Operation Series News Release
Friday, May 10, 2024
Helen C. Escott’s Operation Series optioned for film and TV
May 10, 2024 -- Bestselling author Helen C. Escott’s five-book Operation Series published by Flanker Press has been optioned by Rink Rat Productions for film and television.
The series is set in Newfoundland and Labrador and follows the careers of Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Sgt. Nicholas Myra and RCMP Corporal Gail McNaughton. This bestselling, award-winning series takes you on lightning-paced, chillingly current criminal investigations that are surprising at every twist and completely unpredictable right up to their astonishing conclusions.
Flanker Press is celebrating 30 years in publishing and continues to provide a quality publishing service to the local and regional writing community.
Publisher, Jerry Cranford - “I would like to congratulate Helen C. Escott on taking this huge step in her professional writing career. When I published Operation Wormwood in 2018, I felt right away that this talented writer is going places. Adaptation of her novels into film and television seemed inevitable to me."
Rink Rat Productions has produced high-quality programing for over 25 years. Most recently they co-produced the critically acclaimed feature film Maudie, an international co-production between Newfoundland (Rink Rat), Ontario (Screen Door), and Ireland (Parallel Films). Rink Rat also produced the movie-of-the-week - A Christmas Fury, for CBC. Mary Sexton, President of Rink Rat Productions has a new feature film being released in the Fall -Skeet, which she produced and is written and directed by her son Nik Sexton.
Sexton is thrilled to be optioning Helen C. Escott's Operation Series. She added, “We are very much looking forward to working with Helen & a local scriptwriter to bring the Operation Series to Life! The best part of my job is telling Newfoundland and Labrador stories. Helen is an amazing writer; I have high expectations!”
Author Helen C. Escott is thrilled with the news. “I always knew the Operation Series would make great TV, and I love that they will be shot here. Newfoundland and Labrador are a main character in all my books, and I am very happy that they were picked up by a local production company with such a great track record.”
Escott’s eighth book will be released in July 2025 - We Will Meet Again, is a testament to the strength of Newfoundland women.
If you would like more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Helen C. Escott: h.escott@hotmail.com 709-727-1927
Jerry Cranford/ Flanker Press jcranford@flankerpress.com 709-739-4477
Mary Sexton/ Rink Rat Productions msexton@rinkratproductions.com 709-727-7465
The Operation Series and other books by Helen C. Escott are available at: Chapters, and Coles. Also, online at indigo.ca Apple – iTunes, Nook – (Barnes & Noble), Amazon, and Kobo. Or at https://flankerpress.com or https://www.helencescott.com/books
We Will Meet Again
News Release - May 08, 2024
We Will Meet Again – A Testament to the strength of Newfoundland and Labrador Woman.
Bestselling, award-winning author Helen C. Escott’s eighth novel, We Will Meet Again, from Flanker Press will be released in July 2024. The book launch will take place Saturday, July 6th from 1-3 pm at Chapters, Kenmount Road, St. John’s.
Escott says the novel honours the women of Newfoundland and Labrador who kept the home fires burning during the Second World War while the province lost a generation of men. The release coincides with the repatriation of the Unknown Solider at the National War Memorial and Memorial Day on July first.
When Newfoundland soldiers were killed in World War II, it sent shock waves through families that are felt to this very day. We Will Meet Again follows the lives of four women from the same family who learn to turn this generational trauma into generational strength.
It is about the special bond between mothers and daughters. Hadley Hynes is days away from celebrating her 100th birthday. Her daughter, Patricia, granddaughter Ava, and great-granddaughter Christine are planning one last birthday party in her house on Victoria Street which Hadley has lived in for over eighty years.
While cleaning out the cupboards Ava comes across a hidden box of love letters from Hadley’s first love, John Vincent, a Newfoundlander who volunteered to serve in the British Royal Navy. It is only then they discover that John died during WWII and Hadley married his best friend, Michael.
As the story unfolds each woman reveals a secret that has paralyzed their life. They pack up boxes and bags only to discover how each of them has nurtured a generational trauma and turned it into a family tradition.
We Will Meet Again is the love story of four generations of women and how they healed their past to protect their future. Escott says it touches on everything we hold sacred in this province: Nan, Jesus, and Elvis.
“I don’t know how you can listen to Elvis and pray to Jesus at the same time,” Ava yelled over the music. “I can hardly hear myself think.”
“Maybe I’m listening to Jesus and praying to Elvis.” Hadley quirked a grin. “They’re both kings.”
Helen Escott acknowledges the support of ArtsNL for this novel. Last year they invested $3.2 million to foster and promote the creation and enjoyment of the arts for the benefit of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
If you would like more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Flanker Press at (709) 739-4477. Helen C. Escott can be reached at h.escott@hotmail.com
Other books by Helen C. Escott are available at: Chapters, and Coles. Also, online at indigo.ca Apple – iTunes, Nook – (Barnes & Noble), Amazon, and Kobo. Or at https://flankerpress.com or https://www.helencescott.com/books
Saturday, June 15th, from 1-5 p.m.
