Three bestselling Lower Mainland authors with three different outlooks on mystery and crime-writing, ranging from dark and thought-provoking to historical intrigue to outright comedy. Join us for a lively conversation where A.J. Devlin, S.M. Freedman, and Iona Whishaw chat about their inspiration, their locations (British Columbia!), and their characters and entertain us with short readings.
Location: Rink Room
Type: Panel
Sponsored by: Word Vancouver · Crime Writers of Canada
Moderator: Erik D’Sousa, Death on the Rocks (Timbercrest Publishing)
Readers: A.J. Devlin, Bronco Buster (NeWest Press) | S.M. Freedman, Blood Atonement (Dundurn Press) | Iona Whishaw, Lightning Strikes the Silence (TouchWood Editions)
About The Moderator
Erik D'Souza
Erik D’Souza is an author, publisher, and professional speaker. Death on the Rocks is the second in the Suzanne Rickson Mystery Series and the follow-up to Death in Halfmoon Bay. They are a traditional mystery set on the Sunshine Coast of BC. Erik is the Communications and Marketing Manager for Crime Writers of Canada and president of the Tri-City Wordsmiths. In addition, he hosts the popular reading series Writers in our Midst at the Port Moody Public Library. He lives in Port Moody with his immensely supportive wife, two teenage boys, and a rowdy dog. www.erikdsouza.com
About The Readers
AJ Devlin
AJ Devlin has a BFA in Screenwriting from Chapman University, a MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute Conservatory, and has worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood. COBRA CLUTCH (“Hammerhead” Book 1) was nominated for a 2019 Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery and won the 2019 Crime Writers of Canada Award for Best First Novel. The acclaimed sequel ROLLING THUNDER was featured in the Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and on CBC Radio's The Last Chapter with Shelagh Rogers. Book 3 FIVE MOVES OF DOOM won the 2022 Crime Fiction Lover Editor’s Choice Award for Best Indie Novel, was selected as one of the Globe and Mail's Best Books of 2022, and was nominated for Crime Writers of Canada, Killer Nashville Silver Falchion, and Left Coast Crime "Lefty" Awards. Book 4 in the "Hammerhead" Jed pro-wrestler PI mystery-comedy series BRONCO BUSTER will be published October 1st, 2024.
S.M. Freedman
S.M. Freedman studied acting in New York and worked as a private investigator before returning to her first love: writing. Her first novel, The Faithful, is an Amazon #1 Bestseller, an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award quarter-finalist, and Suspense Magazine’s selection for Best Debut of the Year. Her latest psychological thriller, Blood Atonement, made the Globe and Mail’s Top 100 Best Books of the Year, was selected by the Vancouver Sun and The Province as one of five books to give this holiday season, and is a Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence finalist.
Iona Whishaw
Iona is the author of the best-selling series, the Lane Winslow Mysteries. She won the Bony Blithe award for light fiction, and has been a finalist for the Duthie Book Prize, two Lefty Awards, and is short listed for an award of excellence from Crime Writers of Canada. She lives in Vancouver with her artist husband.
