]> Finding Aid for the Margaret Maron Papers, 1973-1998 Processed by: Linda Sellars, UNC-Chapel Hill; machine-readable finding aid created by: Linda Sellars University Archives & ManuscriptsThe University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, NC, USA
2007 Machine-readable finding aid derived from XML authoring program. Date of source: . Description is in English. Finding aid was prepared using DACS. Finding Aid for the Margaret Maron Papers, 1973-1998 University Libraries, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro &hdrnguscua; Descriptive Summary The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. University Archives & Manuscripts. Maron, Margaret. Margaret Maron Papers, 1973-1998 Mss258 Material in English. 13.75 linear feet 11 boxes For current information on the location of these materials, please consult University Archives & Manuscripts. Margaret Maron is an award-winning mystery writer who was born in Greensboro, North Carolina and attended Woman's College (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, or UNCG) from 1956 to 1958. She now lives on her family farm in Johnston County, North Carolina. The Margaret Maron Papers date from 1973 to 1998 and include drafts of Maron's mystery novels, and related correspondence, clippings, notes, timetables, diagrams, and other items. There are also files on talks and readings given by Maron, book signings, publicity tours, and similar events, as well as videotapes of interviews, talks, and readings by Maron between 1990 and 1997. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

 Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

 Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Margaret Maron Papers (Mss258), University Archives & Manuscripts, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

 Custodial History

Gift of the author to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), August 1998.

Acquisitions Information

Transferred from UNC-CH to UNC-Greensboro by author's request in September 2006.

 Processing Information

Processed and encoded by Linda Sellars, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, December 1998.

 Biographical or Historical Note

Margaret Maron has written 15 mystery novels and numerous short stories, which have been published in the United States and abroad. Her works have been nominated for every major award in the American mystery field. In 1993, her North Carolina-based novel, Bootlegger's Daughter, won the Edgar Allan Poe Award and the Anthony Award for Best Mystery Novel of the Year, the Agatha Award for Best Traditional Mystery Novel, and the Macavity for Best Novel.

Maron has written two series of mystery novels, as well as one mystery that does not belong to either series. Eight of Maron's novels feature Lt. Sigrid Harald of the New York Police Department. Maron's other series is set in fictional Colleton County, N.C., and features Deborah Knott, an attorney and a judge. Bloody Kin is set in North Carolina, but does not belong to the Deborah Knott series.

Sigrid Harald books include: One Coffee With (1982), Death of a Butterfly (1984), Death in Blue Folders (1985), The Right Jack (1987), Baby Doll Games (1988), Corpus Christmas (1989), Past Imperfect (1991), Fugitive Colors (1995). Deborah Knott books include: Bootlegger's Daughter (1992), Southern Discomfort (1993), Shooting at Loons (1994), Up Jumps the Devil (1996), Killer Market (1997), Home Fires (1998). Other books include: Bloody Kin (1985).

In addition to her novels, Maron has published short stories in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, McCall's, Redbook, Reader's Digest, and other magazines, as well as in several anthologies, including the 1989 and 1990 Mystery Writers of America anthologies and the second and fourth Sisters in Crime anthologies. In 1997, Maron published Shoveling Smoke, a collection of her short stories, which includes both Sigrid Harald stories and Deborah Knott stories.

Maron is a past president of Sisters in Crime, an international organization of more than 2200 members promoting the efforts of women in the mystery field. She has also been active in the Mystery Writers of America, the American Crime Writers League, and the Carolina Crime Writers Association.

Born Margaret E. Brown, in Greensoro, N.C., Margaret Maron grew up on her mother's family farm in Johnston County, N.C. She graduated from Cleveland High School in Johnston County and attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She married Joe Maron, a naval officer from New York. They lived in Italy for three years before they returned to Brooklyn, where Joe Maron got his master's degree and taught art at Brooklyn College. After ten years in New York, the Marons moved to North Carolina, where they now live on the family farm in Johnston County. They have one son.

