Gwaii Hanas

I had so much fun sending Meg to Canada's Far North for Arctic Blue Death the fourth book in the series, that way I got to go too, that I decided to send Meg on a trip to another Canadian wilderness for the as yet untitled book 6 (I've decided silver will be in this title). Since I was going to be on the west coast for Bloody Words in Victoria, I decided Meg and I would travel to Haida Gwaii, the land of the Haida or the Queen Charlotte Islands as it is also known. As I child I would often listen to my father speak of these magical islands, his voice filled with no little amount of awe, where he had gone one summer while at university to work in one of the logging camps. So I always had a yen to visit this distant mountainous archipelago on the edge of Canada's Pacific coast.

I spent seven days with my husband, getting to know the islands and the people. Part of it was spent on a four day boat trip to the uninhabited southern part, to Gwaii Hanas National Park. I tell you, I fell in love with these wild, mystical islands and its people. And I came back full of ideas, information and photos. I can't wait to get started on this next Meg Harris mystery.

Please check  Gwaii Hanas photos to view a sampling of what we experienced.

Fun time in British Columbia

I shall be heading off shortly to the land of mountains and sea for some thrilling events and awe inspiring adventure with a wee celebration thrown into the mix.

In Vancouver on June 1, I'll be talking about my Meg Harris series and offering a sneak preview into the next Meg Harris mystery, A Green Place for Dying due out in Feb. 2012.  The event is being held at the Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch, at 350 West Georgia St. from 7:00 pm to 8:30.  I'll be joined by award winning author Barbara Fradkin, who writes the Inspector Green mystery series. If you happen to be in Vancouver that day, please drop by. We would love to see you.

And then I am off to Vancouver Island, to attend Bloody Words being held in Victoria this year from June 3 to 5. But on the way Barbara and I plan to enjoy some of the fabulous B.C. scenery by taking the ferry over to the island. On June 2, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed at the Arthur Ellis awards dinner, hoping that my favourite shortlisted authors win awards this year.

I am thrilled to be participating in 2 events at the conference. On Friday evening, June 3 at 8:30 pm, I'll be participating in an intriguing panel on Points of View: speaking from the margins. I'll be joining David Cole, Kay Stewart and George Szanto with Sylvia Warsh as our moderator. Then next day at 10:00 am, I will be doing the Mystery Cafe session, Silent Witness: landscape as character, with Stephen Legault. And of course I will be signing my books after the events.

And then the adventure begins. I fly to Haida Gwaii or Queen Charlotte Islands to do research on the next and 6th as yet unnamed Meg Harris mystery. To get a feel for these isolated mountainous islands, I will be exploring much of it from the water on a boat tour that will take me to Gwaii Hanas, the large protected southern third of the islands where totem poles of the once vibrant Haida stand as silent sentinels to the past. I will also be meeting with people from the Haida Nation.

And sometime during all this I will be celebrating a big birthday in the city of my birth and hoping at the same time to be celebrating the winning of the Stanley Cup by the Vancouver Canucks.

All in all it promises to be a very exciting trip.

On to Phoenix

Well not exactly Phoenix, but Scottsdale, Arizona. As Left Coast Crime winds down in Santa Fe, my attention turns to my two events in Scottsdale and Glendale. On Tuesday, March 29 at 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, I will be talking about my Meg Harris series and signing books at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore with Vicki Delany and Wayne Arthurson. I must say I am very excited to be doing an event at this famed Arizona bookstore at 4014 N. Goldwater Blvd.

And then on Wednesday, March 30 at 2:00 pm to 3:30, I and Vicki Delany will be continuing our discussions about our books and signing them at the Velma Teague Library at 7017 N. 58th Street in Glendale. It should be a great afternoon.

So if you are in the area please drop by and say hello.

And before I sign out, I must say that Left Coast Crime has been a terrific conference. I've met lots of fans, hopefully introduced new fans to my books and generally had a wonderful time. Although the high altitude hasn't completely agreed with me, I am enjoying New Mexico and hope one day to return.

Santa Fe, here I come!

I’m almost packed. Have bookmarks, flyers along with my secret Canadian hat for our Canadian panel on Thursday, along with mystery prizes. Have the dogs, their food, crates and toys ready to take to the kennel. And then I’m off to Santa Fe to attend Left Coast Crime. I’m getting very excited. It will be my first time visiting that part of New Mexico.

