On Stage at the IdeaHUB

Don’t forget to check out the IdeaHUB on Thursday


10:30 am – 11:25 am

CANSCAIP Authors

The Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP) invites you to join them for a lively session as some of today’s best children’s authors talk up their brand new creations.

  • Laura Alary, All the Faces of Me, Owlkids Books
  • Kate Blair, A Mist of Memories, DCB/Cormorant Books
  • L.E. Carmichael, Polar: Wildlife at the Ends of the Earth, Kids Can Press
  • Stephanie Cooke, The Racc Pack, Simon & Schuster Canada
  • Oksanna Crawley, Pirate Glitterbeard, Rebel Mountain Press
  • Mary Harelkin Bishop, Tunnels of Tyranny: Moose Jaw Time Travel, Book #4, DriverWorks Ink
  • Christina Kilbourne, 40 Days in Hicksville, DCB/Cormorant Books
  • Karen Krossing, Monster vs Boy, Charlesbridge / Penguin Random House Canada
  • Catherine Little, Endgame: The Secret Force 136, Plumleaf Press
  • Elizabeth MacLeod, Meet Clara Hughes, Scholastic Canada
  • Colleen Nelson, Umbrella House and See It, Dream It, Do It, Pajama Press
  • Lorna Schultz Nicholson, What to Bring, Owlkids Books
  • Rina Singh, Imagine a Garden, Greystone Books
  • Ryan Uytdewilligen, This Is Not My Story, Kids Can Press
  • Jessica Vitalis, Coyote Queen, Greenwillow Books/Harper Collins


12:00 pm – 12:25 pm

Measure Your Library Data with Bridge

Sepideh Mckensy, Senior Services Specialist, Toronto Public Library

Advocate for your public library using the Bridge data solution platform developed by Toronto Public Library. View a live demo and learn how Bridge can help with:

  • Outcome & Performance Measurement

    Bridge sets performance benchmarks with readily available and comparable library data. See how Bridge’s automated data and reports generate reliable insights, showcasing the value of your technology, optimizing resource management and helping you stay relevant in the digital age.
  • Storytelling

    Hear how Bridge brings meaning to library data. Transform complex library statistics into compelling narratives, enhancing transparency, accountability and advocacy.

Your library makes an impact. We help you demonstrate it!


12:30 pm – 12:55 pm

Amplifying a Marginalized Voice

Shelley Thompson, Author, Roar, Nimbus Publishing
Actor, screenwriter, and author Shelley Thompson presents her new novel Roar, inspired by the screenplay for her film Dawn, Her Dad & The Tractor. A work of fierce allyship, enduring love, and of gentle hope, Roar follows a family through grief and estrangement as they become catalysts for change in their rural community. Told from multiple points of view, with confidence and tenderness, actor and screenwriter Shelley Thompson’s debut novel is profoundly authentic, drawing on her own experience as the mother of a trans child and an activist for the trans community. Thompson will share her experience working with sensitivity readers.


1:00 pm – 1:25 pm

Canadians Can Be Villians, Too, Eh

Steve Ryan, Author, The Ghosts That Haunt Me, Dundurn Press; Nate Hendley, Author, Dundurn Press; Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson, Author, Dundurn Press
Sure, Canadians are known as a polite bunch, but some authors find the dark and twisted corners to explore. Three Dundurn Press authors share in the enduring fascination with true crime and mystery stories in their new books. Meet CP24 Crime Reporter and former homicide detective Steve Ryan as he talks about the seven cases that stay with him to this day in The Ghosts That Haunt Me. Journalist and true-crime author Nate Hendley dug into the archives to unearth the little-known First World War story of the sinking of Canadian hospital ship Llandovery Castle, the greatest loss of nurses’ lives during combat. And debut author Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson opens up about crafting a “maple noir” mystery set in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood during the tumultuous 1960s.


1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Crime Time

Members of Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) will tantalize you with fast-paced introductions to their mystery, suspense, and true crime titles and deliver an open-and-shut case for listing their books in your library. From cozies to procedurals, thrillers, and hard-boiled, we offer fiction and non-fiction stories for everyone.

CWC is a national non-profit organization for Canadian mystery and crime writers, associated professionals, and others with a serious interest in Canadian crime writing. Our mission is to promote Canadian crime writing and to raise the profile of Canadian crime writers with librarians, readers, reviewers, fans of the genres, booksellers, and media.

