Editor’s Note
Putting together the mystery and crime spotlight for this issue (starting on page 16), it was thrilling to see how many successful women authors are represented in the genre, and on the attendees list at Bouchercon, the pre-eminent mystery-writers festival, taking place in Toronto for the first time this October. It made the decision of whom to profile a challenge, but I hope the six authors included represent a cross-section of new voices and established favourites from coast-to-coast.
I was surprised to learn that several of the authors interviewed – most of whom write procedural series – mentioned their upcoming forays into the fantasy and sci-fi genre. But, in retrospect, it makes sense. In an interview recently published on quillandquire.com, Casey Plett, co-editor of the anthology Meanwhile Elsewhere: Science Fiction and Fantasy from Transgender Writers, says, “Everyone is drawn to a genre like that for their own fantastical, dreamy, amazing, and lovely reasons. But when trans writers come to the table, we probably have a certain set of concerns that maybe a lot of other folks don’t have when we imagine what a world might look like – or what we are afraid or hope the world might look like.”