The last event, held in March 2020 (just before the pandemic shut everything down) was a great success. There were eleven of us, and we had lots of time to network as well as speak about and sell our books. For this event, the library is inviting eight authors to participate. Peter Pontsa and Hyacinthe Miller are coordinating on behalf of Regional Representative Jass Aujla.
Here is an overview of the afternoon:
1 to 2 p.m. – author setup. Depending on the space available, we may need to share tables for promoting/selling our books.
2 to 3:15 p.m. – Welcome and author presentations
3:15 - 3:45 p.m. Question & Answer period with the audience
3:45 – 4:15 p.m. Refreshments, networking, book sales
If you are interested in participating, please email board-chair@crimewriterscanada.com with the subject line – New Tecumseth Public Library Author Showcase, by May 10th.
Once the list of participants has been finalized, authors will be asked for a 50-word bio, headshot, photo of your book cover, two questions for the librarian to ask, and an indication of what you would contribute to the draw. If we have more authors interested in participating, we will organize another Showcase at a later date.
Due to a number of circumstances, we are rescheduling the AGM from May 30th to June 20, 2024. You will receive the meeting package – agenda, minutes of 2023 AGM, proxy voting form, review Report on Motion re: AM voting by May 30th. Signing up to attend the AGM will be a breeze this year, as that functionality is included on the new website.
In advance of that, an has been sent to all active members with details of the call for nominations Call for Nominations. Background information is included on the Roles & Responsibilities page. We have an excellent group of directors from across Canada, and you can look forward to joining an energetic, creative team planning the future of CWC. The board and committees hold monthly business meetings.
Here are the vacancies for which we are seeking volunteers:
We also have several committees needing members: Marketing &
Promotions, Fundraising, Membership, Jury Selection and Awards. The
latter two committees are well established, so there would be a short
learning curve. The others are new.
The
coming years will be exciting ones for Crime Writers of Canada as we
build a stronger foundation for the future. Volunteer to join the CWC
team – there will always be experienced folks around to support you and
ease your transition to your new role. We’d love to have you bring your
skills and ideas to the table.
Please send your expression of interest to Cathy Fynn at ed@crimewriterscanada.com. Cathy will forward that information to our Nominating Committee Chair.
Cathy Fynn
Executive Director
Crime Writers of Canada
Crime Writers of Canada members will be reading at the MOTIVE Festival in Toronto on June 8 and 9. Hear the latest in crime fiction and support our CWC authors.
For the full schedule and other details, please visit the following link:
Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) is pleased to announce the Shortlists for the 2024 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing. Since 1984, Crime Writers of Canada has recognized the best in mystery, crime, suspense fiction, and crime nonfiction by Canadian authors, including citizens abroad and new residents.
On behalf of CWC, Hyacinthe Miller, Board Chair, wishes to congratulate all the finalists.
Winners will be announced on Wednesday, May 29th, 2024.
Maureen Jennings is this year’s recipient of the 2024 Grand Master Award.
Established in 2014, the Grand Master (GM) Award recognizes a Canadian crime writer with a substantial body of work that has garnered national and international recognition.
Maureen Jennings is not only just about the best crime novelist in Canada, she’s among the best writers anywhere - a national and international treasure. —LONDON FREE PRESS
Maureen Jennings, a long-time Crime Writers of Canada member, is a prolific author of non-fiction, short stories and book series featuring Christine Morris, Detective Murdoch, and D.I. Tom Tyler. The Detective William Murdoch television series, set in Victorian era Toronto, was optioned in 2003 by Shaftesbury Films. Murdoch Mysteries are shown in over 120 countries and feature innovative crime-solving techniques, social justice subplots and surprise guest appearances.
In 2011, she was awarded the Grant Allen award for her on-going contribution to Canadian crime writing. Maureen has received eight Award of Excellence nominations from CWC for best novel and short story. In 2014, the 180th anniversary of the city of Toronto, the Toronto Star named her one of 180 people whose influence has raised the city’s profile.
Published by Cormorant Books, her latest project The Paradise Café series is set in Depression-era Toronto and features Private Investigator Charlotte Frayne.
She is an exceptional talent, a generous mentor and strong supporter of Canadian crime and mystery writers. CWC is proud to honour Maureen Jennings with the 2024 Grand Master Award.
