These stories and events, featuring Cynthia Riggs and her Martha's Vineyard mysteries, all first appeared on the home page:

• December 2011. Cynthia's agent, Christine Witthohn, has arranged to have her first four books, Deadly Nightshade, The Cranefly Orchid Murders, The Cemetery Yew, and Jack in the Pulpit, available on Kindle. Shown below are the covers for the four books, a new and dramatic look.
   
• December 10, 2011. Cynthia Riggs, Stephen Wesley (illustrator/cartoonist), and Lynn Christoffers (photographer) will be signing books at Edgartown Books' multi-author event, "Christmas in Edgartown" at 11:00 AM. Edgartown Books is on 44 Main Street in Edgartown. Telephone: 508.627.8463.
   
• December 8, 2011. Cynthia was interviewed about her book, "Victoria Trumbull's Martha's Vineyard" on Mindy Todd's show, "The Point," on National Public Radio's Cape and Islands station, WCAI.
   
• November 2011. Cynthia sold and signed her books at the annual Artisans' Fair at the Ag Hall in West Tisbury, along with Victoria's Vineyard photographer Lynn Christoffers and the cartographer Stephen (Step) Wesley.
   
• July 9, 2011, 11:00 AM. Guest Author at the 2011 Authors' Series at the Mashpee Public Library in the Events' Room. Tickets are $8 and available at the library and the Market Street Bookshop in Mashpee Commons, Cape Cod. Light refreshments will be served.
   
• June 1, 2011. An excerpt from MVTimes.com describing an evening with agent Christine Witthohn at Bunch of Grapes, and Cynthia's remarkable offer to aspiring authors:
  
  "Thorpe was one of 18 Island authors to sit for 10 or so minutes over the weekend, face-to-face with Christine Witthohn, owner of Book Cents, a Charleston, West Virginia literary agency. Most were hoping their book idea would strike Ms.Witthohn's fancy and perhaps an invitation to join a writer roster that includes Islander Cynthia Riggs, a star in the Book Cents firm. Some, like Ms. Thorpe, were also looking for feedback and a look inside the process of getting to print.
  
  Ms. Riggs, whose 10th sleuth novel Bee Balm Murders has been in bookstores since April, also masterminded a remarkable marketing idea that had 60 or so wannabee writers hanging from the rafters at Bunch of Grapes on Friday night, May 27. The village drums say the event will happen again soon.
  
  On Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29, Ms. Riggs made the Cleaveland House, her West Tisbury home and B&B, available for the book pitches to agent Witthohn for authors in the audience. The only qualifier was that authors purchase a book from Bunch of Grapes on Friday.
  
  "Cynthia's our bread and butter author. We love Cynthia," said Dawn Braasch, Bunch of Grapes owner, in her welcoming remarks at the Vineyard Haven bookstore.
  
  Ms. Riggs made more fans last weekend. But to her thinking, she was just doing for others what had been done for her - a helping hand extended by a famous author to a neophyte.
  
  "Years ago, I had just published my first book and I was at an author signing, seated with Phil Craig, who had about a dozen books on the table. He was so generous, recommending my book to his fans," she told The Times. Mr. Craig, who died in 2007, penned a very successful series of mystery novels set on the Island.
  
  Ms. Riggs introduced Ms. Witthohn for a how-to discussion on book publishing. A show of hands indicated that 50 or so in the audience had a book - or, sort of a book. Four or five have been published, only two by traditional publishers."
   
• May 21, 2011, 12:00 - 2:00 PM. Speaker at the Women of the Whaling Days Cultural Luncheon Saturday, May 21, 12:00 - 2:00 PM. The Grill on Main, Upper Main St., Edgartown. This is the 5th in our series of Cultural Luncheons during which we seek to explain how our very unique culture has evolved as a result of the contributions and influences of a particular cultural group.
   
• April 29, 2011. Cynthia is on a panel at Malice Domestic, held this year in Bethesda, Maryland, April 29th to May 1st.
   
