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Press Release:
For immediate release, June 30, 2005
Violette Malan, Telephone, (613) 272-3591
Scene of The Crime Names
Short Story Contest Winners
This year's Wolfe Island Scene of the Crime short story contest saw entries from across Canada as the event continues to grow in popularity.
"We were delighted to see more Canadians turning to crime," jokes contest co-ordinator Violette Malan. "Since Canadian crime writing started with a Wolfe
Islander, it seems fitting the Island be a centre for promoting new writers from across the country."
The contest, part of the Scene of the Crime Writers Festival taking place on Saturday, Aug. 13, on Wolfe Island, Ont., attracted entries came from as far
away as the state of Washington (from a Canadian citizen living in the U.S.) and Peachland, B.C., as well as close to home. The winners were chosen by a three-person
panel through blind judging.
First-place finisher Sandy Conrad of Paisley, Ont., won for her story "The Eulogy." The second-place finisher, who hails from Kingston, is Douglas Richard
Turnbull for his story "Mourning Suicide." Third-place goes to Chris Laing, also a Kingston resident, who penned "The Underground Detective." Honourable
mention goes to Toronto writer Marianne Miller for "Florence Road."
First prize is $50 and publication in the fall issue of Kingston Life magazine. Second and third prizes are $25 gift certificates from Kingston's Novel Idea
bookstore.
The annual Scene of the Crime Festival is dedicated to celebrating Wolfe Island's heritage as the birthplace of Canada's first crime writer, Grant Allen. Born
on the Island in the mid-19th century and the first Canadian to write crime fiction, Allen invented one of the most popular plot conceits of the genre, the
thief who is actually the hero of the story. He was also a good friend of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes.
Set for Saturday, Aug. 13, on land Grant Allen's family donated to the Island around the time of his birth, this year's Scene Of The Crime includes:
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A talk on rum-running in the Thousand Islands by author Bill Hunt, an expert in Prohibition-era tales and author of several best-selling books on the
subject, including Booze, Boats and Billions.
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A panel discussion on The Villain As Hero, where our panel of expert authors talk about what makes those bad guys so good. Our award-winning writers include J.D.
Carpenter, H. Mel Malton, Rick Mofina, Peter Sellers and poker-champ-turned-writer Rick Gadziola.
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The Grant Allen Award: An intimate interview with William Deverell by Roy Bonisteel, followed by the presentation of the second annual Grant Allen
Award. Held at historic Trinity Anglican church, where Grant Allen's father was the first minister.
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Author readings: Come hear some of Canada's top authors read short mysteries specially prepared for this event.
The short story awards will officially be presented at the festival's popular old-fashioned church supper, where Canada's top crime writers join festival-goers
at the dinner table for a home-cooked meal, including unlimited home-made pie.
It's all done with a home-style flare that emphasizes the small-town feel of Wolfe Island, the largest of the Thousand Islands. Festival events take place in
the Island village of Marysville, and are all within walking distance of the free ferry from Kingston.
Information and tickets are available at www.sceneofthecrime.ca, or by contacting Maureen Lollar at 613-385-2540 or by email at [email protected]
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