Vicki Grant » Mystery

Awake and Smiling

vickigrant — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:20:15 +0000

I’m posting this photo for two reasons:

1) To say thanks to the young ladies from Agnes McPhail Public School for interviewing me about Not Suitable for Family Viewing.

2) And to prove that I was alert throughout the Ontario Library SuperConference even if every other photo taken of me there makes it look like I’d just nodded off.

Taking the mystery out of mystery writing. (I hope.)

vickigrant — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:39:42 +0000

Plotting. Planting clues. Killing off your characters. I had to figure out how to do all that while writing Not Suitable for Family Viewing.

Now I’m giving away my trade secrets at an upcoming “Writing Teen Mysteries” workshop.

Thursday, November 17

5:30 to 8:30 pm

Woozles

1533 Birmingham St Halifax, NS B3J 2J6

$35

This workshop is just for adult writers, I’m afraid. (If it goes well, I’d love to try one for teens as well.)

For more information or to register, contact Woozles.

Heading off to Lakefield Literary Festival

vickigrant — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:09:57 +0000

I’ll be doing something a little different on my holiday in the Kawarthas this year. I’m going to take a break from Scrabble, swimming and, of course, endless painting in order to return to civilization long enough to give a reading at the Lakefield Literary Festival (11:30 on Saturday, July 16).

Not Suitable for Family Viewing will be my ‘headliner’ but I’ll also be introducing a new YA novel, Betsy Wickwire’s Dirty Secret. (Hopefully, I might even have some actual copies of it in my hands by then…)

I’m paired up with the amazing Kevin Sylvester, author of The Neil Flambe Capers so it should be fun.

Hope to see you there.

Suitably Delighted

vickigrant — Mon, 09 May 2011 12:07:57 +0000

I was very happy to hear that Not Suitable for Family Viewing was recently chosen as an honour book at the Manitoba Young Readers Choice Awards (MYRCA).

I hope I’m as lucky at the Red Maple Awards in Ontario this Wednesday!

Comeback makes a splash on the Eastern Seaboard.

vickigrant — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:40:07 +0000

I’m very pleased to announce that Comeback was recently chosen by the TriState YA Review Group as a 2011 Book of Note. (In case you’re wondering, the TriStates are Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.)

Part of Orca’s popular Soundings series, Comeback is a high-low thriller which follows 17-year old Ria Patterson as she struggles to cope with her parents’ divorce, her father’s disappearance and subsequent accusations of criminal wrong-doing. Booklist said it “folds drama and suspense into a story that carries echoes of our country’s current financial woes…it’s premise will quickly grab readers, who will empathize with Ria’s disillusionment and split-second, bad decision making.”

I’ve also written three other books for this wonderful series: Dead-End Job, I.D. and B Negative.

Let’s just call this “Take One”.

vickigrant — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:40:14 +0000

I could have used some help with hair and make-up. There’s something weird going on with the camera focus. And if you look closely, you can see the big black paper clip I used to hold my collar up, peeking out from behind my neck.

Okay, so my production values aren’t up to Hollywood standards – but I hope my new foray into video will still make for some must-see TV. Or at least may-as-well-see TV.

To have a look at my first video post, tune in here to VGTV.

The Red Maples are beautiful this time of year

vickigrant — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:02:48 +0000

I’m delighted to announce that my YA mystery Not Suitable for Family Viewing has been nominated for the 2011 Red Maple Award.

And I do mean ‘delighted’.

Several of my other novels have been shortlisted for the Ontario Library Association’s Forest of Reading awards so I know how wonderful this is. Nobody gets kids excited about books like the OLA. In fact, over 250,000 students a year participate in the program. That’s great for the kids – and for all the Canadian writers whose books reach such a wide and enthusiastic audience.

A Double Hitter

vickigrant — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:42:03 +0000

I’m not a sporty type so have no idea what that actual means but thought it sounded like it might be a good title for this post. That’s because two of my books just made The Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s hit list.

Not Suitable for Family Viewing and Res Judicata were both chosen for CCBC’s Best Books for Kids and Teens 2010 magazine. (On newsstands now. Pick up your copy today!)

Thanks to the editors at CCBC for picking my books – and thanks to my editors and HarperCollins and Orca for making them happen.

Now that’s what I call a “Young Reader”.

vickigrant — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:04:04 +0000

Not Suitable for Family Viewing has just been nominated for the 2011 Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award. We’ll have to wait until April of next year to see if the students choose it as they’re favourite book.

Looks like Ben’s getting started early.

All the Usual Suspects…

vickigrant — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:01:23 +0000

Just got word that Not Suitable for Family Viewing was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Canadian Juvenile Crime Fiction. (“Juvenile?” Who you calling juvenile?) I’m up against a tough crowd, all with records as long as my arm.

The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones.
Haunted by Barbara Haworth-Attard.
Homicide Related by Norah McClintock.
The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade

The Arthur Ellis Awards will be presented by the Crime Writers of Canada in June.