• March 8, 15, 22, 29, and April 6, 2011. "Writing and Publishing Your Book," instructor, adult education course at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, 6:30-8 pm.
   
• March 12, 2011, 2-4PM. "ACE Authors Read," Bunch of Grapes Bookstore, Vineyard Haven, Mass.
   
• March 10, 2011, 1:00-2:30PM. "Cape Cod Authors' Series," speaker, Snow Library, Orleans, Mass.
   
• February 27, 2011, 2PM. Cynthia is moderator on the panel, "Cozies on a Cold Winter Day" at the Duxbury Public Library, near Boston, on February 27th. Other panelists are Leslie Meier and Susan Oleksiw. Call 781.934.2721 for more information.
   
• February 2, 2011. Cynthia hosts her annual Groundhog Day Gala at the Cleaveland House. Read the story in Vineyard Gazette Online.
   
• December 11, 2010. Cynthia will be signing books at Edgartown Books, Mainstreet, Edgartown, on Saturday, December 11th.
   
• December 4, 2010. Cynthia went to the mainland where she spoke at the Osterville Library on Cape Cod on December 4th.
   
• November 2010. Cynthia and her daughter (the webmaster), were scheduled to sail on the Carnival Splendor on November 14th for a week-long cruise, Mystery on the High Seas, where Cynthia was to be a panelist. Unfortunately, the cruise was cancelled after the ship was disabled due to an engine room fire. Mystery on the High Seas has been rescheduled for next November.
   
• October 2010. How Six Fans Got Their Names in Cynthia's Mysteries
  Mindy LePere bid on a weekend at Cynthia's B&B and name-in-the-book, and ended up being a nurse ministering to two murder suspects in Death and Honesty. Touch-Me-Not has five winning names — Lucinda Chandler won at an auction for Windemere, the nursing home associated with the MV Hospital; Whit and Diana Manter had the winning bid at a second Windemere auction; Jim Weiss bid at the Edgartown School's fundraiser for a trip to Washington; Casper Martin bid on the Vermont College auction; and Jeannie McIntosh won at the Sail MV auction for her new grandson, Hugo A. Blinckmann. Look for these names in book number nine.
   
• September 2010. Cynthia signed books on the Vineyard Haven waterfront, in front of the American Star. She spoke on board the vessel on two occasions. The American Star does a week long cruise around New England, stopping at the Vineyard for two nights and a day.
   
• September 2010. The West Tisbury Library invited Cynthia to give a talk on September 2nd.
   
• September 2010. Great reviews of Touch-Me-Not appear in The Martha's Vineyard Times, Publishers Weekly, and Richmond Times Dispatch.
   
• August 2010. Cynthia's ninth mystery, Touch-Me-Not, is in the bookstores!
   
• July 2010. The agent who sold Cynthia's first nine books, Nancy Love, died in July. Cynthia now has a new agent, Christine Witthohn. In speaking about this transition, Cynthia says, "I mourn the loss of Nancy Love who became a close personal friend as well as an effective professional ally. I now have a new agent, Christine Witthohn, who remarked that she has large shoes to fill. Nancy Love was tiny. Her shoe size was probably a 3 or 4. But very large indeed. Last year at a conference sponsored by Sisters in Crime and the Mystery Writers of America, I heard Christine Witthohn of Book Cents Literary Agency speak about the role of agents, and was greatly impressed by her knowledge of publishing, her energy, and her enthusiasm. She has agreed to represent me. I miss Nancy greatly, but look forward to working with Christine."
   
• June 2010. St. Martin's has accepted Cynthia's 10th book, The Bee Balm Murders, for publication in May 2011.
   
• February 12, 2010. Guest author at Breakfast with the Authors at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod in South Yarmouth, from 9:00 - 11:30 am. Visit the Cape Cod Writers Center web site for additional information.
   
• November 23, 2009. Interviewed on Murder, They Write, an internet talk show that spotlights women mystery authors.
   
• November 13-15, 2009. Panelist at the New England Crimebake.
   
