#TRAVEL--MAINE'S ROCKY COAST

Last week I shared my disappointment over not seeing any Maine moose other than a chocolate one while vacationing. However, lack of moose-spottings aside, Maine is a beautiful state. So today I thought I’d share some photos I took of the state’s spectacular shores. Enjoy!

#TRAVEL--MAINE MOOSE?

Here in New Jersey we have lots of deer, not only in rural areas but even in highly populated parts of the state where you wouldn’t expect to find woodland critters. One even wandered into a local strip mall Laundromat a few years ago.

So you often see deer crossing signs as you drive along the Garden State Parkway, the NJ Turnpike, and various highways that crisscross the state.

On a recent trip to Maine when I passed countless moose crossing signs along the highways, I expected to see at least a moose or two in the wild. 

But the only moose I came across was Lenny, billed as the world's only life-size chocolate moose. He was sculpted from 1700 pounds of fine grade milk chocolate in a mere four weeks back in 1997.

#TRAVEL TO PORTLAND, MAINE'S FLEA FOR ALL WITH AUTHOR LOIS WINSTON

Inside the Flea for All

I’m not a big fan of reality TV, but I do enjoy shows where people create things. I love to watch baking shows, home decorating and renovation shows, and Flea Market Flip. So on a recent trip to Portland to speak at the Maine Romance Writers Retreat, I had to check out the Portland Flea for All.

This indoor flea market had the usual assortment of clothing, jewelry, and household items from various bygone decades, but while walking around, I also came across an array of extremely eclectic items, like a headless acrylic mannequin seated on a sofa:

a Mardi Gras head: 

and a jar of baby parts:

I also stumbled upon a Tom Thumb typewriter, which happens to be my first typewriter: 

I think I was about eight years old when I received it. I don’t remember who gave me the typewriter, probably my grandmother. I wonder if somehow she knew that her first-born grandchild would grow up to write novels.

#TRAVEL WITH GUEST AUTHOR VIRGINIA KELLY

Machu Picchu taken from Huayna Picchu

Romance author Virginia Kelly has been a finalist in many prestigious writing competitions. She writes about dangerous heroes (sexy, gorgeous ones, of course!) and the adventurous women willing to take a chance on them. A native of Peru, she works as academic librarian. Learn more about her and her books at her website.

Hiking Adventures: From Incas to Mountain Goats

Travel is my passion. When I travel, I like to hike. I’ve hiked in Arizona, Virginia, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington state, the Scottish Highlands and many other places. I live along the northern Gulf of Mexico, so my “at home” hikes are what I have to refer to as “easy” as far as elevation gains (none at all). But, given an opportunity, I’m up for an adventure—sometimes foolishly.

First up: the hike up Huayna Picchu. That’s the little hill (ha!) that appears behind Peru’s Machu Picchu in all the iconic pictures. Huayna Picchu, at 8,920 feet above sea level, is 1,183 feet higher than Machu Picchu. Ouch. We set off, my youngest and I. He was eighteen; I wasn’t. It took him 35 minutes (he was trying to beat the record; I wasn’t). It took me an hour and a half. By the way, the top of Huayna Picchu is not flat. It’s this chaotic mess of slanted boulders, all threatening to make a person slide off into nothingness. Scary. Why did I do it? Because I have a slight touch of why “the bear went over the mountain.” I still don’t know how long that trail is, but one website said this is a “moderate” hike. For an Inca. I’m not (even though I’m half Peruvian).

