Hope your holidays were good ones, filled you with enough good will to power you through the winter. That’s the case in my neck of the woods. No big news. Continue to work on McMorrow No. 10, ONCE BURNED, and to follow the case of still-missing toddler Ayla Reynolds. Her dad, Justin DiPietro, has been talking to my alma mater, the Morning Sentinel. Something he said rang very true: “The truth is patient,” DiPietro told the newspaper. “It will come out.”

Just a matter of time.

One last thing. I’m blogging over at Maine Crime Writers today. A bit of musing on creatures of the night. You might enjoy.

It’s all pretty horrible. And familiar.

I say this, not because I’ve seen other kids snatched from their beds, but because I’ve written about one. A lot. His name was Lincoln and he was almost a year old. He disappeared from the bedroom of his mother’s apartment in Portland. Mom was a drug addict and for several hours didn’t notice he was gone. When it sank in, she freaked.

This was in my last crime novel, PORT CITY BLACK AND WHITE. My fictional cops converge on the neighborhood. They bring in tracking dogs. They interrogate the mom, her boyfriend, the child’s father, all of the neighbors, a homeless woman who roams the neighborhood.

Nothing.

Days go by. The mom and her family accuse the police of dragging their feet. The dad beats the boyfriend to a pulp. The neighbors say they’ve seen nothing, heard nothing, know nothing. The child has simply vanished.

Of course, he hadn’t. And some of the people in the book know where he was. Even as the cops speculate that little Lincoln has been snatched to leverage a drug debt, or maybe has been sold on the street. I knew what had really happened. I’d made up the story.

I had someone tell me just last week that they couldn’t read my book because it involved a crime against a child and they didn’t have the stomach for it. I was surprised because as the author, I hadn’t found the story terribly disturbing. But then again, I knew how it would end.

That’s not the case with Ayla Reynolds. I walk out to the mailbox to get the paper every morning and, with trepidation, open the front page. (Today was a $30,000 reward). I don’t want to see bad news. Like everyone else, I want to see the story that says the blonde, smiling innocent toddler has been located and she’s live and well.

As I write this, I’m still hopeful. As a crime writer, I can come up with any number of scenarios that involve all sorts of deception—and no violence. I can envision any number of ways this all could play out, and end with the child safe and sound. I know the tangled webs that people weave, how one lie leads to another and before you know it, every investigator in the state is at your house. I know that because I’ve invented those stories. I can invent one with a happy ending for Ayla Reynolds—but I can’t write it.

It’s an odd feeling, seeing things happen that are right out of my book, but knowing that this case has a life of its own. Something happened to this little girl last week and the dominoes continue to fall, day after day, cold night after cold night.

It’s made me wonder why I invented such a story—a child snatched from his crib, his mother distraught, racked with guilt—but  in the end, it’s just that—a story. And just as I have the power to imagine such a mess, I have the power to clean it up. I can put little Lincoln in harm’s way, but I can also save him.

Not with Ayla. I just follow this story like everyone else, with the hope that she is fine and the guilty parties in the case will be brought to justice. It happens in books. Let it happen one more time.

But the days are growing shorter, and the mornings and evenings darker, and that’s a good thing for a crime novelist. Something about fog and rain and early dusk. I’m in the mood to write and McMorrow No. 10 is moving along. I’m liking it. I hope you will, too.

Of course, I’m also out and about talking about my young friend Brandon Blake and PORT CITY BLACK AND WHITE. This week I did a joint thing with New Hampshire writer Toby Ball at Water Street Bookstore, in Exeter, N.H. Great store, nice people, good crowd. I had a good time and I think everyone else did, as well.

Next up is Oct. 20 at Lithgow Library in Augusta, Maine. Lithgow is one of my regular stops, and one I look forward to. Hope you can stop by. And check out the poster. Some of my friends from Maine Crime Writers are on the slate. Stop by and say hello.

If not, stop by here when you can and I’ll have the latest news. E.G., Booklist really liked PC B&W. Some reviewers like the book and get it. Some even add to my understanding of Brandon. This is one of those.

Question of the week: a reader at the NH event asked if I had plans to bring McMorrow and Blake together in a future novel. I’ve considered it. What do you think?

Otherwise, all is well. Getting in the last boat outings of the season. Writing steadily (McMorrow No. 10). Blessed with good health, good friends, good times.

Enjoy the day,

Gerry

PS Enjoy PORT CITY BLACK AND WHITE? Please drop a quick review on Amazon. I’m told this is important. I know it will be appreciated.

PSS Don’t forget to check out the group mystery writers blog, mainecrimewriters.com. Ten Maine mystery writers, blogging all the time.

Also, doing appearances for PORT CITY BLACK AND WHITE these days, wondering yet again, to read or not to read? What do you think?  Does a reading put a damper on the party? Or do you like to get a taste of the book?

Thoughts appreciated!

It’s interesting how we get the word out these days. Fewer newspaper reviewers (thanks for keeping this service alive, BDN!), more bloggers, the big trades. Most important of all is word of mouth, readers like you saying, “Hey, have you read this guy Gerry Boyle? You might like him.” So thanks. None of this would happen without your continued support.

Thursday, Sept. 8, 7 p.m., book launch event! Longfellow Books, Portland, Maine.

Come and partake in the festivities. Or just sit in the back and listen was we chat, read from PORT CITY BLACK AND WHITE, generally have a good time celebrating Brandon Blake No. 2.

Sept. 17, 1-3 p.m., Children’s Book Cellar, Waterville, Maine. Signing and chat. And don’t let the name fool you. Store owner Ellen Richmond is a big mystery fan and very knowledgeable.

Oct. 4, 7 p.m., Water Street Books, Exeter, N.H. Reading/signing/chatting with author Toby Ball (SCORCHED CITY). Toby’s a good guy, good writer. I’m looking forward to it.

Oct 20, 6:30 p.m., Lithgow Library, Augusta, Maine. One of my favorite stops. Great reading room with handsome period stained glass. And nice people.

Lastly, a reminder that I’ll be at the Wells, Maine, Public Library tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 16. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. My plan is to have a good general chat and, because this is the first event for PORT CITY BLACK AND WHITE, I may read from that one a bit. Hope that if you’re in the area, you can stop by. It’s a handsome library with good people. More events are coming in. I’ll be posting them asap.