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CWC First Novel Awards
The Crime Writers of Canada Crime Novel Awards
If you are looking for a new author to read, the short list for the 2013 Arthur Ellis Awards is out. Sometimes I find it hard to find a new author to read, so each year I check out the CWC list. There are other categories for Canadian crime writers if you are looking for an author you already are familiar with.
The five novels short listed for the BEST FIRST NOVEL are:
Confined Spaces by Deryn Collier
The Dead of Winter by Peter Kirby
The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
A Private Man by Chris Lang
The Beggar’s Opera by Blair Peggy.
Enjoy.
Thanks for reading . . .
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Farley’s Friday: Dog Walking or Human Walking?
Farley here.
So I go for a walk with my humans. They have shoes on, meaning I should have known it was going to be a tough walk. They don’t wear shoes often and I don’t own any. Go figure. I’m a dog.
We get halfway across the island, we’re in the Bahamas, when I stop.
“My feet hurt,” I bark.
“What’s the matter, Farley?” Kristina asks. She always notices first when I’m in trouble. I’m beginning to think she has a soft spot for me.
I hold out my paw to her and look as pathetic as I can.
“My feet hurt. These rocks are too sharp,” I bark and then wag my tail, just to make sure I’m being cute.
She understands and gives Matt her most pathetic look. He laughs, and I know I’ve won.
Matt picks me up and carries me across the sharp bits. Do they love me or what?
Woof Woof.
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Swimming with a Ray
The magic of swimming with a Ray.
This ray kindly gave us a beautiful show at Sand Dollar Beach, George Town, Bahamas.
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Proofreading: Choosing a Better Word
During the final proofreading of a novel, a writer can be tempted to change a word, deciding another word is better. I try not to cave to the temptation at this stage, but sometimes I just can’t help myself.
One thing I’ve learned while proofreading is that I need to be very careful during the final reading. It’s easy to introduce a typo, but worse, what if the new word doesn’t fit with the surrounding text?
How to I test this?
First, I replace the word. Then I read the entire scene to determine if it sounds right in the whole context. I often find that I’ve chosen a word already written in a paragraph before or after the one I’ve just altered.
The word change might sound better or it might not, but without testing the scene I wouldn’t know. To make the process faster, I could search for the word, to find out if it’s anywhere near, but I still think it’s worth reading the scene to make sure the change makes the story better.
Are there things you look out for in the final proofing?
Thanks for reading . . .
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Farley’s Friday: Wheaton Terrier Chases Windsurfer
Farley here.
No matter how hard I try I can’t catch my human on his windsurfer.
First there’s the problem that I’m afraid of deep water, so I try the beach approach.
“Wait,” I bark, but he doesn’t.
He gibes and I have to go running the other way.
“Wait,” I bark again, and still he ignores me.
“So don’t wait,” I bark. “I’m going to roll around and get sandy.”
“Good luck getting this off my fur before I get on board.”
Humans are soooo easy to drive crazy.
By the way, did you notice how crowded the beach is – not!
Woof Woof.
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Family Island Regatta Boats Arrive . . .
In George Town Bahamas. One of the joys of cruising is experiencing the local culture.
The excitement is building for a week of racing in the George Town harbour. The first boats arrived last week and more arrived today with a big entrance.
This big boy came right through the anchorage with lots of hooting and hollering.
For more information see: The National Family Island Regatta.
Thanks for reading . . .
Related articles
- Exuma: 60th National Family Island Regatta (repeatingislands.com)
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Can a Ruler Help You Proofread?
I’m fascinated by how difficult it is to proofread my work. Why can’t my eye see if on the page instead of reading of – that’s not really there?
What does a ruler have to do with proofreading? Let’s call it the new tool in my toolbox.
When I think my work is ready to send to my agent, I print the final copy and read it, line by line, very slowly.
I place the ruler underneath each line as I read it. This forces my eye not to stray forward to the next line. The ruler stays in place until I’ve read every word.
Out of 80,000 words, I found five typos. They were:
– a missing quote
– a missing word (had)
– a missing period at the end of a sentence
– you’re instead of your
– color instead of colour
I don’t think I would have found the mistakes without the ruler. This may seem like a lot of work for just 5 errors, but I believe in sending my best work out. If I don’t take is seriously, why would anyone else?
Do you have any proofreading tips you’d like to share?
Thanks for reading . . .
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Farley’s Friday: Wheaten Digs For Crabs
Farley here.
I love to dig. I’m a wheaten. That’s what I do. So what’s up with the crab that doesn’t get that?
I dig, dig, dig, and then . . .
“Ouch,” I bark.
“What? I’m supposed to chase the crab. It’s not supposed to bite my nose!”
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Swimming with Sharks
Living the cruising lifestyle presents some exciting opportunities. It only takes a little courage to take advantage.
Compass Cay Marina in the Exuma island chain, Bahamas has a school of Nurse sharks that frequent the marina.
The sharks are used to human interaction, although the marina staff does recommend not putting your hand in a shark’s mouth – duh 🙂
My niece had the guts, I had the camera and off we went. She made me go in the water first. “Just in case,” she said. “It’s your duty as my aunt to sacrifice yourself.”
How could I argue? So I went first, nothing ate me and she came in after.
Here’s the proof we swam with sharks – okay I know they’re Nurse sharks and are harmless, but tell that to the adrenaline rushing through my body.