Moosehead Lake, Maine

Next came an ill-fated hike near Moosehead Lake in Maine. The brochure said Burnt Jacket Mountain would be an “easy” two-mile round trip hike. I believe the two-mile part—maybe. Easy? For a mountain goat (none in Maine). Anyway, the mile ascent had an elevation gain of 550 feet. That sounds easy, compared to Huayna Picchu, right? Especially when the trailhead is at only 1,030 feet above sea level. It didn’t take long for me to (breathlessly) reach the top. Trees had grown around the large boulders so taking pictures required climbing atop said large boulders in order to see the lake. I took my pictures and stepped down. I’m a flat-lander. I totally forgot I was on a boulder and did a face plant. I caught myself with my right hand (scraped), my camera dangled between boulders (mercifully unbroken), and my glasses were bent (they’d gouged a cut into the bridge of my nose). Ouch. A little more to the left or right and I could have been knocked unconscious to be eaten by a bear (many in Maine). I don’t hike alone any more.

Glacier National Park

Recently I traveled to Montana to visit Glacier National Park with the son who raced up Huayna Picchu. I made a fatal mistake: I didn’t carefully read about the trail *he* wanted to take to Trout Lake. Off we went, me following this (still, of course) much younger son. He kept saying, “It’s just over the next rise.” He said this several times until I lost count of how many rises we’d climbed. Finally, we reached the sign that gave us a little information. We’d come 2.3 miles. It was another 1.5 to the lake my son wanted to fish. It was late, we might not get back before dark, so, back down we came. I know it’s easier to climb up than to come down, but the last mile of that descent had me talking to myself. First it was, “Ouch, ouch, ouch,” with each step, as my left knee complained. Then I graduated to talking to myself. In Spanish. Finally I reverted to “ouch” again. Until my son heard me mumbling. Then I just went for it with a full-throated “ouch” all the way to the bottom. There I read the trail sign. We’d started at Lake McDonald, at 3,153 feet above sea level, and climbed 2,500 feet. Ouch!!! About the mountain goats. There are some at Glacier National Park. None on that trail, but we saw them elsewhere. My son gave me a congratulatory hug for having survived that hike. I was so tired I couldn’t pat myself on my back ;-)

I don’t regret the misadventures because they’ve provided me with unforgettable memories. Have you ever challenged yourself to try something, wondered what you were thinking, then found satisfaction in the effort? I certainly have.

Take a Chance on Me

She has a target on her back...only he can save her

An injury robbed Delta Force Operator Bobby Alvarez's memories of the mission that left a brother-in-arms dead. He blames himself, and until his memory returns, he won’t stop questioning his abilities. On leave, he’s forced to use the skills and sixth sense that failed to keep his team safe.

Melanie Mackenzie overheard a powerful U.S. senator admit to murder, and now he’s set her up to take the fall. With overwhelming evidence against her for murder and treason, she’s on the run from the senator's hitmen and the FBI. There’s no one she can trust, and even the stranger she meets on the beach seems more threat than salvation—until the hitmen find her.

Working together to clear her name, Bobby and Mel race to stay ahead of the killers, but the simmering desire between them may be danger in disguise. Because Bobby’s keeping a secret that could end any chance at happiness…and lead them both into a death trap.

Secrets, murder, treason, and fiery passion. Who can you trust?

Buy Link

#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--GUEST AUTHOR LEA WAIT AND THE #NEEDLEPOINT OF MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS

The emblem of Mary, Queen of Scots

Today we’re happy to have back Maine author Lea Wait who writes the Mainely Needlepoint Mysteries and the Shadows Antique Print Mysteries, as well as nineteenth century Maine-set historical novels for young people. Learn more about Lea and her books at her website. 

When I started writing the Mainely Needlepoint mystery series two years ago, one of the first things I learned was that Mary, Queen of Scots, had been a famous needlepointer. I’d grown up hearing stories about Mary: my grandmother had come from Edinburgh, where her family (the Stewarts/Stuarts) had lived for generations. She’d always believed Queen Mary was somehow related to us. (Our family home was just down the street from Hollyrood Castle.) So, of course, I started reading about Mary’s needlepoint.

I’d known castle walls were warmed by woven tapestries. But I learned that some were stitched by professional embroiders (most of them men) who lived and worked in castles. The clothing of noble ladies was also embroidered, as were bed hangings, curtains, valences, pillows and cushions, panels, purses ... almost any cloth that could be decorated. Wealthy and noble women also did needlepoint, although on a smaller scale.

