist for the 2017 Maine Literary Awards in Crime Fiction and its prequel, In Solo Time, won the 2018 Maine Literary Award in Crime Fiction. He has also published a book of short stories entitled Gleam of Bone. Cass serves on the board of Mystery Writers of America’s New England Chapter and blogs with the Maine Crime Writers at mainecrimewriters.com. His fiction and nonfiction have also appeared in Playboy, Gray’s Sporting Journal, ZZYZVA, and Best Short Stories of the American West. Cass lives in Cape Elizabeth and continues to enjoy participating in conference panels on crime writing and giving readings and talks at Maine's libraries and bookstores.
Matt Cost has owned a video store, a mystery bookstore, and a gym. He has also taught history and coached just about every sport imaginable. During those years, since age eight actually, the true passion has been writing. I Am Cuba: Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution (Encircle Publications, March, 2020) was his first traditionally published novel. Cost has now written six books in the Mainely Mystery series, five books in the Clay Wolfe Trap series, and two books in the Brooklyn 8 Ballo series. A few historical fiction pieces fill out the shelves. The Not So Merry Adventures of Max Creed is Book One in the Max Creed Chronicles. Cost now lives in Brunswick, Maine, with his wife, Harper. There are four grown children: Brittany, Pearson, Miranda, and Ryan. There are four dogs to help with editing. He now spends his days at the computer, writing.
Gayle Lynds is the New York Times bestselling author of 10 novels, including The Book of Spies and The Last Spymaster. Library Journal calls her “the reigning queen of espionage fiction.” Her books are published in 30 languages and have been People magazine Beach Reads. The Military Writers Society of America awarded The Assassins Best Novel. She’s appeared on CBS Sunday Morning. With Robert Ludlum, she created the Covert-One series, and The Hades Factor was a CBS miniseries. She cofounded International Thriller Writers and ThrillerFest, with David Morrell. Visit her at www.GayleLynds.com.
Juliana ("Jules") O'Brien once argued cases in the courtroom and now wrangles tech contracts by day, while plotting dark, twisty fiction by night. A lawyer with a scholar’s brain and a storyteller’s heart, she’s published academic work grounded in law and science, and is currently finishing a novel about the lies we tell - online and to each other - set against the shadowy world of financial scams. She writes with a sharp eye, a touch of unease, and a love of stories that linger.
Barbara Ross is the author of twelve mystery novels and six novellas in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. Her books have been nominated for multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and have won the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. Her website is www.maineclambakemysteries.com. Barbara has also written the Jane Darrowfield Mysteries. Her first novel was The Death of an Ambitious Woman. Barbara is a member of the board of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance and is president of the Friends of the Key West Library. She and her husband live in Portland, Maine and Key West, Florida.
Jule Selbo moved to Portland Maine after twenty years in Hollywood as a produced screenwriter working for the major studios to focus on writing The Dee Rommel Mystery Series; 10 DAYS, 9 DAYS, 8 DAYS, 7 DAYS (it will continue to 1 DAY, cross my fingers). The series has garnered two starred Kirkus Reviews, a Silver Falchion, been nominated for the Clue, the CIBA, Foreward Review Award and more, Maine Literary Award and more. She’s taught screenwriting at universities. She loves to “talk story” and mysteries and cooking.
Gabriela Stiteler is a writer based in Portland, Maine where she lives with her husband, children, and rescue lab. Her debut short story, published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine in 2023, was shortlisted for a Fish Award by the Mystery Writers of America and the Best American Mystery and Suspense (2024). Her work has since appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, The Best New England Crime Writing, Shotgun Honey, Dark Waters, and A Rock and a Hard Place. She is active in and appreciative of the amazing Maine crime writing community.