I’m thrilled to announce that my short mystery “A Cricket in the Wall” will appear in the collection Murder Among Friends: Mysteries Inspired by the Life and Works of John Greenleaf Whittier. All proceeds will benefit the 327-year-old birthplace museum, which is a favorite educational field trip destination for students of all ages in the Haverhill, MA area.

For this collection, writers were tasked with taking a work by Whittier and using its location, subject matter–or just about anything else associated with it–and creating a fresh, original mystery. It was a little rough for me because it’s something I’ve never done before, but I took the opportunity to learn. I’m also very happy with my final product.

The inspiration for my story came from an aerial shot of Lake Winnipesaukee’s Moose Island and Whittier’s poem “Summer by the Lakeside.” You can read the poem here.

I’m honored to appear with some well-known writers, some old friends, and some of Greenleaf’s contemporaries. If you love mysteries, add this to your shelf! Here’s the Table of Contents. For bios, visit here.

Edith Maxwell (Murder in the Summer Kitchen)
John Greenleaf Whittier (The Murdered Lady)
Pete Rawlik (On the Black Ice)
Victoria Weisfeld (The Flock)
Ken Faig (The Goodwife and the Bookseller)
William Cullen Bryant (The Murdered Traveller)
David Bernard (The Death Clock)
Susan Oleksiw (Miss Larcom Meets the Neighbors)
Kristi Petersen Schoonover (Cricket in the Wall)
Gregory L. Norris (Antiques)
Lucy Larcom (The Murderer’s Request)
Rock Neelly (Cane Fishing)
Celia Thaxter (A Memorable Murder)
John Greenleaf Whittier (A Mother’s Revenge)
Judi Calhoun (Exposed for Murder)
D.G. Critchley (The Skeleton on the Ski Lift)

In case you missed it, my story “Shreds of Black” appeared in Snowbound with Zombies: Tales of the Supernatural Inspired by the Life and Works of John Greenleaf Whittier, a collection of horror stories which also benefits the birthplace. You can pick that up here: http://a.co/hqRzScZ