Thursday, July 31, 2014

Summer in Busman’s Harbor, Maine

By: Julia Snowden

From: The Maine Clambake Mysteries
Author: Barbara Ross
Book 2 Title: Boiled Over

How exciting that I get to be the last poster for the Killer Characters June-July giveaway. Comment by midnight to win copies of both Clammed Up and Boiled Over, the first two books in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. If you already own both books, say that in the comment and you could win an Advance Reader Copy of Musseled Out, the third book. Fair warning, you’ll find out if you won right away, but you may have to wait until February to get delivery.


Summer is high season in coastal Maine. In our tourist-based economy, the citizens of Busman’s Harbor have four short months to make our money. My name is Julia Snowden and this spring, I took a leave of absence from my job in venture capital to return to save my family’s clambake business from the brink of bankruptcy. In the five years since my father’s death, the economy, and my sister’s husband Sonny, had run it practically into the ground.

Every day over the summer, we load two hundred tourists onto the Jacquie II and give them a tour of
Busman’s Harbor complete with islands, lighthouses, whales, seals and puffins. Then we take them to Morrow Island, the private island my mother owns, for a real Maine clambake. After we’ve filled them up on chowder, steamed clams, twin lobsters, corn, a potato, an onion and an egg, all cooked over stones heated by a roaring hardwood fire, we give them blueberry grunt for dessert. Then we load them, stuffed and sunburned, onto the boat for the ride back to town, where we pick up two hundred more and do it all over again.

It’s exhausting, backbreaking work, but when I see the happy groups of friends and family, enjoying themselves and our island, it’s all worthwhile.

As if all this busyness isn’t busy enough, my sister Livvie signed me up for the Busman’s Harbor Founder’s Day committee. In a couple of weeks, we’ll offer a weekend of fun, including a parade of windjammers, an art show, a codfish relay race, pancake breakfast and fireworks over the harbor. The Snowden Family Clambake Company will serve lunch on the town pier. Sonny’s figuring out how to do that without burning the town down.

Fingers crossed it goes well and brings in lots of tourists to help out the local merchants. Honestly, if we get good weather and can manage the crowds, I don’t see what could go wrong.


Barbara Ross is the author of the Maine Clambake Mystery series. The first book, Clammed Up, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel and the RT Book Reviews, Reviewer's Choice Best Book Award for Amateur Sleuth, and was a finalist for the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. Barbara blogs with a wonderful group of Maine mystery authors at Maine Crime Writers and with a group of writers of New England-based cozy mysteries at Wicked Cozy Authors. Barbara and her husband own the former Seafarer Inn at the head of the harbor in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Her website is www.maineclambakemysteries.com
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62 comments:

  1. servedogmomJuly 31, 2014 at 7:44 AM

    Two books I'd like to read! [email protected]

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carol TraceyJuly 31, 2014 at 8:05 AM

    I already own both of your books and loved them. I'm looking forward to Musseled Out. [email protected]

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJuly 31, 2014 at 8:34 AM

    Would love to add Musseled Out to the other two books! This is such a great series and reading about clam bakes in February would be wonderful.

    Becky Prazak
    [email protected]

    ReplyDelete
  4. lklebackJuly 31, 2014 at 8:41 AM

    I have the first two books and loved them! I'd love to go to a clambake.

    [email protected]

    ReplyDelete
  5. DebbyJuly 31, 2014 at 8:57 AM

    Two books I would love to read. Thanks so much
    debby236 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. SusanJuly 31, 2014 at 9:02 AM

    This could be a Duplicate Entry... Just changed my gmail PW Would Love to Win... And set in Maine!!! Thanks Susan [email protected]

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousJuly 31, 2014 at 9:04 AM

    I'd love the two books! Thanks for all the great giveaways, June & July, Killer Characters!


    patucker54 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Tina YakelJuly 31, 2014 at 9:08 AM

    I have read the first two books in the series and loved them. Looking forward to Musseled Out. A February delivery is great...it could be a birthday present! :)
    [email protected]

    ReplyDelete
  9. DebraJuly 31, 2014 at 9:10 AM

    I love these books. I even reviewed one: http://www.debraholster.com/review-boiled-over-by-barbara-ross/

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    Replies
    1. Barb RossJuly 31, 2014 at 10:30 AM

      Debra-thanks for the review. There's a quote from your review on the Boiled Over reviews webpage.

      Delete
  • AmyJuly 31, 2014 at 11:45 AM

    After reading Clammed Up my husband and I decided to visit Boothbay Harbor on our recent vacation up to Maine and went to the clam bake with Cabbage Island Clambakes, we had a great time! I would plan to read Boiled Over, was going to get it from my local mystery bookstore soon. lilflynracer @ msn.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb RossJuly 31, 2014 at 11:57 AM

      Wow, Amy! I hope you had a great time in Boothbay Harbor and said hello to the Moore family for me.

      Delete

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