• October 29, 2009. Killer Riggs gives Encore to Falmouth Newcomers
  Cynthia will be speaking at the bi-annual event, "Meet the Author" hosted by Encore of Falmouth Newcomers. The Inkwell Bookstore will be on hand to sell books.
   
• October 2009. Harlequin has purchased Death and Honesty for a paperback edition.
   
• September 30, 2009. St. Martin's Press accepted Touch-Me-Not, the 9th book in the series.
   
• September 22, 2009. Speaking to the Mystery Club at the Staatsburg Library in Staatsburg, N.Y., followed by a lunch cruise on the Rip Van Winkle.
   
• September 20, 2009. Cynthia's books and B&B, Cleaveland House, hit USA Today. You'll find two paragraphs in the August 20th article, Celebrities fit right in on Martha's Vineyard, about President Obama's vacation on the island.
   
• Autumn 2009. Cynthia is teaching Writing and Selling Your Book again this autumn, through the Martha's Vineyard Adult and Community Education Program. It's a ten-hour course designed for those who have always wanted to write a book, but don't know how to start. It is also for those who've stashed a manuscript in a bottom drawer and feel it's time to look it over. From C.Messmer who took her class last Fall, "Beyond expectations. Cynthia Riggs is an island treasure! Her class was informative and encouraging. Her enthusiasm and inspiration colored a well-outlined syllabus." Visit the Adult and Community Education Program site for details and registration.
   
• July 22, 2009. Speaking at the MV Rotary Club in Oak Bluffs.
   
• July 10, 2009. Interviewed on Internet Radio for a show called "Mystery Matters" with Fran Stewart.
   
• Thursday, July 9 2009 at 7 p.m.
  MURDER & MERLOT AT THE MANSION Highfield Hall, Falmouth, MA Cynthia appears with Linda Fairstein, Spencer Quinn and Peter Abrahams at an 1878 mansion to discuss murder. (Highfield Hall has a history of being haunted). Socialize at the event while pianist Gary Girouard plays original compositions on a Mason & Hamlin grand piano. Enjoy a wine tasting provided by Murphy's Fine Wines of Falmouth. Tickets for this event are $7 and may be purchased at the Inkwell Bookstore, or over the phone with a credit card at 508-540-0039. Sales benefit the preservation of Historic Highfield Hall.
   
• July 8, 2009. Front of Bunch of Grapes with other authors for the Tisbury Street Fair.
   
• July 4, 2009. Signing at Edgartown Books.
   
• July 4, 2009. Signing books at the Grand Re-Opening of Bunch of Grapes.
   
• June 5, 2009. Talk at the West Tisbury Library.
   
• Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 4 p.m.
  BAKED BEANS and MURDER AT THE INKWELL BOOKSTORE Inkwell Bookstore, 199 Main Street, Falmouth. Admission is free. After the discussion, participate in a Q&A and meet Ms. Riggs. Enjoy complimentary fresh baked beans (Victoria's Secret Recipe) and brown bread delivered fresh from the Vineyard. For additional information call 508-540-0039 or visit the www.inkwellbookstore.com
   
• May 20, 2009
  Cynthia is interviewed by Plum TV (the Vineyard, Nantucket, the Hamptons, Miami Beach, Aspen, and Vail).
   
• May 20, 2009. Talk at the Chilmark Library.
   
• May 2009
  "Death and Honesty" is now available in bookstores and online. A list of booksellers has been posted on this site.
   
• April 2009
  A great interview of Cynthia has been posted on The Martha's Vineyard Times web site. She discusses her new book and reads an excerpt.
   
• August 2008
  Sandra Parshall, of Poe's Deadly Daughters, interviewed Cynthia in August. Cynthia talks about her past - "spent some time in Antarctica" - and the future - "started a second series set on the waterfront in Washington, D.C." The interview has been posted to the Deadly Daughters' blog site.
   
