Crime writer Kate Flora will discuss Maine’s female mystery writers in a Zoom presentation on Thursday, May 26. Submitted photo

Lincoln County Historical Association plans to celebrate Maine’s female mystery writers with a talk by Kate Flora. A Maine native and crime writer, Flora’s Zoom presentation at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 26, will cover the long heritage of mystery writing in Maine with a special focus on her friend, the late mystery author Lea Wait.

Flora’s fascination with people’s criminal tendencies began in the Maine attorney general’s office. Deadbeat dads, people who hurt their kids, and employers’ discrimination aroused her curiosity about human behavior, according to a news release from the association.

The author of 24 books and many short stories, Flora has been a finalist for the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony and Derringer awards. She won the Public Safety Writers Association award for nonfiction and twice won the Maine Literary Award for crime fiction.

Her most recent Thea Kozak mystery is “Death Sends a Message”; her most recent Joe Burgess tale is “A World of Deceit.” Her crime stories appear in a collection titled “Careful What You Wish For: Stories of revenge, retribution, and the world made right.”

Flora is a founding member of the New England Crime Bake and the Maine Crime Wave. She runs the mainecrimewriters.com blog. Her nonfiction focuses on aspects of the public safety officers’ experience such as “A good Man with a Dog,” which was a finalist for the Maine Literary Award. She divides her time between Massachusetts and Maine.

This talk by Flora is part of the association’s year-long celebration of women writers of Lincoln County. The public is invited to visit special exhibits at the Museum & Old Jail in Wiscasset, the Pownalborough Court House in Dresden, and the Chapman-Hall House in Damariscotta. All sites open for the season Saturday, June 4. Admission is free on that day for Lincoln County residents.

To sign up, visit lincolncountyhistory.org, navigate to Events, and fill out the registration form. The talk is free; donations are accepted.

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