DEATH AT FAIR HAVENS, Brain Mill Press, April 26, 2022
Wanda Duff is an unconventional New England clergywoman, addicted to chicken wings, high-octane ice cream, and saying yes to anyone in need of a prayer, even the folks her town might think don’t deserve one.
When parishioner Niels Pond dies unexpectedly at the Fair Havens assisted living facility, Wanda’s duty to minister to his family is beset by her suspicions about the circumstances of his abrupt passing. Wanda finds an unexpected co-detective in high school vice principal Prudence Rye, who fled town on graduation night a decade ago and returned only recently.
Rye puts her job on the line to investigate the mourning Ponds with the surprisingly edgy Wanda. As they expose difficult family truths and uncover a dangerous operation operating out of Fair Havens, Rye and Wanda discover curiosity has an unanticipated cost.
Comfortably gossipy, with a fresh take on the characters and ethos cozy mystery fans will love, Death at Fair Havens launches a series that celebrates intergenerational women’s friendship and the power of inclusion, curiosity, and love.
Due out in April 2022, preorder here.
Pitching Our Tents: Poetry of Hospitality, May 2021
Pitching Our Tents: Poetry of Hospitality is a collection of poems about interfaith hospitality, inclusion and connection. The writers and translators have freely contributed words of welcome that reflect personal experiences from the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, India, Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand as support for the Peace Cathedral in the Republic of Georgia.
Christmas Eve at the Epsom Circle McDonald’s and Other Poems, Maren Tirabassi, December 2020
This book of poetry for the Christmas season tells stories of ordinary lives – putting wooden trains around the tree with a three year old boy, hanging an ornament with a ninety-five year old grandmother, learning that the little girl who wore her “Belle” dress to play the Bethlehem star has been deported, discovering that “Blue” Christmas is less a religious service than baking the cookies a friend used to give as gifts – realizing the images of this season, both from Christian scripture, such as “manger” or “magi,” and the secular world, such as “Scrooge” or “the Grinch” lead us to care for the most vulnerable.
Every year at Advent, we are not the same people we were before. The pandemic and the United States struggle for racial justice in 2020 made that clear. Every December, each of us will have experienced hope and sadness. Christmas will come anyway, in precious and ordinary ways. This book hopes to tell that story.
A Child Laughs: Prayers of Justice and Hope, The Pilgrim Press, May 2019
Lift up justice voices in Sunday worship with A Child Laughs, an anthology of reflections, liturgies, and prayers from seventy-seven writers in eleven different countries. Find meditations, worship resources, and action steps on topics of gun violence, addiction, chronic illness, migration, reproductive health, climate change, and more.
Circ, Maria Mankin, et al., Pigeon Park Press, November 2014
Razvan Popescu lives in a flat overlooking the seaside town of Skegness. He keeps himself to himself and few know the man at all. Even fewer know his past, which he has tried to leave behind in the Romanian woods. But when a tattooed man is found murdered on the beach, it is clear that some of that past has followed him to this tacky seaside town. As battle erupts within the criminal fraternity, dark forces gather around the town and Popescu’s acquaintances find themselves dragged into a world of violence, fire and fairy tales. One thing is certain: the circus has come to town. Ten To One is a novel writing project in which ten authors write a novel together, seeking the approval of a judging panel and a public vote to keep their character in the story. Circ, the first Ten To One novel, is written by Simon Fairbanks, Maria Mankin, Yasmin Ali, Jason Holloway, Livia Akstein Vioto, Luke Beddow, Danielle Rose Bentley, William Thirsk-Gaskill, Sue Barsby and Giselle Thompson.
If you’d like to read more by Maria Mankin and Maren Tirabassi
Calling All Characters 