So, as you may recall, after discovering that I no longer qualified for any of the awards I had previously been shortlisted for (and in some cases, won) because I’m now self-published, I decided to work on creating a new award for Indie Mystery Authors, which my readers decided should be called The Toby, after Toby, my TV-watching dog. Then I learned there are no national awards for jacket covers either, and decided I should create one, again for Indie authors who are publishing trade paperbacks.
Because I like to create the thing I’m promoting first and then build support, I asked Carol Nasvytis if she could create a metal sculpture of a tent shaped dog (I sent her a cardboard prototype) and she came up with a couple of different versions. Then I asked Mike Shaver, a neighbour, if he could cut a piece of birch from a tree limb fell off a birch tree on my property to create a cylindrical base for one of the smaller ones.
The larger one was a little too big for the birch base so I asked him he could create a wooden book that it could sit on. He created this little wooden book out of white pine.
Neither of these are attached to the bases; they are just prototypes, but here’s the rough version of The Toby Awards! And Virginia Colfax, who does silversmithing, is working on making some little round silver spectacles for these awards. Once I have the prototypes finished (which includes visiting a trophy company to figure out labels), I’ll set up some meetings with a local librarian and some volunteers to figure out how to make this one happen!
Well, this is exciting — the sequel to SHADOW PLAY is off to the printers, meaning I should have copies within ten days and can start shipping these out. This one took a bit of time to get right; I had problems with my computer and only realized this morning (just as I was about to hit ‘send’) that two important clues in the original MS word version hadn’t saved, so I got hold of my typesetter and he was kind enough to fix it right away. Yayy!!!
I hope we caught all the tiny errors and typos but I know my sharp-eyed readers will pick those up and let me know. The nice thing about doing this, this way is that I can correct errors between print runs so we can identify those kinds of mistakes and fix them quickly.
I was at the Ottawa International Writers Festival last week with an all female panel of crime writers, which was a lot of fun, and I owe a big thanks to my friend Paula Wilson who came with me and helped stickhandle sales. Here’s a shot of me with organizer Sean Wilson (I don’t know the name of the other person who was also involved in the festival — we’re hunched over because we’re trying to all get in the frame of the shot and make sure that SHADOW PLAY was displayed!)
I had quite a few folks come over to where Paula and I were set up to sell books in the Festival Cafe and say they’d been looking in bookstores (one fellow had been to three in Ottawa !) trying to find my books, but of course, I don’t sell through bookstores.
I only sell through reboundpress.com, as I need to make this small press work and while I love bookstores, and spend a fortune in them myself, the discount they need from the list price in order to keep afloat themselves would put me under. So I hope readers continue to order online or search me out at author events and author pop-ups if they’re local so that we can keep this series going. The good news, though, is that I have HUNGRY GHOSTS in stock again (it had sold out) as well as UMBRELLA MAN and SHADOW PLAY:
The other good news this week is that I now have the rights back to the entire Inspector Ramirez series! I had already put UMBRELLA MAN and HUNGRY GHOSTS back in print; hope to get THE BEGGAR’S OPERA and THE POISONED PAWN back in print this year as well.
And we are moving forward with The Toby Awards: a pal in Victoria who does silversmithing is coming up with little eyeglasses for the metal Toby and another friend is working on a wooden base for it. Hope to start meeting with some of the folks who offered to help — maybe later this week or the week after — and figure out how to get readers involved — it’s been so crazy busy at work that I haven’t had time to think about this, but I’m on it now! As a reminder, the Toby Award will for Canadian mystery authors, who like me, fall through the cracks (Nita Prose, at our panel, called me a “hybrid”) because we were shortlisted and won literary awards previously when published by traditional publishers but no longer qualify now that we are self-published and not selling through regular retail channels.
The other Toby Award will be for jacket cover art for Canadian mystery novels (I haven’t decided yet whether to keep that one Indy as well, or open it up — hope to get some input on that front). My hope is that libraries will get involved in that one, because the covers, as you can see above, can be spectacularly beautiful and complex, and there is no national Canadian award for jacket cover art. I have it in my head that libraries will display the top ten and have a way for readers to vote for their favourites, so if you are with a library and might be interested, let me know!
