Lea Wait
Lea Wait was an American author of historical novels and mysteries, many set in Maine. She has written historical and contemporary books for children aged 7 and up, two books of nonfiction, and the Shadows Antique Print Mystery series and Mainely Needlepoint series for adults.
Lea Wait | |
|---|---|
 Lea Wait, Maine author | |
| Born | May 26, 1946 Boston, Massachusetts United States |
| Died | August 9, 2019 (aged 73) |
| Occupation | Novelist, antique print dealer |
| Genre | Children's fiction, Mystery fiction, |
Biography
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she grew up in a family where books were an important part of life. Her family summered in Maine.[1] She did her undergraduate work at Chatham College - now Chatham University - in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and her graduate work at New York University, completing all requirements for a doctorate except for the dissertation,[2] a 'DWD', and joining AT&T as a manager. Her grandmother was an antiques dealer, and in 1976 she started an antique print business and decided she should become a writer. She also, as a single parent, adopted four “older” girls born in Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, and India.[1]
In 1998, she left corporate life and moved to live in Edgecomb, Maine. She wrote and spoke about writing full-time. She married artist Bob Thomas in October 2003. Lea Wait passed away in August 2019.
Publications
Antique Print Mysteries
Featuring Maggie Summer, antique dealer and community college professor.
- Shadows at the Fair, 2003, nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel.[3]
- Shadows on the Coast of Maine, 2003, a Mystery Guild Editor's Selection.
- Shadows on the Ivy, 2004.
- Shadows at the Spring Show, 2005.
- Shadows of a Down East Summer, 2011
- Shadows on a Cape Cod Wedding, 2013
- Shadows on a Maine Christmas, 2014
- Shadows on a Morning in Maine, 2016
Mainely Needlepoint Mysteries
- Twisted Treads, 2015
- Threads of Evidence, 2015
- Thread and Gone, 2016
- Dangling by a Thread, 2016
- Tightening the Threads, 2017
- Thread the Halls, 2017
- Thread Herrings, 2018
- Thread on Arrival, 2019
- Thread and Buried, 2019
Children's books
- Stopping to Home, 2001, named a Notable Book for Children in 2001 by Smithsonian magazine.
- Seaward Born, 2003.
- Wintering Well, 2004, named one of "The Best Children's Books of 2004" by The Children's Book Committee at the Bank Street College of Education.[4]
- Finest Kind, 2006.
- Uncertain Glory, 2014
- Pizza to Die For, 2017
Non-fiction
- The Only Writing Series You'll Ever Need: Writing Children's Books with Lesley Bolton, 2007
- Living and Writing on the Coast of Maine, 2015
References
- Lea Wait "LeaWait.com - Lea's Autobiography". Archived from the original on 2007-07-09. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
- Mysterious Musings: Mystery Writer Lea Wait on Adoption, Writing in Two Genres, and Marriage to the Right Man at Long Last
- Simon & Schuster: Lea Wait
- http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/aifolder/aipages/ai_w/wait.html Archived 2014-03-01 at the Wayback Machine.