Meet the Author

August 16

starting at noon.

Louise Penny

Her Latest is The Cruelest Month, now out in Hardcover.
Her others include Still Life and A Fatal Grace. See her website at
www.louisepenny.com

Penny writes mysteries that celebrate the characters and goings-on of small town Quebec life. She draws from her vast experience as an interviewer and journalist, having worked many years in radio broadcasting, producing documentaries for CBC. She later lived in Quebec City to host a morning show (and learned French!), and also lived in Montreal to continue producing radio shows. She is passionate about animal rights and is a dedicated supporter of the SPCA. Penny currently lives outside of Montreal in a small village, with her husband and 2.

Of her work, she says, "There are times when I'm in tears writing. Not because I'm so moved by my own writing, but out of gratitude that I get to do this. In my life as a journalist I covered deaths and accidents and horrible events, as well as the quieter disasters of despair and poverty. Now, every morning I go to my office, put the coffee on, fire up the computer and visit my imaginary friends, Gamache and Beauvoir and Clara and Peter. What a privilege it is to write. I hope you enjoy reading the books as much as I enjoy writing them."

One review (of many):

Charlotte Observor, Salem Macknee
"If I thought for one minute this place really existed, I would be packing the car. As it was, on finishing "The Cruelest Month," I grabbed the first two books, "Still Life" and "A Fatal Grace," and spent a lovely weekend in the village. The mouthwatering food, the beautiful gardens, the quirky and literate villagers -- Three Pines is a charming oasis for the spirit....it's more about the journey than the destination in these wonderful books full of poetry, and weather, and a brooding manor house, and people who read and think and laugh and eat a lot of really excellent food. Move over, Mitford."

Awards and accolades for The Cruelest Month:

• The Cruelest Month debuted at #1 on the IMBA bestsellers list in the US
• Shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis for Best Crime Novel in Canada
• Starred Kirkus Review
• Starred Publishers Weekly Review
• Starred Library Journal Review
• Starred Quill & Quire
• Stellar reviews in the London Times, Sydney Morning Herald, Singapore Strait
  Times
• An India Today Book Club selection
• Front page and/or feature articles in Quill & Quire, Montreal Gazette Book
  Section, Macleans Magazine