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Lost Girls Makes You Proud to be Canadian

Over at the CBC Books website, in honour of Canada Day, they’ve compiled a list of the all-time 100 Novels That Make You Proud To Be Canadian.  And guess what?  My first novel, Lost Girls is on it!

Aside from the terrific honour at having my book on the list with The Greats, I’m proud in a slightly different way.

It’s the feeling that my story – a made-up thing about ghosts and a cokehead lawyer and a monstrous Lady of the Lake who pulls swimmers down into a lake’s depths – has entered people’s consciousness in unexpected and reality-reshaping ways.  To think that something I’ve written has changed (however slightly) the way some might see a familiar thing – a northern lake, a neglected town – is rewarding beyond description.

CBC Books – 100 Novels That Make You Proud To Be Canadian

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The Demonologist on the Sunburst shortlist

Just saw that The Demonologist is on the shortlist for the Sunburst Award! And this as the sun actually appeared outside the window. Coincidence? Obviously not.

The Sunburst Award acknowledges excellence for Canadian literature of the fantastic.  My thanks to the Sunburst association and the jury, as well as congratulations to my fellow nominees, including the wonderful Nalo Hopkinson and Guy Gavriel Kay.

Sunburst Award shortlist

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The Demonologist a Finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award

Shirley Jackson is the sweetest when it comes to sourness, a shining light in the darkness field. Have you read “The Lottery” or The Haunting of Hill House or We Have Always Lived in the Castle? No?  You must. I’m not kidding. Quit your job, file for divorce, barricade yourself inside a storage locker – do whatever you need to do to read her.

As you can see, I’m an admirer.

Shirley Jackson, the late American writer of literary horror, subtle psychological thrillers and weird tales, has a prize named after her.  In honour of her accomplishments, the prizes are given each year to stories, anthologies, novels etc. that mine the Jacksonian vein of horror and suspense.  And this year…The Demonologist is a finalist for Best Novel!

I’m blown away grateful to be on the list with such great writers and books, some of which I’ve already read and the others I’m about to.  Check out all the shortlists here:

Shirley Jackson Awards

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The Demonologist a Finalist for ITW Best Novel Award

I learned today that The Demonologist is a finalist for the 2014 International Thriller Writers Award for Best Novel.  Mondays don’t typically come with such pretty bows tied on them, gotta say.

So honored to be on a shortlist with amazing writers like Linda Castillo, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, (fellow Canuck) Owen Laukkanen, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, and…Stephen freakin King.

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The Demonologist Makes It 9 Weeks

Returned home from the Dark Side Tour appearances in Calgary, Vancouver and Ottawa (all great fun) to see The Demonologist paperback on the Globe and Mail’s bestseller list for a 9th week (in the #9 spot).

Scary nice.  And I’m frightfully grateful.  (Forgive me).

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LIBRIS Longlist

I’m honoured to see today that I’ve been longlisted along with a number of other amazing Canadian authors for the LIBRIS Awards Author of the Year.  And that’s not all!  The Demonologist has been similarly nominated for Fiction Book of the Year.

Well thank you, colleagues.  And thank you, 2013.  You were quite a year.

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The Way In

Screenwriting is awash in lingo that us novelists never use and mostly don’t understand. And this is probably a good thing.

But there is one term from ScreenwritingLand that I’ve found immensely helpful in thinking about how to tell your story…

The Way In – Litchat Blog