| Lea Wait | |
|---|---|
 Lea Wait, author | |
| Born | (1946-05-26)May 26, 1946 Boston, Massachusetts United States |
| Died | August 9, 2019(2019-08-09) (aged 73) |
| Occupation | Novelist, antique print dealer |
| Genre | Children's fiction, Mystery fiction |
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.
Biography
Wait was born in Boston, Massachusetts and her family summered in Maine. 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, 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
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.
- 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.
- 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.