• July 2008
  More than a hundred people attended a Memorial Tribute to Phil Craig, the Martha's Vineyard mystery writer who died last year (2007). The tribute was held on Sunday, July 20th and was sponsored by the Vineyard Haven Library. Cynthia was MC and Lynn Christoffers took the pictures. The speakers were Phil's widow Shirley Prada Craig; their son Jaime Craig; Phil's friend, collaborator, and fellow writer Bill Tapply; the manager of Edgartown Books, Susan Mercier; and the publishers of Phil and Shirley's cookbook, "Delish," John Walter and Jan Pogue.
   
• May 2008
  St. Martin's has accepted Book #8, "Death and Honesty," scheduled for publication in spring of 2009.
   
• May 2008
  On May 6th and 7th, Cynthia went to Staatsburg, NY, a town on the Hudson River near Hyde Park, Franklin D. Roosevelt's home, for a talk at the Staatsburg Library.
   
• May 2008
  Cynthia was recognized as one of the authors of "geezer lit" in AARP Bulletin, May 2008. "The graying of America is spreading fast to mystery bookshelves," says contributor, Pat Remick. "A genre some have dubbed "geezer lit," featuring crime-solving protagonists age 70-plus, ... could be the next big frontier in crime fiction." He goes on to name Cynthia among several other mystery writers with aging protagonists.
   
• May 2008
  "Murder and Merlot at the Mansion," a panel of four mystery writers sponsored by Inkwell Bookstore of Falmouth, Mass., was held on Wednesday, May 7, 2008, at Fairfield Hall (the mansion). Pictured with Cynthia are Peter Abraham and Katherine Hall Page.
   
• April 2008
  In late April, Cynthia was on a panel entitled "Wicked Mysteries: On the Waterfront," at Malice Domestic XX in Washington, DC. The conference is for fans, authors, publishers, and agents of cozies, the traditional mystery.
   
• May 2007
  Riggs's seventh book, "Shooting Star," is now out in bookstores and also available online.
   
• May 2007
  Cynthia Riggs' first novels have been out of print, and now they're back. An Island-based book publisher, Vineyard Stories, has put "Deadly Nightshade" and "The Cranefly Orchid Murders" together in one trade-paperback volume, titled "Double Murder in Martha's Vineyard." The double volume, which sells for $16.95, is on sale at Cape and Island bookstores, and available online at bunchofgrapes.com. Vineyard Stories, located in Edgartown MA, publishes works by and about residents of the Island. Information about the company may be found at vineyardstories.com.
  
  "Deadly Nightshade", first printed in 2001, takes place in the Oaks Bluff harbor of the Vineyard. The villains suspect Victoria has witnessed a murder and must silence her. "The Cranefly Orchid Murders" pits land developers against environmentalists and is based on a real Island political debate. Now … together in one volume!
   
• November 2006
  Cynthia attended a conference sponsored by the Los Angeles Chapter of Sisters in Crime on "Selling Your Book to Hollywood." There were 79 attendees, all published writers. Cynthia went on a tour of the Sony studios, attended a workshop on how to pitch your book to a producer, heard screenwriters explain how they turned a book into a script, heard Hollywood agents say what they needed in the way of books, and heard the producers side of things. She saw a preview of a new TV series, "Dexter," which deals with a serial killer who kills serial killers, and discussed later with the scriptwriter the filming of the series — what changes he had to make and problems he'd run into. Then, as the climax of the event, authors were given five minutes to pitch their books to real producers, who, in a couple of cases said, "Two minutes is all I need. I'll option your book." Cynthia says her producer simply smiled and said, "I'll be glad to read your book." No option. Yet.
   
• November 2006
  At the New England Crime Bake, Lowell, Mass., 10-12 November, Cynthia was on one of the panels, "Sustaining a Series and Keeping it Fresh," and held four individual critique sessions of mystery manuscripts submitted by writers. About 250 mystery writers, fans, agents, and editors attended.
   
• October 2006
  Riggs's seventh book, "Shooting Star," is scheduled for publication in May 2007 by St. Martin's Minotaur, Thomas Dunne Books. In "Shooting Star," 92-year-old Victoria Trumbull has written a stage adaptation of "Frankenstein" for the Island's community theater. Despite her attempt to show the serious intent of the original book, the play gets out of hand and murder follows.
   
