Catching Up

Last weekend in June. My goal is to be at 70,000 words on the latest manuscript; I am at 67,000. Luckily, I have this weekend to lessen the gap. The plot appears to be coming together. I've jotted some notes that give me a bit of a roadmap.

I spoke with a reporter from Ottawa Magazine this week - he contacted me to be part of an article for the October issue. Lots of information and interesting articles on their web site that you might want to puruse. Two caught my eye: The Opinicon update - I've been following the sale and renovation of this old inn in Elgin on the Rideau Canal system and think it would be a great spot for an overnight getaway in the fall.  Also interesting is the article about a local Westboro shop called Chez François - I've bought bread and numerous gifts from this charming store and had no idea that François and his wife make all of the pasteries and bread as well as many other foods. If you get the chance, drop in. They also serve breakfast and I think we'll have to take a walk to try it out one weekend morning. I'm also thinking these chocolate lime curd tarts need tasting!

I'm going to be appearing on CKCU's Literary Landscape on Thursday, July 9 - The station is 93.1 on the FM dial if you're in the Ottawa area.

Well, the day is beckoning - sunny and warm to end out the month. I'll be writing and taking breaks to work in the garden. This has to be the best time of year for those of us living in the north.

Happy Canada Day!

Oh Canada - the Beauty and the Mystery

With the final editing of Tumbled Graves, I've fallen behind in reaching my weekly writing quota so this weekend is finding me at the keyboard. I worked last evening after work and will soon be back at it after a couple of cups of coffee and a walk around the garden. I'm at 64,000 words, aiming for 90,000...my deadline for submission is September 1st.

One thing I've been meaning to mention to you -- websites have been popping up with 'free' downloads of my books as well as many other authors' books. While this might be tempting, the sites are not legitimate and are only after accessing your personal information. Never click on the download link! I've reported some to my publicist, and they've sent a letter warning the site to come down, but after one site comes down, another pops up. They're like mushrooms after the rain. No current author with a publishing house that I know of will have their books as free downloads. I think we need to spread the word.

I read a post on Facebook from an American author asking her friends if she should write a book set in Canada. Would anybody buy the book? This is a reoccuring issue at panels and even in discussions amongst Canadian mystery authors. I had an agent who advised me to set my first adult mystery in the U.S. and so In Winter's Grip is set mainly in Minnesota although also Ottawa. I'd point out that the town I invented, Duved Cove, is close to Lake Superior and not far from the Canadian border, displaying my ambivilance about the need to go outside my own country. Since this book, I've set all my books in Canada, moving closer to home to Ottawa, Kingston and towns and cities in Southern Ontario and into Quebec - my stomping grounds.

My good friend Frank Bowick took the photo of the trees used on this cover -

Frank took the photo in Algonquin Park in Ontario.

 

And my thoughts on setting books in Canada? I think the interest in our literature will increase much like the upsurge in Canadian music. When I was younger, Canadian musicians that 'made it' on the world stage were few and far between. Ann Murray and Paul Anka come to mind. Not many others. Now, Canadian musicians are  respected around the world with many solid careers and wide audiences. I also look at  the Scandinavian countries and the popularity for their murder mysteries, which seemed to happen overnight; however, you can bet that their authors weren' questioning whether they should be writing about their own country all those years before being 'discovered' by the rest of the world.

So, I think we have to keep writing about the country we know and love, and take every opportunity to promote our work to readers outside our country - that's where our Canadian readers can make a huge contribution - recommend books you enjoy to friends and on social media. I know that some of my readers have sent copies of my books to friends in other countries. Every new reader keeps us writing. I was on a panel with four American authors at Malice Domestic this spring and was pleasantly surprised to hear the moderator refer to Canada as an exotic setting, showing once again that one person's fish eggs are another's caviar.

Setting for a murder in Cold Mourning on the Rideau River.

 

Near Picton, Ontario - many mysterious nooks and crannies across the country!

