Remembering Maya Corrigan

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  Some of you may have heard of the January 3rd passing of our dear friend and former Kitchen member, Maya Corrigan, author of the Five-Ingredient Mysteries as well as several short stories, written as either Maya or Mary Ann Corrigan. Maya's daughter Nora says she suffered a stroke in late December, was improving, then took a turn, but was never in pain, and for that, we are grateful. 

And we are grateful for her stories, the recipes and food history she shared here, and above all, for her friendship.
Like others among us, I first met Maya at Malice Domestic, the fan convention celebrating the traditional mystery. We were also on a panel together at Bouchercon, another fan convention, in Toronto in 2017, and I'll admit, I got weepy when this photograph showed up the day after she died, as one of Facebook's suggestions for celebrating another panelist's birthday.

Back: Barbara Ross, Maureen Walsh
Front: Leslie Budewitz, Suzanne Trauth, Maya Corrigan, Linda Wiken (aka Erika Chase)

We invited our friend Korina Moss, another former Kitchen member and a good friend of Maya's, to share her memories.  

KORINA MOSS: I first knew Maya (Mary Ann) Corrigan through her writing, but I was fortunate to get to know her on a more personal level when I joined the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen group. Our virtual acquaintanceship became an in-person friendship when we promoted our books together at Virginia’s One More Page Books and months later, when we sat beside each other on a Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen panel at Malice Domestic. She had wonderful stories to tell about the inception of her Five-Ingredient Mystery series. I admired her vitality, regardless of a long day, an evening presentation, or even more recently, wearing a neck brace. Her positive can-do attitude is something I’ll take with me through my author journey. 

Mystery Lovers' Kitchen panel at 2025 Malice Domestic
Back: Cathy Wiley (moderator and friend of the Kitchen), Maya Corrigan
Front: Libby Klein, Leslie Karst, Korina Moss

Maya's daughter Nora Corrigan was also happy to share thoughts of her mother:

 

Looking through my mom’s blog posts brings back so many memories. Many of the recipes she posted at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen were family favorites, some handed down from my grandmother, others introduced into her repertoire over the years. She often recruited family members to contribute recipes or help with the cooking and photography, and I recognized an epic pierogi-making session with my brother and sister-in-law. (It took three of us to do what our Polish great-aunt did singlehandedly, but we were very proud of ourselves.)

Maya and her husband on a trip to France a year and a half ago

Something that people might not know about my mom was that she wrote her first novel when she was twelve. It was about a cross-country road trip based on one that she had taken with her family. She shared it with her friends; decades later, she would recall how thrilling it was to find an audience. 

It was not until late in life, after retiring from a series of careers that ranged from college teaching to working as a technical writer at a startup, that she became a published novelist, and one of the things that encouraged her to make that leap was finding a community of writers and participating in groups like Sisters in Crime, Malice Domestic, and of course Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. My father, brother, and I were touched by the many messages from her friends in those communities, especially ones from other writers who recalled her mentorship and encouragement.

Maddie Day: Thank you so much, Nora, for sharing those memories.

I loved Maya's five-ingredient mysteries. Almost every recipe she posted here and included in one of her books made me say, what? Only five ingredients? But yes. She - and her fictional Val and Granddad - pulled it off. 

I saw Maya over the years at the Malice Domestic and Boucheron conventions. The only photo I can find of both of us in one shot is the 2018 group picture of the Sisters in Crime chapter, the Guppies.

Maya, in a lovely jewel-toned blue jacket, is in the center of the mixed back row. I'm over to the right in the picture in a purple boa, next to blogmates Leslie Karst and Leslie Budewitz, plus Valerie Burns to the far left in the second seated row.

May Maya's memories bring comfort to Nora, their family, and Maya's many friends, and may her books continue to delight readers for many years to come. 

LUCY BURDETTE: I knew Maya from conferences too, first was probably Bouchercon in St. Petersburg FL. But we had a chance to talk again in Nashville, with other members of our kitchen, including Molly, Libby, and Leslie K. I also was in awe of her five ingredients, but here on the blog, I loved the posts she did on the history of certain dishes. Here's one for example on the history of gingerbread. In Nashville, Maya told us she was planning to retire in order to travel more and spend time with family. I sure hope she got the chance to do all of that!

KIM DAVIS: While Maya may have already left Mystery Lovers' Kitchen by the time I came along, I had the pleasure of connecting with her via my blog and meeting up with her at the Left Coast Crime conference one year. Maya had a gentle and kind soul and it reflected in her Five-Ingredient Mysteries. I adored her protagonist, Val, and especially the delightful and sweet relationship she had with her granddad, aka the Codger Cook. I always felt comfort when I read her cozy mysteries. Maya also developed so many delicious five-ingredient recipes and I enjoyed highlighting a few of them on my blog, like Nero Wolfe's Lemon Sponge Cake. It was an honor knowing Maya and I hope that our memories of her bring comfort to Nora and her family.

📚🕮📕

LESLIE KARST: Like so many of us here in the Kitchen, I first met Maya/Mary Ann at Malice Domestic, where we shared many foodie panels together over the years. Her dry wit was always a hit with the audience--as well as her fellow panelists--and her stories about coming up with her 5-ingredient recipes fascinating and educational. Over the years she and I started having meals together on occasion, and we'd also have a hoot-and-a-half getting together in one of our MLKer's hotel rooms to make up our recipe card packets over wine and good cheer. I shall miss Maya--as an author, but mostly as a friend.  

Malice 2019

Ang Pompano: I joined Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen after Maya had already moved on and never met her in person. But I do remember her posts, and it was clear why she was so admired. Her Five-Ingredient Mysteries and the food history she shared reflected both her ingenuity and her generosity of spirit. Maya’s presence clearly left a lasting mark on this Kitchen, and I hope these memories bring comfort to Nora and her family.

VMBurns: I didn't know Maya personally, but because of her blogs on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen and her books, I feel like I knew her. The concept behind her Five-Ingredient Mystery series was brilliant. Here was someone that understood that good food didn't have to be complicated. I didn't need to be a professional chef to create good food. Her recipes and her books were approachable by the masses. Condolences to her family. She will be missed.

Molly MacRae: Maya was one of my writing heroes. I loved getting to know her through Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen and spending time with her over meals at conferences like Malice Domestic and Bouchercon. Always upbeat and curious, she would have made a great amateur sleuth. I’ll miss you, Maya, and any new recipes you might have sent our way. Thank goodness for all your recipes still available here in the kitchen. Happy memories. 

📚🕮📕

More about Maya and her books are at her website. 

Readers, we welcome your memories of Maya and her books and posts. 

💕🌸💞