Sooke author Jim Bottomley says he thinks his nomination at this yearB次元官网网址檚 national Arthur Ellis Awards goes against the grain for literature that tackles mystery writing.
Bottomley is among the finalists announced for best unpublished manuscript. Hypnotizing Lions is a psychological thriller centered around an escape from a prison psychiatric hospital.
The bookB次元官网网址檚 theme is based on a simple question: Do delusions destroy?
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 meant to be very scary, with many twists,B次元官网网址� Bottomley said.
ALSO READ:
When he found out he was short-listed for the award, Bottomley said, he wasnB次元官网网址檛 surprised.
B次元官网网址淚 was quite confident I would, but obviously you have to be measured in that because you could be disappointed. ItB次元官网网址檚 been a long haul with lots of rewrites, and IB次元官网网址檓 comfortable the book is told in a good way.B次元官网网址�
Three judges read and evaluate the entries in each of the seven prize categories of the Arthur Ellis Awards. Final winners are announced on May 23 in Toronto.
https://www.sookenewsmirror.com/entertainment/three-sooke-writers-short-listed-for-short-fiction-contest/
The book goes against the norm of most B次元官网网址渃ozy mysteries,B次元官网网址� like Miss Marpole or Agatha Christie, where the protagonist solves the crime without violence on the page, while reflecting on more friendly social issues that usually end up as best sellers.
B次元官网网址淢y novel is more risky. It doesnB次元官网网址檛 mask books from the past,B次元官网网址� Bottomley said, adding cozy mysteries tend to be favoured in judging.
Bottomley started writing Hypnotizing Lions in 1984 (yes, 35 years ago) and heB次元官网网址檚 turned down numerous offers from publishers in a quest to get the book to near perfection.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e always been of the mindset I wanted to make it the best that I could,B次元官网网址� he said.
ItB次元官网网址檚 one of the reasons he moved to Sooke in 2016 from Jasper, Alta . He heard the small B.C. town was noted for its literary talent and support.
The Sooke WritersB次元官网网址� Collective fit the bill and he credits local authors Angela Dorsey and David Reichheld for their mentoring.
B次元官网网址淭he groupB次元官网网址檚 super helpful. I wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be in the contest finals without the help of the Sooke writers,B次元官网网址� said Bottomley.
The move has come full circle for Bottomley, who entered university to take English but soon learned post secondary English was more about critiquing others work than writing. He transferred to the schoolB次元官网网址檚 business program.
His career soon took him into marketing and today heB次元官网网址檚 a futurist and travels the world as a professional speaker.
But itB次元官网网址檚 the love of writing that keeps him grounded.
Over the years, he talked to agents, publishers, and screenwriters about his book and took specialized course always with the hope of one day getting it published.
Bottomley took 13 years off from fiction writing to make a living and build equity, with the idea heB次元官网网址檇 come back to writing full-time. B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 want to wake up at age 65 and be a starving writer,B次元官网网址� he said.
The Arthur Ellis Awards are a group of Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the Crime Writers of Canada for the best Canadian crime and mystery writing published in the previous year. The award is presented at a gala dinner in the year following publication.
The awards are named for Arthur Ellis, the pseudonym of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 official hangman. The award statue itself is a wooden model of a hanging man. The arms and legs move when the statueB次元官网网址檚 string is pulled.
editor@sookenewsmirror.com
Like us on and follow us on