 

A BusyJune

Prose in the Park last Saturday could not have happened on a better day - sunny and about 24 degrees, it was a jewel of a day. I was at the Capital Crime Writers tent all afternoon and it was great to see some of my author friends before we all go our separate ways for the summer. We sold lots of books as people stopped on their way by to chat. At three-thirty, I was on the south stage on the Deadly Intent panel, which had a full audience that stayed the duration. All in all, a great day in a great location.

 (l to r) Dave Whellams, Barbara Fradkin, Vicki Delany, me, Linda Wiken & R.J. Harlick

I've been working every evening on the final edit of Tumbled Graves. My revisions are due Monday and I have about a hundred pages to go. I'll be finishing that tomorrow because I'm heading out soon to Indigo Barrhaven where I'll be signing books from 11-2. The woman organizing this has ordered my YA mysteries as well as the adult so hopefully readers will stock up on summer reading!

Not much writing on my latest manuscript so I'll have to pick up the pace next week. June is turning into a busy month....

Prose and Panels

I'm a slow-moving bunny this morning, but I have been to the Parkdale Market to drop off some books for Prose in the Park. This is the first outdoor book festival in Ottawa for some time (if the first ever) and is being held in the park next to the Parkdale Market and the place is already abuzz with authors setting up their books on tables under tents - two stages at either end of the park for panels with the day getting underway at 11:00 and running until 6:00 this evening. I'm on the crime-writing panel at 3:30 under the title "Criminal Intent". The day is entirely free so come by and check it out. Chairs are already set up in front of the stages so you can relax and take in the panels. The Market is also next door to pick up some fresh produce for supper or flowers to plant in your garden. I'll be heading back around 1:30 if you want to come chat or pick up a signed copy of any of my books :-)

I've been plugging away daily at the latest manuscript, meeting my daily and monthly targets, which is a good thing since the final proofs for Tumbled Graves arrived yesterday and I have just over a week to go through them. It's very cool to see the text all laid out in book format and to know that soon reviewers and bloggers will be reading the advance reading copies. Cool and nerve-wracking at the same time. On this go around, I'll be looking for typos and incorrect sentences, that sort of thing. My editor said that she was happy with all of my final edits in the last version and had no changes to my changes. And on we go...

Next Saturday, I'll be at Indigo Barrhaven from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., signing books so come by and keep me company if you are in the area. This will be my final book event until mid-August.

I'd like to acknowledge the hard work by Capital Crime Writers president Michael Murphy - a retired librarian at the central Ottawa branch, Michael has worked hard behind the scenes to keep CCW going over the past few years and he is on the planning committee for today's Prose in the Park event. He's travelled to Perth to sell our books and is manning the booth today - all volunteer work and he doesn't even write! I was at a signing at Perfect Books last year and he came by to support me and even bought me a copy of The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters because he thought I would enjoy it. (It is excellent by the way).

Well, this bunny better get at something productive before it's time for me to head back to the Market. I hope to see you either this weekend or next.

The Arthur Ellis Awards

I'm a bit late with my blog post today but Ted and I only arrrived home from Toronto a short while ago. We spent a couple of nights after the Arthur Ellis awards banquet, which was a lot of fun although Cold Mourning didn't come first - it really was an honour to have it shortlisted as this was a strong field of books starting with the long list.

Thursday started with a wine pre-banquet get together at Dundurn's offices, where Ted, Dawn and I met with the Dundurn team and many of the other authors. I had a great chat with Jennifer McKnight, my editor for the Stonechild series. VP Beth Bruder took us on a tour of the offices and President Kirk Howard welcomed us and gave a toast to Sylvia McConnell for her Derek Murdoch award for all she's done to promote Canadian crime writing. We then scooted up Church Street to pick up my daughter Julia in time for another cocktail hour at the Arts and Letters Club where the banquet was held. Here are a few photos from the evening!

 

 

 

 Jennifer McNight, me and Sylvia McConnell

 Dundurn VP Beth Bruder and Dawn Rayner

 My dates for the evening - Julia, Ted and Dawn

 Crime Writers of Canda President Vicki Delany presenting the Derrick Murdoch award

to Sylvia McConnell

 Dundurn President Kirk Howard

 CWC VP Cathy Ace and Vicki Delany

Linda Wiken

 

R.J. Harlick, me and Mary Jane Maffini





Canada Writes Crime

On Sirens of Suspense blog, I'm the featured author this week and give a taste of my other passion, curling! If you are living in the U.S. and post a comment, you could win a copy of Butterfly Kills.

