Two mysteries

For all of you mystery and crime readers (writers) in the blogiance, Elizabeth Duncan and Steve Burrows will be reading from their novels on June 24 at the Annette St. location of the Toronto Library.

Elizabeth’s latest novel is Never Laugh as a Hearse Goes by, the fifth in her Penny Brannigan series set in North Wales. Minotaur Press is the publisher.

Steve’s book, A Siege of Bitterns, published by Dundurn Press, features Inspector Domenic Jejeune of UK Police Services. Jejeune is an outsider in the force, residing in the UK but born and raised in the Canadian countryside.

Freelancer and author Sharon Crawford will be hosting the event.

Go and cool off in the library’s AC while enjoying bits of some great tales. Elizabeth and Steve will be reading at 145 Annette St. from 7 to 8:15p.m.

Crime writers round table

All you mystery readers should reserve the evening of May 27th when Nate Hendley will be hosting a roundtable with five Toronto crime/mystery writers. The writers will be reading from their work and answering questions about the deepest darkest secrets that trigger creation of those evil geniuses that appear in their stories.

The writers are: Steve Shrott, a comedy and mystery writer who just published his first mystery novel; Caro Soles, founder of Bloody Words, Canada’s biggest annual mystery conference has published nearly a dozen books; Madeleine Harris-Callway who has been writing short mystery since 1985; Sharon A. Crawford, a professional journalist and editor who also has a number of short stories to her credit in magazines and anthologies; and children’s author Maggy Downey who published her first children’s mystery last year.

Host and moderator Nate Hendley is also well acquainted with the criminal mind, having published numerous non-fiction biographies about criminals, from Ontario’s notorious Black Donnelly family to master criminal Dutch Schultz, as well as books about  the Steven Truscott trial and the impact of methamphetamine on North America n his book Crystal Death.

The roundtable will take place on Tuesday, May 27 from 6:30 – 8 pm at the Kennedy-Eglinton branch (2380 Eglinton Avenue East) of Toronto Public Library.

New stories, new pages on this site

After an unplanned hiatus, I returned to my blog today to clean up the comments I’ve received.  In the process, I discovered that I’ve been writing Blackmax1 for five years. Wow. Time has a way of nonchalantly pushing life along, doesn’t it?

Following my last post in 2013, I created a new page for one of my short stories. Today I am adding to that page.

The new story, Bubba, is a tale of conflict between a writer and his friend’s spoiled cat. The story previously posted, The Staff,  follows the tribulations of Caleb’s apprenticeship under Master Magician Moncrief. I hope you enjoy them.

This weekend, I will add another page that includes at least a couple of chapters of my new novel. Ploughboy of Heighberry Row. The novel is in second draft stage so feel free to tell me what you like about it (and any flaws you noticed).

Crime Writers reading at TO library

Three Canadian crime writers, Rosemary McCracken, Sharon A. Crawford and Nate Hendley, will be reading from original works in the Program Room at the Brentwood Branch of Toronto Public Library on Oct. 17. All three are members of Crime Writers of Canada.

Nate has authored more than a dozen books and co-authored several more. His works include stories about Al Capone, the Black Donnelley’s, Dutch Schultz and many other notorious North American criminals.

Rosemary McCracken has been a reporter, arts reviewer, editorial writer and editor for newspapers across Canada. Now a Toronto-based fiction writer and freelance journalist, her first mystery novel, Safe Harbor, was shortlisted for Britain’s Crime Writers’ Association’s Debut Dagger in 2010 and published by Imajin Books in 2012.

Sharon Crawford’s collection of stories, Beyond the Tripping Point, is described as “a compelling and thought-provoking carnival of dark tales that open a window into a gritty world of crimes.” In the business for more than 20 years, Sharon is a freelance writer, editor and writing instructor.

This free event starts at 6:30 and runs until 8p.m. The Brentwood branch is located at 36 Brentwood Road North (Bloor St. W at Royal York Road). Admission free. 

