Being an author is like being a baker hoping and waiting for the cake to rise, unsure it will. I finished ‘Black Cat White Paws: A Maggie Dahl Mystery’ not knowing how it would be received, or if it would connect with the audience I wanted to reach – women, readers ‘of a certain age’ (men and women), and fans of mysteries set in small towns, with a strong woman sleuth. Could I do it? It appears I have!

I know not to get too excited about these things and I know no book is universally liked, but the first 8 reviews are all 5-star, and it’s enough to make me certain this will be a series.

Here’s just one review, from an author I regard highly and who would not be less than honest in his appraisal:

“The new Maggie Dahl mystery series from Mark McNease has it all: An intrepid and tenacious amateur sleuth. A small-town setting that makes you feel right at home. A gruesome crime with dreadful secrets at its core. Plus, a pushy feline named Checks. The author has woven a masterful whodunit that kept me guessing until Maggie reached her “aha” moment. Honest, I didn’t have a clue.”

Michael Craft, author of Inside Dumont and The Mark Manning Mysteries

And so begins the note taking for Book 2: Open Secrets: A Maggie Dahl Mystery. Coming to a coroner’s office near you in 2019.