Best First Novel – Alan Bradley, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Best Non-Fiction – Terry Gould, Murder Without Borders

Best Juvenile – Barbara Haworth-Attard, Haunted

Best Crime Writing in French – Jean Lemieux, Le mort du chemin des Arsene

Best Short Story – Dennis Richard Murphy, "Prisoner in Paradise"

Best Unpublished First Crime Novel – Gloria Ferris, The Corpse Flower

Congratulations to the winners! 

For a description of all short-listed books and short stories, visit http://www.crimewriterscanada.com

I'll be at Bloody Words this weekend, going to panels and networking with many other Canadian mystery writers and readers, plus a few international ones. This year it's in Toronto; next year Vancouver.

The Arthur Ellis Award Shortlist was announced Thursday night, April 22, 2010. These are the annual awards for the Best in Canadian crime fiction presented by the Crime Writers of Canada.

Best Crime Novel
Aloha, Candy Hearts by Anthony Bidulka
Arctic Blue Death by R.J. Harlick
Finger's Twist by Lee Lamothe
Death Spiral by James W. Nichol
High Chicago by Howard Shrier

Best First Novel
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
The Cold Light of Mourning by Elizabeth J. Duncan
The Weight of Stones by C.B. Forrest
A Magpie's Smile by Eugene Meese
Darkness at the Stroke of Noon by Dennis Richard Murphy
Read more »

To read my new article, "Murder in the Bullpen," as well as articles from over 30 other mystery authors who have sports stories in their repertoire, check out the new issue of Mystery Reader's Journal.

The entire list of articles: 

The Turf and the Gridiron in Detective Fiction by Gary Garner
Adventure Crime-A Wild Niche in Sports Crime by Jessica Simon
Four Legged Champions by M.E. Kemp
Read more »

For Christmas this year, I decided to post three stories of mine.

Two of them were published in 1999 and 2000 in Canadian anthologies: the other has never been published.

Hope you enjoy them.

"The Case of the Sneezing Account: a Manziuk and Ryan Mystery"  - after a timely sneeze saves a young woman's life, Manziuk and Ryan have to find out who is trying to kill her before the assailant strikes again.

"The Day Time Stood Still" - a middle-aged real estate agent  finds something unexpected in a house she has just listed.

"Revenge So Sweet" – after a mother of three discovers her husband has been cheating, she sets out to exact revenge. 

You also might want toread a non-mystery blog I wrote recently called "The Babe of Christmas."

In the last month or so, I've had on average one person a day email me to ask if there is going to be a third Manziuk and Ryan mystery. 

First, thanks for the encouragement. Knowing someone is waiting to read my books really encourages me to keep writing them. 

Secondly, the answer is yes. There will be a third book. And hopefully a fourth…

That's the good news.

The bad news is that the next book isn't written yet.

But the other good news is that it is in the process of being written.

Book 3 has a title – "Opaque Rays."

And it has a setting, characters, and an overall plot. (Yes, I even know whodunit!)

Read more »

I posted a little while ago that Shaded Light and another book of mine, Hot Apple Cider, were both nominated to be the "one book" for the Church Library’s of Ontario "One Book / One Conference" October 3rd along with a number of other great books, including The Shack and The Book of Negroes. (See complete list.)

I’m delighted to announce that the winner was named today, and it’s Hot Apple Cider! I’m sure it had something to do with getting to know 30 authors, and also the variety in this hope-filled book.

Congratulations to everyone who was nominated. And thanks to the CLAO for supporting Canadian authors.

I saw the upcoming topic for Mystery Reader -  “Scandinavian Mysteries” – and thought, “Nothing to do with me.” A few days later, I got an email about it and deleted it. Several weeks passed. Then, one day while my husband and I were babysitting our grandson, Leif, we got talking, for some reason, about Christmas and about some of the traditional foods we eat, like julekake and potato lefse. All of a sudden, I slapped myself upside the head and shouted, “Scandinavian Mysteries!”

My husband, naturally, was confused.

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve lived for 35 years in a house where everyone else is Scandinavian!” I said. “And for all we know, my Scottish ancestors owed more than a few of their genes to the Vikings.”

He continued to look confused.
Read more »

Shaded Light has been nominated for the Church Library Association of Ontario’s "One Book/ One Conference" discussion, which will be held at their Fall Conference on October 3rd at Tyndale University and Seminary in Toronto. 

There will be a discussion time focused on one book, by a Canadian author, that all participants are to have read prior to the conference.

See the complete list of books.

More details about the conference.

I’m honoured to have two of my books included. And delighted that CLAO has chosen to promote Canadian authors in this way. We’re all winners!

They all said I needed an advertising gimmick of some sort to give out at mystery conventions. Some people give out poker chips, wedding rings, rubber bands, tea bags, peanut butter cups, lollipops – you name it, it's been used.

So – what could I use for Shaded Light ? I thought of a light bulb – nope, too easy to break! I thought of sunglasses – way too expensive. I thought of – a lot of different things. But none of them worked. And then it occurred to me – tiny parasols (or if you prefer, umbrellas)!

My top 10 reasons for using parasols to promote Shaded Light

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