A Blizzard of recognition for Rebecca Gibson

Rebecca Gibson, who played Alice the prostitute in the film version of Except the Dying, adapted by Shaftesbury Films and Original Pictures Inc from the novel by Maureen Jennings for Bravo television in Canada, has won the bi-annual Manitoba Film Award for best supporting actress in a movie of the week. The Blizzard Awards were given out in Winnipeg last night at a gala banquet. The Manitoba film industry is responsible for many of the major films and television movies and series that are filmed in Canada. This is partly due to their tax credit initiative which allows producers and broadcasters to receive a partial subsidy when bring their productions, and use Manitoba film crews, to the Province. Something Gov. Schwarznegger has been none to happy about. Both Except the Dying and Poor Tom Is Cold were filmed in Winnipeg, primarily in the old Warehouse Disctrict. Except the Dying will be screened at this year's Magna Cum Murder and will feature in attendance Director Michael De Carlo as a special guest, as well as Maureen Jennings the author, who will discuss the adaptation of her novel with Michael. A special treat for mystery fans. Hope to see many of you there.

wanna lose weight?

Well, that is a tough one. I recommend two to three very high intensity work outs per week 40-45 minutes in duration working above 80% of HRMax with recovery periods after each stage of intensity for about 50% of the elevated stages. Then two to three days a week I recommend 40 -60 minutes of relaxed steady cardiovascular exercise well under 80% of HRMax which can be done on a stationary bike, treadmill, swimming, or running outdoors. By alternating these kinds of routines, your body sets up a metabolism that alternates between fat burning and mild glycogen depletion from the more intense training. When the body is forced to burn fatty fuels while it replenishes glycogen stores, weight loss will start to take place as long as there is no excess caloric intake over and above what you normally eat and burn day to day. I tell people, depending on how overweight they are, to expect this process to show results between three and nine months allowing for plateauing of fitness levels over a macrocycle. Make sense? Of course this is not the kind of program I would start someone off on who is not coming with a base of fitness. For those types I would recommend 3-4 days per week of a nice steady cardio program that got them into a routine and had them adhere to something that they get to like andare willing to stay with. After about 3-6 months of that I would start to introduce intensity. Age is a factor as well, metabolism slows down as we get older, I used to train at 160-175 lbs in my thirties through to my early forties, now I train at 178-185 in my 50's, the higher weight I believe came after having spent a number of years lifting weights. Weight training will also help with fat reduction but may not result in weight loss. You could substitute one high intensity cardio session with an hour of lifting light weights, but doing high reps. Also a balanced diet (hard to do) is essential, protein to help with muscle tissue recovery, not over doing it on the carbs which just turn to fat if overdone. I cannot diet, so I ride my bike everywhere as well as and in addition to my running. For 5 days per week I average 80 minutes of cardio training per day. I figure I burn about 900-1000 calories per day over an above what I would burn from everyday living. I am usually tired at the end of a day because I am on my feet all day. I hope to change careers again within 5 years or sooner at least by the time I am 60. I plan on living into my 90's, so far I am on track, let's see what the genetic plan yields.

Blizzard Awards

This coming Sunday in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the annual Blizzard Awards will be announced. The Murdoch Mysteries have been nominated in a number of categories including Best Picture for Except The Dying, Best actor for Peter Outerbridge, and Best supporting actor for Rebecca Gibson. I will post results when I know about them. In the meantime we still are awaiting news to see of Murdoch is going to have a television series. I find it particularly frustrating when these kinds of decisions are delayed. But I still have faith that Murdoch will be back on the tv screen in some format soon. Stay tuned.

Great Read

I read in Ralph Spurrier's (Post Mortem books) email update about Ken Bruen's new book Priest. Ralph mentioned that the publisher was doing it as a trade paperback run, and a few booksellers got together and convinced Bantam UK to do a small hardcover run of 750. The book (hardcover signed) arrived this weekend, and after I finished Lincoln Lawyer I cracked Priest. I've liked Bruen in the past but have not raved about him. Well I am 100 pages into this novel and it is the best book I've read this year. Taylor delves into the murder and decapitation of a priest and the vary murky world of paedophelia and the Irish Catholic
Church. He paints such a vivid portrait of the historic attitude toward the Catholic Church by Irish families, and how historically priests were worshipped and feared regardless of their behaviours, even if criminal acting out was going on. Better Noir I have not read than this stuff. Highly recommended.
By the way, regardless of my stirring up the dust on Michael Connelly and awards, and I will be reading the other novels short listed, but Lincoln Lawyer is clever and entertaining, with a satisfying conclusion. I predict it will win the Edgar.

