Looking Ahead in May

April was a quiet month, blog-wise, but May will be very busy, indeed, as I will try to keep you posted on appearances and activities that get underway this month and extend into June.

On May 7 I'll be joining the Beer Drinkers and Book Readers Club in Ottawa to chat about crime fiction writing, independent publishing and much more.

On May 9 I will stop in at the studios of Live 88.5 FM radio to record an interview on the publication of Marcie's Murder and my upcoming trip to Scotland. My son is impressed (finally!) because this is his favorite radio station.

On May 12 I will fly out of Ottawa International Airport on my way to Rothes, Scotland, for a six-day adventure at The Glenrothes distillery in the Speyside region. If all goes well, I will post an update each day to give you a glimpse of the wonders of single malt whisky distilling at its finest.

On May 20 I'll join Rabbi Bulka on his Sunday evening radio hour on Ottawa radio station CFRA 580 AM to discuss single malt, crime fiction, and independent publishing.

On May 25 I'll appear live on the television program Daytime Ottawa on the Ottawa Rogers Cable network.

On May 26 I'll be appearing at Chapters Pinecrest in Ottawa between 12:00 noon and 4:00 PM to sign copies of Blood Passage and Marcie's Murder.

June promises to be almost as busy. It's a good thing this is my day job, or I'd have to quit to find time for all this stuff!

The Glenrothes Vintage Maker 2012 Contest

Every year The Glenrothes Distillery in Speyside, Scotland holds a contest in which they invite entrants to describe a "vintage moment" in their life, some special event that remains in the memory forever afterwards and carries a significance that can be equated to the special qualities of a vintage single-malt scotch: "a perfect combination of time, place, people and even occasion, when everything comes together to create a moment that will stay in the memory forever." The grand prize in their Global contest, to be awarded to four people from around the world, is a chance to visit the distillery in May and participate in the preparation of this year's vintage.

I came across this contest in January while looking for ideas to promote Blood Passage and decided to post an entry in which I described receiving the proof copy of my novel from the printer. Holding the end result of two years' worth of hard work was very much a "vintage moment" for me, and I thought it equated well to the feeling a distiller would enjoy when the work on a new vintage was finally complete.

Imagine my shock when I was informed that my entry has been selected from thousands of worldwide submissions as one of the four Global winners! View the announcement here.

As a bourbon enthusiast, I can't remember ever having tasted a single malt scotch, as it has always been a little above my pay scale, but as you can imagine, I'm going to savor this opportunity!

Stay tuned for more blog posts as I get ready to set forth on what will be a remarkable adventure!