I can’t believe I haven’t posted here for over a month — it’s just been crazy busy at work (real estate in Ottawa is hopping!). But I’ve done what I can to keep moving things forward with DOUBLE VISION, the sequel to SHADOW PLAY, and I’m happy to say I sent it off last week to the printer for proofs and hope to have proofs sometime this coming week.
I’m hoping any changes will be minor so that my typesetter can turn things around quickly and then it’s back to the printers for the full print run, which is usually about a week and a half.
This book is not available in bookstores, but you can pre-order it now through reboundpress.com or wait until I have actual stock — it will get shipped right to your mailbox! I will be doing some author pop-ups in and around Ottawa as well if you’re in the area. And you can find a short summary of the book on that website too!
Here’s the final cover! Terry Smith, as always, did a fabulous job on this one!
I’m excited to let you all know that the sequel to SHADOW PLAY, DOUBLE VISION, should be available for pre-order next week through reboundpress.com. It’s a direct sequel to SHADOW PLAY (the action starts two weeks later) and brings back the entire ensemble cast. Here’s the pitch:
“Damien Echo is a street-smart psychic scammer who takes advantage of vulnerable people. But when she meets an elderly client to help locate the woman’s missing dog, the Ouija board shoots out a plea for help along with an address, and this time Damien hasn’t done anything to manipulate the pointer. She checks it out and discovers what appears to be a suicide victim inside an unlocked apartment, as well as a carefully hidden cellphone that Damien steals.
“Detective Jamie Wallace is a Homicide detective with the Rideau Regional Police in Canada’s capital. Valerie Sanderson’s death looks like a suicide, given the lack of forensic evidence, but Jamie’s gut tells her the woman was murdered and so do her visions. All she knows for sure, though, is that either the victim actually killed herself or there’s a particularly sophisticated killer who’s hidden their tracks.
“As Jamie and Detective Michel Tremblay investigate the woman’s death, Jamie soon discovers that all the information she needs to solve the case is on a cellphone that she and Tremblay can’t find. And the only person who can help her reconstruct the missing data is a ruthless killer himself.”
I’ve decided to do a series of Youtube videos to help those of you who are considering self-publishing understand what’s involved in it. It’s a challenge, and I can likely save you some time and money by telling you what you need to know. I’m also hoping to do some workshops down the road in the Ottawa area! Here’s the first five in the series: I hope to have around ten in total, so do check back later this week!
"Ramirez is an appealing character who uses his Canadian connections to augment his sleuthing..."
Ottawa Citizen
"Crisply written, the characters are real ... Blair enters the world of the thriller."
Margaret Cannon, The Globe and Mail
"Peggy Blair’s Inspector Ramirez series gets better with every book. An Ottawa lawyer, Blair has a real knack for using her Havana setting, with its eccentricities born of necessity, as both a charming backdrop and a real guide to plot lines.
"This time out, Ramirez begins with a confrontation with Mama Loa. The witch doctor says people in the sky are going to die. Ramirez isn’t convinced. There hasn’t been a murder in Havana in weeks and who cares about clouds in the sky?
"When the prophecy kicks in (expertly done) there’s not just one, but several connected killings and yes, the sky is there, too. But this is no local curse or a shot of voodoo. This is plain old-fashioned KGB-CIA hit man-style killing. That makes it political, not personal, and Ramirez knows he’s on borrowed time."
Jack Batten, Toronto Star
"Marvellously accomplished ... Cuba is a small triumph of evocation.
"Blair manipulates the new characters in the book with the finesse of a card dealer dealing a hand from the bottom of the deck."
The Indextrious Reader
"Blair's mastery of intricate plotlines means that I didn't even guess at the extent of the machinations until the very end.
"And yet it all seemed to make sense once it was explained -- the very different storylines all connected in a great ending -- which was very cinematic in scope, and again, quite spy thrillerish.
