Sudbury author now vice-chair of crime writing association

Author Dave Wickenden joins Tony Ryma talk about what it is like to sell books to the public & get feedback and his role with the Crime Writers of Canada Board.

A former deputy fire chief in Greater Sudbury is now the vice-chair of the Crime Writers of Canada.

While many people relax and wind down in the summer, Dave Wickenden said he is as busy as ever.

“I am extremely busy, selling books across the northeast. The fun part is meeting the people who are buying my books,” Wickenden said.

“It’s fun for the author to meet the readers ... I love hearing their feedback on my work.”

The former firefighter has written seven books to date and he has two more in the works.

“The one I am currently working on is the third in the vigilante series, which deals with child exploitation,” Wickenden said.

“I have a vigilante who does not care for how people treat children.”

To add to his growing writing resume, Wickenden was named the vice-chair of the Crime Writers of Canada in June.

Boosting visibility

“I am a board member, and the organization is there to promote Canadian crime writers,” he said.

“It is to give our group the visibility to the readers, to libraries and an audience across the country.”

Wickenden said the group is represented across most provinces in Canada and meets once a month as a board.

He also wants to create a mentoring program.

“We have two types of members: members who are published authors and we have associate members who haven’t been published but would like to do so,” Wickenden said.

He said it would be great for a new author to sit down with a published author who can help guide them through the process and help them with their manuscript.

In the meantime, as most people enjoy the summer heat, Wickenden is going to be travelling across the northeast to farmers markets and fairs to promote his work.