Chaplain-in-training nominated for literary award

Peter Mallett
Staff Writer

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SLt Katherine Walker was brimming with pride when her crime novel All is Well was published by Thistledown Press last year. She didn’t think it could get much better than holding a hard copy filled with her writing.

However, on April 20 All is Well earned her a nomination for Best Crime First Novel in 2022 by Crime Writers of Canada. She joins four other first-time Canadian authors, all vying for the win.

“It feels so good and affirming on so many levels to be recognized,” she says. “To be able to craft a good crime novel and then have all the pieces fall into place was wonderful, but then to be included in an awards presentation with so many great writers is simply magical.”

The central character in her novel is Christine Wright, a former Special Forces soldier transitioning into her role as a minister at a church set in downtown Victoria. SLt Walker is in the final stages of her training to become a chaplain, and says writing about a former military member turned chaplain was slightly surreal.

The plot follows the protagonist after she murders her attacker with a candlestick in the book’s opening chapter. After which the dark comedy unfolds as Wright’s poorly planned cover-up slowly unravels.

“Writing is the way I can share myself and my stories with the rest of the world,” she says.

Award winners will be announced later this month in a ceremony streamed live on YouTube. Crime Writers of Canada was established in 1982 by Globe and Mail crime and fiction reviewer Derrick Murdoch. It is a national non-profit organization for Canadian mystery and crime writers, associated professionals, and others with a serious interest in Canadian crime writing.

For more information and for a complete list of nominees for its annual awards visit www.crimewriterscanada.com