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

And yet more delighted conference-goers taking home Alberta books!

And yet more delighted conference-goers taking home Alberta books!

 

The most horrifying author in Canada, Bloody Words 2011's Canadian Guest of Honour Michael Slade, is riding for a Deadly Fall.

Cheryl Freedman, ex-HQ of Crime Writers of Canada and nigh-permanent chair of Bloody Words (along with author Caro Soles), seized Marty Chan's Mystery of the Cyber Bully at the first opportunity.

Pam Barnsley, coordinator of Bloody Words' extremely impressive program book, carried off Gangs in Canada by Jeff Pearce, donated to the cause by Quagmire/Folklore Publishing.

Lovely Lauren, a devoted mystery reader from the dining room, couldn't wait for a Date with a Sheesha

Deadly Fall - Susan Calder

Paula Savard’s life has stalled. Her lukewarm love life, job as an insurance adjuster and grownup children are more frustrating than exciting. However, she gets more than she asked for when her once best friend, Callie, is murdered while jogging to Paula’s inner-city Calgary home. Paula’s suspicions zero in on Callie’s new husband, Sam.

Book gifts thanks to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

Alberta Author Susan Calder - panelist

Alberta Author Susan Calder, long known for her short stories, is now promoting her debut mystery novel, Deadly Fall, set in Calgary.

Susan isn't a born Westerner. She grew up in Montreal. She says, "Like many before and after me, I came to Calgary for opportunity. Go west young man, or woman. So I did."



 More about Susan here

Prime Prairie Crime at the Arthur Ellis Awards Banquet

Anne and Jayne kicked off their evening's entertainment by handing out books by Alberta crime writers to table-mates and passers-by.

BC-based mystery author Phyllis Smallman picked Amuse Bouche, the first book in the Russell Quant series by panel moderator Anthony Bidulka.

Joanne Drewry chose Sharon Wildwind's Some Welcome Home, the first in the Elizabeth Pepperhawk / Avivah Rosen series, because she will be visiting Vietnam soon.

Insanely busy banquet coordinator Deryn Collier collected Deadly Fall by Susan Calder.

All books provided with generous support from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

Welcome to Writing the Open Range!

This blog chronicles Alberta crime books and crime writers at Bloody Words, Canada’s national conference on mystery fiction.
 
Your blog hosts are Jayne and Anne, better known from Mystery Writers Ink in Calgary.  Along with descriptions of panels we attend and mystery icons we meet in the elevator or the autograph line, we’ll feature books by Alberta writers and writers who set their mysteries in Alberta, along with crime novels and non-fiction published by Alberta publishers.

Many books will be given away to unsuspecting conference-goers. Some of the titles were donated by the authors and/or publishers, and many others were purchased with generous support from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

Mystery Writers Ink, a Calgary-based mystery writers group, sponsors the 'Writing the Open Range' Panel at 6:30 Friday evening, showcasing Alberta crime writers Garry Ryan, Sharon Wildwind and Susan Calder along with ex-Alberta writer Joan Donaldson-Yarmey. The amazing Anthony Bidulka, author of the Russell Quant mysteries, moderates.

For more news on the panel and the Ink authors, see the group's blog at  Mystery Writers Ink

A tip of the cowboy hat to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, whose support makes possible our promotion of Alberta books and publishers here at Bloody Words.

Jayne and Anne