Wheredunnit?

From: Roxanne's Reflections Book & Card Shop

In the past, the quintessential setting of a mystery or detective novel was always either 1) the mean streets of some heartless and corrupt US city, or 2) the musty and genteel drawing room of an country manor near a quaint village named Burton-le-Coggles, or some such place. I'm exaggerating, but you get the picture.

     What is really gratifying about the crime fiction of today is that setting has been liberated. We have entered a world where anywhere is ripe for skulduggery and intrigue: from Stieg Larrson's Sweden to Donna Leon's Italy.
     And who can forget our own home-grown bounty of books by such crime fiction masters as Louise Penny (Quebec), Howard Shrier and Robert Rotenberg (Toronto), and Anthony Bidulka (Saskatchewan)? 

"What a great honour to be asked to be Writer in Residence for this month, and to proudly hold the banner of Canadian Crime Fiction. Especially since that banner has been designed and created by some of the world’s best writers—who also happen to be Canadian, and happen to use crime fiction to explore what it means to be human. Giles Blunt, Maureen Jennings, Barbara Fradkin, Peter Robinson (a Brit, but a man who chooses to live in Canada, so we bestow upon him the honour), William Deverell, Ian Hamilton—and many, many more."
— Louise Penny, CBC Books
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"A four-day blizzard has left the village of Three Pines looking like a toy town sheltered under a snow globe. But this secluded Canadian hamlet, tucked away in a valley deep in the mountains, contributes more than its picturesque setting to Louise Penny’s latest mystery, How the Light Gets In. You might even say Three Pines is the hero of the novel.
     Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec, the honorable detective in this series, often visits the village just to let its eccentric but kindhearted residents restore his faith in humanity. This time the inspector comes looking for something more — a safe haven. Demoralized and increasingly isolated, Gamache is battling an unscrupulous superior.
     'We’ve killed his career, his department. We’ve killed his credibility and broken his spirit,' gloats one of the man’s conspirators. But when the safety of two loyal friends is compromised by their undercover research into rampant police corruption, Gamache is able to spirit them away to Three Pines."
— Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times
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Buy books by all the authors mentioned in this post here...

Festival Memories (Chapter One)

Roxanne Beale (she always has a book in her hand, it seems...) plying her
wares at the 2011 Festival (Photo: courtesy of Andy Williams)

Roxanne Beale, proprietor of the eponymous bookstore Roxanne's Reflections Book & Card Shop in Fergus, Ontario has come to be known as "The Voice of Books" in our community, and deservedly so.

     Her bookstore is an island of peace and thoughtfulness in what seems at times to be a churning sea of 21st Century commotion.
     In a world of digital transformation, where reading has become a chore for most of the younger generation (and at best, looked upon as a hobby) she is a champion of books and a staunch advocate of reading. Her frequent events for younger readers have imprinted many members of our community with a lifelong love of books.
     Needless to say, she is deeply involved in our Festival, and has been for many years.

Roxanne's Favourite Festival Moments

"The 2013 Elora Writers’ Festival is fast approaching and once again I am so excited about the featured authors. This is one of my favourite events and I have been giving some thought as to why that is. I really love the intimate feel of the EWF and the fact that I don’t have to make any decisions about which authors to hear and where to find them. It all takes place in one venue and I have the opportunity to hear all six authors, no decisions required.
     I have been attending the festival for about 14 years and that’s at least 75 authors I have had the privilege of listening to. Mimi [one of my co-workers] and I were chatting about our favourite EWF moments. For Mimi, the chance to meet and hear Guy Gavriel Kay is at the top of her list. And she really enjoyed meeting Louise Penny, who is just so lovely and down to earth, and of course, a huge bestselling author now.
     For me, I have 3 favourite moments. I remember many, many years ago, Kim Moritsugu read from one of her books and her reading was just so perfect and she left the audience at a real cliff-hanger moment. You just had to buy the book to find out what happened next. Paul Quarrington’s appearance is also in my top 3. He read from his novel, Galveston, and then he brought out his guitar and sang 'Fictional World' with the wonderful line 'Michael Ondaatje has stolen my girl.' So unforgettable!
      And my very favourite memory is Antanas Sileika’s reading. I was not familiar with Sileika’s work before seeing him at the festival. Among other choices, he read a passage from a book that had not yet been published. I will let you in on a secret; I usually hate when authors read from something that is not yet available. How am I supposed to read something that does not exist yet! This time, though, I loved it. The passage was so clever and hilarious. It was about a young woman teaching English to a young man and she is teaching him about the English article, specifically the use of ‘the.’ The passage when read by him was so wonderful, I couldn’t wait for the book to be published. I remember reading The Woman in Bronze so carefully and expectantly, just waiting for this passage to come and hoping that it had been included. And there it was, in chapter six of Part Two and just as perfect in written form. The entire book is well-written and I highly recommend it.
     Do you have a favourite memory or author reading from past festivals? I'd love to hear it."
— Roxanne Beale

Find out more about Roxanne's Reflections Book & Card Shop here... and while you're at it, buy books by some of the authors mentioned in this post.

"We are thrilled..."

"Thirty-nine years, 50 books, and 350 million copies into his literary career, Stephen King will discuss the writing life with his son, first-time novelist Owen King on the opening night of the 34th International Festival of Authors.

     In his only scheduled Canadian appearance, Stephen King and his son, Owen King, will headline PEN Canada’s annual benefit to take place on Thursday, October 24th, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. in the Fleck Dance Theatre at Harbourfront Centre, Toronto. Award-winning mystery writer Louise Penny will moderate the discussion.
     'We are thrilled that Stephen and Owen King are supporting the work of PEN,' said Charlie Foran, President, PEN Canada. 'The evening promises to be a rare glimpse of an intimate father-son conversation about life and art.'

 

     Stephen King will present his new novel, Doctor Sleep, which returns to the characters and the territory of his first best-selling hardcover novel, The Shining, including the now middle-aged Dan Torrance. Owen King will present his debut novel, Double Feature, which explores the creative life and the complicated relationship between a B-movie actor and his filmmaking son."
— PEN Canada
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