Scotland-born Mary was sent to France when she was five, destined to be the bride of Francis, the Dauphin. She and her ladies learned needlework at the French court from her future mother-in-law, Catherine de Medici. One of the tasks of the court embroiders was to draw designs on canvas, silk or satin, for the noble women to embroider.

As an antique print dealer, I was fascinated to learn that the designs of flowers, birds and animals the women embroidered were copied from natural history engravings of the period.

Mary did marry Francis when she was sixteen and briefly was Queen of France, but Francis died only a year after their wedding. When she returned to Scotland to become Queen of the Scots, she brought with her a few servants from her French household – including two embroiders. Their work was needed in the cold stone Scottish castles.

Mary herself did needlepoint all of her life, but she is best known for the work she did during her long years of captivity. (Her cousin, Elizabeth of England, fearing Mary would act on her claim to the English throne, had her isolated in an English nobleman’s home.) Mary and the wife of her “host” in England, Bess Hardwick, spent hours each day embroidering. It was one of Mary’s few amusements.

Once she even covered a red satin skirt with embroidery of flowers as a gift for her cousin Elizabeth, hoping it would soften the queen’s heart. She embroidered gifts for friends. And before she was executed, she arranged for her needlework to be distributed among her friends and family.

In my latest book, Thread and Gone, I’ve managed to connect Mary’s needlepoint to the coast of Maine. How? To find out, you’ll have to read the book! (There’s a link to a free prequel on my website, www.leawait.com)

And if you want to know more about Mary’s needlework, I suggest Margaret Swain’s The Needlework of Mary Queen of Scots, Santina Levey’s An Elizabethan Inheritance: The Hardwick Hall Textiles, or George Wingfield Digby’s Elizabethan Embroidery.

Thread and Gone

When a priceless antique is stolen, murder unravels the peaceful seaside town of Haven Harbor, Maine. . .

Angie Curtis and her fellow Mainely Needlepointers know how to enjoy their holidays. But nothing grabs their attention like tying up loose threads. So when Mary Clough drops in on the group's Fourth of July supper with a question about an antique needlepoint she's discovered in her family attic, Angie and her ravelers are happy to look into the matter.

Angie's best guess is that the mystery piece may have been stitched by Mary, Queen of Scots, famous not just for losing her head, but also for her needlepointing. If Angie's right, the piece would be extremely valuable. For safekeeping, Angie turns the piece over to her family lawyer, who places it in a safe in her office. But when the lawyer is found dead with the safe open and ransacked, the real mystery begins. . .

Buy Links

paperback 

ebook 

#TRAVEL TO PORTLAND, #MAINE WITH GUEST AUTHOR JESSIE CLEVER

In the second grade, Jessie Clever began a story about a duck and a lost ring. Two harrowing pages of wide ruled notebook paper later, the ring was found. And Jessie has been writing ever since. Armed with the firm belief that women in the Regency era could be truly awesome heroines, Jessie began telling their stories in her Spy Series, a thrilling ride in historical espionage that showcases human faults and triumphs and most importantly, love. Learn more about Jessie and her books at her website.  

What Happens in Portland, Maine…

When She Knows came about as I said a rocky goodbye to my 20s, and dove head first into the new responsibilities and headaches of my 30s. I found myself looking back on those carefree days of my 20s with longing only to adjust my view to the present, and wish for nothing to change.

But it got me thinking. And thinking often leads to a book—in this case, my first contemporary romance.

The story of Shannon Wynter, a twenty-something year old grappling with the pressures of work, family, and a love life (if you could even call it that!) could not have been told without the proper backdrop. That backdrop was the very city in which I played out my own crazy 20 something-year-old days: Portland, Maine.

Portland is the last cluster of civilization before Interstate 95 disappears up into the great unknown that is most of the state of Maine. People often say that once you’re past Portland, you’re in the wilderness. I was fortunate enough to go to school in Portland and land my first job there, leading to four incredible years in an incredible city.

