Sam Wiebe's Blog

Happy Holidays!



The last newsletter of the year is out, featuring news on stories and film/tv, an interview with graphic novelist Kris Bertin, and a short piece on adversity--perfect for the holidays.







Check it out here.



And make sure to sign up, which you can do here.



See you in the New Year!





 

The Fall 2019 Newsletter is out now, featuring news and events, an interview with true crime author Eve Lazarus, and a short piece of writing advice about premise. Check it out now, and if you like what you see,  sign up here.

Sign up for the Sam Wiebe Newsletter here.



I’m heading to Dallas for Bouchercon! Oct 31-Nov 2 I'll be at  the Shamus Awards event, a panel, and then mostly hanging around the hotel bar.

 

At WORD Vancouver on September 29th, I’ll be moderating a True Crime panel featuring Eve Lazarus (interviewed below), Aaron Chapman, and Curt Petrovich. 

I’ll be at the Surrey International Writers Fest Oct 25-27, teaching workshops on Plot and Dialogue, and sitting on a panel with Anne Perry, Denise Mina, and Chuck Wendig.

I’ll also be moderating the “Mystery Three Ways” event Oct 26 at the Vancouver Writers Festival, featuring Sarah Leavitt, Nathan Ripley (interviewed in my last newsletter), and Iona Whishaw.

 

I wasn’t all that taken with the first season of Mindhunter…until the last couple of episodes where I feel the show really figured itself out. The second season was flat-out terrific. If you’re suffering withdrawal, like I am, John Douglas’s The Killer Across the Table is a solid read.

 

Richard Russo’s The Destiny Thief was a smart collection of essays on writing. And Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz’s The Sopranos Sessions was a great accompaniment to our rewatch.

The late Anne Rivers Siddons wrote an amazing horror novel, The House Next Door.

 

Rebecca Godfrey’s Under the Bridge is a nuanced and thoughtful telling of the Reena Virk murder case, one of the worst crimes in B.C. history. Godfrey really understands the time and place, and does an admirable job portraying the teens involved—not only the criminals, but the courageous teens who spoke up. 

 

Wakeland 3 news coming next issue, I promise, I promise…

I'm launching a Sam Wiebe newsletter. Going forward, this is where I'll be sharing all book and film/TV -related news, accouncements about upcoming seminars and events, plus interviews and the odd piece of writing advice.



This is a no-pressure, once-every-month-(if-that) newsletter. 

Subscribe here: 

https://mailchi.mp/60e5749a1a8f/samwiebe

 

Please share with anyone else interested.



Thank you!



 

Cut You Down has been nominated for the 2019 Hammett Prize by the North American branch of the International Association of Crime Writers. What an honour!



 

Tomorrow is the U.S. paperback release for Cut You Down. This book probably shouldn’t exist in that format. That it does is a minor miracle.

 

When it came out in US hardcover, Cut You Down got rave reviews, though it didn’t break any sales records. It didn’t help that its publisher is going through some changes. But the book came out the way I wanted it to, and as fates go, that’s not the worst. 

 

This wasn’t written to chase a trend. It’s neither a domestic suspense thriller with Girl in the title, nor an action thriller about a super-tough sociopath.

 

It’s a private eye novel (strike one), second in a series (strike two), set in a Canadian city in the Pacific Northwest (let's be generous and call that a foul tip). The body count is reasonable and the dead and living are written about as people, as much as my abilities permit.

 

That two of the biggest publishers took a shot on Cut You Down (3 counting Blackstone Audio) speaks to a faith in…something. Maybe the writing. Maybe that readers aren’t entirely reducible to trends. That companies can sometimes act on faith at all is miraculous.

 

I hope you give the book a shot. I hope you enjoy it. 2019 is looking dark and bloody and grand.

The reviews for the new anthology have been stellar, so far. Here are a few excerpts:

Praise for Vancouver Noir:



"The stories range widely in their subject matter and writing styles, but they have a couple of things in common: impeccably rendered characters, dialogue that rings true, and a plot that pulls the reader in from the very first paragraph. Another winner in this always-interesting series and a real treat for fans of short crime fiction."

Booklist

"Vancouver Noir is an excellent anthology that would appeal to short-story fans of all types...the new anthology serves as a fantastic introduction for those unfamiliar with the genre and a reminder that Canada, bursting with amazing writers, is one of the strongest countries for crime writing in the world."

Quill and Quire (starred review)



"Noir aficionados will find plenty to like"

Publishers Weekly



"Given the book's mix of wily pros, moody misfits, bewildered bystanders, and a touch of the supernatural, Wiebe makes a strong case that as far as crime is concerned, Vancouver is "a city like any other.""

Kirkus

Vancouver Noir comes out in less than a week! You can pre-order here: 



For those of you in the Vancouver area, the book launch will be November 8th, 7pm, at the Shebeen Whiskey Room, behind the Irish Heather on Carrall Street. Hope to see you there!

Have an idea for a mystery novel? Mired in the middle of a tough first draft? Wondering what revisions will make your work publication-ready? Then this is the class for you!

Join acclaimed author Sam Wiebe for a seminar focused on mystery and crime writing. You’ll learn how to develop ideas, create characters, write an opening that hooks readers, plant clues and plot your story, and revise your work like a pro. 

We’ll cover:

Where to find ideas, and how to develop them

Creating your detective, suspects, and killers.

Writing an opening that hooks readers

Planting clues and red herrings

Plotting and structuring your novel

Common errors and how to fix them

Revising and submitting your work like a pro

 

Suitable for beginners to intermediate writers, and all genres.

Course material and pencil provided.



Register via Eventbrite

Great new review of Cut You Down by Tara Henley in the Toronto Star:



"Sam Wiebe’s excellent new novel, Cut You Down...proves a study in both riveting crime writing and stark social realism."



You can check out the full review here.



Vancouver Noir can be pre-ordered here (Indiebound link--it's easily searchable on Amazon, too).  There will be a launch event in Vancouver in the fall, which I hope to announce shortly.