October 28, 2007: It was another successful day at the 2nd annual Book Em Lebanon yesterday, where readers met authors and talked about reading, writing, and publishing. If you'd like to chat with me about any of these great topics, my next book signing is at the New Boston, NH, Public Library's Multi-Author Event and Book Signing on Sat., Nov. 17th, from 11 am to 2 pm. See "Upcoming Book Signings" at left for more information.

October 25, 2007: It was great meeting the authors and readers in Virginia. It is beautiful country down there!
My next book signing is on Saturday, Oct. 27th, from 10 am to 2:00 pm at the Lebanon, NH, high school. Come on out and say hi. Writer Jodi Picoult will be signing books there, also, from 10 to about 11 am. The earlier the better to see her, but I will be there all day sigining books and talking about writing/publishing.

October 10, 2007: YES, SANTA CLAUS, I'LL BE IN VIRGINIA!
My next book signing is on Saturday, Oct. 20th, in Waynesboro, Virginia, at the high school, for the Book 'Em event. 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. See Upcoming Book Signings at left for more information. Go to my Waynesboro authors' page to see all of the authors attending. On Oct. 27th, I'll be at the Lebanon, NH, Book Em event. See here for authors to be attending the Lebanon Book 'Em.
Note: I will also be giving a workshop along with writer Nikki Andrews: "Be All You Can Be as a Writer" on Monday, Oct. 22nd, from 6-8 pm at the Pelham Public Library, 24 Village Green, Pelham, NH; ph 603/635-7581.

October 1, 2007: My next book signing is this Sunday at the Milford Pumpkin Festival. I'll be in the town hall from 10 am to 2 pm. I should have limited copies of a new chapbook of poetry called "Longings for Home, Family & Nature." Thanks to everyone who came out to the Candlelite Inn on Saturday for that book signing. It was great meeting you and talking all things writing and publishing.

September 23, 2007: My next book signing is Saturday, Sept. 29th, from 11 am to 3 pm at the Candlelite Inn in Bradford, NH. For more information on the inn, go to its web site.

September 9, 2007: Thanks to everyone who came out and met me at the Nashua Public Library book signing. I enjoyed meeting you all. My next book signing is at the Pelham Public Library on Mon., Sept. 17th. at 6 pm. Come one, come all!

In other nice news, I've learned that NH's own famous author, Jodi Picoult, will be signing books at the Lebanon, NH, Book Em with me on Oct. 27th. I've read her novel, My Sister's Keeper. Wow, that was a great book!
Also, best-selling author Catherine Coulter will be signing books with me at the Waynesboro, VA, Book Em on Oct. 20th.
I'm expecting huge crowds and tons of book lovers, all buying books to help fight illiteracy.
Go to the Book Em Foundation web site for more information on both events.

August 28, 2007: I will be signing books at two local libraries in early September. On Thurs., Sept. 6th, I wil be at a local authors' gathering at the Nashua, NH, Public Library at 7 pm. On Monday, Sept. 17th, I will be at the Pelham, NH, Library with fellow writer Nikki Andrews as we give a workshop titled Be All You Can Be as a Writer from 6-8 pm. See Upcoming Book Signings at left. Hope to see you there!

July 15, 2007: I'm plugging along on the third book. Meanwhile, I've received preliminary illustrations for the book of two of the characters, love interest Joe Griffin and the new probie at Station 10. (I could say his name, but that would give away a plot point in the new book.) I hope to include a lot more character illustrations in this book. For a list of characters in Books 1 and 2, see this page. A few months ago I received an email from someone who had the same name as 10 engine chauffeur Stuart West. He was amused to see what traits the character with his name had (basically: energetic, positive, nosy, angers easily, forgives easily). I really never thought there were any real people with that name around!
Life keeps surprising me. And how small the world has become with the Internet around. I found a link from Google to one supposed spot on my web site that actually led to another site -- one with porn! If you somehow reach that, I apologize. I don't deal in that, but some charlatans will do anything to get you to look at their trash -- even use legitimate web sites.
Sigh.