Portland is not a big city, but it’s big enough to have all the sights and attractions you expect from a city: Theater, restaurants, and a hopping music scene, beautiful sights and historical districts. But while any city can boast a long list of tourist traps, Portland carries with it something else—the feeling of a small town in a metropolis.

When you travel into Portland, you can escape down to the waterfront and the Old Town. Once you’re there, you’ll forget that you’re in a city at all. You’ll forget the highway zipping by you in all directions and the industrial sector just over the water. It all falls away as the comforting spirit of Old Town surrounds you, wrapping you in its small village feel. With cobblestone streets, intriguing shops, and an array of restaurants, Old Town can almost be called quaint. But as the life oozes from between the old buildings, as it moves in waves through the pedestrian ways, it does not feel like a little village at all.

That is the enigmatic ways of Portland. The city that’s not quite a village, and the village with too much life to be just that. The divide between the two perfectly mirrors the conflict faced by Shannon Wynter in When She Knows, making Portland the perfect location for a little shake-up in an otherwise ordered life.

When She Knows

A Franconia Notch Trilogy, Book One

His latest problem is her newest assignment.

Shannon Wynter has it all figured it. Abandoned by her mother and left to care for her agoraphobic father, Shannon focuses on building her career as a journalist to the detriment of all else including her love life.

Ian Darke has his own problems. Battling past failures, Ian sets his eyes on launching a new factory for his father’s defense firm. But it’s the very father he failed that will do anything to sabotage Ian’s progress.

And when Shannon follows an anonymous tip that leads her to Ian’s factory door, the last thing she expects to discover is what she already knows.

Buy Link

#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--GUEST AUTHOR LEA WAIT

The Loara Standish Sampler

Lea Wait is the author of the Mainely Needlepoint series (Twisted Threads, Threads of Evidence and, coming in December, Thread and Gone.) She also writes the Shadows Antique Print mystery series and historical novels for ages 8 and up. Living and Writing on the Coast of Maine is her series of essays on the writer’s life. Learn more about Lea and her books at her website. 

Being able to sew a fine seam and embroider were for centuries considered basic skills for women. In the fifteenth through eighteenth centuries needlepoint, the most decorative of these arts, was done primarily by wealthy women and the men hired by them to create tapestries, bed hangings, and elaborately stitched clothing.

In seventeenth through nineteenth century North America, tapestries were not common, but before central heating, bed hangings were common in wealthier households. And as in Europe, girls were expected to demonstrate their dexterity with needles at an early age, and often did this by stitching a sampler using various embroidery stitches, often including an alphabet, a scene, and, almost always, a devout verse.

Possibly the first sampler stitched in the New World was done by Loara Standish (pictured above,) daughter of Miles Standish, in 1640. It is now displayed in Pilgrim Hall in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

By the nineteenth century, embroidery skills were taught in girls’ schools on the east coast, and teachers designed elaborate samplers for their students to stitch, frame, and give to their parents to thank them for the gift of an education.

One of my favorite sampler verses was stitched in 1827 by Mary Chase, age eleven, in Augusta, Maine:  “Let virtue prove your never fading bloom, For mental beauty will survive the tomb.”

Girls like Mary Chase inspired my Mainely Needlepoint mystery series. (Twisted Threads, the first in the series, was published in January, 2015.)

In an unexpected twist for a craft mystery series, my protagonist, Angie Curtis, is just learning to do needlepoint. But her grandmother is a master, and has started Mainely Needlepoint, a business that employs a variety of men and women in Haven Harbor, Maine, to do custom needlepoint and identify and restore antique needlepoint. (In Threads of Evidence, the second in the series, clues in needlepoint they are restoring give clues to a mysterious death in 1970.)

I love the (often depressing) verses on samplers, so I’ve included a verse, or a quotation about needlepoint, at the beginning of every chapter in this series.

