THIS JUST IN . . .

I was recently interviewed on behalf of the anthology, How the West Was Weird 2, by the groovy site Atomic Anxiety for its “Weird West Wednesday.” (I’m a few days late in posting this….).

The newest issue of Down East: The Magazine of Maine contains a review of Maine Icons, and we’re pleased to report they love it. Reviewer Julia Spencer-Fleming doles out ample words of praise, in part:

“Part travel guide, part food journal, part history: Like many Mainers, Maine Icons wears more than one hat. It’s the kind of book to keep in the summer camp for day-trip ideas, or to have on the lunch counter, where the old salts can argue whether Moody’s Diner really does have the best pies. It will be a welcome gift to the couple making their very first visit to the Pine Tree State, and, perhaps most importantly, the perfect bedside read for all those not lucky enough to live here year round.”

For the rest, click here. And the print version of the magazine offers a variety of color photos from the book. And while you’re at it, might as well buy the book, too!

The Traditional West:
A Western Fictioneers Anthology
From the dusty plains of Texas to the sweeping vistas of Montana and beyond, the classic American Western returns in this collection of 24 brand-new stories by members of Western Fictioneers, the only writers’ organization devoted solely to traditional Western fiction. Contributors to this, the biggest original Western anthology ever published, include some of the top Western writers in the world today: Robert J. Randisi, Dusty Richards, James Reasoner, Larry D. Sweazy, L.J. Washburn, Jackson Lowry, Larry Jay Martin, Kerry Newcomb, Matthew P. Mayo, and many other amazing storytellers.

Available now in Kindle and Nook formats, and soon as a paperback.

(Click on cover for larger image)

As part of our MAINE ICONS-apaloozablowouttourfest, we’ll be attending several upcoming events. Be sure to stop by, snap up a copy or six of MAINE ICONS, and we’ll be more than happy to sign them!

July 9:
Books in Boothbay: Maine’s Summer Book Fair
12:30 to 3:30

The old 1844 Boothbay Town Hall
The Boothbay Railway Village
586 Wiscasset Road/Route 27
Boothbay, Maine

Dozens of Maine authors will be there!

July 30:
Belfast Bound: Belfast’s Book Festival
July 29-31
We’ll be signing at Bella Books & Antiques on Saturday, July 30, from 2 to 4 p.m.

September 27:
Belfast Free Library
6:30 p.m.

We’ll talk about how we put the book together, and have a Q & A session, too.

At Bear Pond Books, in Stowe, Vermont:

Maine Icons was reviewed/covered in Sunday’s Boston Globe Books section. Here’s what they had to say:

Maine By The Numbers
By Jan Gardner
Globe Correspondent June 26, 2011

Did you know that Maine’s moose population is second only to Alaska’s? Or that Chester Greenwood, at 15, invented the earmuff? This is the kind of education you’ll get from “Maine Icons: 50 Classic Symbols of the Pine Tree State’’ (Globe Pequot) by Jennifer Smith-Mayo and Matthew P. Mayo. It paints a picture of Maine by the numbers: 65 lighthouses, 4,613 islands, 80 million pounds of lobsters pulled from the state’s waters every year. And it is a love letter to what makes Maine Maine, from black flies and Stephen King to whoopie pies and the Big Chicken Barn, a favorite destination for book lovers.

for Maine Icons appeared this weekend in the Portland Press Herald online and Sunday’s print edition. We’re quite pleased with it. Click here to give it a read.

The Western Fictioneers 2010 Peacemaker Awards results are in:

BEST SHORT STORY WINNER:
Wayne Dundee, “This Old Star” from the anthology Bad Cop…No Donut (Padwolf Publishing)

BEST NOVEL WINNER:
Lyle Brandt (winner), Manhunt (Berkley)

My short story, “Scourge of the Spoils,” from the DAW Books anthology, Steampunk’d, was one of this year’s nominees—a big thrill for me. And best of all … submissions for the WF 2011 Peacemaker Awards open in July!

For more information about Western Fictioneers, visit:
http://www.westernfictioneers.com or  http://westernfictioneers.blogspot.com

Though not officially released until July 1, 2011, the astounding anthology, How the West Was Weird: Volume II, a collection of Weird Western tales from Pulpwork Press, was just reviewed at the always-excellent site All Pulp.

I’m pleased to report that the reviewer, Tommy Hancock, dug my story, “The Witch Hole,” and more importantly, he understood what I had in mind when I wrote it–that old 1950s and ’60s EC Comics/DC House of Mystery vibe! It’s a fuzzy, good feeling when that happens. Here’s what the reviewer had to say about “The Witch Hole”:

“Let me admit, this type of tale is not usually my favorite. I can’t really tell you why, except that I wasn’t the kid who was into the mystery comics and such when I was young. And this one reads as if it would fit perfectly in an old DC House of Mystery or an EC comic. That, however, is the reason that I liked it as much as I did–because as I read it, I could see the artwork, I could see the creepy green and black coloring. The set up, the premise, and the characters smack heavily and enjoyably of that 1950s and 60s weird tale comic story, even though it’s in prose. FOUR OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT.”

Midcoast Maine news outlet Village Soup posted a write-up about Maine Icons! Here’s a snippet:

(Click on cover for larger image)

For Mayos, Maine a haven in world of headaches
Whoopie, check out Pine Tree State icons

What makes Maine Maine? In their book “Maine Icons: 50 Classic Symbols of the Pine Tree State,” photographer Jennifer Smith Mayo and writer Matthew P. Mayo have compiled half a hundred items that make the country’s 23rd state tick.
For the rest of this fine write-up, click here.