June 24, 2007: Yesterday, we had a great time at the New England Firefighters' Challenge in Lowell, MA. It made me appreciate yet again how difficult being a firefighter is. I might put a part of the challenge in the next book. Greg and I took a lot of photos. Here are two of them. At left, competitors struggle to haul hose to the top of the tower and, at right, one firefighter pulls a 175-pound dummy toward the finish line:

June 18, 2007: Here is the new MacShane Books logo:

June 11, 2007: I received a nice comment about my first book the other day from a reader in Maryland: "I recently purchased a signed paperback copy of Soot and Sweat on Flesh from you for my husband. He absolutely loved it and read it in a single day! I guess you really got it right because as a firefighter for 34 years, he can be pretty hard to please when it comes to firefighter novels." And then she said she'd like to purchase the second one for him as well. Those comments really made my day. Thanks. That's what every writer really lives for.

June 8, 2007: I'm working on a design for the logo for MacShane Books with a designer. Of course, there will be some kind of flame or fire in it! I'll preview it here as soon as it's done. I'm continuing work on the third book, while the artist continues work on the illustrations. Hope you're enjoying the nice weather. I wonder if I can set up my computer outdoors...

May 27, 2007: Happy Memorial Day Weekend, everyone! The spring-summer weather has been gracing us here in New Hampshire the past few days, although all I've been thinking about is the writing I'm doing on the third book. This weekend, June 2nd, I'll be in Brookline, NH, signing books from 9 am to 12 pm at The Cozy Tea Cart on 40 Mountain Road. Other artists and writers will be there as well. Delicious free treats available for anyone who attends. Hope to see you there!

May 1, 2007: Thanks to all who came out to visit with us authors at Jitterbeans in Marlborough, NH. They have some awesome coffee drinks and flavored waters there. The next book signing will not be until June 2nd. See "Upcoming Book Signings" at left. Hope to see you then!

April 25, 2007: JITTERBEANS, JITTERBEANS, JITTERBEANS...it sounds like a spell, but it's the name of a coffee house on 101 in Marlborough, NH. Come visit us there on Sunday April 29th from 2-4 pm! Food! Drink! Books! Bingo! Fun! Talk about reading, writing, and publishing! We welcome everyone!

April 22, 2007: A rough draft of the next book's cover was just presented to me by the illustrator. See above. It may come out looking totally different, but I'm very happy with this start. The book should be out late this year.

April 21, 2007: Thanks for coming out to see us last night at Santos Dumont coffee house on Route 101 in Milford. It's a great place to relax, have a coffee or an ice cream, and read a book.

April 20, 2007: Tonight, I'll be signing books at Santos Dumont in Milford, NH. On Tuesday night, I listened to Canadian science fiction author Robert Sawyer at Toadstool Books. Great author, great bookstore, great time. I just finished reading his Hominids, and earlier this year, Mindscan. I bought a signed copy of his latest book, Rollback, about the ethical dilemmas of rolling back the years on your body so that you are young again. Would you do it? How about if you could do it, but not your spouse? Would you want to be 40 years younger, physically, than the person you love? Hmm, doesn't sound like too much fun. I recommend his books if you enjoy science fiction. I may write a scifi book at some point. I just need to get this third book in the Bette Maguire series done!

April 16, 2007: Hello! We're having awful weather again today in New Hampshire - heavy rain and high winds. The power even went out where I work. Thanks to all who came out on Saturday to see us at Toadstool Books in Milford, NH. What a nice bookstore and awesome employees! If you missed us, please be sure to visit us Friday night, April 20th, from 7-9 at Santos Dumont Coffee & Ice Cream Parlor, 770 Elm St. (Route 101), Milford NH. See "Upcoming Book Signings" at left.

My husband and I had a visit from the local fire department a few nights ago when we had to call them after smelling a bad odor coming from downstairs and didn't exactly know where the problem was. In a few minutes, it seemed as though the whole department showed up. Four firefighters went through the house with thermal imaging sensors until they found the problem: a burning power strip. It was the plastic burning that we smelled. One of them said the whole house could have burned down if we hadn't caught it in time. I'm just glad we were home when it happened and could stop it before it turned tragic. Apparently, these power strips cause lots of problems when they fail. In our case, the power strip wasn't overloaded; it was just old. We had only had two minor things plugged into it. In any case, the firefighters did a great, professional job and cleared out the house of the smell. All is well. Thanks, guys!