For example, this verse was embroidered by Lydia Draper, age thirteen, in 1742:

           

Nothing is so sure as Death and

Nothing is so uncertain as the

Time when I may be too old to Live,

But I can never be too young to Die.

I will live every hour as if I was to die the next.

What better sentiment for a mystery series?

Threads of Evidence

It's hard to imagine anything bad ever happening in picturesque Haven Harbor, Maine--until a famous face rolls into town and unthreads some very dark secrets. . .

Angie Curtis and the Mainely Needlepointers are all too familiar with the Gardener estate. The crumbling Victorian mansion, known as "Aurora," has been sitting vacant for nearly twenty-five years--and some say it's haunted by the ghost of Jasmine Gardener, the teenage girl who died there in 1970 under mysterious circumstances...

Harbor Haven is abuzz with excitement when Hollywood actress Skye West decides to buy Aurora and sell off its furnishings. And Angie is intrigued when Skye asks her to appraise the estate's sizable collection of needlepoint pictures. But the more she examines the pieces, the more they seem to point toward Jasmine's murder--and the murderer--and it's up to her to stitch the clues together. . .

              

Buy Links

paperback 

ebook 

#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--GUEST AUTHOR AND NEEDLEPOINT NOVICE LEA WAIT

Maine author Lea Wait writes the seven-book Shadows Antique Print Mystery series, the first of which, Shadows at the Fair, was an Agatha Award finalist, in addition to the new Mainely Needlepoint series. She also writes historical novels for ages 8 and up. For more about Lea and her books, visit her website.  

I’m excited! Tomorrow, January 6th, is the publication date for Twisted Threads, the first book in my Mainely Needlepoint mystery series.

The protagonist, 28-year-old Angie Curtis, grew up in Haven Harbor, Maine, the daughter of a single parent with a questionable reputation. When Angie was ten, her mother disappeared; her grandmother guided her through a rocky adolescence. After high school she took off to make a new start far from Maine. She made it as far as Arizona, where she got a job assisting a private investigator, learned to handle a camera and a gun, and tried not to think about her past.

Twisted Threads begins with a message on her telephone: “Angie, they’ve found your mother. It’s time to come home.” She looks at her needlepoint cushion stitched with Gram’s phone number. Gram gave it to her when she left Maine: a message to anyone looking for her next-of-kin. Gram didn’t want her to disappear, as her mother had.

Angie takes the next flight out of Phoenix.

Back in Haven Harbor, she faces her past, is determined to find her mother’s killer, and discovers Gram has started a custom needlepoint business. And then … but you’ll have to read Twisted Threads to find out what happens.

The Mainely Needlepoint series is my second mystery series; the first, the Shadows Antique Print series, is centered around an antique print dealer. Since I’m a fourth generation antique dealer, none of my readers will be surprised that Angie will be involved with identification, restoration, and preservation of vintage and antique needlepoint. The chapter headings in the Mainely Needlepoint series will also have snippets of information about needlepoint and quotations from early samplers, like this one from a sampler stitched in Limington, Maine, in 1821 by fourteen-year-old Louisa Otis:

           

“Of female arts in usefulness

The needle far exceeds the rest.

In ornament there’s no device

Affords adorning half so nice.”

Why needlepoint? I’ll admit that although my grandmother knit, embroidered, tatted, and smocked, the only skill I picked up from her (despite her best efforts) was knitting. But I’ve always loved needlepoint and grew up admiring antique needlepoint and cross-stitched samplers. Antique embroidery, especially needlepoint, has always fascinated me because it represented the skills and interests and art of generations of women. It still does.

Writing the Mainely Needlepoint series has given me an excuse to learn more about needlepoint, past and present, just as Angie does.

I’ve joined the Embroiderers’ Guild of America. I now have several shelves of books on needlepoint, past and present. I’m even starting to do some stitching of my own, although having a kitten in my house hasn’t helped me concentrate on needlepoint projects!