I am participating in four events, starting with Thursday’s Cuentos session on Crime Hot Spots of Canada from 2:00 pm to 2:45. Vicki Delany, Barbara Fradkin and I will take you on a tour to some of these hot spots.  We’ll be having a draw for some uniquely Canadian door prizes.

On Friday from 2:45 pm to 3:30, I will be moderating the Living Diversity: mysteries with a difference panel. I’m looking forward to grilling Gar Anthony Harwood, Deborah Ledford, Neil Plakcy, Daryl Wimberley and Robert Bennett on what Living Diversity means in their mysteries.

Very early Saturday morning at 7:30, I will be speed dating, i.e. flogging my Meg Harris mystery series, at the Established Authors Breakfast. If it’s anything like the Malice-Go-Round, it should be a hoot.

Than later on Saturday from 10:15 am to 11:00, I will be participating in the panel on When Location Makes All the Difference – Settings in Mysteries. I will be joining fellow panelists, Pete Goodman, Sara Sue Hoklotubbe, Annamaria Alfieri, with Jeanne Mathews as moderator. As you well know settings is one of my favourite topics, so I am very much looking forward to this panel.

I hope to see some of you there. 

Publication Delay

For all of you anxiously awaiting the next Meg Harris mystery, the publication of A Green Place for Dying has been delayed almost a year to February 2012. While I am looking forward to working with my new publisher Dundurn, unfortunately their 2011 publication schedule was already set and it wasn't possible to fit my book in. If there is any change in this, I will keep you posted.

March Madness

The book event season is starting to hot up. And even though the latest Meg Harris mystery, A GREEN PLACE FOR DYING, won’t yet be available for these upcoming March events, I am certainly very happy to sign the 4 earlier books.

The first event is in Kemptville, Ontario on Sunday March 6. I am very honoured to be participating in the Kemptville Literary Follies held at Leslie Hall on Clothier St. West. At 3:00 pm I will be discussing and reading from the latest Meg Harris mystery. 

Then on Thursday, March 10, I will be the speaker at a Food For Thought luncheon, a program for seniors which is held bi-monthly at a local Ottawa restaurant.

Towards the end of March I fly to Santa Fe NM to attend the Left Coast Crime conference. I will be participating in 3 events. On Thursday Mar. 24, 2:00 pm – 2:45, Vicki Delany and Barbara Fradkin will be joining me to talk about the Crime Hot Spots of Canada using our respective series as the travel guide. On Friday, Mar. 25, I will be moderating the Living Diversity panel from 2:45 to 3:30 pm and on Saturday, Mar. 26, I will be participating in the panel, When Location Makes All the Difference, from 10:15 to 11:00 am. I am very much looking forward to my visit to this historic part of New Mexico and hope to see some of you there.

On Tuesday, Mar. 29 from 7:00 pm – 9:00, I will be signing my books at Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, AZ. I’ll be joined by fellow Canadian authors Vicki Delany and Wayne Arthurson.

My last event is next day, on Wednesday, Mar. 30, 2:00 pm at the Velma Teague Library in Glendale, AZ. Vicki will be sharing the podium with me. I'll be talking about my newest book, A GREEN PLACE FOR DYING. 

And I must not forget to mention that I am very excited about being a guest author at this year's Scene of the Crime Mystery Writing Festival being held Sat. August 13 on Wolf Island.  I will be joining Maureen Jennings, Elizabeth Duncan, C.B. Forrest and Howard Shrier. It promises to be a terrific day. Registration is limited, so register early and get a chance to not only hear us but to enjoy the festival's renowned church supper.

Publisher Change

An era in Canadian publishing ends with the buy-out of my publisher Napoleon & Co. by Dundurn Press.
Napoleon under the stewardship of Sylvia McConnell made a significant contribution in promoting Canadian stories by publishing distinctly Canadian mysteries and juvenile fiction. She and her editor Allister Thompson were wonderful to work with. Fortunately, we won't be saying good-bye. They are moving over to Dundurn to work as our editors. And rest assured that Meg Harris mysteries will continue with the spring publication of A Green Place for Dying by Dundurn.