Friday, June 1, 2012

CRIME ON MY MIND

A Criminally Good Weekend






This is it! Bloody Words 2012 is happening right now in Toronto! And why aren't you here? Okay...I know there are some very good reasons for not attending...family, other commitments, money. But it's too bad because this is THE CRIME SCENE this weekend.


Last night, Crime Writers of Canada had a chance to applaud the best in our business and hand out the Arthur Ellis Awards. It was a truly awesome evening and shows just how terrific a writing scene is happening from sea to sea to sea.

Now, it's a weekend for lots of schmoozing in the halls, in the bars and over food; for lots of loose talk in the panels; for agent appointments, signings and stocking up on favourite and new authors in the Dealers' Room. There's the Bony Pete award for best short story and this year, a first, the Bony Blithe for best light mystery. Well done, Bloody Words!



A tremendous amount of thanks has to go to the Bloody Gang that organizes this event year after year after year. It's no wonder that next year's format will be shorter but just as sweet. Stay tuned for more on that. But it takes a lot of long range planning and person hours to make this conference such a big success every year. Caro Soles, the criminal mind that got it all rolling and continues to be part of the Gang, had the right idea twelve years ago. Create it and they will come, she said. And crime writers and readers have been doing so for all this time.

I salute you Caro, Cheryl Freedman and all the Bloody Gang! And a tip of the hat to all crime writers across the country, to our faithful publishers, sales reps and booksellers, and especially to all your readers who make it all happen by demanding to read home grown books. And even those set far away.

Let's all celebrate this weekend!





Linda Wiken/Erika Chase

A KILLER READ
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
READ & BURIED, coming Dec., 2012
www.erikachase.com



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