But as the Mainely Needlepoint series continues, I’m looking forward to increasing both my knowledge and my skills.

What could be more fun? Learning a new skill … and solving a few mysteries along the way!

Twisted Threads

Returning to the quaint coastal town of Harbor Haven, Maine—a place she once called home—Angie Curtis finds her memories aren’t all quite pleasant ones…

After leaving a decade ago, Angie has been called back to Harbor Haven by her grandmother, Charlotte, who raised her following her mother’s disappearance when she was a child. Her mother has been found, and now the question of her whereabouts has sadly become the mystery of her murder.

The bright spot in Angie’s homecoming is reuniting with Charlotte, who has started her own needlepointing business with a group called Mainely Needlepointers. But when a shady business associate of the stitchers dies suddenly under suspicious circumstances, Charlotte and Angie become suspects. As Angie starts to weave together clues, she discovers that this new murder may have ties to her own mother’s cold case…

Buy Links

paperback 

ebook  

TRAVEL WITH SERENA--AUTUMN IN MAINE WITH GUEST AUTHOR NINA PIERCE

USA Today bestselling author, Nina Pierce, grew up in a house full of readers. So becoming enamored with books was only natural. She discovered romance stories in her early teens, falling hopelessly in love with knights in shining armor and the damsels who saved them. Eventually, reading about fated loves and soul mates wasn’t enough. She now spends her days at the keyboard writing her own stories, blissfully creating chaos for her characters by throwing in a villain or two, a little murder and a whole lot of mayhem as they struggle toward their happy-ever-afters. Learn more about Nina and her books at her website.

 A Trip Through Maine’s Splendor

Maine. I’ve lived here all my life. And right up until I headed off to college I’d taken it for granted. Of course I don’t think anyone realizes what they have until it’s no longer there. I grew up with my toes in the sand, the screech of gulls in my ears, and a gentle ocean breeze blowing through my hair. We spent time at the many pristine lakes and rivers in our area, swimming and ice skating. We rode the bus to school on dirt roads and snowmobiled through miles and miles of wooded forest.

Maine is a place where summers are hot, winters are too long (in my humble opinion) and the spring brings both relief and a fresh sense of renewal. But when you talk to many Mainers you’ll find a huge majority of us love the fall. There’s nothing like going apple picking in the fresh autumn air with the foliage dressed in the vibrant colors of red, orange and yellow.

Though many people enjoy the ocean and lakes during Maine’s warmer months, the tourist industry has found the last few years that hotels, bed and breakfasts and camping areas overflow with “leaf peepers” from mid-September through late October. Until I moved away and came back, I never realized Maine’s maples, beech and quaking aspen trees created one of the best fall shows on the Eastern coast. If you’ve never had a chance to visit Maine, why not plan an autumn excursion to catch our forests in their autumn finest?

With so much to love about Maine in the fall, it’s no wonder that my newest release, a romantic thriller, In His Eyes, is set on the Maine coast in my favorite season.

In His Eyes

It’s always wonderful to be noticed … or is it?

To those around her, Maggie Callaghan appears to have the perfect life…a handsome husband, three beautiful children, and her own business. But beneath her thin veneer lies a dark past and self-doubts. When evidence of her husband’s infidelity surfaces, Maggie leases a cottage on the Maine coast and prepares for her inevitable divorce. But a serial killer is on the hunt—and he’s marked Maggie as his next victim. Now her beachside retreat is the focus of an undercover FBI investigation targeting the murderer who’s left a trail of bodies across two states. As lies and secrets are revealed, Maggie realizes her life depends on knowing who’s protecting her—and who’s got her in his sights.

Buy Links

paperback 

ebook 

THIS WEEK'S BOOK WINNERS

This week at Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers we had two guest authors giving away books. On Thursday, Vicki Doudera visited for a taste of murder, mayhem, Merlot, and Maine. She offered a copy of Deadly Offer, her latest Darby Farr mystery. The winner of that book is Marcille Sibley.