 Collection Overview

The bulk of the collection is comprised of drafts of Margaret Maron's mystery novels, seven of which are set in North Carolina and eight in New York City, and related correspondence, clippings, notes, and other items. The amount and kind of material varies for each book. For some, there is only one draft; for others, there are several versions, which may range from rough draft through page proofs. For most of the books, there are correspondence and other materials as well as drafts--clippings and notes reflecting background research, timetables, sketches or diagrams are included for some books. There is also a draft of one of Maron's short stories.

In addition, the collection contains files on talks or readings Maron gave, book signings, publicity tours, and similar events. The diverse materials in these files may include the text of her talk, correspondence, pictures, notes, programs, or other items. Also included are eleven videotapes of interviews, talks, and readings by Maron between 1990 and 1997.

The novel originally titled Picture Them Dead was published as Corpus Christmas.

Send Me Word of All Our Neighbors... was a dramatic reading compiled and written by Margaret Maron in 1976 for the celebration of the Smithfield Bicentennial. Written under the auspices of the Johnston County Arts Council, Send Me Word of all Our Neighbors... was based on letters and other documents that revealed the lives of ordinary Johnston County, N.C., citizens.

Collection Arrangement

Collection is organized into the following series: Writings; Conferences, Talks, and Publicity Tours; and Videotaped Interviews and Readings.

 Detailed Description of the Collection Writings 1 One Coffee With

Drafts, correspondence, galleys.

 Death of a Butterfly

Drafts, notes, clippings, proofs, manuscript.

 2 Death in Blue Folders

Outline and rough draft, clippings, notes, typescript, reader's set.

 Bloody Kin

Typescript, reader's set, notes and clippings.

 3 Bloody Kin

Book, typescript.

 The Right Jack

Typescript, setting copy, correspondence, notes, clippings.

 Baby Doll Games

Typescript, edited typescript, author's 1st proof.

 4 Picture Them Dead

Proposal.

 Corpus Christmas

Typescript, notes, edited typescript, reader's set, foul matter.

 Lt. Harald and the Treasure Island Treasure, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, September 1989 Past Imperfect

Reader's set, notes, typescript.

 5 Past Imperfect

Edited typescripts.

 Bootlegger's Daughter

Proposal, notes, typescript, copyedited typescript.

 Southern Discomfort

Original copyedited typescript, author's 1st proof.

 6 Southern Discomfort

Original printout, final 1st draft.

 Shooting at Loons

Clean typescript, author's 1st laser proof, original typescript, final draft.

 Fugitive Colors

Author's 1st laser proof, final draft.

 7 Fugitive Colors

Final draft.

 Up Jumps the Devil

Final draft, author's 1st laser proof, original typescript.

 Killer Market

First, 2nd, 3rd drafts, copyedited typescript.

 8 Killer Market

Author's 1st laser proof.

 Home Fires Burning

Original draft, final draft, typescript.

 Send Me Word of All Our Neighbors

Correspondence, speeches, book, play version, final draft, raw files.