• October 2006
  Over the Halloween weekend, Cynthia hosted the Second Annual Martha's Vineyard Mystery Weekend, with four mystery writers, a literary agent, two spouses, and two teenage sons — Judy Green, author of 25 books for adult non-readers, and her husband; Clea Simon, author of four books, two of them mysteries involving cats, and her husband; Leslie Wheeler, author of four contemporary mysteries with historic settings, like Plimouth Plantation, and her son; Paula Munier, acquisitions editor for Adams Media, and her son; and literary agent Susan Reynolds. The writers and agents were on a panel both live and filmed for MVTV at the Bunch of Grapes. Later, the authors and agent were interviewed live for Cynthia's weekly show, "On Island Writing." The weather was a proper setting for mystery writers. A storm roared in and whipped leaves from trees, tore off large limbs, and kept boats from running all day Saturday and part of Sunday.
   
• October 2006
  Calendar Girl or Most Wanted - take your pick. The New England Chapter of Sisters in Crime features Cynthia in their 2007 calendar. Cynthia is on the November Most Wanted poster. Visit the New England Chapter of Sisters in Crime web site to see the 2007 calendar.
   
  
• September 2006
  ForeWord Magazine reviews "Deadly Nightshade" on audio tape, narrated by Davina Porter. "This unabridged reading of the author’s first Martha’s Vineyard mystery (originally published in 2001) introduces that most endearing and unlikely of sleuths, ninety-two-year-old Victoria Trumbull... The narrator, with her range of voices and grasp of natural speech patterns, is ideal for this leisurely paced tale. Rather than mimicking the clipped New England accent, her characters sound English, some with overtones of Welsh. The mixture works, enabling her to move smoothly from Trumbull’s more refined musings to Domingo’s gruff profanity without descending into caricature... " Visit Cynthia's Book Reviews on this site for the full review.
   
  
• September 2006
  Blackstone Audiobooks has now published four of Cynthia's mysteries on audiotape — Cemetery Yew, Cranefly Orchid Murders, Paperwhite Narcissus, and Deadly Nightshade — all narrated by Davina Porter. Visit Blackstone Audiobooks to order any of Cynthia's books on tape.
   
  
• August 2006
  Cynthia is profiled in The Patriot Ledger... "Martha’s Vineyard is no place to commit murder - not if you hope to get away with it," writes Valerie A. Russo for The Patriot Ledger. "Since 2001, seven cases have been solved by Victoria Trumbull, the 92-year-old amateur sleuth of the series written by Martha's Vineyard author Cynthia Riggs." Visit Cynthia's Profiles on this site for the full article.
   
  
• June 2006
  The New York Times recommends Cynthia's latest book, "Indian Pipes" for summer reading. Excerpts of the review are featured on our Reviews page on this site. Visit NYTimes.com for the full review.
   
  
• May 2006
  Seven FBI agents, four retired, three active, spent the Memorial Day 2006 weekend at the Cleaveland House. All seven have promised to help check Cynthia Riggs's future books for technical accuracy. Jonathan Revere, producer of the weekly program, "On Island Writing," taped five half-hour programs for future airing, featuring interviews with the agents. The four retired agents, Kathleen Puckett, Sylvia Marusarz, Mary Marsh, and Barbara Madden, will appear on MVTV's "On Island Writing," Channel 13. The agents spoke about their careers and some of the interesting cases they investigated, including industrial espionage, mutiny on the high seas, drug busts, and the case of the Unibomber.
   
