Lea Wait (May 26, 1946 – August 9, 2019) was an American author of historical novels and mysteries, many set in Maine. She mainly historical and contemporary books for children aged 7 and up. She also created the Shadows Antique Print Mystery series and Mainely Needlepoint series for adults.

Lea Wait
Lea Wait, author
Lea Wait, author
Born(1946-05-26)May 26, 1946
Boston, Massachusetts United States
DiedAugust 9, 2019(2019-08-09) (aged 73)
OccupationNovelist, antique print dealer
GenreChildren's fiction, Mystery fiction

Biography

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Wait was born in Boston, Massachusetts and 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.

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.

Publications

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Antique Print Mysteries

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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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  1. ^ Lea Wait "LeaWait.com - Lea's Autobiography". Archived from the original on 2007-07-09. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
  2. ^ Mysterious Musings: Mystery Writer Lea Wait on Adoption, Writing in Two Genres, and Marriage to the Right Man at Long Last
  3. ^ Simon & Schuster: Lea Wait
  4. ^ http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/aifolder/aipages/ai_w/wait.html Archived 2014-03-01 at the Wayback Machine.