Tainted
Kudos to a Couple of Writing Pals
17/11/10 18:01 Filed in: Writing
Just a quick note to send out a hearty
congratulations to my friend, Ross Pennie, whose
first novel, Tainted, recently won the 17th
Annual Arts Hamilton Literary Award for fiction.
Fantastic news and well deserved.
Ross and I were in a couple of writer's groups together back in Hamilton and Tainted was the book he was working on during our most recent meetings (before I moved out East). He was kind enough to mention both me and our writing buddy, John Hewson, in his acceptance speech, a kindness for which I am very grateful.
And speaking of Dr. Hewson, Ross brought to my attention that an excerpt of John's excellent but unpublished novel has now been included in the second volume of an anthology called Canadian Voices. That's a real feather in John's bonnet. Again, this novel (whose title I will not include here since I do not have John's permission) is superbly written; I hope his inclusion in Canadian Voices will help bring John's work to light (and to the attention of a fiction publisher).
Ross, John and I met steadily for a period of several years while I lived in Hamilton, to discuss writing mostly but also books, movies and pop culture of all types. It truly was a privilege getting a chance to know these two gentlemen and their writing. I guess you never know how good you have it until you move on to something else!
Congrats to both Ross and John for recognition well-deserved. I understand that Ross' next novel is expected to hit the bookstores in the spring, published by ECW Press in Toronto. That's something to look forward to (if you don't mind me ending this blog post with a preposition!).
Ross and I were in a couple of writer's groups together back in Hamilton and Tainted was the book he was working on during our most recent meetings (before I moved out East). He was kind enough to mention both me and our writing buddy, John Hewson, in his acceptance speech, a kindness for which I am very grateful.
And speaking of Dr. Hewson, Ross brought to my attention that an excerpt of John's excellent but unpublished novel has now been included in the second volume of an anthology called Canadian Voices. That's a real feather in John's bonnet. Again, this novel (whose title I will not include here since I do not have John's permission) is superbly written; I hope his inclusion in Canadian Voices will help bring John's work to light (and to the attention of a fiction publisher).
Ross, John and I met steadily for a period of several years while I lived in Hamilton, to discuss writing mostly but also books, movies and pop culture of all types. It truly was a privilege getting a chance to know these two gentlemen and their writing. I guess you never know how good you have it until you move on to something else!
Congrats to both Ross and John for recognition well-deserved. I understand that Ross' next novel is expected to hit the bookstores in the spring, published by ECW Press in Toronto. That's something to look forward to (if you don't mind me ending this blog post with a preposition!).
Chatting with Writers
27/03/10 10:39 Filed in: Writing
One of life's great joys for a writer is to get the
chance to chat with other writers about the craft.
Writing is something of a solitary business so it's
nice once in a while to kick back and talk with
someone who cares as much about point of view,
building tension, writing dialogue as you do.
I had that chance a couple of nights ago when my friend Ross Pennie and I got together (via telephone wires) to talk about the novels we are each working on. I had finished reading the draft of his new Zol Szabo mystery while he is about halfway through my latest Phillip Gold offering. Ross and I have a great relationship as writers (nurtured through our writers' group with John Hewson) and respect each other enough to be able to offer and receive constructive criticism in a positive way. This makes these conversations all the more enjoyable.
We spent much of our time together discussing the issue of building dramatic tension in a novel: how to get the reader caught up in the plot and characters and how to ensure your novel is a "page turner" that readers can't put down. We also talked about the importance of having an objective reader review your draft, someone who can see the problems and weaknesses that you, as the writer, are too close to notice.
It's such a great feeling to have a talented writer hear what you have to say about his work and immediately jump on board with your suggestions. It's also great to receive similar comments about your own work and to feel genuinely invigorated by the feedback so that you want to go back to your draft and start the rewrites.
I am fighting that urge, however, since I want to get feedback from all my readers before I dive back in. Still, Ross has helped me to see some things I need to work on with The Silent Goodbye and he's also confirmed for me that the book is worth the work.
I can see now how much I miss my old writers' group and its regular meetings. I wonder if there's anybody out here in Nota Bene who might be interested.
I had that chance a couple of nights ago when my friend Ross Pennie and I got together (via telephone wires) to talk about the novels we are each working on. I had finished reading the draft of his new Zol Szabo mystery while he is about halfway through my latest Phillip Gold offering. Ross and I have a great relationship as writers (nurtured through our writers' group with John Hewson) and respect each other enough to be able to offer and receive constructive criticism in a positive way. This makes these conversations all the more enjoyable.
