Barbara Ross Books

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Barbara Ross is an American author that writes cozy mysteries. She had a thriving career in technology before turning her attention to publishing. Ross came across an ad for a company (Information Mapping) that promised part-time work.

She stayed with the company for twelve years, during which she lent her talents to practically every division in the firm. However, her career did not truly skyrocket until she combined forces with her friend (Carol Vallone).

They created WebCT, a revolutionary company from the mid-90s that allowed businesses to upload courses to the internet. They profited significantly from the venture when they sold WebCT for $180 million.

Rather than resting on her laurels, Ross joined Wimba, a higher education technology firm eventually bought by a competitor in 2010. But despite her numerous victories in the tech field, Ross always saw herself as a writer who had accidentally stumbled into business instead of a business savant experimenting with writing.

She worked with a writers’ group to hone her craft for over fifteen years. Though, her foray into publishing was challenging. She was fortunate enough to land a big agent for her first book.

They parted ways when the agent in question tried and failed to sell Ross’ manuscript. For a time, Ross abandoned the manuscript, hiding it in a drawer and moving on to other things.

Years later, she retrieved the manuscript and sold it to a publisher without an agent, proving that she did not have to follow a conventional publishing blueprint to get ahead.

During her infancy in the publishing industry, Ross wrote by the seat of her pants. Later on, she was forced to become a plotter because she had to submit synopses to her editor for approval. The author also found that plotting allowed her to meet her deadlines because she could write with greater discipline.

Her first drafts are always rough. Whenever she sits down to write, Ross is confident that she will get better at drafting. But she is always wrong. The author has so much confidence when she starts each new manuscript.

But as she advances, that confidence begins to fizzle out. She cannot help but criticize her work, noting all the poorly developed characters, premature twists, and inconsistent details. By the time she completes the first draft, Ross is just glad that she finished the manuscript.

The book finally comes together during the revision process. Ross would probably revise her manuscripts indefinitely if the author had her way. She only stops because her deadlines arrive, and she has no choice but to submit the novels to her editor.

Ross takes the time to critique amateur sleuth manuscripts. She does what she can to set struggling writers on the right path.

Barbara Ross Awards

Ross has received multiple Agatha Award nominations. She won the Maine Literary Award (Crime Fiction).

Best Barbara Ross Books

Because she spent so many years working with tech startups, advancements in the publishing industry do not scare her. Ross’ best books include:

Clammed Up: Julie Snowden came back home to keep her family’s business afloat. The last thing the clambake business needed was the stain of murder. But it was too late.

Julia’s woes began with a catered wedding on Morrow Island. The best man was found hanging in the Snowden family mansion.

Before Snowden could rescue her family’s struggling business, she had to first identify the killer. But all fingers were pointing to Chris Durand, Julia’s old crush.

Boiled Over: The Snowden name was already associated with one murder. They couldn’t afford to add a second to their reputation. But once again, Julie did not have a choice in the matter. She was still in her hometown, doing what she could to help her family’s clambake company.

The Founder’s Day Summer celebration was just around the corner, and she wanted to give revelers a taste of New England’s seafood. But her neighbors had bigger news on their lips.

A man was dead, and everyone thought that Cabe Stone had committed the murder because he fled the crime scene. Because Cabe was a Snowden employee, Julia had to clear his name before the family business suffered the consequences.

But solving the murder was easier said than done, especially when the killer was working so hard to stop Julia’s investigation.

When Does The Next Barbara Ross book come out?

The next book by Barbara Ross is Torn Asunder and will be released on April, 23rd 2024. It is the newest book in the Maine Clambake Mystery Series.

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