"All in all, you'll find warmth, friendship, terror, clandestine plots, violence, explosions, and true love in this story. The perfect summer read."
Hungry Ghosts!
PRAISE FOR HUNGRY GHOSTS!
National Post
"An exciting procedural."
Chronicle Herald
"Blair's thriller never disappoints ...This series, with its study of seemingly disparate cultures that actually have a lot in common, continues to be a delight."
The Chronicle Herald
"A charming and funny, but also poignant, series. "
A Bookworms World
"Blair's plotting is meticulous, inventive and oh so well played ... an excellent addition to a wonderful series. Absolutely recommended."
Globe and Mail
"Heavy on atmosphere and style, the two places Blair shines." Margaret Cannon
Ottawa Citizen
"Top-notch mystery ... A new level of sophistication. Hungry Ghosts is one of the best mysteries to come out of Ottawa this or any year. "
Winnipeg Free Press
"Terrific cop characters Ricardo Ramirez and Charlie Pike -- intrepid, quietly anti-authoritarian investigators relentlessly sleuthing in their isolated corners of the world--and locations in non-touristy Cuba and the impoverished Canadian Shield make for a cracking good read."
Toronto Star
"Blair grows more assured with each novel ... she shapes all the elements in each of the three plots into coherent and related whodunits.
"As a bonus, Blair rewards readers with enlightenment about the perils of ordinary life both in Cuba and on Canadian aboriginal reserves."
Mass paperback (Canada and the US)!
Mass paperback (Canada and US)!
REVIEWED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES!!!!
"The Beggar's Opera is a well-crafted procedural with a detective who is haunted by the victims in his homicide cases. Inspector Ricardo Ramirez of the Cuban National Revolutionary Police returns in The Poisoned Pawn.
Ramirez is a wonderful guide — hiding nothing but hoping we’ll look past the poverty, hardship and political corruption to see the beauty and humanity of his battered city."
Trade paperback (Canada)
UK release!
Second in the series!
Norwegian edition!
German release!
Dutch version!
Czech release!
REVIEWS OF MIDNIGHT IN HAVANA!
Neville Moir, Publisher, Polygon
"I am a bit of a sucker for the weird and unusual and a taste of the exotic, so when I saw this script I sat up and took notice.
"Set in contemporary Havana, we are introduced to the major crime unit of the Cuban National Revolutionary Police led by an inspector who sees the ghosts of unsolved murder victims who in turn is assisted by a dwarf pathologist who needs a stepladder to be able to conduct his autopsies.
"Although handicapped by a creaking bureaucracy, intermittent internet and a lack of pencils, the policemen’s resourcefulness, dark subversive wit and profound intelligence more than compensate for these shortcomings.
"A compelling mystery with brilliant characters and a fantastic setting this is a spellbinding whodunnit. But above all a book of immense humanity."
Scotland on Sunday
“All the ingredients of the best detective novels."
Bookbag (UK)
“A thrilling and engrossing mystery that uses the intrigue of a communist Cuba setting to add not only an interesting backdrop but real jeopardy to the investigation. A fantastic start to what I hope will be a long series.”
Book Noir
"A poignant yet pacy mystery. The major, and the minor characters, leave the reader wanting more - in the best possible way."
The Killing Time
"Canadian author Peggy Blair's debut novel (originally published in Canada under the title The Beggars Opera) is a treat. It's a fast-moving, original and atmospheric mystery."
REVIEWS OF THE BEGGAR’S OPERA!
Booklist (starred review)
“A fine novel and the launch of what looks to be a superb series.”
Publishers Weekly
“Decaying but beautiful Havana provides the atmospheric backdrop for Blair’s absorbing debut.”
New York Post
“For mystery fans who need a break from both our winter weather and the proliferation of Nordic crime tales, here’s a first-time novelist introducing Inspector Ricardo Ramirez of the Major Crimes Unit of the Cuban National Police. Havana is as much a character as the people in Canadian author Blair’s fast-paced story.”
