Board of Directors

Del Chatterson, Board Chair

Del is a strategic advisor and consultant for entrepreneurs and has written extensively on business topics for decades. Originally from the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, he has lived and worked for most of the past forty years in the fascinating, multicultural, bilingual, French-Canadian city of Montreal, Quebec.

https://delvinchatterson.com/

Dave Wickenden, Vice Chair

David Wickenden spent time in the Canadian Armed Forces before the Fire Service, so is as comfortable with a rocket launcher as a fire hose. He has brought six people back from the dead using CPR and a defibrillator, and has helped rescue people in crisis. David has learned to lead men and women in extreme environments. He loves to cook, read and draw and write. He ran his own home-based custom art business, creating highly detailed wood and paper burnings called pyrography. One of his pictures of former Prime Minister Jean Chretien graces the walls of Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

After 31 years in the Fire Service and attaining the rank of Deputy Fire Chief, David took early retirement to write full time. He is a member of the Writer’s Union of Canada, The Crime Writers of Canada, the International Thriller Association, and the International Screenwriter Association. He has published five thrillers and one YA Fantasy. His short stories have appeared in several anthologies and literary magazines. He has adapted some of his manuscripts into feature screenplays and is working on creating a TV Pilot for his vigilante series. Currently, David offers Professional Beta Reading Services for authors and is working on his eighth novel, a firefighting thriller.

https://www.amazon.com/author/davewickenden

Isabelle Zimmermann, Secretary

Isabelle Zimmermann is a semi retired business owner. Her time is spent training for the next triathlon, enjoying long rides with her local cycling club, reading, travelling, cooking, volunteering, and now, writing the next big blockbuster. Isabelle has been a voracious reader since grade school and has always been drawn to the mystery/thriller genre starting with the Nancy Drew Detective series.

Isabelle is a member of Sisters in Crime National, Sisters in Crime Toronto Chapter, and Canadian Crime Writers. She is currently querying her first completed manuscript, a psychological thriller, while working on her second book.

Isabelle was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, where she currently lives with her husband. She is the mother of three grown and launched children of whom she is very proud. She has one beautiful granddaughter and a second on the way.

Jass Aujla, ON: SWest/North/GTA Regional Rep.

Jass Aujla is a Canadian South-Asian author of suspense-thriller fiction. Jass studied creative writing as an undergraduate at the University of Toronto and later earned a Certificate in Creative Writing from the School of Continuing Studies @ UofT. When she isn’t working on one of her twisty novels, she can be found writing poetry & prose on social media.

http://jassaujla.com/

Francisca Bullock, Quebec Regional Rep.

Francisca Bullock is an aspiring Canadian author with a keen interest in murder and mystery. Though she once strayed into the bubbly waters of Rom-Coms, her long murder-mystery-loving bloodline pulled her back into the shadows of the whodunit world. An accounting graduate and an international finance professional, she lives in Sherbrooke, Quebec, with her three grown sons, three furtive felines, and her most trusted accomplice: her husband.

Tammy Smith, Director at Large - BC

Tammy Smith is an award-winning author of memoir, paranormal fiction, and paranormal cozy mysteries. Drawing from her deep experience as a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Tammy’s writing explores the mystical interplay between the conscious and subconscious mind. Her stories are infused with atmospheric intrigue, spiritual elements, and richly drawn characters, weaving suspense with a touch of the supernatural. Writing under the pen name Tammy Tyree, she invites readers into hauntingly beautiful narratives where mystery and metaphysical insight collide.

Tammy’s work captivates with its emotional depth and uncanny twists—perfect for fans who enjoy their crime with a dash of magic and the supernatural.

Joanna Vander Vlugt, BC/Yukon Regional Rep

Joanna Vander Vlugt is an author and illustrator. She has been writing since a child, and she's a graduate of Simon Fraser University's Writer's Studio. Her motorcycle illustrations have been purchased world-wide and her Woman Empowered motorcycle art series has been featured in on-line art and motorcycle magazines. Under the pseudonym J.C. Szasz, Joanna’s short mysteries Egyptian Queen, and The Parrot and Wild Mushroom Stuffing were both published in Crime Writers of Canada mystery anthologies. Her essay, No Beatles Reunion was published in the Dropped Threads 3: Beyond the Small Circle anthology.

The Unravelling, her debut novel, and Dealer’s Child were Canadian Book Club Awards finalists, and now Spy Girls has received Chick Lit Book Cafe's International Book of Excellence Award for best spy thriller and suspense. Joanna draws upon her 13 years’ experience working in the prosecutor’s office and 10 years working in the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner for inspiration for her novels. Joanna is proud of her podcast SAM Magazine and the many authors she has interviewed and short stories she has showcased.