The Arthur Ellis awards dinner is this Thursday in Toronto so Ted and I will be heading down  and picking up our daughter Julia and a friend Dawn Rayner for the evening's events, which begin with a cocktail party at Dundurn. My first publisher, Sylvia McConnell is receiving the Derrick Murdoch at the AE dinner for her contributions to Canadian publishing and the first get together is in her honour. So well deserved for a wonderful person, whom I consider a mentor in this industry. Here is a quote from the announcement:

"In 1998, Sylvia McConnell began RendezVous Crime, a publishing house with the mandate to publish crime novels written by Canadians set in Canada. Over the next thirteen years she published 80 works of crime fiction, many of which were nominated for or won prestigious awards. For her belief in the value of Canadians telling Canadian stories, for her encouragement of new Canadian authors, and for her recognition of talent with staying power, we are proud to present Sylvia McConnell with the Derrick Murdoch award for 2015."

And since Cold Mourning is shortlisted for best crime novel in 2014, I thought you might like to meet the other four finalists and get some new great reading ideas!  Here is a list of their names and books, but you can also check out the other authors and categories on the Crime Writers of Canada site. I've added links to their websites or book if I couldn't find a site. Summer reading!

Barbara Fradkin, None so Blind, Dundurn Press
C.C. Humphreys, Plague, Doubleday Canada
Maureen Jennings, No Known Grave, McClelland & Stewart
Alen Mattich, Killing Pilgrim, House of Anansi

I haven't made my word count on the latest manuscript for May and will be buckling down today. I hope to get enough done that I can spend tomorrow morning going to the Parkdale Market for plants to complete my garden and planters. We had a frost scare last night so I brought in as many of the plants as I could last evening and Ted covered up the rest with sheets. At least it didn't snow.

The Lovely Month of May

I spent my writing time editing Tumbled Graves this week. Jennifer McNight, my Dundurn editor, had suggested changes, including adding a scene, and picked out plot inconsistencies. Very little change to the actual text. I sent the manuscript back to her on Thursday evening for her next review. I'll see it one more time before it goes to Jennifer again and then to the copy editor, who looks for spelling errors and the like. This is done now to have advance reading copies ready six months before publication to send out to reviewers. My first manuscripts were not edited electronically but on hard copy. I know that we see different errors when we look at hard copy vs on a computer screen - something about how our brain works - but electronic editing sure is a lot easier.

And now, back to working on my latest manuscript, which is rounding into the stretch before the finish line.This is the scary part when I find out if all the storylines I have going will come together. Send hopeful thoughts, everyone.

I spent last Saturday afternoon signing books at Chapters Rideau with fellow crime authors Vicki Delany (Eva Gates) and Linda Wiken (Erika Chase). You might wonder why they have two names and I only have the one. They each use a pseudonym for their Berkley Crime series - the pseudonym belongs to the series and will not be used again for a new series. In other words, Berkley owns the pseudonym. I don't have the same restriction and so simply write under my own name.

 

 Linda Wiken, me and Vicki Delany

Several events are coming up: the Arthur Ellis awards dinner on May 28 in Toronto - Ted, Julia and good friend Dawn Rayner will be coming with me so excited about that; Prose in the Park on Saturday, June 6 - I'll be on a crime panel - takes place near the Parkdale Market and is the place to be to hear top Canadian authors in all genres speak about their work and to purchase books; June 13 from noon to three - signing at Chapters Barrhaven; and August 15 reading at the Perth ClassicTheatre Festival with Peggy Blair - loved this event last year and pleased to return with Peggy.

A long weekend ahead and temperatures heating up. I'm going to get into my garden, which is growing a nice crop of grass at the moment, and will get my bike out for the first ride of the year. Other than a few barbecues, I'll spend time typing at the keyboard hitting my word count for May. But for now, another cup of coffee as I ease into the morning.