Mystery Tribune
“We highly recommend this book to the readers who love mysteries in exotic locales.”
Fresh Fiction, Texas
“A compelling mystery with flawed, haunted characters that reach beyond stereotypes. Poignant, carefully crafted, and hopeful, Peggy Blair has created a new series that is worth reading.”
Richmond Times Dispatch
“Readers will find themselves gripped by this smart novel as Blair combines a surprise-filled plot with well-drawn characters and lush details of Cuban life. A heady mix of deprivation and depravity, The Beggar’s Opera marks a promising start to a projected series.”
The National Post
“Compelling and convincing, a genuinely mysterious mystery that manages to both surprise and maintain its internal integrity.”
Quill and Quire
“An impressive police procedural, one that is as much about a detective facing his own dementia-induced demons as a country in the midst of political turmoil. The Beggar’s Opera was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association’s Debut Dagger Award, and it’s easy to see why.”
Toronto Star
“Quirky leads, an exotic setting, and not one, not two, but at least three twists at the end (saving the best for last). It’s a great start for the series.”
Winnipeg Free Press
“There are enough strong characters, dazzling locations and subplots in Blair’s book to sustain more than one season of thrillers.”
Vancouver Sun
“A fast-paced, well-plotted mystery set in Havana... One can only hope Blair, a lawyer for 30 years and former member of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, continues her career as a crime writer as well as she has begun.”
The Chronicle-Journal
“The Beggar’s Opera sets the tone for a style that includes rapid plot developments and unexpected twists, with a dollop of social conscience thrown in for good measure.”
The Ottawa Citizen
“The Beggar’s Opera does not disappoint. It’s fast-paced, atmospheric, has unusual characters and delivers surprises right to the final pages.”
The Sherbrooke Record
“Blair nicely strings the reader along, casting doubt on what’s real and what’s imaginary, while serving up a tale that combines a penetrating commentary on Cuban life with a whodunit full of twists and turns.”
The Hamilton Spectator
“Full of atmosphere. The Beggar’s Opera is a debut novel with a twisted climax, revealing dialogue and astute social observation on how far apart we are from Cuba and yet how close.”
The Chronicle Herald
“A splendid fictional debut with the first in the Ramirez series…. Blair’s riveting, gritty tale is so realistic, it may give readers nightmares about landing in legal trouble while in another country.”
REVIEWS OF THE POISONED PAWN!
The National Post
“The story treads dark and nasty territory, but Blair sidesteps the impulse to wallow in graphic violence by sticking to her characters’ actions and motivations… The Poisoned Pawn shows there is a way to hold onto decency and humanity in the face of the worst criminality.”
Margaret Cannon, Globe and Mail
“If you, like me, somehow managed to miss Peggy Blair’s debut novel, The Beggar’s Opera, then you should read this second book and then run to get the first. Let’s hope there’s a third in the works.”
Chronicle-Journal
“The plot comes together nicely in a Hollywood-style ending, which extends from ordinary people with murderous intent to international conspiracies at the highest level.”
The Ottawa Citizen
“Blair’s experience in First Nations law comes shining through in this novel. But it’s the Cuban story that really makes it sing.”
Vancouver Sun
“Two crime novels. Two resounding successes. Canadian writer and lawyer Peggy Blair proves her debut novel, The Beggar’s Opera, acclaimed by readers and critics alike, was much, much more than beginner’s luck. Blair’s prose is evocative, nary a word amiss.”
Jack Batten, Whodunit, Sunday Star
“An affecting series … Even if impoverished and politically oppressed Havana presents unique burdens, Ramirez is not without a sense of humour as he goes about his clever sleuthing.”
New Brunswick Telegraph Journal
“The plot is intricate, intriguing and surprising. There is plenty of death – innocent, inadvertent, coolly calculated, retributive – and there is plenty of subtle strategizing as the stakes mount for both countries. We haven’t seen the last of Ramirez.”
Owen Sound Sun Times
“Blair has found a winner in crumbling old Havana with Ramirez, a man haunted both by his country and unsolved crimes."