Lorne Tepperman, ON: Southwest/North/GTA Regional Rep

Lorne Tepperman is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto. He has written several successful sociology texts, including Social Problems (in its 6th edition), Close Relations (in its 7th edition) and Making Sense in Social Science (in its 8th edition). He has also written books on gambling addiction, social inequality, deviance, and social control. Dr. Tepperman has received multiple awards for teaching, and received a Distinguished Contribution to Sociology award from the Canadian Sociological Association, which he also served as President. He has also consulted with clients in both the private and public sectors on issues related to delinquency and poverty. He has also written reports about the marital consequences of brain injury as expert testimony in court cases.

Born in Toronto and educated in Canada and the US, Dr. Tepperman has only recently started writing fiction. His first novel, Deadly Donation, will be published in September 2024 by Rock’s Mills Press (Oakville, Ontario).

You can find slightly more information on https://www.lornetepperman.com/

Veronica Purcell, Atlantic Provinces Regional Rep

Veronica and her husband live on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. Before retiring to Atlantic Canada she was the Literacy Coordinator for a school board neighbouring Toronto.

She has written three supernatural thrillers and is currently working on a new mystery series about art fraud. When not writing, she is taking art courses in historic Lunenburg, sailing, enjoying the beautiful beaches near her home, or spending time with her children and grandchildren.

You can find Veronica author website at https://vapurcell.com

John Hill, ON: Central/East/Ottawa Regional Rep

John L. Hill is a retired criminal and prison law lawyer. He taught correctional law at the Queen's and University of Windsor Law Schools. But in private practice, he dealt with some of Canada's most notorious criminals as well as with some of Canada's best prosecutors and defence lawyers. In retirement, he has become a nonfiction writer. He is a columnist for Law 360 Canada (formerly The Lawyer's Daily), an online newspaper for the legal community. He has also had two books published: Pine Box Parole: Terry Fitzsimmons and the Quest to End Solitary Confinement and The Rest of the [True Crime] Story. He has also published a story dealing with slavery in southeastern Ontario in a Florida-based magazine. He is currently working on his third book, The Evil That Men Do.

Betty Ternier Daniels, SK: Saskatchewan Regional Rep

Betty lives with her husband and their two cats on her family farm in northwest Saskatchewan. A former sessional instructor in the English department at the University of Saskatchewan, she wrote her first novel when she retired from teaching at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Grounds for Murder was published by ECW Press in 2024 and was shortlisted for the Saskatchewan Book Award for fiction. Now she is working on her second novel, A Clear-Cut Case. Betty maintains three large gardens (which is way too much work) and spends a lot of time cooking and food preserving. She has a passion for theatre, and used to write—and direct—plays for her local community theatre. She and her husband are the parents of two middle-aged children.

You can read Betty’s monthly blog on her author website: bettyternierdaniels.com

Andrew Barbero, AB: Alberta/NWT Regional Rep

Andrew Barbero lives and works in Calgary, Alberta, where he practices law and writes fiction on the side. A graduate of the University of Calgary’s creative writing and English literature program, his short stories and journalism have appeared across Western Canada. He is currently completing his first crime novel and co-authoring a young adult project with novelist Marc Herman Lynch. When he’s not working, Andrew is happiest browsing bookshops or reading by the lake at his family cabin.

Follow him on Instagram: @barberowrites

Craig Copland, Director at Large - BC

In 2014, the Sherlock Holmes Society of Canada (aka the Toronto Bootmakers) held a contest for anyone who would write a new Sherlock Holmes story. Although he had never before written fiction, Craig entered and was surprised to be one of the winners. Sensing an opportunity for a fabulous retirement gig, he then began writing historical mysteries. First, he completed 60 novels, each a tribute to one of the original stories in the Sherlock Holmes Canon and twenty shorter stories for inclusion in several of the annual Sherlock Holmes anthologies.

Being done with Sherlock Holmes, he moved on to a new series, the Dr. Tabitha New York City Mysteries, set in Gotham in the fascinating era between the wars.

He now calls Vernon, British Columbia, home, and once upon a time, a long time ago, he studied English at the University of Toronto and had the great good fortune to take classes with both Northrup Frye and Marshall McLuhan. His subsequent career was primarily in international humanitarian aid, which took him to over 100 countries. He and his wife, Mary, still enjoy living abroad and have recently lived in New York, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Bahrain and California. He continues to write historical mysteries.

VACANT, Manitoba/NU Regional Rep.

VACANT, International Regional Rep.