County native to speak to Newfield library-goers

On Oct. 20, Mary Maki, a mystery author from the Finger Lakes region, will visit the Newfield Public Library via Zoom to talk about her writing.

Maki grew up in the Finger Lakes (tinyurl.com/2phcj9vt). She built a house in Newfield in 1972 and lived there for 25 years until her husband got a job in Newton, Connecticut, in 1997. Maki and her husband have a long history of supporting local libraries.

“I love libraries, I love books and I was on the Newfield Library Board of Trustees,” Maki said. “My husband [and] I support several local libraries.”

Maki is the author of the Caitlyn Jamison mystery novels, which include “An Unexpected Death,” “Fatal Dose,” “The Death of Cassie White” and, her most recent mystery novel, “Deadly Secrets.”

The U.S. financial collapse of 2008 upset Maki deeply and motivated her to write her first book, which was published in 2014. Many of her books contain references to social issues, such as fracking and the opioid epidemic, that are relevant to the lives of people who live in the Finger Lakes region.

Maki is well versed in genealogy and got into it after moving to Connecticut. She said genealogy is about bringing people’s stories to life and that writing about things helps her make sense of them.

In late September, Newfield Public Library reached out to Maki to invite her to speak at the library, and Maki accepted.

“She’s a very kind person with a passion for local history and genealogy and also very generous and a big supporter of libraries,” Sue Chaffee, Newfield’s library director, said of Maki.

Maki often visited and spoke at libraries before the pandemic. In April 2018, she visited libraries in Newfield, Trumansburg, Ovid and Lansing over a period of four days.

The event will be held over Zoom because Maki is in Connecticut, but patrons are free to come and attend at the library. Chaffee encouraged library patrons to attend in person but said that those who wish to attend from home may email the library for the Zoom link to the event.

At the event, Maki will present information about her book and her life and hold a Q&A session. Refreshments will be available for those who attend in person.

“I have learned from prior presentations [that] readers like to know a little bit about my background, so I share a little bit about that, then talk about the writing process,” Maki said.

Chaffee said participating in events like this can help local authors gain exposure.

“Highlighting those books through display at the library or programs like Mary’s visit will get people interested,” Chaffee said.

Maki recommended her books to readers who like mysteries that have good characters. According to her, her readers enjoy her work and eagerly await the next book.

“Readers love the books and tell me they can’t put them down,” Maki said. “They ask, ‘When is the next one coming out?’ I get that all the time.”

According to Chaffee, Newfield library patrons like mysteries that take place near where they live. The Newfield library has previously hosted Lissa Marie Redmond, a retired cold case detective who writes mystery novels based on her investigations.

“Our patrons like a good mystery, and Mary is especially interesting because her books have a local flair,” Chaffee said.

Chaffee said she tries to hold four to five visits by authors or poets each year. This goal has been difficult to achieve since the start of the pandemic, but nevertheless, Chaffee encourages authors like Maki to come to the library and talk about their work.

“[Author visits are] a win-win all around for our patrons and the authors,” Chaffee said.

Newfield Notes appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.

In brief:

Events at the library

On Oct. 19, the Newfield Public Library will host an activity learning about wire sculptures with the Johnson Museum of Art from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit the library website at tinyurl.com/2o5ebx5j.

The library will hold a movie night from 7 to 8 p.m. Oct. 21. The movie will be “Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!”

On Oct. 25, the library will hold its weekly Family Storytime from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. Learn more at tinyurl.com/2pkxcakn.

And on Oct. 27, the library will hold its Sweet Reads program, in which attendees discuss books over dessert, at 6:30 p.m.

Newfield school board to meet

The Newfield Central School District’s Board of Education will hold its second meeting of the month at 6 p.m. Oct. 20. The meeting will be held at the school, but a recording will be posted on YouTube for those who wish to see it.