Blurbs for "The White Ribbon Man."

These are some of the blurbs I have received for my mystery novel that will be published imminently.  There are likely a couple more blurbs upcoming, but I wanted to get these up and visible to rouse your interest. I am delighted with the comments because they are insightful and honest and come from people whose work I admire.  

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After a woman is found dead in a downtown church basement, nearly everyone becomes a suspect. Dickinson deftly takes us into the world of a social-justice community and their struggles to cope in the aftermath of violence. When a writer and cop unintentionally team up, imagination and evidence blur. This is a page-turner with an unexpected plot-twist that will leave the reader guessing until the very end.

Farzana Doctor. Author of All Inclusive, Six Metres of Pavement, Stealing Nasreen

An insightful and contemplative literary mystery that is steeped in religion, lost loves, loneliness, and the desire for companionship and meaning in life. A beautifully written poignant and touching exploration of human hopes and frailties.

Lisa de Nikolits. Author of No Fury Like That, The Nearly Girl, Between the Cracks She Fell & four other novels.

A well imagined story of how a horrible crime not only upends lives, but the trust of a community. In The White Ribbon Man, Mary Lou Dickinson also explores the mental and emotional injuries that children suffer under the unrelenting demands of fundamentalist religion. It’s a book that will leave you thinking.

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Ken Murray. Author of Eulogy (a novel).

NOTE: You are welcome to come to the Inanna Spring Book launch on Thursday, May 3rd from 6 - 8:30 p.m. at the Women's Art Association, 23 Prince Arthur Avenue, Toronto

LONELINESS

I used to think I knew all there was to know about loneliness. That was a long time ago. What i did know was that then it was like a disease. You could not mention it because the other thought they might catch it or that they were expected to solve it for you. Finally it became clear that if someone would hear the statement, the loneliness would evaporate. In other words, listen! Later I learned that to deal with feeling crappy and alone, if I had three things in a day I would be fine. Some meaningful social contact, even with a stranger on some days. Physical exercise. And for me, learning something new every day, however small. Since then I do not feel lonely most of the time even though what I do in my life is very isolating. I write. Of course, I can also converse with my characters! But real people are more important!!!

Discover My Books!

Well, here they are. My books. I set out when I retired to publish a book. That happened in 2007  with the short story collection, One Day It Happens.. So I thought I would work on another book. Along came Ile d'Or (novel) in 2010. And another novel in 2014. That was Would I Lie To You? There was still a mystery brewing and it is about to appear (this year, 2018). 

Will there be more? I have finished another. I will rest with the mystery for now though,  At 80, yes 80, I take a day at a time. I gave that first book five years (on top of all the years that had preceded that resolve at retirement). Not setting long term goals like that these days. But if there are more books, I will be as excited as each one appears as I have been for these four.
All are available for purchase as well as in libraries! Happy reading!
 

"The White Ribbon Man." Launch Date.

Launch Date for "The White Ribbon Man"
                    May 3, 2018.

The launch of my latest book, a mystery, will be in Toronto at the Women's Art Association on Prince Arthur Avenue. Complete details will follow when available. This will be one of the publisher's (Inanna Publications) Spring Launches for their authors. 

I await this day with excitement and anticipation.

New in Spring 2018. A Mystery. The White Ribbon Man!

Mary Lou Dickinson returns very soon with her fourth book, a mystery, “The White Ribbon Man.” This book, set in Toronto, highlights a city that has become one of the best in the world! Win the appreciation and plaudits of your friends when you suggest, or give, this book to them.

In “The White Ribbon Man,” a woman who walks into a church to use the washroom sees a terrifying scene. On the floor, she sees legs sticking out of one of the washroom’s stalls.

The woman screams!

Others come!

Police are called!

Who is the woman?

No one knows.

There is no identification, just an empty purse.

What happened to her?

Who are the people in this church on a November Sunday morning? And how do they react?

You will soon be able to read  Dickinson’s new book to find out.

Mortality and Death.

I am going to write about death. Why? At 80, I think about it. Not a lot. Not as much as you might expect at this age because I am too busy doing what I enjoy. It is, however, an inevitable reality. No escape. I might hope to live another 10, 15, even 20 years in good health, but most would agree that might be unreasonable. And if truth be told, while I used to have goals with 5 and ten year horizons, I take each day as it comes now. I do have goals, but they do not take away from ongoing pleasure, nor are they set in stone. What I get done, or do, I am glad about. If I were to die tomorrow, I would do so without regrets. I have had a good life. I guess I would regret that I would not be here to see my young grandchildren grow up and that they would not have the fun of my presence. Yes, I regret that when I think about it. But the antidote is to love them and see them as much as is possible now, even though difficult when none of them live in the same city. 

This interest in death was spurred on of late after reading the review of a book by Irving D. Yalom entitled "Staring At The Sun; Overcoming The Terror Of Death." I wanted to read it because while I don't feel terror at the thought of death, the thought of dying does plague me at times. The thought of being in pain, of losing my independence, etc., does frighten me because it is a great unknown, but the thought of simply not existing any more does not. I suppose it did when I was young enough to know I would regret some things. But since I have lived my life in such a way as to fulfill my dreams, to have satisfying relationships with my family, to have good friends, to be physically active, I don't know what more I could wish for. I have three lovely grandchildren (ages 5 months to 19), I travel a bit, have books published and another about to come out. All in all, I consider myself amazingly fortunate.

What is death? Some have the belief that there is life everlasting. Others in reincarnation. Others in total nothingness. I am not sure what it means to die. I will die. I will be gone. But I have made some kind of small impact on the people closest to me. I won't be forgotten easily for a long time. That feels like enough. Perhaps people will go on reading my books. Who knows! But I have written them and they have been published and as recently as today in a yoga class a woman came over to me to tell me she had read my novel, Ile d'Or, during the summer. She gave positive feedback. A satisfied reader. 

So, I do not feel that I have to overcome the fear of my own death! I do feel that I will be devastated by losses along the way, another kind of terror of death, I suppose.. But I go on living my life, trying to be a gentle and kind person, loving family and friends, and continuing with my writing. At the moment, that writing constitutes this blog post. Will I write more about death? I don't know. I am a lot closer to the end than I have ever been. When will that happen? How? I hope the people I love know that I don't have regrets and that I love them. I do tell them, but I hope it carries them through in some way to know this. Through my death. And through their own lives as they live them. With the knowledge that while everyone may need to look at the terror of death, it is possible to live without that fear being ever present. Especially if they are living examined lives and have a sense of meaning and purpose. 

These are my words about death today. Maybe there will be more!

A Mystery! Author Photo. What Do You Think?

There is another photo that is more traditional that I will use in various contexts, but I rather think this one is intriguing for placement in a mystery novel! What do you think?