Edith Maxwell (born November 2, 1952) is an Agatha Award-winning American mystery author also currently writing as Maddie Day.[1] She writes cozy, traditional, and historical mysteries set in the United States.
Edith Maxwell | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 2, 1952 Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Irvine (BA) Indiana University (PhD) |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Years active | 2012–present |
Biography
editMaxwell was born in Pasadena and grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Temple City with two older sisters and a younger brother. Her father taught high school and her mother was a Girl Scout leader and a real estate appraiser. Maxwell was an exchange student with AFS Intercultural Programs in Brazil for a year in 1970. She holds a BA (linguistics, 1974) from University of California, Irvine, and a PhD[2] (linguistics, 1981) from Indiana University.
Prior to writing fiction full time, she worked as an auto mechanic, taught conversational English in Japan and independent childbirth classes in Massachusetts, owned and operated a small certified-organic farm, wrote free-lance articles, and most recently produced software documentation for several hi-tech companies in the Boston area. Besides Brazil and Japan she has also lived in Mali and Burkina Faso.[3]
Authorial career
editMaxwell’s first published fiction was in the Pasadena Star-News, where she won a children’s fiction contest in 1961.[4] Her first published short story as an adult was in 1996, and her first novel appeared in 2012. She is a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime and served as President of the New England chapter for two years. She is also a member of Mystery Writers of America, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and the Historical Novel Society. She has been a full-time mystery author since 2013. Maxwell has two dozen mystery novels and a novella in print with more in process.[citation needed]
Maxwell decided to write cozy mysteries because "I don’t want to read noir or nail-biter thrillers. Our world is scary and messy enough. When I’m finished reading a book, I don’t want to feel worse about society. That’s what I write, too."[5]
Bibliography
editLocal Foods Mysteries (as Edith Maxwell)
edit- A Tine to Live, a Tine to Die June 2013[6] Kensington
- ‘Til Dirt Do Us Part June 2014 Kensington
- Farmed and Dangerous May 2015 Kensington
- Murder Most Fowl May 2016 Kensington
- Mulch Ado About Murder May 2017 Kensington
Country Store Mysteries (as Maddie Day)
edit- Flipped for Murder October 2015 Kensington[1]
- Grilled for Murder May 2016 Kensington[1]
- When the Grits Hit the Fan March 2017 Kensington
- Biscuits and Slashed Browns January 2018 Kensington
- Death Over Easy July 2018 Kensington
- Strangled Eggs and Ham July 2019 Kensington
- Christmas Cocoa Murder Sept 2019 Kensington
- Nacho Average Murder July 2020 Kensington[7]
- Candy Slain Murder Sept 2020 Kensington
Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries (as Maddie Day)
edit- Murder on Cape Cod December 2018 Kensington
- Murder at the Taffy Shop March 2020 Kensington
Quaker Midwife Mysteries (as Edith Maxwell)
edit- Delivering the Truth April 2016 Midnight Ink
- Called to Justice April 2017 Midnight Ink[8]
- Turning the Tide April 2018 Midnight Ink
- Charity’s Burden April 2019 Midnight Ink[9][10]
- Judge Thee Not September 2019 Beyond the Page
- Taken Too Soon September 2020 Beyond the Page[5]
Lauren Rousseau Mysteries (as Tace Baker)
edit- Speaking of Murder September 2012 Barking Rain, reissued in 2020 by Beyond the Page
- Bluffing is Murder November 2014 Barking Rain, reissued in 2020 by Beyond the Page
Awards and recognition
edit- 2014 Agatha Award nomination for Best Short Story, “Just Desserts for Johnny”[11]
- 2015 Agatha Award nomination for Best Short Story, “A Questionable Death”
- 2016 Agatha Award nomination for Best Historical Novel, Delivering the Truth[12]
- 2017 Agatha Award nomination for Best Historical Novel for Called to Justice[13]
- 2018 Agatha Award nomination for Best Historical Novel, Turning the Tide
- 2019 Agatha Award winner for Best Historical Novel, Charity's Burden[14]
- 2016 Macavity Award (Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award) nomination, Delivering the Truth
- 2019 Macavity Award (Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award) nomination, Charity's Burden
- 2016 Agatha Award nomination for Best Short Story, “The Mayor and the Midwife”
- 2013 Honorable Mention in the Al Blanchard Short Crime Fiction contest, “Breaking the Silence”
References
edit- ^ a b c Baskin, Kara (26 April 2016). "Six authors who share a passion for murder". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. p. G7. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ Date, Terry (10 April 2019). "Mystery with local history: Amesbury author to host double launch party with fellow writer". Newburyport Daily News. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ Maxwell, Edith (2 March 2018). "Divination of Death by Edith Maxwell". Map Your Mystery. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ Maxwell, Edith (31 March 2020). "Edith, Tace, Maddie, and 20 Mysteries". Wicked Authors. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ a b Briana-Gartner, Joanne (4 September 2020). "New Murder Mystery Set In West Falmouth". The Enterprise. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ "Edith Maxwell Books in Order". Books in Order. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ "Food Cozy Mysteries: The Books Serving Up Recipes With A Side Of Murder". WGBH.com. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ "Called to Justice". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ Valeri, John (9 April 2019). "Q&A with Edith Maxwell, Author of Charity's Burden". Criminal Element. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ "Charity's Burden". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ "Amesbury author Edith Maxwell nominated for Agatha mystery award". Newburyport Daily News. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ Topping, Grace (22 March 2017). "An Interview With Edith Maxwell". Writers Who Kill. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ "Announcing 2017's Agatha Award Nominees". Criminal Element. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ Cogdill, Oline. "2020 Agatha Award Winners". Mystery Scene Magazine. Retrieved 24 November 2020.