We spent much of our time together discussing the issue of building dramatic tension in a novel: how to get the reader caught up in the plot and characters and how to ensure your novel is a "page turner" that readers can't put down. We also talked about the importance of having an objective reader review your draft, someone who can see the problems and weaknesses that you, as the writer, are too close to notice.
It's such a great feeling to have a talented writer hear what you have to say about his work and immediately jump on board with your suggestions. It's also great to receive similar comments about your own work and to feel genuinely invigorated by the feedback so that you want to go back to your draft and start the rewrites.
I am fighting that urge, however, since I want to get feedback from all my readers before I dive back in. Still, Ross has helped me to see some things I need to work on with The Silent Goodbye and he's also confirmed for me that the book is worth the work.
I can see now how much I miss my old writers' group and its regular meetings. I wonder if there's anybody out here in Nota Bene who might be interested.
Tainted
04/04/09 21:33 Filed in: Reading
I don't feel it would be appropriate for me to write
a formal review of the novel Tainted, by
Ross Pennie, which I have just finished reading. Ross
is a friend and I was lucky enough to have had the
chance to have some minor influence on this novel as
it was in its early draft stages. I'm afraid,
therefore, that any review I could attempt to write
would be hopelessly biased.
Let's just say I liked the book. Very much. And I was impressed with how much work Ross evidently put into it after it had passed through the hands of our writers' group. Ross has made significant changes since then and the book is the better for it. If I read Ross' Acknowledgment's correctly, Edna Barker was his editor at ECW and she has done a heck of a job, helping him make an already solid novel even better.
Instead of a review, I offer some of the very positive comments about Tainted that others, more influential than I, have made about it:
Best-selling author of medical thrillers Tess Gerritsen calls it "[f]ascinating and fast-paced" and adds later, "Ross Pennie knows how to weave real science with crackling suspense."
Publishers Weekly writes: "Pennie's mystery debut introduces a winning protagonist" in Dr. Zol Szabo.
And finally, the reviewer for the American Library Association says: "Pennie's novel is a taut and timely work of suspense." The same reviewer adds, "Pennie builds tension perfectly, grabbing readers from the first page and keeping them entranced," and calls Tainted "[M]ust reading for fans of Robin Cook and Peter Clement."
With those kinds of raves from the professional reviewers, who needs more kind words from writing hopefuls like myself? But I add my endorsement to their kind words: Tainted is an exciting read; I can't wait for the next Zol Szabo mystery to find its way into my waiting hands.
Let's just say I liked the book. Very much. And I was impressed with how much work Ross evidently put into it after it had passed through the hands of our writers' group. Ross has made significant changes since then and the book is the better for it. If I read Ross' Acknowledgment's correctly, Edna Barker was his editor at ECW and she has done a heck of a job, helping him make an already solid novel even better.
Instead of a review, I offer some of the very positive comments about Tainted that others, more influential than I, have made about it:
Best-selling author of medical thrillers Tess Gerritsen calls it "[f]ascinating and fast-paced" and adds later, "Ross Pennie knows how to weave real science with crackling suspense."
Publishers Weekly writes: "Pennie's mystery debut introduces a winning protagonist" in Dr. Zol Szabo.
And finally, the reviewer for the American Library Association says: "Pennie's novel is a taut and timely work of suspense." The same reviewer adds, "Pennie builds tension perfectly, grabbing readers from the first page and keeping them entranced," and calls Tainted "[M]ust reading for fans of Robin Cook and Peter Clement."
With those kinds of raves from the professional reviewers, who needs more kind words from writing hopefuls like myself? But I add my endorsement to their kind words: Tainted is an exciting read; I can't wait for the next Zol Szabo mystery to find its way into my waiting hands.
A Pennie for Your Thoughts
30/03/09 18:01 Filed in: Writing
Last Thursday night, I had the happy privilege of
meeting up with my old writing pal, Ross Pennie, at a
coffee shop in West Hamilton. Ross, John Hewson and I
spent three happy years meeting every two or three
weeks to share our drafts, swap tall tales and
challenge each other to get better as writers. Both
Ross and John are medical doctors by training and
wonderfully skillful writers by talent and hard work.
They are also exceptional human beings.
Ross published his medical memoir, The Unforgiving Tides, a couple of years ago with a small publisher in the Hamilton area and then worked his own tail off to make it sell. And sell it did. He then decided he wanted to try fiction on for size, specifically medical mysteries, and John and I had the honour of being involved on the ground floor of that venture.
As I've mentioned before on this blog, Ross's first medical mystery novel, Tainted, has recently been published by ECW Press in Toronto. The early drafts were very good. The published novel is even better. I'm still reading the beginning stages but I'm impressed with how good it is: how much credit for that John and I can claim I'm not sure, of course.
