Canadian Authors-Alberta: Women Killing It: Considering Crime Fiction Traditions & Women presentation

Three acclaimed mystery authors discuss the Madonna-Whore metric of good and evil. Is the crime-reading world ready to embrace fully fleshed-out female characters as both sleuths and villains. Join us for a lively exploration of narrative voice, character perspectives, and author choices—conscious and otherwise.

Author Bios

J.E. Barnard

Calgary author Jayne Barnard is best known for the award-winning Maddie Hatter Adventures (Tyche Books), a lighthearted and fantastical YA crime series whose most recent title is Maddie Hatter and the Singapore Sting . Her first contemporary mystery novel, When the Flood Falls, debuts The Falls Mysteries (new in 2018 from Dundurn Press). Her fiction accolades include the Unhanged Arthur and Bony Pete awards for crime fiction, and nominations for the UK Debut Dagger, the Book Publishing in Alberta Award, the Prix Aurora, and three Great Canadian Story prizes. She lives in a cottage at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers, keeping cats and secrets.

E.C. Bell

E.C. Bell likes to play between genres. She is the author of the paranormal Marie Jenner Mystery series and has had speculative fiction published in On Spec and various anthologies. She edits both fiction and nonfiction. Seeing the Light (2014), the first in her series, won the Alberta Book Publishing Award and was shortlisted for the Bony Blithe award for light fiction. Her speculative fiction won double Auroras in 2009. Dying on Second (2018), the fourth in her series, was shortlisted for the Bony Blithe award. Shiny! She is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime, and the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association.

S.G. Wong

Arthur Ellis Awards finalist, Whistler Independent Book Awards nominee, and indie author S.G. Wong writes the Lola Starke series and Crescent City short stories: hard-boiled detective tales set in an alternate-history 1930s-era “Chinese L.A.” replete with ghosts and magic. A member of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, she is also Past President of Sisters in Crime-Canada West chapter. As an acclaimed moderator and creator, she has presented on panels and workshops in diverse venues including ChiSeries Winnipeg, Bouchercon (Toronto), the Vancouver Public Library, and LitFest Alberta. She is based in Edmonton where she can often be found staring out the window in between frenzied bouts of typing.