And so it ends....

... sailing off over the wine-dark sea, or at least taking the ferry from Victoria over the deep blue Strait of Georgia

Into the sunset... (or rather away from it since the ferry is actually going east).

...back to Alberta where the sky is wider and the land flatter but the authors and publishers as expert at their craft as any in the country.

With thanks to:

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts for funding support and encouragement to give away as many books by Alberta authors and from Alberta publishers as humanly possible;

Mystery Writers Ink for sponsoring the Writing the Open Range panel;

The following publishers who donated books:

University of Calgary Press
University of Alberta Press
Folklore Publishing
Lone Pine Publishing
Cormorant Books
Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing
TouchWood Editions/Brindle & Glass Publishing

And authors Garry Ryan, Sharon Wildwind, Joan Donaldson-Yarmey, Susan Calder, and Anthony Bidulka who donated books and items to the prize basket and promoted the panel, and were all-round good ambassadors for Alberta's many fine writers.

We had a wonderful time at Bloody Words 2011. Thanks for allowing us to represent Alberta authors and publishers

Sincere Best Wishes from

Jayne Barnard & Anne Jayne

Mooning over 'The Moonstone'

Bony Pete contest coordinator Chris Bullock chose Wilkie Collins'  The Moonstone as his Alberta book.

Now, as we all know, Wilie Collins was not an Albertan--but Broadview Press, which released this edition of The Moonstone and donated this copy to the Bloody Words promotion, is an Alberta publisher. Steve Farmer, the editor, is in the English Department at Arizona State.

The Broadview edition of The Moonstone got rave reviews for the commentary and supporting materials that Steve Farmer provided. The annotation of the text has been applauded, as has the inclusion of the full text of Collins' dramatic adaptation of the novel. A reader who wants to delve deeply into this novel will certainly find the commentary and the appendices to be enormously useful.

Broadview offers a number of classic mysteries, all with the commentaries and supporting materials that help the reader to full understand the novels in their own context. Other works in this series include Arthur Conan Doyle's The Sign of the Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles; and Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White.

Anne Jayne

Inkster brings home the Bony Pete short story award

As previously reported by president Anne Jayne, Inkster Jayne Barnard won the short mystery story contest at Bloody Words 2011 in Victoria BC.

Runners-up were Melodie Campbell and Gloria Ferris, both of Ontario.

The prize is $100 and publication in Victoria's Monday Magazine this week, followed by publication on the Monday Mag website.

Here's a photo of Jayne receiving the traditional award statue, in its hand-crafted carrying case, from Grant McKenzie of Monday Magazine: