Rapid Reads

By Vicki Delany

As most of you know, as well as writing novels Rick, Barbara and I write Rapid Reads novellas for the Canadian publisher Orca Books. 

The Rapid Reads books have a dual purpose. First they’re short, fast, but interesting and exciting crime stories for the reading public with perhaps not a lot of time to get into a longer book.  Secondly, the books are aimed at a low literacy or ESL (English as a second language) audience.  

Adult books, with adult themes and adult language plainly written, without a great deal of complexity.

My third book with Rapid Reads will be released on August 25^th. It’s titled Haitian Graves.  

The first book I wrote for them was A Winter Kill, about Nicole Patterson, a young police woman with the OPP in Price Edward County, Ontario, where I live. Before I continued with another Nicole Patterson book, I had the opportunity to visit South Sudan , and there I met some RCMP officers who were working with the UN, helping that country set up a modern, efficient, police force. (Aside: I blogged extensively about my visits to South Sudan over at One Woman Crime Wave, my private blog.  Here a link to a sample, for those interested in reading further: http://klondikeandtrafalgar.blogspot.ca/2011/12/klondike-friday-juba-south-sudan-2011.html) 

And so I created Sgt. Ray Robertson and Juba Good.  But by the time the nice people at Orca asked me for another Ray Robertson book, the situation in South Sudan had deteriorated so much that I felt I couldn’t write another book set there.  

As it happened, I was heading off to Haiti to visit a friend there. And, as it also happens, the RCMP is active in that country, also working with the UN.

I asked my friend to introduce me to some Canadian police officers and then I took Ray to Haiti in Haitian Graves.

I love writing the Rapid Reads books.  To me, it’s an exercise in stripping a crime novel down to its most basic elements. No flashbacks, no subplots, only one POV, a linear time frame, little introspection. Just a fast moving plot, clearly defined characters, and a great setting. Word for word, these novellas take far longer to write that any of my other books do. 

Intrigued? 

Why not check out Haitian Graves or one of Rick or Barbara’s books. We promise you a great read!

The Rivalry is Intense

By Vicki Delany

Rick and I have BOTH been nominated for an Arthur Ellis award for our 2014 novellas.  Mine is Juba Good, about an RCMP officer stationed in South Sudan, and Rick's book is The Boom Room.

I'd beg for your votes, but the Arthurs are juried awards. The judges have spoken, and all we can do now is wait for the winners to be announced.  No point in Rick and I facing off with sharpened pencils at 20 paces.

The Arthurs are Canada’s top award for crime writing, given by the Crime Writers of Canada.  It is, as they say, an honour to be nominated.

That's not all the kudos for the Typists either Barbara Fradkin's None So Blind is a nominee for Best Novel. 

The winners will be announced at the Arthur Ellis Gala at the Arts and Letters Club (very swishy) in Toronto on Thursday May 28th.  If you'd like to attend, either to cheer us on or just to mix with the Canadian Crime Writing Gliterati (as if) tickets are available from info@crimewriterscanada.com

I've written before about writing novellas for Orca press.  My first was A Winter Kill, about a young policewoman in Prince Edward County, Ontario (where I happen to live) which was also nominated for an Arthur. It lost to Lou Allen's Contingency Plan, which even in my mind was the better book.

When I went to South Sudan in 2011 I met an RCMP officer who was there working with the UN in a training and advisory role. I immediately thought that this would be a wonderful concept for a book.  But, it wouldn't be a light read.  South Sudan is not the sort of place you can set a comedy or even a family-driven procedural. I briefly considered sending Molly Smith there, but then I wouldn't be able to have John Winters or Lucky Smith go with her.  She could have come back from her time in South Sudan, but I dismissed that right off as the experiences she might have had there weren't the sort of things I want to get into in a Smith and Winters book.

The concept was, I realized, perfect for a novella. And thus I began Juba Good.

I loved the character, Sergeant Ray Robertson (after 17 published books,  my first male protagonist), and so did the nice people at Orca.  After Juba Good, they wanted another Ray Robertson book.  Unfortunately the security situation in South Sudan has deteriorated so much since my visits, I didn't think I could write honestly about it.

So off Ray went to Haiti. The next Ray Robertson book is titled Haitian Graves, and will be released on August 23rd.

Good luck to Rick and to Barbara on May 23^rd!  May the best book win.