Secrets to chill your bones and curdle your blood – revealed Three Maine thriller authors to share methods at New England Crime Bake convention in Massachusetts

The queen of blood and murder Down East, Sarah Graves of Eastport, will be one of three Maine authors who will share their trade secrets at the sixth annual New England Crime Bake.

Other talented New England authors and forensic experts will join them.

This year’s special guest and keynote speaker is Lee Child of New York and France, who is the best-selling author of the Jack Reacher thriller series. “In 1996, fired and on the dole, Child hatched a hare-brained scheme to write a best-selling novel, thus saving his family from ruin. ‘Killing Floor’ went on to win worldwide acclaim,” organizers of the Crime Bake said in a release.

The event will be held over three days beginning Nov. 9, at the Hilton Boston-Dedham Hotel in Dedham, Mass. The event is open to the pubic with preregistration.

Graves will appear on Crime Bake’s “Constructing Character” panel. When she’s not scrambling to fix up her own very old house in Eastport, Graves writes the “Home Repair is Homicide” mysteries starring old-house repair enthusiast Jake Tiptree. Her latest, the 10th in the series, is “Trap Door.”

Buxton author Julia Spencer-Fleming also will appear on Crime Bake’s “Constructing Character” panel. Her debut novel, “In the Bleak Midwinter,” won the St. Martin’s Press-Malice Domestic, The Dily’s Award, the Agatha Award, the Anthony Award, the Macavity Award and the Barry Award. “A Fountain Filled with Blood,” received a Barry Award nomination, and her latest Clare Fergusson novel, “Out of the Deep I Cry,” was a 2005 Edgar Award finalist. Spencer-Fleming lives in the Maine countryside with three kids, two dogs and one husband.

Bailey Island author Kate Flora will teach Crime Bake’s master class “Pouring the Foundation: Characters in Depth.” Flora is the author of 10 books, nine works of crime fiction and the Edgar-nominated true crime “Finding Amy: A True Story of Murder in Maine,” which also was a finalist in the Maine Literary Awards. “Readers and reviewers have praised Flora for her capacity to create complex, multilayered characters. She has published numerous short stories, profiles of other writers and essays about writing,” the release said. “Flora has taught fiction writing for more than a decade. She is currently working on an MFA at Vermont College.”

Editors and agents will be available to talk about what publishers are looking for in crime fiction, and attendees can sign up to pitch their ideas. A cocktail party and banquet Saturday will include the “Mock Trial of Jack Reachers,” featuring Child and other distinguished guests.

Sponsored by the New England chapters of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, the sixth annual Crime Bake offers master classes, presentations, panels, agent pitch sessions, manuscript critiques by published authors, networking with industry professionals and book signings.

For information and to register, visit www.crimebake.org.