THE 2024 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE SHORTLISTS
The Peter Robinson Award for Best Crime Novel sponsored by Rakuten Kobo, with a $1000 prize
Robyn Harding, The Drowning Woman, Grand Central Publishing
Shari Lapena, Everyone Here is Lying, Doubleday Canada
Scott Thornley, Middlemen, House of Anansi Press
Sam Wiebe, Sunset and Jericho, Harbour Publishing
Loreth Anne White, The Maid's Diary, Montlake
Best Crime First Novel, sponsored by Melodie Campbell, with a $1000 prize
Jann Arden, The Bittlemores, Random House Canada
Lisa Brideau, Adrift, Sourcebooks
Charlotte Morganti, The End Game, Halfdan Press
Amanda Peters, The Berry Pickers, Harper Perennial
Steve Urszenyi, Perfect Shot, Minotaur
The Howard Engel Award for Best Crime Novel Set in Canada, sponsored by Charlotte Engel and Crime Writers of Canada, with a $500 prize
Gail Anderson-Dargatz, The Almost Widow, Harper Avenue/HarperCollins
Renee Lehnen, Elmington, Storeyline Press
Cyndi MacMillan, Cruel Light, Crooked Lane
Joan Thomas, Wild Hope, Harper Perennial/HarperCollins
Melissa Yi, Shapes of Wrath, Windtree Press
The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery sponsored by Jane Doe, with a $500 prize
Gail Bowen, The Legacy, ECW Press
Vicki Delany, Steeped in Malice, Kensington Books
Vicki Delany, The Game is a Footnote, Crooked Lane Books
Nita Prose, The Mystery Guest, Viking
Iona Whishaw, To Track a Traitor, TouchWood Editions
Best Crime Short Story
M.H. Callway, Wisteria Cottage, Wildside Press (for Malice Domestic)
Marcelle Dubé, Reversion, Mystery Magazine
Mary Keenan The Canadians (Killin' Time in San Diego), Down & Out Books
donalee Moulton, Troubled Water, Black Cat Weekly (Wildside Press)
Zandra Renwick, American Night, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
The Best French Language Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction)
Jean-Philippe Bernié, La punition, Glénat Québec
Chrystine Brouillet, Le mois des morts, Éditions Druide
Catherine Lafrance, Le dernier souffle est le plus lourd, Éditions Druide
André Marois, La sainte paix, Héliotrope
Jean-Jacques Pelletier, Rien, Alire
Best Juvenile/YA Crime Book, sponsored by Shaftesbury Films with a $500 prize (Fiction and Nonfiction)
Kelley Armstrong, Someone is Always Watching, Tundra Books
Cherie Dimaline, Funeral Songs for Dying Girls, Tundra Books
Rachelle Delaney, The Big Sting, Tundra Books
Clara Kumagai, Catfish Rolling, Penguin Teen Canada
Kevin Sands, Champions of the Fox, Puffin Canada
The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book sponsored by David Reid Simpson Law Firm (Hamilton), with a $300 prize
Josef Lewkowicz and Michael Calvin, The Survivor: How I Survived Six Concentration Camps and Became a Nazi Hunter, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Michael Lista, The Human Scale, Véhicule Press
David Rabinovitch, Jukebox Empire, Rowman & Littlefield
Bill Waiser and Jennie Hansen, Cheated, ECW Press
Carolyn Whitzman, Clara at the Door with a Revolver, UBC Press, On Point Press
Best Unpublished Crime Novel manuscript written by an unpublished author
Tom Blackwell, The Patient
Craig H. Bowlsby, Requiem for a Lotus
Sheilla Jones and James Burns, Murder on Richmond Road: An Enquiry Bureau Mystery
Nora Sellers, The Forest Beyond
William Wodhams, Thirty Feet Under
Winners will be announced on the Crime Writers of Canada website on May 29th, 2024.
CWC is grateful for the support of Our Award Sponsors
About Crime Writers of Canada
Crime Writers of Canada was founded in 1982 as a professional organization designed to raise the profile of Canadian crime writers. Our members include authors, publishers, editors, booksellers, librarians, reviewers, and literary agents as well as many developing writers. Past winners of the Awards have included well-recognized names in Canadian crime writing such as Mario Bolduc, Gail Bowen, Stevie Cameron, Howard Engel, Barbara Fradkin, Louise Penny, Peter Robinson and Eric Wright. We would like to thank our sponsors and volunteers, and the many participating publishers, authors and contest judges for their continued support.
-end-
Full details about the competition can be found on the Crime Writers of Canada’s website: www.crimewriterscanada.com
For more information about the Awards of Excellence, contact Ludvica Boota at awards@crimewriterscanada.com
To enquire about becoming an Award sponsor, contact the CWC Chair, Hyacinthe Miller, at board-chair@crimewriterscanada.com
Left Coast Crime is an annual mystery convention sponsored by mystery fans, both readers and authors. This year, BC-Yukon rep, Winona Kent and CWC member AJ Devlin, co-hosted a Bloody Caesar event in the hotel's bar. It was extremely well-attended by Canadian authors and reader-fans, who also invited their American friends. A respectable contingent of Canadian authors attended the event, most of whom are current CWC members. A number of CWC members were also on panels. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet some writers for the first time, and to connect and chat and catch up with old friends. It also got top marks from the members as a CWC event.
CWC member Dianne Scott’s first mystery Final Look has been nominated for the Kobo Emerging Writers Award in the Mystery category. This book won the CWC Arthur Ellis Award for best unpublished crime manuscript. Dianne says she’s very appreciative of the CWC award and that it encouraged her to self-publish her manuscript.
Explore the ins and outs of five paths to publication: traditional, independent, hybrid/assisted, self-publishing, and social publishing.
CWC member Marcelle Dubé has been nominated for a 2024 Derringer Award for her story, REVERSION, (Mystery Magazine, April 2023). Marcelle writes mystery and speculative fiction novels and short stories. She is the winner of the 2021 Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for short fiction. Her short stories have appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies.