For several months now David Cole has been interviewing Canadian writers of crime, mystery, and/or suspense for Mystery Fanfare in his column Cool Canadian Crime. Cole recently interviewed Vicki Delany, a favorite of mine. Scare the Light Away Delany's debut novel was highly acclaimed when it was published in 2005.

Celebrated Canadian author Alice Munro has won the third Man Booker International Prize. One of the richest and most prestigious international literary awards, Munro will take home £60,000.

One of my favorite mystery writers, Barbara Parker, died after a long illness recently. Most of her novels were in her "Suspicion" series about Miami lawyers Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana. If you haven't read Ms. Parker's books, you'll find a strong, independent, female character in Gail Connor, a Miami attorney. Anthony Quintana was a Cuban-American, born in Cuba, whose family escaped to America in the 50s. This played a large part in the Connor-Quintana mysteries. Ms. Parker's first novel, "Suspicion of Innocence" was nominated for an Edgar Award and became a made-for-TV movie, "Sisters and Other Strangers". Ms.

Mother's Day is this Sunday and Because I Love Her celebrates the deepest bonds between mothers and their daughters. This collection of the best female literary writers of our time reveals what their mothers taught them, what they want to impart to their daughters and what they learned as the bridge between the two.