A Visit With the Great Howard Frank Mosher

Me and Howard Frank Mosher (r)

My wife Patricia Smith and I paid a visit to one of our favorite novelists, Howard Frank Mosher, at his rambling farmhouse in Vermont’s remote Northeast Kingdom this week. Howard and his wife Phillis were perfect hosts, treating us to a tour of the area, some excellent meals, and, best of all, two evenings of great conversation about storytelling, family, and the Boston Red Sox.

Howard also spun some great Northeast Kingdom lore, some of which is going to show up in his next novel.

Howard (l) with my wife Patricia Smith and me

Previously we’d struck up an online friendship after Howard emailed me with unsolicited praise for my first crime novel, Rogue Island,  but this was the first time we’d met face to face. I hope it will not be the last. Howard and Phillis are both incredibly well-read, and I was thrilled that they not only knew my work but could quote from my wife’s brilliant poetry. Howard even talked about my protagonist, Liam Mulligan as if he were alive and breathing — which to me he really is.

If you haven’t read Howard’s playful, lyrical novels — especially Waiting for Teddy Williams — you need to reassess your priorities. Howard’s the one in the ball cap.

Me with Howard (center) and his lovely wife Phillis

You can learn more about Howard and his brilliant work here.

And you can find my Associated Press reviews of some of his novels here.

And here.

And here.