  • Jass Aujla, Next Of Twin, SparkPress
  • Ginger Bolton, Double Grudge Donuts, Kensington Publishing Corp.
  • Norm Boucher, Horseplay, My time undercover on the Granville Strip, NeWest Press
  • H&A Christensen, Stealing John Hancock, Turnstone Press
  • T. Lawrence Davis, The Pale Horse, Friesen Press
  • Madeleine Harris-Callway, Snake Oil and Other Tales, Carrick Publishing
  • John Hill, Pine Box Parole: Terry Fitzsimmons and the Quest to End Solitary Confinement, Durvile Publications Ltd.
  • Paul Mason, To Our Graves, Now or Never (Vancouver)
  • Rick Mofina, Someone Saw Something, MIRA / Harlequin / HarperCollins
  • Peter Thomas Pontsa, Outfoxed – An Inspector William Fox Adventure, FriesenPress
  • Kris Purdy, Paradise Pending, Bella Books
  • Elizabeth Renzetti, Bury the Lead, FHouse of Anansi
  • Michael Urlocker, The Man from Mittelwerk, Inkshares

Next Of TwinJass Aujla Author of Next Of Twin, SparkPress

Next Of Twin is a suspense thriller about identical twin sisters who were separated at birth and now 30 years later have reunited only find themselves caught in a deadly con game. With the perfect blend of mystery and drama – Next Of Twin will leave you on the edge of your seat!

 

Double Grudge DonutsGinger Bolton Author of Double Grudge Donuts, Kensington Publishing Corp.

Deputy Donut café owner Emily expects talent and competition at the Arts Festival to go together like coffee and double fudge. But Emily and her tabby cat find an annoying bagpiper murdered near a piece of a Deputy Donut mug. Emily will need to figure out who paid the piper his final, fatal visit.

 

Horseplay, My time undercover on the Granville StripNorm Boucher Author of Horseplay, My time undercover on the Granville Strip, NeWest Press

In 1983 the author spent eight months infiltrating the heroin scene of Vancouver as an RCMP undercover. Filled with interesting characters, the story is a personal narrative that reveals the human side of addiction, as it collides with a world of crime and violence.

 

Stealing John HancockH&A Christensen Author of Stealing John Hancock, Turnstone Press

JP Hancock’s day looks like it could have been ripped from crime headlines. His identity stolen, he’s pursued by police for a house-stealing scam he didn’t commit. JP finds an ally in a hacker who agrees to help clear his name by whatever means, setting off a high-stakes international chase.

 

The Pale HorseT. Lawrence Davis Author of The Pale Horse, Friesen Press

Set primarily at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto and in nearby Oakville, Ontario, this “…intense, gripping, racetrack drama is a winner…” (Kirkus Reviews). It sees the vet working to clear the name of a good friend, the prime suspect, as his wife, a senior detective, builds a strong case against her.

 

Snake Oil and Other TalesMadeleine Harris-Callway Author of Snake Oil and Other Tales, Carrick Publishing

Snake Oil is the second collection of crime stories by M. H. Callway, ranging from comedy to noir. Three were finalists for the CWC Awards of Excellence. Two feature ongoing characters, Dr. Ben Amdur, public health physician and Danny Bluestone, indigenous sleuth.

 

Pine Box Parole: Terry Fitzsimmons and the Quest to End Solitary ConfinementJohn Hill Author of Pine Box Parole: Terry Fitzsimmons and the Quest to End Solitary Confinement, Durvile Publications Ltd.

The book begins with Terry Fitzsimmons, his background and how his case became the first in Canada to challenge the torture we call solitary confinement. Other stories illustrate the complexities of other notorious Canadian criminals and their battles with the prison system.

 

To Our GravesPaul Mason Author of To Our Graves, Now or Never (Vancouver)

When a 17-year-old student is found stabbed to death in the chapel of an exclusive private school, St. Cuthbert’s management is desperate to put the blame outside the community. To Our Graves is a fast-moving novel of deceit and intrigue, set among the teen children of Canada’s wealthiest citizens.

 

Someone Saw SomethingRick Mofina Author of Someone Saw Something, MIRA / Harlequin / HarperCollins

When six-year-old Gabriel vanishes from Central Park, his mom, news anchor Corina Corado, is desperate for answers. Police suspect a link to hate maile Corina’s received. As her family’s secrets start to unravel Corina races the clock to find her son.

 

Outfoxed – An Inspector William Fox AdventurePeter Thomas Pontsa Author of Outfoxed – An Inspector William Fox Adventure, FriesenPress

Outfoxed introduces RCMP inspector William Fox as he embarks on a mission to rescue Tracy Jordan, an American archeologist who has been kidnapped by Chinese gangsters. Fox teams up with FBI agent Patrick Reilly, and the two find themselves caught up in events that threaten to spiral out of control.

 

Paradise PendingKris Purdy Author of Paradise Pending, Bella Books

Dani Papineau is musician-poor. Her partner Jo is work-driven. After years of stay-cations, Jo is invited to speak in Cádiz, Spain. Dani convinces Jo to add a week of R ‘n R to the all-expense-paid trip to the land of sun, sand and vino, never imagining it could cost them an arm, a leg or a….

 

Elizabeth Renzetti Author of Bury the Lead, House of Anansi

A disgraced journalist finds herself investigating the murder of a famous actor in a small town with big secrets.

 

The Man from MittelwerkMichael Urlocker Author of The Man from Mittelwerk, Inkshares

1950. The Cold War simmers, and ex-GI Jack Waters is called in to investigate a fatal accident at a research lab in California, which to his surprise, is linked to his hidden past in World War II. Blends noir fiction with operation Paperclip, the secret U.S. recruitment of Nazi scientists.