Noir at the Bar VI: Sandra Ruttan (and a chance to win free books)
(Brian Lindenmuth, Sandra Ruttan)Sandra Ruttan, author of What Burns Within, The Frailty of Flesh, Suspicious Circumstances and the forthcoming Lullaby For The Nameless, drove up from Maryland for last night's sixth Noir at the Bar reading.
I enjoyed the reading and discussion so much that I realized toward its end I'd neglected to take notes. That's a testament to the intelligence and seriousness with which Ruttan discusses her matter and her craft. I urge all bookstores and event promoters to give her more chances to do so.
It's a testament to her intelligence, too, and that of the attendees that talk ranged over: gender differences in fiction, native peoples in Canada and the United States, cross-border crime, and the frustrating perception that Canada is safe, benign and a bad home for crime fiction with a hard edge. Ruttan also discussed a subject that I had not mentioned in my earlier posts about her work: the potential for conflict offered by an area of sometimes clashing police jurisdictions.
Now it's time to win some books. I'll send signed copies of What Burns Within and The Frailty of Flesh to the first reader who answers this question correctly: Ruttan sets her novels in the Lower Mainland region of which Canadian province?
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And the winner is ... Congratulations to Marco in Italy, who was the first with the correct answer: British Columbia.
© Peter Rozovsky 2008
Labels: Brian Lindenmuth, Canada, Noir at the Bar, Sandra Ruttan
posted by Peter Rozovsky at 3:07 AM
15 Comments:
And I'm very happy about it,because your past reviews had already stirred my interest.
Seems the Time Zones work in my favour-I always check my favourite crime blogs as soon as I start up the computer.
And sorry for the shipping costs Peter-I promise I won't enter another contest for a while.
Ciao,
Marco
v-word:redchest
A very cool v-word, and you must promise not to cut back on your contest entries. In fact, you were a break for me. The last couple of books I'd mailed out were to winners in Australia and New Zealand.
I have thought about what would be the optimal time to post contest questions so the greatest number of readers could see them. Perhaps one day I shall figure this out.
And I am pleased to be among your favorite crime blogs. Thanks.
Thanks for hosting these events Peter. It was a fun, lively and interesting conversation, and I enjoyed it very much.
And congrats to Marco!
v-word: ungestos
I always hope for bigger crowds, but I was exceedingly pleased with the improvised roundtable format. I enjoyed the discussed, as I enjoyed your conduct of your panel at Bouchercon. You'd do well at the head of a seminar table.
I expect the crowds will come with time, as word of mouth spreads. You know a lot of us would come frequently if we weren't dispersed all over the globe.
And speaking of which, congratulations, Marco. As long as Peter is willing to pay the shipping, it's very nice that Sandra is getting some exposure in places where it might not normally be able to get their hands on her books.
Yeah, the damned dispersed-to-the-four-winds stuff is a nuisance sometimes.
I enjoy sending books all over the place for the reason you suggest: It gives an author exposure he or she might not otherwise get. Sandra is apparently going to get some exposure in Japan. She has a deal for Japanese translation rights to two of her books.
That's great. I hope she gets to go over there if she wants to.
And I must add her to my ever growing 'to read' pile.
I asked her last night if her publishers would fly her over to Japan, but she just laughed, so I'm not sure she's making immediate plans to head that way. You'll know from my posts that I thought highly of What Burns Within, so yes, I'd say she's worth adding to the pile.
And, again, worth listening to. She takes a highly analytical approach to discussing her own work, an approach that I find congenial, probably because it's like my own.
Well, if they suggest it, she should take advance of the opportunity. I lived there for two years while in the Navy, half the time off-base renting from a local family. It's an interesting country.
I hope she'll avail herself of your knowledge should she visit. I'll check in with you should I ever head that way myself. Did you get a chance to see much of the country? Interesting that military personnel would board with local families. All kinds of potential for stories and social history there.
OK, rent from, if not board with.
If my 70-something landlady had spoken any English or me any Japanese other than yes, no and thank you it might have been a more compelling source of Story.
I'd walk in the door of the two-story eight-apartment building on the first of each month, knock on her door, smile and hand her my 17,000 yen. She'd smile, say arigato, and I'd back up. She'd close the door and I'd go back to my apartment. I wrote about it once.
Oddly enough, hai, arigato and sayonara are just about three of the only words I know in Japanese. And thanks. I'll click on that link now.
I've been to Japan, and I would love to go back. My Japanese publisher is publishing What Burns Within in May 09 and The Frailty of Flesh in November 09... but I've been told by other authors that book tours in Japan are rare. Given the opportunity, I'd go in a heartbeat.
Really, it's a shame we didn't think to make a podcast of the event. I'm not doing another one until February, when Bill Crider and I are at Murder By The Book, but I really should try to podcast that, if Dave says it's okay.
Well, you heard my feeble excuse in re a podcast. But I did have a chat last night about digital recorders with a musician who was recording an Irish session I intended, so I have a line on a digital recorder I might buy. Podcasts will be a part of Noir at the Bar's future.
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