Submitted by the Elephant Mountain Literary Festival
One of the hits of last year’s Elephant Mountain Literary Festival in Nelson is back for 2020 — in a beautiful outdoor venue.
Tickets are now on sale for EMLF’s second annual Wine and Crime event. The in-person, outdoor, pandemic-guideline-compliant reading and wine tasting features two local thriller/crime writers and two B.C. wines. The event takes place on Friday, Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. on a Blewett acreage just 10 minutes from Nelson. Also featured will be the recipient of the 2020 Richard Carver Award for emerging writers
Just 40 tickets will be sold online at emlfestival.com and at Otter Books. The event, which celebrates new un-put-downable novels by Roz Nay and J.G. (Judy) Toews, includes wine pairings with the authors. Attendees are welcome to bring a picnic and raise a glass.
“These novels offer an edge-of-your-seat reading experience,” says EMLF executive director Robyn Lamb. “In the case of this lovely meadow venue, it might as easily be edge-of-your blanket.” Those attending are asked to bring something to sit on and a glass, and staff will be on hand to assure socially-distanced seating and pouring in accordance with health regulations.
Roz Nay’s debut novel, Our Little Secret, won the Douglas Kennedy Prize for best foreign thriller in France, was nominated for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Mystery and the Arthur Ellis Best First Novel Award, and was a national bestseller. Her second novel, Hurry Home, debuted on The Globe & Mail bestseller list at No. 9.
Hurry Home (Simon & Schuster), is a suspenseful thriller in which estranged sisters are desperate to keep their darkest secret where it belongs — in the past. A gripping look at the inescapable bond between sisters and the devastating cost of a single mistake, the novel keeps readers guessing as to who is telling the truth until the last page.
J.G. Toews is a health-professional-turned-crime-writer and a 40-year resident of Nelson. With its magical landscape and rich history, Nelson seemed the perfect setting for her Stella Mosconi mysteries. First in the series, Give Out Creek (Mosaic Press, 2018) was a finalist for an Arthur Ellis Award for Best Unpublished Crime Novel and the Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery Novel.
Lucky Jack Road, a sequel to Give Out Creek (Mosaic Press 2020), brings back reporter Stella Mosconi and Sgt. Ben McKean to investigate the death of a former pro mountain biker — a man who Stella had a fling with back in high school — under mysterious circumstances. Did he really fall from the lookout on the popular hiking trail?
Wine and Crime — the Meadow Edition is the second EMLF outdoor event. “We’re pleased to be able to bring people together in a fun, safe manner,” says Lamb. “Our first outdoor event, Wild Grapes, went so well. We’re delighted to offer an unforgettable outdoor literary experience one more time.”