Anthony Nomination!

sunny, glorious day - warm - temps 17

Took a couple of photos - it is so hard to leave here. I even hate leaving to go do groceries.

A beautiful day, made all the more beautiful by the news that BURY YOUR DEAD has been nominated for the Anthony Award for Best Crime Novel in the US! The anthony is one of the BIG awards in the crime writing community, and is given out at Bouchercon each year. The complete list of nominees in the Best Novel category are: (the order was taken from the official announcement) -

Bury Your Dead - Louise Penny - Minotaur Books
I'd Know You Anywhere - Laura Lippman - William Morrow
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter - Tom Franklin – William Morrow
The Lock Artist - Steve Hamilton - Minotaur
Faithful Place - Tana French - Viking

And here's the link if you want to see the nominees in other categories. The magnificent Mary Jane Maffini, a fellow Canadian mystery writer who won the Agatha a week ago in Washington for best short story, is again nominated in that category. Wonderful.

http://bouchercon2011.blogspot.com/2011/05/anthony-award-nominees-for-2011s.html

Thank you, Marjorie, for the link.

As you can see, it's a dastardly strong field! Honestly, if I was going to Bouchercon, I'd be happy to vote for any one of them. Though I think I know what my personal favorite is...

Such a happy day - We also heard that Booklist has named Bury Your Dead one of the top 10 crime novels books of the year.

But - Michael and I are also deeply aware of the flooding situation...both here in Quebec with the Richelieu River and in Memphis. And in Manitoba. Very scary. We're ending emotional sandbags your way.

But I did want to pass on our good news.

Wrote more today. I find my rhythm now is to toss lots of words onto the page, then spend the next day or two fleshing and shaping...then moving on. Like a literary sheriff, whipping the town into shape, then moving onto the next trouble. And sometimes it's happy trials, as they writing goes smoothly.

OK, pilgrim - I've exhausted the simile.

starred Booklist!

rain, cool, temps 15

Nice day...autumn day. Much like yesterday. Though Ken, who does the pool, says snow is in the forecast. Can you believe it??? Will let you know.

Relaxed day. Went off to Knowlton for breakfast with Danny and Philip. They're the organizors (among others) of the Letters from Knowlton writers and writing fest. The first one was this summer and it was a great success. They wondered if I could get involved in the next one. I said, yes, of course. And they also asked if I could be the honourary chairperson. I hestitated. My problem is I hate to take on more than I should - and then let everyone down. But they assured me the 'honourary' is bigger than the 'chairperson'. So I agreed.

It will be next summer, and it will be fun to help track down some of the writers we've met, and invite them. A summer weekend in Quebec's eastern townships is about as close to heaven as I've come. Though I suspect everyone feels like that about their area.

But I'll keep you informed as it gets closer.

Then off to the local community radio station - CIDI - for a one hour interview with Kate Wisdom on her new arts show. She's a marvelous interviewer and had actually read THE BRUTAL TELLING - which helps!

Then home to write the October newsletter and a few other things.

Oh, we got a terrific starred review in Booklist, in the US - a very influential publication. here's part of what they said...

Penny has been compared to Agatha Christie, and while there is a surface resemblance there, it sells her short. Her characters are too rich, her grasp of nuance and human psychology too firm for the formula-bound Christie. No, Penny belongs in the hands of those who read not only P. D. James but also Donna Leon, who, like Penny, mixes her hero’s family and professional lives fluidly and with a subtle grasp of telling detail.


I'm really thrilled with that review.

Michael and I are off to Montreal tomorrow. Hope to start the first big edit on the novella when we get in. Enough time has passed I think I can now detach and see it clearly, and make the changes. I hope. Though I must say, I quite like editing. This is the novella for literacy, written as part of the Quick Reads programme, developing books for adult emerging readers. It's a Chief Inspector Gamache, Three Pines novella.

Must be off...just got off the eliptical machine. I think I like it less and less! But, i know it's good for me.

Oh, Trudy was just going nuts barking. Michael went to see what it was about and there were two deer in the field by the pond. An adult and a baby. Lovely.

Always editing!!

sunny, cooler than usual, temps 13

Hi There: A note - I've taken down a paragraph from this post because I announced something that shouldn't, as yet, be announced. Not for a few days yet...but here's the rest of the post!

It's slightly below seasonable, but wow is it ever great to see the sun. The grass it very long and because of all the rain Wayne can't get the tractor/mower into the field. It's now covered with dandelions. Very pretty, actually, but we'll soon all be out there like Mrs and Mrs Grim Reaper, with scyths. Tony actually still cuts with one on occasion. I swear, if anything disasterous ever happens (that meteor hits) I'm heading over to Pat and Tony's. They're the only people I know who could survive without any of the mod-cons. Though they'd probably eat us.

Had wonderful news later yesterday-

A RULE AGAINST MURDER (THE MURDER STONE) has just been named one of Booklist's top 10mysteries of 2009! Seemed a little premature to me, but their year goes from May to May...so it's all books reviewed between April 2008 and May 1st 2009. Among the others on that list are the wonderful Louise Ure, Lee Child, John Harvey and Ian Rankin.

Yippee!!

I wonder how this sounds to you? I hope it doesn't feel like 'same old, same old.' It sure doesn't to me. I hope I never reach the stage where I just shrug and carry on as though these honours were trivial. I never forget how hard it was to get here, and how many wonderful, talented writers are out there. And what a blessing it is to be recognized. It really is amazing.

How many people would love to have the good fortune I've had? Lots. So how horrible not to know how lucky I am? I never want good luck to be wasted on me.

I also know the only reason most of these honours come my way is because you've read the books, and tell others. I am so grateful. I was so excited last night when I read about Booklist (and especially seeing the other names there).

Unbelievable!

Took Trudy to the vet this morning for her regular heart worm medicine and something for her chronic ear infection (goldens!) but also because we were suddenly concerned she wasn't seeing very well. We'd toss the ball and she wouldn't run, wouldn't follow it with her eyes or head. And when it fell behind her the noise surprised her. She might have been like this for a long time but when we had Maggie perhaps we weren't quite as focussed on this...or maybe Trudy just reacted when Maggie reacted and so it wasn't obvious.

The vet did the 'cotton ball' test. had her sit quietly in front of him. He dropped a cotton ball on the left side of her vision - she immediate looked at it and watched it fall. But on the right there was no reaction...until about the third time. So either she just wasn't interested, already knew what it was, or didn't see the cotton ball - it isn't clear. The great news is her eyes looked fine in examination, and she didn't seem hesitant or timid, nor did she stumble...so she might be fine.

Still, we've made an appointment at the vet hospital, which is a teaching hospital, in a town about an hour away, for next week.

The other great news is that even if something's wrong with her right eye, her left seems perfect...better than nothing.

Had her shaved for summer - she now looks like Stuart Little.