ALLIN, Lou 1945-

PERSONAL:

Born June 5, 1945, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; daughter of George (a film booker) and Therese (a teacher and educational administrator; maiden name, DesRosiers) Allin. Ethnicity: "English, Scottish, French Canadian." Education: Ohio State University, B.Sc. in Ed., 1966, M.A., 1968; Ohio University, Ph.D., 1975. Hobbies and other interests: "Hiking and snow-shoeing in the bush, chasing Anasazi ruins."

ADDRESSES:

Home—1903 West Bay Rd., Garson, Ontario P3L 1V3, Canada. Office—Cambrian College, 1400 Barrydowne Rd., Sudbury, Ontario P3V 1V8, Canada. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Ohio State University, Columbus, lecturer in English, 1968-71; Cambrian College, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, professor of English, 1977—.

MEMBER:

Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime.

WRITINGS:

Northern Winters Are Murder (mystery novel), RendezVous Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2000.

Blackflies Are Murder (mystery novel), RendezVous Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2002.

Bush Poodles Are Murder (mystery novel), RendezVous Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2003.

Work represented in anthologies, including Bone Dance, RendezVous Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2003.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

A Little Learning Is a Murderous Thing, "an academic murder mystery set in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan"; research for Mancorn, "a murder mystery set in Utah, featuring a Cleveland reporter and her aunt."

SIDELIGHTS:

Lou Allin told CA: "My process for writing a mystery novel is to plan the murder, therefore knowing who, why, and how, and then write the book a scene at a time, sparsely at first, then overlaying with details, polishing the first pages as I add a few pages a day heading for the concluding jeopardy scene. Though this method is the polar opposite of how I tell my students to write their research papers, I find that the spontaneity adds to the creative procedure. My editing process has changed, though. I try to be much more ruthless with extraneous material and strive for faster-moving plots. My only advice to writers? Start now."