Thoughts on Mystery Fiction Awards

I am reading Michael Connelly's new book The Lincoln Lawyer, which is nominated for an Edgar. On the back flap of the book in Michael's bio, it states that he has won numerous awards, including The Edgar, implying that this is the most prestigious of all American mystery awards. I suppose for the non mystery fan, who does not follow all the other award stuff, The Edgar has the highest name recognition. Anyway, I really like the book and consider it a "great escape". But I am quite amazed that this is considered an "award worthy book". Don't get me wrong, I think Connelly to be one of the best mystery writers going, and I read everything he does and collect his limiteds as well. But when I compare a book like this to say a novel like Mystic River, which did not get an Edgar nod, I just wonder what jurists and pundits are thinking. For me an award winning novel has literary merit. So what does that mean? Well in Mystic River you have something called "character development" that is not two dimensional. Then you have conflict that often questions what is truly right or righteous, and what is morally wrong or actions that are necessary for a character to satisfy their own need for justice outside of the law or society's boundaries. I think if these traits are present in a novel, just using these two examples, they get a check mark from me for a book that sticks with you. I consider a novel that touches my emotions has award merit, even if themystery is not as encrypted as I would have liked. So in writing this, I realize for myself that novels which touch emotions, as well as entertain and present an interesting puzzle, qualify for me as novels with award merit. That does not mean that a book cannot be a terrific read without these traits, it means to me that these are books I would read over and over because I was really moved by the story and for that are worthy of notice. I am often surprised by short lists when novels are clearly nominated because of the author's name. When so many books are presented to committees for consideration, the lack of new names on short lists does not surprise me.

Magna Cum Murder for 2006

I loaned Kathryn Kennison, the chairperson of Magna Cum
Murder, screening copies of all the Murdoch films with our producers permission. At the end of last year's conference, she expressed an interest in a possible scenario for Magna 06. If she liked the films, she would consider screening one of them at this years conference, instead of the traditional Agatha Christie film that gets shown. The conventioneers would all be asked to read Maureen's first novel, Except the Dying to tie in with the screening, thereby giving the attendees the opportunity to see what happens when a popular mystery novel gets adapted to the screen, with a contemporary approach to the adaptation. There are usually between 250-350 attendees at this conference, which is held in association with Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. It is a small intimate affair, and Maureen and I had the most enjoyable experience this past year.Kathryn phoned Maureen a few weeks ago after viewing Except The Dying and just loved it. While she had a few
minor criticisms about the changes made to the story, she thoroughly enjoyed the film. Then she got back to me this past week after viewing the rest of the films and was very thrilled with the whole thing, and wondered if we could get the principal actor, Peter Outerbridge, to consider coming to Muncie for the conference, the screening, and the subsequent panel discussion that will take place. I set the wheels in motion to contact Peter, but unfortunately he is unable to do it because of the long term nature of the commitment, and how it may conflict with both family and work at that time of year. But when I floated the idea to the director, Michael De Carlo, he was thrilled to do it. So I emailed Kathryn about Michael and that is what we decided would work if Peter was not available. As a result of all this, Michael has accepted the invitation and as far as I know, this will be a first for a mystery conference where and award winning (Gemini award) adaptation of a mystery novel will have the director in attendance for a discussion of his work. Except the Dying will now also be the BOOK of the conference, and we look forward to an interesting time in front of a large American audience who have yet to see this film, and also to a most interesting discussion. I'm sure it will be of great interest to both fans and authors who attend as well. I hope some of you will consider attending.

The Play's The Thing . . . ..

Maureen and I have just spent the last few nights watching a BBC produced 6 part thriller called "State of Play", and think it's some of the finest thriller television that has ever been produced by the BBC. It deals with a British MP whose mistress is killed on the subway tracks in the London Underground. Was she pushed? The vicitim was not ony the MP's mistress, but worked for him in his Parliamentry office. There is a newspaper reporting team on the case and the police whose paths cross in conflict with eachother. There is the jilted wife who decides to have an affair with one of the reporters, and who happens to be a good friend and former campaign worker for the MP. There is the murder of a young black man who gets hold of important evidence about the affair and the coverup, which leads us to believe this is a story that has overtones of conspiracy. The suspense episode by episode is riveting, and the characters are terrific, plus a story line that's filled with twists and turns with a motive that is so well hidden and that is fed to the viewer little by little, episode by episode. Highly recommended, you just need and all region DVD player to view it, as it is only available in UK format. Philip Glenister plays DCI Bell in the show and he is incredible, one of my favourite UK actors on TV.

Coming to a neighbourhood near you

Check for regular updates on http://www.maureenjennings.com under upcoming events. Maureen will be on tour this year courtesy Mcclelland and Stewart, to promote Vices of My Blood. There are already two events planned for Toronto, her first out of town appearance will be April 6th at the Whodunit Mystery Bookstore 165 Lilac Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3M 2S1 Telephone: In Winnipeg 1.204.284.9100 Outside Winnipeg 1.800.468.4216 mystery@whodunitcanada.com

From the back cover of Vices of My Blood

It’s a cold winter day in Toronto, and boots are a necessity, not least for the many tramps who hope to spend the night in the workhouse and not the street. Whether they qualify for this charity depends upon the decision of a Visitor for the House of Industry, men such as Rev. Charles Howard, a married Presbyterian minister in the city’s east end. Howard, a fair judge of real neediness, is highly respected in the community. He is also very popular with the congregation that elected him, especially with the ladies and most particularly with Miss Sarah Dignam. It is Miss Dignam, hoping for a few minutes alone with the minister, who finds his dead body. He has been stabbed and brutally beaten by someone he must have invited into his office, and his watch and boots are missing. Has some poor beggar he turned down taken his vengeance? Detective Murdoch is not convinced the murder is the work of a tramp, and his investigation leads him straight to a couple of queer plungers – people who fake injury to separate aghast bystanders from their money. Soon he is inducted into the wretched world of the destitute, men who had nowhere left to turn when they knocked on the Rev. Howard’s door.
In her sixth novel in the popular Detective Murdoch series, Maureen Jennings once more delivers a superb, compelling mystery rooted in the realities of late Victorian urban life – and dusted with the magic of romance.