“She’s a wily one, that Louise Penny”, I whispered to myself, admiration tinting my disappointment.
You see, I’d come upon the old United Empire Loyalist brick home in the Quebec countryside, surrounded by maple woods and mountains, where the author is rumoured to live.
But no Louise Penny.

Maple Woods & Mountains
It was an idyllic spot, I had to admit as I gathered the ropes and fabric of my expired parachute.
With sun-ripened squash, gambolling colts, steadfast sheep, and a stinky dog or two, this was someplace I could really get to like.

The alleged sun-ripened Squash

Gambolling?

Sheep - do they bite?
Suddenly, a thought pierced my otherwise inpenetrable focus: Perhaps these delightful creatures had been abandoned! Perhaps they were in need of my Ukrainian love and care whilst Penny was away?
And so, I admit to you now… using the ball-peen hammer I carry around just for such purposes…I smashed an old United Empire Loyalist window, and moved in.

Nice legs, eh?
Now don’t get all upset.
As a fellow crime writer, it stands to reason that Louise is quite supportive of crime, and the odd break-and-enter here and there is quite acceptable.
Besides, I only stayed a few weeks.
Ahhhh, the solitude of it all.
The loveliness.
Time well spent reflecting on life in the glorious Quebecois landscape.
And best of all?
The unadulterated enjoyment of raiding the contents of a fridge that does not belong to me.
For many sun-tinged days, I lived a life that was grand beyond belief:

Walks at dusk

Running hands through wheat...or is it corn?... like Russell Crowe in Gladiator

Making myself at home at the Penny place (a little over my usual lithe cat-burglar weight)
But enough of that. I was on a mission.
Once all the pâté in the fridge was gone, I was determined to find my quarry.
Where was Louise Penny? Where was her delightful husband, Michael?

Louise & Michael
Where did they REALLY live if not in this utopia I’d come to think of as my own?
I pulled my ever-present magnifying glass from it’s holster and began following the bread crumbs.
A stylish shoulder wrap tossed here, a discarded bowtie strewn there, and before I knew it, I was in…

Sultry Tangiers

Tangiers - at the tip of Morocco
No rolling, green countryside for them. No maturing autumn leaves, no sweet scent of gently ripening fruit, no cute fuzzy animals. No. They were here! In hot and sweaty Tangiers! The shame of it all!
Now I was more intent than ever to find the duo, to reveal the truth behind their naughty ways! And to score some really good coffee.
It didn’t take long.
I waved around a few book covers…

The Brutal Telling

Dead Cold
…and a few almighty Moroccan Dirham.
And before I knew it, tongues were wagging. The mystery lovers of Morocco were more than glad to give up Penny’s location for a bit of cash and the promise of a great read from a New York Times bestselling author! (Yay Louise!)

The shameless tattle tales
I didn’t have far to go.
It only seemed that way given my transportation.

Zeroing in on Penny
But alas, I found her. In the company of her beloved husband.
Far be it for me to spread rumours. So, I’m not saying there was dancing on tables, or even next to one.
Because this is about Louise, not me.
And, once I was done shaking my money-maker, our shiny Canadian Penny seemed sincerely glad to see me.

See- what'd I tell you - happy to see me.
(Note: I promise to tell her about my impromptu stay in her house much, much later. So, everyone, mum’s the word!)
In the meantime, gracious as always, Louise shared with me:
10 Silly Things You Didn’t Know About Canadian Crime Writer Louise Penny
1. If you could invite any famous person, dead or alive, for dinner, what
would you serve?
Something made by someone else, unless I wanted to kill or alienate them.
2. Who do you think you are?
A huge crime writer, and quite a wide one as well.
3. What’s your problem?
I think I might be too thin and too beautiful. Oh, wait. No. My problem is I’m delusional.
4. The Canadian crime writer. Myth or mystery?
Myth, in that all great myths are based in truth and fact, and live forever. Grow and become legend. I’m deeply, profoundly (thin and beautiful) proud of being a
Canadian mystery writer, and to be a part of this vibrant and growing community. Very
exciting!
5. If you could change one thing about any of your books, what would it be?
I would have not fictionalized the towns around Three Pines, but used their real names – to help really ground them in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. I’ve started doing that, using
the names of real towns, but I wish I’d done that sooner. That was a mistake.
6. When no one is looking, what is your guilty pleasure?
Reading People magazine in the bath while watching Ab Fab and eating chocolates. How I suffer for my art.
7. If you could have one wish, who would you give it up to?
Jimmy Stewart
8. When you wake up in the morning, what celebrity do you most resemble?
The Cookie Monster
9. What’s the most Canadian thing about you?
I believe in socialized medicine, a national broadcaster, deeply subsidized university education. I believe in social welfare and that we are, indeed, our brother’s
keeper.
10. Do you have anything you’d like to plug?
Yes, the magnificent novels of Anthony Bidulka,

This wholly (mostly) unsolicited plug, cost me but a few more dirham...
…and all the other Canadian crime writers. We are a community and where one succeeds the others benefit.
In the words of The Ottawa Citizen’s Mike Gillespie: Penny writes like a modern-day Agatha Christie, with a little Dylan Thomas thrown in for good measure. Her characters leap from the page, her plotting is sublime, the atmosphere she builds…completely chilling.
You can find out more about Louise and her impeccable, multi award-winning, truly enjoyable Armand Gamache series at http://www.louisepenny.com/books.htm.
Coming up next? Glad you asked. Monday, February 22, 2010. Find out why everything that happens in Vegas, doesn’t necessarily stay in Vegas – not if I’m looking to reveal your 10 Silly Things. That’s right, Calgary writer Garry Ryan – this next one’s all about you!