Monday, May 09, 2011

What is Vicki Delany reading?

Today's featured contributor at Writers Read: Vicki Delany, author of Among the Departed.

Her entry begins:
A lot of writers say that they don’t read while they are writing, or at least not the same type of book. But as I write every single day and start another book the day I finish one, I wouldn’t ever be able to read the sort of books I like to read. Which are the type of books I write.

I get a lot of inspiration from the books I read and I think it’s extremely important that writers do read, and read a lot. At the moment I’m taking a break from the Constable Molly Smith series to write a standalone for Poisoned Pen Press. This will be a book in the British Gothic tradition, although set in Canada. Similar in tone to one of my earlier books, Burden of Memory. Therefore, at the moment, I’m heavily into reading gothics. To my delight I have just found out (after I started my own new book) that the gothic is back and is the new big trend. S.J. Bolton and Kate Morton are two of the new masters at that tradition.

Right now, I’m reading Blood Harvest by S.J. Bolton. I’m about a quarter through it and it’s just great. Tension is building slowly and steadily, the way I like it. The setting is perfect for this sort of story – a village in...[read on]
Among the early praise for Among the Departed:
"The successful search for a missing boy in the woods near the British Columbian town of Trafalgar also uncovers a human bone that may belong to a man who disappeared years earlier. It's almost too much to handle as Constable Molly Smith (Negative Image; In the Shadow of the Glacier), one of the last people ever to see the missing man, tries to come to terms with her own father's death and deal with her relationship with Adam Tocek of the Royal Canadian Mountain Police. VERDICT By using western Canada as her setting, Delany gives us a breathtaking vista, in which she places her deceptively minimalist plots. Her exceptional ability to create characters, both realistic and sometimes creepy, makes this another terrific addition to her outstanding body of work."
--Library Journal (starred review)

"It amazes me that some readers still don't know Vicki Delany's books, but I think that this latest entry in the Molly Smith series may change that. Solid characters, fine plotting and a writing style that defies the too-easy categorizations of cozy or police procedural. A very good read."
--Rosemary Harris

"This delightful book is full of energy and, something like a cozy but, not quite. It looks at feeling love and affection in all the ways it can. Love for a child by parents, love for a significant other but, unable to commit, love the second time around and the love for a favorite dog..."
--Mary Lignor
Read an excerpt from Among the Departed, and learn more about the book and author at Vicki Delany's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

The Page 69 Test: Among the Departed.

My Book, The Movie: Among the Departed.

Writers Read: Vicki Delany.

--Marshal Zeringue