Friday, August 26, 2011

2011 Ngaio Marsh Award Winner Accepts Award


Paul Cleave

2011 Ngaio Marsh Award Winner Accepts the Award

Paddy Richardson, Neil Cross, Paul Cleave and Alix Bosco, all excellent writers whose styles differ widely, were nominated. Paul Cleave won for his novel Shotgun Men. And he showed up to accept the second annual award. Last year, in a plot twist Ngaio Marsh might have employed and enjoyed, Alix Bosco won for Cut & Run. But Alix Bosco is a pseudonym and the winning author did not appear.


Greg McGee

A week before the award ceremony on 21 August of this year, Greg McGee announced that he uses the pseudonym Alix Bosco and that he would appear to support the other authors and the awarding of the prize. In a series of interviews he explained that he wanted the character he created, a female investigator to be evaluated by readers and critics as the creation of an unknown writer. He described his reputation, based in part on his personal history — a rugby player who wrote a play about rugby, “ as a bloke who writes about blokes” He noted that prepublication readers who knew he was the author found the character not credible but, readers unaware of the author’s identity found the character engaging. McGee said he had to argue with his agent and publisher to publish the book without using his name. He noted that historically women authors have had to use male pen names to get published.

Best-selling and prolific author Tess Gerritsen and award-winning author John Hart began the ceremony by speaking and answering questions about their work. They were warm informative and funny.



Tess Gerritsen and John Hart

The nominees also spoke about their work and took questions from the audience. One topic that was repeatedly asked about was if the writers would use events from the latest major earthquake, the greatest natural disaster in New Zealand’s history, in their writing. Paul Cleave sets his novels in Christchurch, site of the disaster.

The authors as a group suggested the events were too recent and emotions were still very raw. Each author said they would not write about the earthquake any tme soon. With so many people as direct witnesses, any error in detail would be immediately noted. They also agreed about the importance of literature was a way for a nation to mourn and to process terrible events like wars and disasters.

I would be remiss if I did not praise the organizers of the event who were determined to have the awards in the sad, wounded city of Christchurch. I cannot imagine the hurdles and persistence it must have taken to find a place, coordinate scheduling, overcome the uncertainties, and actually hold the ceremony. Kudos for a truly outstanding event.




8 comments:

  1. Warren, a nice report. I'm glad mystery authors are sensitive to the recent grief and horror of the earthquake. You often find a book on the market within weeks of terrible tragedies, and I immediately think "blood money."
    I hope you were there in person and got to meet some of those authors.

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  2. I was there and I had a chance to meet some of them. I had a nice chat with the winner's dad. He said Paul's mother used to go through his books and cross out the swear words. She died within the last year. He said, "She would have been so proud." Then he excused himself so he could call his brother and tell him.

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  3. Interesting report. Also, I was fascinated by Greg McGee's experience with his fictional character. It seems we have a hard time believing a man can think like a woman or vice versa. Yet many of us grow up surrounded by members of the opposite sex whose habits and mannerisms we can observe and interpret.

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  4. It's wonderful you got to the event. I have to admit that I'd not familiar with many of the authors that you named. As usual, I have many new names for my long reading list.

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  5. I'm pleased to know there is a Ngaio Marsh Award. I love her books.

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  6. I love the plot twist of Alix Bosco/Greg McGee. I have heard of male romance writers taking female names but I didn't expect it in this genre. You must have had a wonderful time at the award show!

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  7. Pauline and Kara, Clearly there are still stereotypes in the world of writing. Sisters in Crime is still working to change some of those. I write about protagonists of all genders and ethnic backgrounds at many times in history. So far nobody has questioned my right to do so.

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  8. towriteistowrite,

    I've met Craig Sisterson who founded the award and asked for an interview. I hope he finds the time to answer.

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