 Conferences, Talks, Publicity Tours Charlotte Writer's Club Short Story Contest (Judge), 1973 Cape Fear Writers' Guild, Johnston County Writers' Guild, 1982-1983 Tar Heel Writers Roundtable, 1972-1984 Chapel Hill Public Library Author Tea, 15 February 1985 Historical Book Club of North Carolina, February 1986 Hunter College, March 1986 Miscellaneous, 1986-1987 Triangle Romance Writers, 1988 Carolina Meadows, Chapel Hill, April 1988 Crime Congress, New York City, May 1988 Hunter School, Raleigh, N.C., December 1988 "Why Do I Write Mysteries?" Durham Library, 12 March 1989 Atlantic Christian College, Wilson, N.C., 22 March 1989 Triangle Romance Writers Conference, May 1989 Friends of the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield, 16 May 1989 Jacksonville/Onslow Council for the Arts, June 1989 A.B.A., Washington, D.C., June 1989 North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Cullowhee, N.C., 30 October-4 November 1989 Homestead, October 1990 North Carolina Writers Network, November 1990 Publicity Trip, California, 1991 Frederick Community College, 10 April 1991 North Carolina State University, 17 April 1991 Kinston/Neuse Regional Library, 7 May 1991 North Carolina Central University, Durham, N.C., 14-15 June 1991 Southern Sisters and Quail Corners, 24-25 June 1991 American Library Association, Atlanta, Ga., June 1991 Friends of the Wake County Public Library, Raleigh, N.C., 16 July 1991 Jane Austen Society of North America, North Carolina Group, 7 September 1991 Clayton Book Club, October 1991 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Centennial, 23 November 1991 Friends of the Library, Chapel Hill, N.C., 6 December 1991 Pfeiffer College Book and Author Luncheon, 4 February 1992 North Carolina Women Writers Conference, Winston-Salem, N.C., 13-15 March 1992 Oxford Books, Atlanta, Ga., 22 April 1992 Bootlegger Tour, Baltimore-Nashville-Knoxville, 30 April-5 May 1992 Schedule and Tickets, April 1992 Rice University, 15-16 May 1992 Charlotte/Rock Hill, 20-21 May 1992 Intimate, Raleigh, 23 May 1992 Bootlegger Tour, Pennsylvania, 28-30 May 1992 Wills, Greensboro, 8 June 1992 West Poplar Library, 29 June 1992 North Carolina State University Library Staff Lecture, 12 August 1992 Waldenbooks, Wilmington, 11 September 1992 SEBA, Nashville, 17 September 1992 Meredith College Friends of the Library, 29 October 1992 North Carolina Writers' Network Conference, Wilmington, 6-8 November 1992 Wake County Literacy Council, 18 November 1992 10 North Carolina State University Friends of the Library, 18 February 1993 Asheboro Library, 18 March 1993 Local Activities, May-October 1993 Southern Discomfort Tours, April-June 1993 Rice University, Houston, Tex., 10-13 June 1993 American Library Association, New Orleans, 28 June 1993 "Soundings," National Public Radio, Taped 14 July 1993, Aired 26 September 1993 South Johnston High School, 10 November 1993 Cary Woman's Club, 11 November 1993 Friends School, 20 November 1993 Electronic Session, 9 January 1994 Book Club, Raleigh, 19 January 1994 High Point, 26 February 1994 Weymouth Reading, 27 February 1994 AAUW, Raleigh, 12 March 1994 Public Library Association, Atlanta, 24 March 1994 Bare Bones, San Diego, 8-10 April 1994 Loons Tour, 31 May-12 June 1994 Book Passage, July 1994 D.C. Area, September 1994 Pembroke, 20 September 1994 Southeastern Library Association, 28 October 1994 Morehead City, December 1994 Local Appearances, 1994 Armchair Detective, 1997 Videotaped Interviews and Readings 1. Television interview, 2 November 1990 2. Hearing Voices: Mystery Writers in Performance, October 1993 3. Ted Harrison interview, November 1993 4. Ted Harrison and Margaret Maron, December 1993 5. Interview, Channel 4, Now, 4 March 1994 6. Pembroke Forum, WPSU-TV, 20 September 1994 7. A Literary Portrait of Raleigh, presented by Raleigh City Museum, 13 March 1997 8. Interview at Alderman's Studio, Fox 8, High Point, August 1997 9. FCC Mystery Writers, n.d. 10. Mystery Readers Corner, n.d. 11. A Word on Words, "Southern Women's Voices," n.d. Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

American fiction--North Carolina--Women authors. Authors, American--North Carolina--20th century. Detective and mystery stories, American--Women authors. Maron, Margaret. New York (New York)--Fiction. North Carolina--Fiction. Women authors, American--North Carolina--20th century.