Originally posted on the Maine Crime Writers blog on August 8, 2012

Hi. Barb here.

Most of the Maine Crime Writers have written about the things they must do to make their books feel believable. Paul, as we know, is a certified Maine Guide who also follows the doings of the Maine Warden Service closely. Paul http://mainecrimewriters.com/pauls-posts/maine-guide-tips. Gerry has wandered the woods where his Jack McMorrow books take place http://mainecrimewriters.com/gerrys-posts/a-book-begins-commence-the-wandering. Jim has researched both schizophrenia http://mainecrimewriters.com/jims-posts/metamorphosis-ii-becoming-abby-quinn and post traumatic stress disorder http://mainecrimewriters.com/uncategorized/ptsd-a-frightening-possibility . And we know Kate will go to any lengths to make sure both her true crime books and her police procedurals are accurate http://mainecrimewriters.com/uncategorized/the-other-tools-of-the-trade.

Both Kaitlyn http://mainecrimewriters.com/kaitlyns-posts/decisions-decisions and Lea http://mainecrimewriters.com/uncategorized/october-17-1777-lea-wait have written about the research and work that goes into their historical fiction. Sarah really does do all those home repairs http://mainecrimewriters.com/uncategorized/location-location. And who knew Vicki‘s day job as a realtor was so dangerous? http://mainecrimewriters.com/uncategorized/my-scary-day-job

So the time has come when I must sacrifice myself in the name of authentic, Maine crime writing. And I have been doing this by

–taking harbor cruises and eating lots of lobsters and steamers.

It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.

My new series of Maine Clambake Mysteries is about a woman who leaves her Manhattan job as a venture capitalist to save her family’s failing clambake business. Her family offers a harbor cruise to a private island where guests are served a full Maine Clambake. (Yes, the food served at clambakes varies throughout the northeast United States, but a Maine Clambake always includes lobster.)

The series was “inspired” by an actual clambake. However, when I wrote the proposal, in October, I had never actually been on this excursion and it was too late in the year to go. My contract was signed in the winter, which I’m kind of glad about, since I had months to make up my family and my island and my clambake business, which are all, quite happily, distinct from the real one.

But you can imagine how excited I was when this summer rolled around and I was actually able to make the trip. I signed my husband and myself up for the first clambake of the year, which is fantastic because the first novel in the series, CLAMMED UP, starts on the first day of the season.

Everyone in the Moore family, who actually own the island and run the Cabbage Island Clambake, was very accommodating and answered my tons of questions, as did the captain of the boat that took us over and many of the employees. Like-

What’s the capacity of this boat? What kind of boat is it? How do you get the food out here? The wood? What happens to the trash? Where does your water come from? How long do you cook that? How many people work here? What would you do if you had a group of customers who were really causing problems?

I kept telling everyone that the fictional clambake business in my books would be portrayed in a very positive light (except of course for all the killings) which the family members seemed to find more amusing than reassuring. I think it had honestly never occurred to them that someone could see a happy day spent with family and friends eating lobster in a negative light.

It was also fantastic listening to the comments of the other diners and meeting the people who take the cruise.

Here’s the website for the real Cabbage Island Clambake–in case you want to go. http://www.cabbageislandclambakes.com/index.htm

All and all, a hugely successful day. I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.