Lindquist, N.J.
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N. J. Lindquist
N. J. Lindquist is an award-winning Canadian author and columnist as well as a popular motivational speaker and the co-founder of The Word Guild. A former high school English teacher and homeschooling pioneer who wanted to "be" Jo March from the time she first read Little Women, N. J. became a mystery fan when she discovered the Trixie Belden series. Years later, when she started noticing perfect spots to find bodies wherever she went, she began writing mysteries. |
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N. J. has written two Manziuk and Ryan Mysteries. Both are in the classic whodunit style, but set in modern Toronto. Shaded Light, set on a Toronto estate on the July long weekend, has been compared to the best of Agatha Christie. A Glitter of Diamonds combines N. J.’s love of mysteries with her love of baseball and sports talk shows. In its review of Glitter of Diamonds, Library Journal called N. J. a “master of plotting.”
As well, N. J. has written numerous stories, articles, and columns as well as five novels and three nonfiction books for teens and a Christmas play. She recently edited Hot Apple Cider, an anthology written by 30 Canadian authors. Thirty thousand copies of this book are going out across Canada at World Vision’s Girls Night Out events.
Originally from western Canada, N. J., her husband Les, and their four sons have lived in Markham, Ontario, since 1986.
Selected Bibliography:
Mysteries:
- Glitter of Diamonds: A Manziuk and Ryan Mystery. Markham, ON: MurderWillOut Mysteries, 2007
- Shaded Light: A Manziuk and Ryan Mystery. Markham, ON: MurderWillOut Mysteries, 2004
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Glitter of Diamonds: A Manziuk & Ryan Mystery After Stasey Simon, an outspoken sports talk-show host, asks on-air for a volunteer to knock some sense into the home team’s temperamental new pitcher, Manziuk and Ryan hustle to catch a murderer swinging a lethal bat. As the crime threatens to escalate into an international incident, Manziuk draws on his own knowledge of baseball while his partner, Jacquie Ryan, tries to understand a game she’s never watched. "In her second mystery after Shaded Light, Lindquist, a master of plotting, seeds her tale with concealed clues and innuendoes that keep readers guessing until the very end. Reminiscent of golden age mysteries, her latest will appeal to fans of classic mysteries." Library Journal |
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Shaded Light: A Manziuk and Ryan Mystery With matchmaking on her mind, Ellen Brodie looks forward to a quiet weekend with her husband, her son, and her favorite cousin’s attractive daughter, Lorry Preston, who is visiting from Alberta. But the weekend is doomed when Ellen's husband invites his two legal partners and their quarreling wives; one of the legal partners includes his wife’s wallflower sister; Ellen’s son brings his devastatingly handsome best friend; a black sheep nephew shows up; and a new neighbor descends on them because of renovations. If that wasn’t enough, Lorry discovers a body in the Japanese garden. “[Manziuk) is white, an abrupt, patronizing veteran, while [Ryan] is a recently promoted, vivacious black woman-but in Lindquist's debut mystery the two rub elbows and tempers to captivating effect.” – Publisher's Weekly |
Selected Awards:
- Judges Choice in the 1991 Toronto Star Short Story Contest for “One last Ride on the Via Rail”
- Winner of The Word Guild 2005 Award for Mystery/Suspense Novel for Shaded Light
- Winner of The Word Guild 2005 Award for Independently Published Fiction
- Winner of The Word Guild 2005 Award for Young Adult Book for More Than Friends
- Winner of the 2006 Leading Women Award for Communications and Media
- 2006 Deeds Speak Award from the York Region Police for the teen book In Time of Trouble
- Finalist for The Word Guild Mystery/Suspense Novel 2008 Award for Glitter of Diamonds
Selected Workshops:
- Intensive-Care Fiction (all-day workshop)
- Taking the Mystery Out of Mystery Writing
- Who’s Telling the Story, Anyway? (POV)
- What to Do When the Editor Says, “Show Don’t Tell”
- Creating Dazzling Dialogue
N. J. is also available for readings and speaking engagements.
Website:
www.manziukandryan.com
Copyright 2011 Crime Writers of Canada