It was the writers, in the Library. Candlesticks optional.

March 19, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

Crime writers from across the GTA will bring a splash of mystery to the Aurora Public Library this Monday in A Shot In The Dark, bringing together five writers, and three former Aurora residents, from Crime Writers of Canada.

Sharon Crawford says she grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie and Perry Mason, so it was only natural that she turned to the darker side of life when she began her career as a writer. This former Aurora resident will be joined in Monday’s seminar by Cynthia St. Pierre, Rob Brunet, Alexander Galant, and Rosemary McCracken.

Ms. Crawford is the author of Beyond The Tripping Point, a collection of mysterious short stories featuring her own brand of characters which she describes as “quirky and edgy.”

“We’re not going to be murdering anybody – that we know of, anyway,” says Ms. Crawford when asked what they are conspiring to have in store for attendees. “We’re a diverse group of people and we all write different things.”

St. Pierre, an Aurora native, is the co-author of A Purse to Die For, and has branched beyond crime to write about business. Brunet, a former resident of both Aurora and King, ran a digital media business in King before penning his debut novel Stinking Rich, due out this summer.

Galant’s award-winning Depth of Deception is a murder mystery set aboard the Titanic, while financial journalist Rosemary McCracken published her first mystery novel Safe Harbour in 2012, which was short listed for a number of awards, including the Debut Dagger Award in the United Kingdom.

“Beyond Agatha Christie and Raymond Burr, that got me reading the genre,” says Ms. Crawford. “They say, write what you know. I don’t know how to murder someone, but I knew that was an area I liked! This is just something I really like doing. I like the puzzle, the quirky characters, and I like reading other people’s novels where the characters are, to put it politely, eccentric.

“I have a very strong sense of justice and I find in the world the bad guy doesn’t always get his just desserts, but you can do that kind of thing in a novel or a short story. It balances all the injustice in the world and you have some kind of control over what is going on in your world.”

In the lead-up to Monday’s talk, the authors have been honing what they want audiences to take away from their readings. Bringing entertainment into the forum is a top priority, but they also want to share their experiences of writing, ask people questions and, in turn, field questions about their own works, Crime Writers of Canada, and just have a good time.

Reader be warned, however, that Ms. Crawford says some of her co-authors do like to get into character when they are reading.

“We are only five writers, but there are a large number of mystery writers who are published in Canada,” she says. “You don’t have to necessarily get the English books or ones from the States. We have a lot of fun. We want the public to see that we are having fun and they can enjoy it too.”

For more information about “A Shot In The Dark”, contact librarian Kate Gibson at 905-727-9494 x235.