April 4, 2007: C'mon, Spring, where are you? I am waiting none too patiently for warm weather. When I heard snow was going to fall again today and tomorrow, I wanted to roll back into bed and go to sleep. Anyhow, working on third book and amazed at how many new characters there seem to be in Bette's life. I'm also busily planning events with fellow writers of the NEMD (New England Media Distributors). See "Upcoming Book Signings" at left. We plan to play "Book Bingo" at some of the events! Come on out and play! You could win "book bucks" off our array of books and CDs!

February 20, 2007: I'm happy to announce the first three book signings scheduled for this year: Saturday, April 14th, from 11 am to 1 pm at the Milford Toadstool bookstore. Plus, I'll be signing books at Santos Dumont in Milford, NH, on Friday, April 20th, from 7 to 9 pm. Plus, I'll be at Jitterbeans in Marlborough, NH, on Sunday, April 29th. See "Upcoming Book Signings" at left for more information. Hope to see you there!

January 1, 2007: Wow, a new year is upon us! I hope you all have a great new year! I hope this year to finish and publish Book 3 of the Bette Maguire series or the horror book I've started, which is about killer trees in New Hampshire. Watch out for those pine trees!

December 18, 2006: The local author book signing was a success! We were able to donate 60 of our books and magazines worth $526.73 to the troops in Iraq! Happy reading, folks! I hope everyone has a great holiday!

December 8, 2006: I'll be at the Haverhill Public Library tomorrow for a Local Author book signing from 11 am to 4 pm. Stop on by and listen to me read from my book at noon or pick up a last-minute copy of one of my books -- perfect for a Christmas gift -- at reduced rates!

November 29, 2006: I did it! I finished National Novel Writing Month at more than 50,000 words. I highly recommend this speedy way of writing to anyone who really, really, really wants to write a book! It can be done! Click on the winner icon below to learn more.

November 28, 2006: I've added a list of who is attending the Local Author Event on December 9 in Haverhill, MA. Check out everyone who will be attending! There will be author presentations and readings and tables manned from local publishers. There will be a box available for donating new books to the troops overseas. For more information, see Upcoming Book Signings at left.

November 23, 2006: Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm up to 40,100 words written in NaNoWriMo. Yeehaw!

November 19, 2006: It was a lot of fun meeting everyone who came to the Manchester Armory yesterday for the great crafts show! My last event of the year is Dec. 6th. See Upcoming Book Signings at left. Re: NanoWriMo (see Nov. 4th entry below), I'm up to 30,000 words. Not the best I could be doing, but still hopeful I can reach 50,000 words by Nov. 30th. Thanks, Nikki, for the encouragement.

November 8, 2006: I'll be going to a Local Authors Holiday Gathering and Book Sale on Saturday, December 9th, 11 am-4 pm, at the Haverhill, MA, Public Library. Come on out and see me then, and meet lots of other local authors. See Upcoming Book Signings at left.
As to the NaNoWriMo challenge (see Nov. 4th entry below), it's harder than I thought. I have about 8300 words written in 8 days. 1000 words a day is great for me, but I need to do 1667 a day to keep up with the target. So I'm 5000 words behind at this point. Sigh. Well, I'll keep going because it's an amazing experience. It's all about pumping out quantity of words over quality. I don't even have time to re-read it all before starting on the next section! Not the way I usually write, but I can do it! Have to go now...I have 500 more words to write before I fall asleep!

November 4, 2006: Thanks to everyone who came out to see me today. My next book signing of the year is in Manchester, NH, at the Manchester Armory, on Nov. 18. For more details, click on Upcoming Book Signings at left. Of course, signed books are always available for sale from my Ebay Listings.
Also, this month, I'm trying to write a 50,000-word novel as part of the National Novel Writing Month. It's difficult. I'm writing a horror novel set in New Hampshire - quite a departure, but it's also fun. See www.nanowrimo.org for more information on how you can participate in the novel-writing process along with thousands of others this month.

October 30, 2006: My next book signing is this Saturday at 1 pm in Salem, NH, at Annie's Book Stop on Route 28. Stop on by if you're in the neighborhood. Fellow author Cindy Davis and I will talk about writing, mystery novels, and getting published. BTW, thanks for stopping by The Cozy Tea Cart despite the pouring rain on Saturday and sampling the food and literature.

