Road Trip to Main

Today’s guest bloggers are the Cuffe Sisters, Sadie and Sophie. They were born, raised, and still live in the rugged area known as the Unorganized Territory in Main. They maintain a small farm, but (we know) their main goal is to produce great novels. They write “squarely to the hearts of real women who don’t always wear a size two and who prefer boots to high heels. And they believe some of the best stories are composed on the seat of a tractor.  They will give a free copy of their latest book to a name drawn at random from those who leave a comment. Here are the Cuffe Sisters.

We grew up on road trips. After traveling around the State of Maine, we later branched out to cross-country travel, vising relatives in California. It’s 3240 miles (give or take) from here to there. We traveled in a VW bus and camped out along the way. Six people in an old canvas Army tent was an adventure in itself, LOL. At the time, one of our cousins pointed out that we’d now stuck our toes in both major oceans. Some people haven’t experienced either one. Funny, the things you take for granted.

We grew up on the coast and now live Down East – where the sun first strikes the easternmost point of the USA.

Throughout the years we’ve hiked and biked around many islands. To date we’ve visited about twenty, but that’s nothing considering there are over 6180 left to explore. Some are easily accessed by huge bridges (one of Sophie’s biggest dreads), others by ferry, some by private boat. We rode the mail boat on our first trip to Isle au Haut many years ago, and asked the captain if we could go out on the deck. It was choppy, but he let us. As soon as we stepped out, a huge wave slapped the bow and covered us in spray. We went back into the cabin, soaked, but laughing like fools. It was wicked fun!

We experienced ten seconds of fame once, when photographers from Down East Magazine took a picture of us roasting hotdogs at our island campsite. When we finally found the article, months later, we were surprised at the caption: Local campers cooking over an open fire. Even WE didn’t recognize ourselves!

Our coastline, as the crow flies is, 250 miles, but the reality is vast – it’s over 5500 miles when all the islands are included. Islands hold a precious place in our hearts, but they’re more than our memories and adventures. They hold their own special mystique in their fiercely loyal people, their rugged independence, and their wild solitude. We hope our love of Maine and its islands comes through in our newest book, Blind Man’s Bluff, A Candle Island Cozy. Come to Candle Island, hear the lonely cry of the gulls, feel the spray of the raging surf, and plant your feet on the bedrock ledges of Maine that have endured for millenia. We’re giving away a copy, so if you’d like to be entered in the drawing, all you have to do is leave a comment. Good luck, and thank you, Jim, for letting us visit!

JIM:  Makes me want to visit Maine again.  Please leave a comment and the Cuffe Sisters will draw a name and send the winner a FREE copy of their latest novel.  Thanks.

26 thoughts on “Road Trip to Main

  1. And the winner is… Mary Watson Hamilton! YAY! Thank you all so much for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment. We hope, if you ever get to Maine, that you’ll love it as much as we do. Blessings, Sadie & Sophie

  2. I read Blind Man’s Bluff it was fantastic, hard to put down,great story !!!! Going to get some of your other books you’ve written !!

  3. My BFF and I travel together, too. We’re coming to Maine for the first time this summer (staying in the Portland area) and are both looking forward to it. I’m going to get this book. I want to love Maine, too. Plus, I always love reading a good book.

    • Well, we think you’ll love Maine (how could you not?), and we hope you enjoy the book. Maybe you’ll be the winner! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Road trips with the sisterhood can’t be beat!

  4. I’m with you on big bridges:they give me the willies. Like New York state Maine’s diversity seems to be unappreciated by most except for those who like you two have taken the time to explore her. Good luck with seeing those other islands!

    • We always try to change drivers so Sadie gets to do the bridges (she’s fearless), but on a trip to the Outer Banks, Sophie was behind the wheel when Sadie, while surveying the map said, “Um, it looks like a couple of bridges are coming up, but they’re only 1/4″ long on the map. How bad can they be?” We survived, but it did nothing to lessen Sophie’s continuing dread. Keeps life exciting, doesn’t it? Thanks for sharing!

  5. What a pleasure it is to have the Cuffe Sisters visit The Author’s Blog. Thank you so much for an interesting post. While I have visited Maine many times (we lived in Connecticut for 20 years), you are showing me that I missed so much. We’ll have to visit once more.

  6. Excellent interview, Saide and Sophie. Your lives and your love of your state come through beautifully. I was privileged to read an advance copy of “Blind Man’s Bluff,” and I recommend it highly. Good characters, good story well told.

  7. Delightful and informative interview, Sadie and Sophie. Your love of Maine comes through beautifully, as it does in your novels. Yes, I was privileged to read an advance copy of “Blind Man’s Bluff,” and highly recommend it. Good story, well told.

  8. So excited to read of your adventures and love affair with Maine. One of my current works-in-progress is about a young Arcadian boy in 1759 who is washed ashore in Maine after the deportation ship sank, killing his mother and sister. He is determined to return to Canada so he can seek out and find his ‘outlaw’ father.
    Researching this story has given me glimpses into your island-dotted coastline.

  9. Ladies, wonderful interview and glimpse into your lives 🙂 Even though we met in Maine a couple of years ago, I still haven’t had the privilege (or the fun!) of meeting you on your home ground–I can’t wait until that happens! I admire not only your writing talents (I’ve read your work and it’s fantastic!), but the life you lead. Bravo to my friends!

  10. Ladies: I’m curious how two people write a book. Do you take turns with chapters? Scenes? One writes and the other edits? As we each have such a different style, I wonder how you can work together to create a seamless narrative. Would love to read your book and see how it works? Best wishes. Your countryside and islands sound marvelous.

    • Great question, Elaine! We took an oath that we’d never reveal who wrote what, but suffice it to say, we each do many things and one without the other just wouldn’t work LOL. We have major brainstorming sessions over names and titles. Thanks for taking the time to share with us!

  11. Sadie and Sophie,
    I really enjoyed “meeting” you and I would love to be the winner of a copy of “Blind Man’s Bluff, A Candle Island Cozy.” I’ve never been to Maine but, after reading your post, I’m putting a trip there on my bucket list.

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