On Friday, our guest author was Sally Carpenter discussing Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Sally offered a copy of The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper. The winner of that book is Irene.


Ladies, please send your mailing addresses to me at anastasiapollack@gmail.doc com so I can forward them to the authors.


And thank you all for stopping by this past week. We hope to see you back often.

TRAVEL WITH SERENA--GUEST BLOGGER AUTHOR VICKI DOUDERA

Ever been to Maine? Travel editor Serena Brower has invited a special guest to join us today to discuss the beauty of that state. Top producing Realtor Vicki Doudera uses high-stakes, luxury real estate as the setting for a suspenseful mystery series starring crime-solving, deal-making agent Darby Farr. A broker with a busy coastal firm since 2003 and former Realtor of the Year, Vicki’s latest mystery, Deadly Offer, takes Darby to a winery where murder, mayhem, and Merlot all mingle. As in the popular Killer Listing and A House to Die For, Darby discovers a dangerous truth: real estate means real trouble. Read more about the Darby Farr Mystery Series and Vicki at her website, 

Vicki is offering a copy of Deadly Offer to one of our readers who posts a comment to the blog this week. -- AP

Take a Hike --- in Vacationland

I live in the state famous for its rugged coastline, pristine lakes, spruce-dotted islands, and a variety of rock-loving crustaceans known as lobsters. When I tell people “from away” that I reside here, some of them look panicked, as if I’ve said I’m from Siberia or Upper Mongolia. Actually, Maine isn’t all unforested wilderness and craggy cliffs. My town is what most people would call “civilized,” although we did have a moose run right down our street one spring afternoon!

The heroine of my mystery series, Darby Farr, also hails from Maine.  She was raised on an island called Hurricane Harbor but fled the state as a teenager after her parents’ tragic death in a sailing accident. In the series’ first book, A House To Die For, Darby returns to Maine and tries to face her painful past. It isn’t easy, but as the books go on, she’s appreciating more and more just how special this easternmost state in the country can be.

Gulf Hagus

One activity Darby and I both enjoy is hiking. Maine boasts a wide variety of trails, from level but beautiful walks like Gulf Hagus called the “Grand Canyon of Maine,” to impressive peaks such as Borestone Mountain. Part of Maine’s famed “Hundred-Mile Wilderness region,” Borestone rises 1947 feet high with a spectacular, 360 degree panoramic vista.

Borestone Mountain

Vicki and Lexi on Mount Katahdin

Maine’s most famous hiking spot is Mount Katahdin, located in Baxter Park. I’ve climbed it several times, but the trip I made with my daughter is my favorite so far. There is a super scary section of the climb called “the Knife’s Edge,” a thin path with sheer drop-offs on either side of a foot-wide trail. The day we hiked it was extremely windy, making a traverse of this narrow pass impossible. Luckily, when we got to the top of Mount Katahdin (the end of the Appalachian Trail) the winds had died down, and we proceeded cautiously across the ridge. It was one of those special mother-daughter times when we both felt exhilarated to be alive!

If you come to Maine, be sure to visit our National Park, Acadia, whether you are a hiking enthusiast or not. A beautiful loop road takes you past peaceful ponds, booming ocean vistas, and up majestic Cadillac Mountain. 

The famous Jordan Pond House popovers

You can walk, bike, or horseback ride on the carriage trails mapped out by the Rockefeller family, and eat lunch in the old-fashioned (and delicious) Jordan Pond House. For a real taste of Maine, try one of the Jordan Pond House’s famous popovers or a slice of their wild blueberry pie. Until then, give one of my Darby Farr Mysteries a read!

And one of you lucky readers will be able to do that for free (read a Darby Farr mystery, not eat a popover or wild blueberry pie!) as Vicki is offering a copy of Deadly Offer to one lucky reader. Simply leave a comment, and check back on Sunday to find out if you’re the winner. -- AP