October 27, 2006: Come visit us tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 28th, at a NH Fall Harvest Fair! Come hungry and entice your palates with samplings of fall foods, hearty soups, pumpkin bars, cookies, teas, teacakes, and much, much more. Visit with local artists, authors (including me!), and artisans. Due to the possible inclement weather, the event will be held inside The Cozy Tea Cart, 40 Mountain Road, Brookline, NH from 10-4. If you get lost or want more information, please call 249-9111. Hope to see you there!

October 16, 2006: Thanks to all the book lovers who came out to the Westford Regency yesterday! It was great talking to you all! My next book signing is October 28th in Brookline, NH. See "Upcoming Book Signings" at left for more information. I will also be signing books at a mystery author panel at Annie's Book Stop in Salem, NH, on Saturday, November 4th.

October 9, 2006: My next book signing is Sunday in Westford, MA, at the Annual Fall Festival of Arts & Crafts at the Westford Regency from 10 am - 4 pm. The location is 219 Littleton Rd. Rt 110. Come on out and say hello! Meanwhile, it was a beautiful day this past Saturday in Hudson, NH, for a book signing at the wonderful Harvest Fair.

October 6, 2006: I'll be in Hudson, NH, tomorrow signing books at the Historical Society's Harvest Fair at the Alvirne House on Derry Street. Come on out and say hello! The weather should be great!

September 27, 2006: Thanks to everyone who came to Concord for the craft fair. My next signing is in Hudson, NH, (Historical Society Harvest Fair with hay rides) on October 7th. Also, some NH authors and crafters that I know will be busily planning a Harvest Fair in Brookline, NH, for October 28th that should be a lot of fun. More details to come. See "Upcoming Book Signings" at left for more information.

September 18, 2006: Next book signing: this Saturday, September 23rd, from 10 am to 3 pm at Concord, NH's Douglas Everett Arena. See "Upcoming Book Signings" at left for more information. Looking forward to seeing you!

September 17, 2006: Thanks to all who came to Salem, NH's Annie's Book Stop, for a book signing today. Here is a photo from the event. From left to right are: NH mystery writer Cindy Davis, me, Marianne Mancusi (writes time travel romances - cool!), Tabatha Jean D´Agata (author of Marvin Monster children books), and bookstore owner Rose Knox. Thanks, Rose. Maybe we'll have a Mystery Writer's Event soon at your Salem store!

September 14, 2006: A last-minute book signing has just come up. I will be attending
Larry's Country Square Grand Reopening Party on this Sunday, Sept. 17th, from 12 noon - 3 pm at Annie's Book Stop, 326 S. South Broadway, Salem, NH, ph (603) 893-8202. I'll be there with fellow authors Cindy Davis and Marianne Mancusi. Free food and fun. Come on down if you're in the area!
On Sat., Sept. 23rd, 10am - 3pm, I will be in Concord, NH, at the Douglas Everett Arena for the 19th Annual Fall Fling Craft Fair with Michaeline Della Ferra. Hope to see you there!

September 11, 2006: Let's all take a moment of silence today to remember the 343 firefighters and many, many others who perished in the terrorist attacks on New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC, five years ago.

September 10, 2006: Thank you to everyone for stopping by at the Lebanon, NH, Book Fair to help fight literacy! I met some really great people who love to read and write books! See fellow author Cindy Davis at right in photo below.

September 4, 2006: Happy Labor Day everyone, and I hope you're not laboring too hard! The second edition of Soot and Sweat on Flesh: The First in the Bette Maguire Series is available for sale for only 9.99! See How to Order at left.

August 26, 2006: On September 9th, from 9:30am to 4:30pm, I will be at the Lebanon, NH, high school (195 Hanover St.; Exit 18 off of Route 89) with 40+ other authors as we sign books to support literacy.
One of the more well-known authors there will be Janet Evanovich,
the writer of the Stephanie Plum series and the Metro series.
For more information, go to: http://bookemfoundation.org/lebanon. Hope to see you there!