Book launch amid dancing and singing

For a fun, entertaining evening, you should go to Elizabeth Ruth’s launch of her novel, Matadora, this Wednesday, April 10, at the Gladstone Hotel. Ruth’s readings will be set an appropriately creative surrounding of professional flamenco dancing, a spanish guitarist and traditional singing.

Matadora, published by Cormorant, is about a woman in 1930s Spain who fights politics, and risks family, friendship, love and life to break into the bull fighting rings as a matador.

Ruth has just completed a term as Writer-in-Residence with Open Book Toronto and will be mentoring writers within the Humber School for Writers Correspondence Program through the summer. She is well qualified, having published two other novels, Smoke, and Ten Good Seconds of Silence, and will publish a GoodReads novella, Love You to Death, later this year.

The book launch starts at 7 p.m. The Gladstone is at 1214 Queen St. W. in Toronto. They would appreciate an RSVP but I suspect they would love your company either way. To RSVP: eruth100@hotmail.com. For more information go to:  http://www.elizabethruth.com/

Canadian literary agency looking for new authors

Transatlantic Agency just announced its name change in a reorganization and relaunch of its brand (previously Transatlantic Literary Agency). With that reorganization, the 20-year-old Toronto-based agency recently hired several new agents who are actively looking for new authors to represent.

Samantha Haywood, a shareholding partner in the company, specializes in international publishing and has over 15 years’  experience selling primarily Canadian authors at home and abroad for volume publication and film/TV representation. Samantha works with her colleagues on the adult side of the agency, Shaun Bradley and Meghan Macdonald.

Marie Campbell, also a shareholding partner as a result of the reorganization, specializes in writers of juvenile and YA fiction and works with (company president) David Bennett, Fiona Kenshole, Amy Tompkins, Patricia Ocampo and Jennifer Starkman.

Transatlantic has over 150 clients on two continents represented by professional literary agents operating in Canada and the United States and works collaboratively with established co-agents in 28 foreign language territories. 

To get in touch with these people go to their submission page: http://transatlanticagency.com/agents/submissions/

 Adult book agent Meghan Macdonald will be speaking at the WCYR meeting on March 10. See my blog of Feb. 25.

The life of a literary agent

Meghan MacDonald will talk about her work as a literary agent at Writers Community of York Region’s March 10 meeting. She represents adult fiction and non-fiction projects at Transatlantic Agency, and is exploring innovative digital publishing opportunities for the agency’s clients.

Meghan as been with the 20-year-old, Toronto-based agency since 2009 and as part-time literary agent and publishing consultant since 2010. Previously, she was Executive Assistant to David Grossman at the David Grossman Literary Agency in the UK. Her particular interests are in literary fiction, mystery novels, well researched historical fiction, and persuasive and/or polemic non-fiction.

From what I have been able to gather, Transatlantic and Meghan are actively seeking new authors. So, if you want to know what they are looking for or to find out if you even need an agent, plan to drop in on WCYR’s meeting.

The date is Sunday, Mar. 10. Registration & networking start at 12:30. To ensure sufficient seating and food they need you to register by Mar. 7:  http://wcyork.ca/york/reserve-your-spot-for-our-next-lunch/.   Advance registration is $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Unregistered walk-ins are charged an additional $5.

Location is: Newmarket Community Centre and Lions Hall, 200 Doug Duncan Drive in Newmarket.

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I’ll have more on Transatlantic in my next post.

New writing group in Oakville

Author/poet Craig Murray is setting up a new writing group in Oakville. Initially, they plan to meet in Thursdays. So far 6 people are planning to attend the first session that takes place this Thursday (June 3) at “the Denny’s Across from the GO station,” says Craig. Start time is 7 p.m. The group seems to be inclusive; all levels of authorship, from beginner to published authors. Craig is looking for poets, novelists, all those bodies that can hold a pen and put their thoughts on paper for others to appreciate. His vision is for it to be more than a reading session: “I want this to be a real place of sharing and learning and fun. Gotta have fun.”

Get in touch with Craig if you want to participate or are curious: http://www.meetup.com/Oakville-Writers/