Industry Judges:
The Top 10 entries in The Write Stuff competition will be
selected by a panel of industry experts including
representatives from:
Ink Tree Ltd.
Insomniac Press
Chapters-Indigo
Celebrity judges:
Once the Industry Judges narrowed the entries down to the Top
10, the Celebrity Judges were asked to chime in with their
comments. The Celebrity Judges are:
Louis B. Hobson -
Movie critic, The Calgary Sun
Dave Kelly -
host, Breakfast Television, City
TV
Julie Van Rosendaal -
of
www.onesmartcookie.ca,
bestselling author of One Smart Cookie, Grazing
Cassie Campbell -
member of National Women's
Hockey Team, and Olympic Gold Medalist
Judge's Comments:
I Spy: Adventures in Investigation
Shelley Boettcher, as told by Ali
Wirsche and Marnie Milot
Dave Kelly: Who wouldn’t want to
read about screw ups, heartache, humiliation and fury? … as long
as it’s not mine.
Julie Van Rosendaal: I loved the
premise, but I wasn’t drawn in to the writing. It could have
been more creatively presented. Even though the names are
changed, couldn’t people potentially be identified by the
situations, places etc.?
Ink Tree: This selection made
almost all of the judges Top 10 lists because of the humorous
mental pictures it paints. We all seem to love to hear someone’s
dirty laundry.
Cassie
Campbell:
I am sure
there are some interesting stories to tell when it comes to this
type of investigation. However, this book may teach people how
to go on adventures of their own!! Interesting and funny! Good
read.
Bad Timing
Michael Davie
Dave Kelly: Most people think being
in a band is the way to meet girls. Who would have thought you’d
find them by fishing.
Julie Van Rosendaal: I really liked
this one. When I read the outline the storyline didn’t seem
particularly unique, but it is very well written. It feels like
the author went to a lot of effort to hone his craft, and made
me want to read more. Definitely up there on my list!
Ink Tree: The humor and the writing
style made this one an easy choice. The writing puts us right in
Bacon’s shoes and we are living the story right along with him.
Cassie
Campbell:
My great
memories about fishing when I was young have been deeply altered
after reading this! Not my kind of fishing stories. But I
appreciate the writing.
Reflections of Indigo
Twyla Enns
Dave Kelly: Maybe it was a
leisurely look into the main character’s life – but I kept
wanting something to happen.
Julie Van Rosendaal: I think this
one is very good, but maybe overly descriptive. It also seemed
cryptic – maybe because I only got a little piece. Overall I
think it’s very well written and definitely has potential.
Insomniac: ...this work shows a lot
of potential. The writing is good; it uses symbolism, imagery,
and hints at a great story (re: the synopsis). I think this
writing comes alive on the page... There is a lot to work with
here. I think that this text is rich... Now imagine what this
writer will do with the important scenes.
Cassie
Campbell:
Very
descriptive writing style. I feel like I am with Desiree when I
am reading this. Very good!
Where the Medicine Grows
Bruce
Henning
Dave Kelly: I liked the
thought of hearing about our heritage, and the heritage of the
ones who lived right around us.
Julie Van Rosendaal: I
thought the premise was great, but found it difficult to read,
possibly because of the grammatical errors and sentences that
were fragmented or switched tenses. Very interesting and
original premise though.
Insomniac: ...this book is
distinctly Canadian. Its focus is Native American and it’s
contemporary... it showed promise in a way that made me wish I
could see more of the work...
Cassie
Campbell:
Very good
read.
Murphy's Widow
Tom Simon
Dave Kelly: I think the
concept is great – it’s a funny idea. I wanted the story to
start sooner, without the long preamble. And even though I have
no idea what color old aluminium is – it was a fun line.
Julie Van Rosendaal: I really like
this one! Very unique premise, funny, easy to read. Anyone would
be able to relate to the main character’s situation. It reminds
me of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Ink Tree: This book is edgy,
humorous and it’s unique enough to become the next big thing in
books.
Cassie
Campbell:
Interesting concept! How the lack of customer service out there
frustrates us all!