August 19, 2006: The second edition of Soot and Sweat on Flesh: The First in the Bette Maguire Series
will be available soon. I re-did the cover (see above) and layout myself, and printed it myself, resulting in a much more satisfactory book. The text has been tightened a bit, but is essentially the same as the first edition. Printing it myself will allow me to sell it at a much more reasonable price and thus a lot more people will be able to read it! I'm very happy! Any questions, please let me know at juliemacshane@yahoo.com. The second edition should be available at my next book signing in Lebanon, NH. See next listing.

August 17, 2006: Hello! Hope you're all enjoying the hot, hot summer!
My next book signing will be on Saturday, Sept. 9th, in Lebanon, NH, a town on the VT border, at the high school from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. I'll be there with about 50 other authors signing and selling books to benefit literacy. This event is called: Book 'Em : An Innovative Book Fair -- "Buy a Book and Stop a Crook." Admittance is free. Their web site is located at: http://bookemfoundation.org/lebanon.

June 24, 2006: Drat! Rained out today. I won't be able to make it to the Townsend, MA, Town Common and the Strawberry Festival today. Books and rain don't play well together. More details about next book signing to be listed soon.

June 3, 2006: Thanks to everyone who came out to meet me at the book signing in Milford, MA, last month. A photo of the booth and fellow world-famous authors are below. You'll recognize Michaeline Della Ferra, Valerie Raudonis and myself. Other book signings will be coming up in the fall in Lebanon, NH (September), Hudson, NH (October), and Manchester, NH (November). More details will follow in coming months. Have a great beginning of the summer! Keep cool!

May 7, 2006: UP-AND-COMING BOOK SIGNING: Don't forget: I'll be signing books at Arts/Crafts Festival in Milford, MA, at the John Smith Sports Center, 70 Sumner Street, on Sunday, May 21st, from 10 am to 3 pm. I will be at a booth with fellow local authors. Hope to see you there!

March 26, 2006: The Milford, NH, diva day was great! I'm setting up another book signing for Milford, MASS, on May 21st. Stay tuned for more details!

March 3, 2006: Come on out and meet me on Saturday, March 11th!
I will be selling and signing books in Milford, NH, on Saturday, March 11th, from 10 am to 4 pm at the Souhegan Valley Women’s Expo or "Diva Day" at the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley. Vendors, crafters, entertainers, exhibits, food, and information tables, all with women in mind, will be featured. The address is 56 Mont Vernon Street, Milford, and I will be there with fellow world-famous author, Michaeline Della Ferra at our own little booth.

February 25, 2006: I've updated the "Meet the Characters" section at left with some of the Book 2 characters. Check it out!

February 19, 2006: I had a great time meeting writers and readers yesterday at the Women's Expo in Manchester, NH. Thanks to everybody who stopped by to chat or buy books! Below are four world-famous authors: Michaeline, Yvonne, me, and Valerie at our booth.

February 1, 2006: Come meet me and get signed copies of Torch and Soot and Sweat on Flesh at discounted show prices! On Saturday, February 18th, I will be signing books at the Women's Expo in Manchester, NH, at the Radisson Hotel from 10am to 4 pm. I will be in a booth with 3 other NH women writers: Michaeline Della Ferra (mystery writer); Yvonne Dunetz (spiritual writer); and Valerie Raudonis (poet). Please come! I would love to meet my readers and potential readers then. For more information on the WZID Women's Expo, please go to WZID's web site.
I know there will be a fun re-enactment of "The Dating Game," plus special guest stars will be Maryann Esposito, chef, author and star of Ciao! Italia, and Frank Bielec, author and star of Trading Spaces, who will offer a home decorating demonstration. Maryann will demonstrate how cooking Italian can be easy, fun and quick!

January 2, 2006: Wow, a new year is upon us! Hope it's a good one for everybody. I just received the first reader comments about Torch. See "Reader Comments" at left. I don't expect to have many more any time soon; the book is a long one (but a good one) to read. However, please send me your comments when you're finished and I will post them!
Torch is available for sale on amazon.com, but not barnesandnoble.com yet!
I plan to have book signings! The problem is always: where? I'll let you know when I have any information. I know I'm having one in Manchester, NH, on Feb. 18th at the Radisson at the Women's Expo.

September 24, 2005: Here I am at a 2005 book signing, where I was selling and signing copies of Soot and Sweat on Flesh to benefit PennWell's Courage and Valor Foundation, a very worthy cause.