American Library Association - Best Mystery!

overcast, mild, temps minus 6

A little windy, and, miraculously, it is always in our faces no matter which direction we're walking in.

You might have heard - I'm sure it led the World News (or perhaps that's the delusion talking, again) - that BURY YOUR DEAD has just been named the Best Mystery of 2010 by the American Library Association! The others nominated are magnificent - Tana French, Inge Ash Wolfe, John Verdon and William Kent Krueger (who I have a little crush on, as Michael knows).

I feel like the luckiest, happiest person on earth. Imagine, writing a book in a tiny Quebec village, and having it even noticed by the ALA, never mind chosen. Wow.

And, to add to my giddy state, the squirrel has been caught! Pat and Tony, who are staying at the house while we're in Montreal, checked the humane trap this morning and there it was. Glaring. Pat drove it way far away, released it, and now we hope it won't find its way back. Unfortunately we obviously haven't found the hole in the house. So, they've re-set the trap. This could become yet another addiction. De-squirreling.

Not quite as exciting as the ALA announcement - but sure got us cheering!

Michael and I are in Montreal, as I mentioned. We'd heard that a puppy and the mother of the abused litter were still available to adopt - apparently when the news first got out about the atrocious act all sorts of people called the spca in Granby (called the SPA Granby) to adopt...but when the time came, most of those offers evaporated. That's how Rhianna and her wonderful mother Joanne came to adopt their puppy. We decided to go by the SPA Granby on our way in to Montreal and see about adopting one or both of the remaining dogs. But when I called, when we were on the road, they said the dogs were all adopted. But - yesterday afternoon - Lise wrote to say apparently the mother is still there. She's a 2 year old lab - and one of the ones shot with a nail gun in the head.

We're stuck in Montreal, but Lise is going to Granby anyway, and said she'd check it out for us. But, she warned, she suspects the mother is probably quite emotionally damaged and might need a family that knows a lot about dogs, but doesn't now have any. She might need to be an 'only child'.

Lise is very wise, and I suspect she's right. But best to check it out. I don't know the SPA GRanby - and just want to make sure its a no-kill shelter. And if need be, make arrangements for the mother's re-habilitation and training. So she can one day be placed in a loving family.

Fingers crossed.

When we did get in to Montreal we drove to Outremont (a quartier of Montreal) and had lunch yesterday with my Quebec publisher, Louise Loiselle of Flammarion Quebec, and we celebrated the arrival of Sous la glace - the french version of Dead Cold/A Fatal Grace.

I'm going to be doing only one public signing of Sous la glace in Montreal, and that's on Friday, January 21st, at 1pm at Indigo Books at the Montreal Trust building. I'll also be signing copies of Bury Your Dead. If you'd like to drop by I'd love to see you!

Today Michael and I had breakfast at Nick's then walked a bit - then went and caught the 1pm showing of The King's Speech.

Oh, my Gaaaawd. A magnificent film. Can't remember when I've enjoyed a film more. Both Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush were fabulous. In fact, everyone was. Loved it. We ate popcorn, drank diet coke, and sniffled our way through it. Four thumbs up.

And that's our news. Tomorrow we both have dentists, then lunch with the son of Michael's great friend John Buxton. Patrick lives in London but will be in Montreal for the day, and so we're meeting for lunch. Le Local - a great french restaurant in a not so great area of Montreal. At least, not a chichi area. A place Patrick would never, ever think to go to on his own.

I also have an interview with the popular Quebec magazine 7 Jours tomorrow morning.

Be well - and talk to you soon.