Secrets Grandpas Keep
Josh
Forbes
Dave Kelly: Grandpas are
great characters. And I wanted to know how the rat tail made
out in his first appearance at home.
Julie Van Rosendaal: I found the
writing very plain, almost more like a letter or email. It has
potential though, I think! Reading it was like losing yourself
to childhood memories.
Insomniac: …this is a rare entry in
that it is a collection of short stories and it talks about real
life in an interesting way. If you reread the synopsis it aims
to tell stories that are distinctive to growing up in
Saskatchewan/Yukon. These are little stories with hints of
humour that I think most Canadians will laugh at.
Cassie
Campbell:
A few of
my teammates are from small town Saskatchewan, and they have
told some great stories over the years about growing up there. I
think you have something here that will be entertaining and
successful. I know 4 people who would buy it right off the bat.
Hockey Players Don't Carry Purses
Val
Hokanson
Insomniac: This is not a hockey
book. This is a women’s issues book. The primary audience should
be women. Readers of this book will be women who have also
experienced discrimination/prejudice because they tried to
participate in something that was inconsistent with perceived
gender roles. I.e. women shouldn’t play hockey, they should do
figure skating… or ballet… It will also appeal to anyone, both
men and women, who have an interest on this subject, regardless
(including me). This book would be marketed to the women’s
issues/gender issues section of bookstores, not the sports
section. That being said, this book does have a lot of
potential.
Julie Van Rosendaal: This is more
of an autobiography – I think the story could potentially speak
to those who are interested in gender issues, but she doesn’t
seem to delve any deeper than “not bad for a girl”, ”geez man
it’s a girl”, “you got hit by a girl”, etc. And I just can’t get
past how poorly it is written.
Cassie
Campbell:
This
definitely puts life as a female hockey player, no matter what
level you play at, into perspective. I am bias here, but this is
a great write.
I'd Rather be Rich,...A Road Map to
Where You'd Rather Be
Sheila
Leonard
Insomniac: This book appealed to me
in a way that is important for finance titles: the writer’s
background and the focus of the book. This would be the first
title we’d publish that was by a woman (we can make if for women
if we have to) that had a clearly focused “road map”.
Julie Van Rosendaal: The premise of
a self help book that compares planning your life to planning a
road trip is great, but to be honest I think she does a poor job
of going about it. She makes examples of her own personal
experiences (and it isn’t apparent what her point really is in
these instances) instead of trying to help the reader come to
their own conclusions. The questions are too general and not
very well directed. She switches from past to present tense
midsentence, and suddenly goes from talking about financial debt
to debt in terms of which people have hurt us the most, and what
they “owe us for that”. It doesn’t seem to be well organized – I
just don’t follow it. She also uses a very popular quote without
presenting it as a quote.
Cassie
Campbell:
I have
traveled all over the world, and I still think that there is no
place like home...Canada. However, thanks to those who travel
abroad so much us Canadians are often greeted with open arms
when we travel. I would love to here all the great stories.
Round Trip
Cal Wiltse
Ink Tree: We always hear stories of
the adult pioneers. This book puts us into the headspace of a
child as he struggles with life as a settler in the early days
of Alberta.
Julie Van Rosendaal: I liked this
one, thought it was well written, but it was hard to make more
of a judgment from the small sample I got. I agree with Dan that
it has potential to be cheesy. But the author did a great job of
making me feel empathy toward the main character.
Cassie
Campbell:
Reminds me
of that television show, Little House on the Prairie! I loved
that show as a kid. Great read!
The
Escape Artists
Tom Gierasimczuk
Ink Tree: Who doesn’t feel like
they want to escape sometimes? The idea of reading true stories
of people who have done it is very intriguing.
Julie Van Rosendaal: I love this
idea for a book! The writing seems good, and I like the fact
that it also has potential to be a series. I wish he would have
supplied some sample stories about these “escape artists”
though… it’s difficult to get an accurate feel for the book with
just an intro.
Cassie
Campbell:
I love the
part/analogy about the journey to the grave. Definitely was
interesting and fun to read.
