The Write Spot: Elle Wild

The Write Spot is back and for this 26th edition we're celebrating the release of author Elle Wild's debut novel, Strange Things Done, winner of the 2015 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Unpublished First Crime Novel.

I was intrigued by the premise of a murder in Dawson City – a town about to be cut off from the rest of the world – and jumped at the chance to read an advance copy. I absolutely loved it. Here's my review. 

Elle says she grew up in a dark, rambling farmhouse in the wilds of Canada where there was nothing to do but read Edgar Allan Poe and watch PBS mysteries. She's an award-winning short filmmaker and the former writer/host of the radio program Wide Awake on CBC Radio One. Her short fiction has been published in Ellery Queen Magazine and her articles have appeared in The Toronto Star, Georgia Straight, and Westender. Elle makes her home on an island in the Salish Sea named after the bones of dead whales.

Welcome, Elle! Please tell us about yourself and your Write Spot.

I recently returned to Canada after four lovely years in England and three in California. I've settled on a small island off the rugged coast of British Columbia with my husband and son. Bowen Island is a wonderful place for artists of all sorts, and indeed there are almost as many of this species as there are deer, seals, and giant slugs.

My personal "write spot" is a little office off of the kitchen with a banana-yellow desk and a leafy view of the forest out back, where my son's tree house is perched (next to the "owlery"). I enjoy being able to look up from my work and watch the wildlife, including my son and his small friends. This island is also a great place for long walks.

Currently I'm working on a few different things. I'm chipping away at a new novel, called The Secret Bones, which is set in Victorian London and Dorset. It's based on a Mary Anning type of character who makes an astonishing but dangerous archaeological discovery, putting not only her own life at risk, but also those she cares about.

Readers who might be curious about my work can follow at:

Twitter: @ElleWild_writer

Facebook:  facebook.com/StrangeThingsDoneNovel

                facebook.com/ElleWildNovelist

Instagram: ellewild_novelist  

Website: strangethingsdone.ca

My character, Jo Silver, runs a small newspaper in Dawson City, which you can follow on Twitter at: @TheDawsonDaily 

Thanks for visiting, Elle. Loved the book and, I have to confess, I'm a wee bit (okay, maybe a lot) envious of your beautiful island home. ;-)

Strange Things Done by Elle Wild is a dark and suspenseful noir thriller, set in the Yukon.

As winter closes in and the roads snow over in Dawson City, Yukon, newly arrived journalist Jo Silver investigates the dubious suicide of a local politician and quickly discovers that not everything in the sleepy tourist town is what it seems. Before long, law enforcement begins treating the death as a possible murder and Jo is the prime suspect.

Strange Things Done is a top-notch thriller – a tense and stylish crime novel that explores the double themes of trust and betrayal.

Watch the trailer:

Buy the book:

Dundurn Press | Chapters-Indigo

Amazon.ca | Amazon.com

Click-to-Tweet this post!

Permalink: The Write Spot: Elle Wild

Subscribe to stillpoint – You'll receive email notification when a new blog is posted, no more than once a week and absolutely no spam, I promise!

About The Write Spot:

I've always been fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes. Whether it's backstage photos from my favourite play, a peek into the kitchen where a chef is working her culinary magic, or simply a glimpse through an uncurtained window into a stranger's private world, there's an undeniable thrill of discovery, a sense of secrets shared. It's no surprise, then, that I'm immensely curious about where other writers do their work.  I first blogged about it in this post about my own 'write spot' and so enjoyed the comments, I was inspired to launch a regular feature here at stillpoint. Join me as I discover the many and varied places where writers write.

stillpoint is the blog of Canadian author Cheryl Cooke Harrington.