On Nominations and Reminders

I was happy to hear that my most recent Nicole Charles novel, When Blood Lies, was shortlisted for the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novella, also known as the Lou Allin Memorial Award.

Lou Allin

The nomination is bittersweet. Like a lot of people, I adored author Lou Allin (Blackflies Are Murder, Twilight is Not Good for Maidens) and was deeply saddened when she left us too soon in 2014. Not only was she an accomplished and respected novelist, she was also a lovely human. I guess this is why we have awards in memory of those no longer with us. When we lost Lou, the world dimmed a bit. And this nomination, and the connection to Lou, brings her back to me so sharply just now.

As it happens, the book I am nominated for is part of the same wonderful program that Lou also contributed to: the Rapid Reads series published by Orca Books, intended to give both busy and newly literate adult readers a sophisticated, twisty story in a tight and easy to handle package. Lou’s Contingency Plan won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novella in 2012. I’m proud to be nominated for an award she won and that now includes her name.

There are lots of reasons to be happy about being nominated for an award, and I have a bouquet of them. But the best one for me this time out has been that put dear Lou closely back in mind: her generosity, her good cheer and her very real love of crime fiction.

You can see other nominees and more about the awards here.