But I'm not writing this entry to talk about Tainted. More on that book later, once I've savoured every word. I'm more interested in writing about what a nifty evening it was to chat with Ross now that he's a published purveyor of fiction.
In preparation for our meeting, I had wandered over to a place called Bryan Prince Booksellers, just up the street from the coffee shop, to see if they had Ross' book on the shelves yet. In keeping with Prince's commitment to local authors, they not only had it in stock, it was beautifully displayed both in the big picture window at the front of the store and on a table inside. For good measure, a stack of Tainted sat right by the cash register, with the other "must buy" books. This is just a small sign of the fantastic support Bryan Prince gives to writers from the Hamilton area.
I met up with Ross in the line for coffee. He had a copy of the book in hand for me and I was admiring its cover while we waited to order. The barista looked up, saw the novel, and cooed, "Oh, that looks good. What is it?": one of the nicest unsolicited compliments I've ever heard. Ross beamed while I opened the cover and held the author photo on the dust jacket up next to Ross's smiling face. The barista was duly impressed.
Ross and I took our coffees and sat down to share our news. We talked family, we talked writing, we talked publishing. Ross told me he's already about a quarter of the way through the next "Zol Szabo Medical Mystery" and filled me in on the basic plot. I gave him a little update on Phillip Gold and we compared notes.
Ross was good enough to sign my copy of Tainted for me and I'm even mentioned, alongside John, in the Acknowledgments at the back. A nice compliment for both of us. After our coffee, Ross and I walked back to Bryan Prince to look at his book in the window. What a great experience, to stand with a first-time novelist and share in his joy at seeing his beautifully published book in a bookshop window!
Other than the very pleasant chance to catch up with an old friend and a respected colleague, I also gained some excellent tips from Ross on how to improve my Gold book. I'll be looking to work up a strong subplot, something in a legal, courtroom line to compliment the main mystery plot. I'll also be working to add some convincing personal habits for my main character.
No, Ross didn't suggest that one directly. But he does it so well in Tainted that I figure I'll steal the idea from him.
Ross published his medical memoir, The Unforgiving Tides, a couple of years ago with a small publisher in the Hamilton area and then worked his own tail off to make it sell. And sell it did. He then decided he wanted to try fiction on for size, specifically medical mysteries, and John and I had the honour of being involved on the ground floor of that venture.
As I've mentioned before on this blog, Ross's first medical mystery novel, Tainted, has recently been published by ECW Press in Toronto. The early drafts were very good. The published novel is even better. I'm still reading the beginning stages but I'm impressed with how good it is: how much credit for that John and I can claim I'm not sure, of course.
But I'm not writing this entry to talk about Tainted. More on that book later, once I've savoured every word. I'm more interested in writing about what a nifty evening it was to chat with Ross now that he's a published purveyor of fiction.
In preparation for our meeting, I had wandered over to a place called Bryan Prince Booksellers, just up the street from the coffee shop, to see if they had Ross' book on the shelves yet. In keeping with Prince's commitment to local authors, they not only had it in stock, it was beautifully displayed both in the big picture window at the front of the store and on a table inside. For good measure, a stack of Tainted sat right by the cash register, with the other "must buy" books. This is just a small sign of the fantastic support Bryan Prince gives to writers from the Hamilton area.
I met up with Ross in the line for coffee. He had a copy of the book in hand for me and I was admiring its cover while we waited to order. The barista looked up, saw the novel, and cooed, "Oh, that looks good. What is it?": one of the nicest unsolicited compliments I've ever heard. Ross beamed while I opened the cover and held the author photo on the dust jacket up next to Ross's smiling face. The barista was duly impressed.
Ross and I took our coffees and sat down to share our news. We talked family, we talked writing, we talked publishing. Ross told me he's already about a quarter of the way through the next "Zol Szabo Medical Mystery" and filled me in on the basic plot. I gave him a little update on Phillip Gold and we compared notes.
Ross was good enough to sign my copy of Tainted for me and I'm even mentioned, alongside John, in the Acknowledgments at the back. A nice compliment for both of us. After our coffee, Ross and I walked back to Bryan Prince to look at his book in the window. What a great experience, to stand with a first-time novelist and share in his joy at seeing his beautifully published book in a bookshop window!
Other than the very pleasant chance to catch up with an old friend and a respected colleague, I also gained some excellent tips from Ross on how to improve my Gold book. I'll be looking to work up a strong subplot, something in a legal, courtroom line to compliment the main mystery plot. I'll also be working to add some convincing personal habits for my main character.
No, Ross didn't suggest that one directly. But he does it so well in Tainted that I figure I'll steal the idea from him.