Crime Spree in BC

News I’m thrilled to share: in mid-June, I’ll be heading to British Columbia for a crime spree with fellow authors Ian Hamilton, Robin Spano, and Deryn Collier. (The photo is of me with Deryn and Robin at last year’s Arthur Ellis Awards dinner in Victoria.) If you know me, you know I love doing book events, and the only thing more fun than going somewhere to talk about my book is going somewhere with a posse of fine writers to talk books. Details from the media release:

They are calling it The Crime Tour: Three Hip Chicks & One Old Fart — a chance for Vancouver and Lower Mainland mystery lovers to talk crime fiction with four up and coming Canadian authors this June.

The Chicks are Hilary Davidson, Deryn Collier and Robin Spano. The Fart is Ian Hamilton. All four are fresh faces on the crime fiction scene, with eight books published between them in the last two years.

“We are all writers who rage on the page,” says tour organizer Robin Spano. “But we are really friendly in real life. Whether you’re an aspiring writer looking for inspiration or you love books and are intrigued by what goes into their creation, we hope you’ll come away having learned something.”

The authors will all be staying in Spano’s home for the duration of the tour. “It’s going to be loads of fun,” says Spano. “We’re going to get to know each other well, and I think that will really add to the events.”

The events: Crime Tour events are booked in venues from Burnaby to Squamish as follows:

Real Vancouver Crime Sunday, June 17th from 2-5 p.m., W2 Woodwards Join Sean Cranbury of Books on the Radio as he hosts The Crime Tour for an afternoon of readings in a funky underground space on Vancouver’s Lower East Side. This event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale on site.

Murder in the Woods Monday, June 18th from 6:30-8:00 p.m., Squamish Library The Crime Tour travels up the Sunshine Coast for an evening of chatting mystery and writing in the wooded beauty of the Sea-to-Sky highway. This event is free and open to the public. Books will be for sale on site by Armchair Books.

Meet and Greet at Chapters Tuesday, June 19th from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Chapters (Robson & Howe) Come down to Chapters on Robson & Howe to meet and visit with The Crime Tour authors and get your books signed. Books will be available for sale/signing.

A Mystery Evening to Die For Tuesday June 19th from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Richmond Public Library Brighouse (Main) Branch. Join up with The Crime Tour for a full evening of author readings, a panel discussion on the writing process and a lengthy Q&A. Books will be available for sale on site from Dead Write Books.

Triple Threat: Chicks Who Solve Crime! Thursday June 21 7:00-8:30 p.m., Burnaby Public Library, McGill Branch Join The Crime Tour chicks for a fun, all-female night of mystery readings and discussion in Burnaby. Books will be available for sale on site from Dead Write Books.

The Authors:

Hilary Davidson’s debut, The Damage Done, won the 2011 Anthony Award for Best First Novel. It also earned a Crimespree Award and was a finalist for an Arthur Ellis and a Macavity award. The sequel, The Next One to Fall, was released in early 2012. Says the Los Angeles Review of Books: “Her voice is a fresh and welcome addition to the noir landscape.” www.hilaydavidson.com

Ian Hamilton’s first novel in the Ava Lee series, The Water Rat of Wanchai, was chosen by Quill and Quire as one of the top five novels of 2011 and was nominated for a CBC bookie award for best crime/mystery of the year. It is currently in the running for an Arthur Ellis Award for best first novel. The fourth book in the series, The Red Pole of Macau, will be published this fall. Says The Toronto Star: “Ava Lee is unbeatable at just about everything…She’s perfect. She’s fast.” www.ianhamiltonbooks.com

Robin Spano’s undercover protagonist Clare Vengel has been described as a “slightly slutty grown up Nancy Drew”. Spano has been dubbed one of Canada’s Hot New Crime Writers by Crime Fiction Lover. She has fast developed a loyal following with her “smart, stylish and sharp” writing in Dead Politician Society and Death Plays Poker. www.robinspano.com

Deryn Collier is the newcomer in this group. Her just-released first novel, Confined Space, was nominated for an Arthur Ellis award for best unpublished crime novel. Set in rural BC, Confined Space has been called “superbly written, densely layered, and marvelously suspenseful” by New York Times bestselling author Julia Spencer-Fleming. www.deryncollier.com

In addition to the events mentioned above, Robin Spano and I will be talking about Social Media Platforms at the June 16th meeting of the Off the Page Toastmasters in New Westminster, B.C.


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