  
• April 2006
  Dialog in Deadly Nightshade is used to illustrate "simulated disagreement" in a new book by Chris Roerden, Don't Murder Your Mystery: 24 Fiction-Writing Techniques To Save Your Manuscript From Turning Up D.O.A. Here's an excerpt from the book:

  Borrowed tension also features in Cynthia Riggs’ Deadly Nightshade, the first of her Martha’s Vineyard mystery novels. Victoria Trumbull, ninety-two, is a possible witness to a murder. As she and her granddaughter, Elizabeth, drive home late one night, a car follows them. When they see the lights still on at the home of Domingo, a former New York cop-turned-harbormaster, they drop in to tell him what’s been happening. Nothing the women tell Domingo is news to us, because these events are dramatized in previous scenes. So where’s the conflict in this scene? It begins with Elizabeth telling of her encounter with a “weird, creepy man,” which prompts Domingo to tell a gruesome story of his own...

• March 2006
  The Merrimack (New Hampshire) Public Library's readers' group selected "Deadly Nightshade," the first in the Martha's Vineyard Mystery series, as their March 2006 choice, and invited Cynthia to speak. Madeline Bennett (pictured), 92-year-old fan of 92-year-old Victoria Trumbull's, discusses writing with Cynthia Riggs. Ms. Bennett, who works three days a week at the library, is a member of the readers' group.
   
  
• February 2006
  Cynthia completed a six-week police academy course offered by the Vineyard Haven Police Department. In one of the classes, a cold, dark, windy night, she and classmates practiced being cops who'd stopped a vehicle that was driving erratically, and each had to go up to the driver to ask for license and registration. All sorts of different stuff happened — the driver dropped his license on the ground, the driver dropped a baggie full of something, the passenger got out and looked scary, the driver said, "but we live on the Island year round..." Material for her next book? Most likely!
   
• November 2005
  Five members of the New England chapter of the Mystery Writers of America and two of their husbands spent the Halloween weekend at the Cleaveland House B&B. The five, Lea Wait, Paula Munier, Judy Green, Margaret MacLean, and Susan Oleksiw, appeared on a panel at the Bunch of Grapes bookstore on Friday, October 30th. On Saturday, Cynthia interviewed each of the five writers for "On Island Writing," a half-hour program aired every Wednesday night at 8 pm on Martha's Vineyard's community access channel, MVTV.
   
• October 2005
  Cynthia Riggs spent 19-22 October, in Casper, Wyoming. She'd been invited to give a talk on her Martha's Vineyard mystery books at the Natrona County Public Library. While she was there she was interviewed by Ch 13, live at 7 am and by K2 radio, and had articles about her in Casper's two newspapers. Ch 13 taped her talk and showed part of it on the 6 pm news along with Hurricane Wilma. She also gave a talk after lunch at the Casper senior center.
   
• June 2005
  St. Martin's Minotaur, Thomas Dunne Books, has accepted Riggs's sixth book for publication in 2006. The book, "Indian Pipes," involves a series of murders triggered by Wampanoag tribal members' plans to build a gambling casino on Martha's Vineyard.
   
• June 2005
  Thorndike UK plans to publish a large print edition of The Paperwhite Narcissus in Great Britain.
   
• June 2005
  Davina Porter will be reading Riggs's first five books for Blackstone Audio Books. Porter is a 2004 Audie Award Winner. She has recorded more than a hundred books including "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy, "The Sunday Philosophy Club" by Alexander McCall Smith, "Other People's Children" by Joanna Trollope, and mystery novels by Anne Perry, Ruth Rendel, and M.C. Beaton. AudioFile says of her, "Porter's performance is a pleasure for the listener – sensitive, subtle and elegant...." She "completely immerses the listener in the various characters, no matter what their sex or station in life."
  

• April 2005
  The Paperwhite Narcissus, Cynthia's fifth book, will be published this May.
   
• April 2005
  Cynthia is hosting a weekly MVTV series, "On Island Writing"—produced by Jonathan Revere.
   
• April 2005
  Cape Cod Life named Cynthia one of the region's most "intriguing" people, in their Top 400 2005 issue.
   
• March 2005
  Cynthia Riggs and Philip Craig talk about their protagonists and how they each became mystery writers on WGBH's The Point, Tuesday, March 15th, 2005.
   
• March 2005
  Blackstone Audio Books has purchased rights to produce all five books in the Victoria Trumbull Martha's Vineyard Mystery series.