N. J. Lindquist
is the award-winning creator of the Manziuk and Ryan mystery series,
the Circle of Friends series, and the poignant stand-alone novel, In
Time of Trouble.
N. J.'s
novels have several characteristics in common: characters readers quickly
learn to care about; intricate, dynamic plots; the ability to have the
reader laughing one minute and in tears the next; and a reflection of
the multi-cultural patchwork quilt of N. J.'s homeland.
N. J. has
experienced life in several diverse areas in Canada. She was born in
Regina, and raised in several small towns in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
She later lived in Regina, Calgary, Mississauga and Markham, Ontario.
Raised as an only child, so quiet her grade 11 homeroom teacher advised
her parents to talk her out of her dream of being a teacher, she went
from being a high school Teacher of the Year in Roblin, Manitoba, to
being a homeschooling pioneer (raising four gifted sons), to becoming
a motivational speaker. Accordingly, N. J.'s characters range all over
the place: from two very different Toronto police detectives and their
families to corporate lawyers, billionaires, small town teens, angry
urban young people, and many more.
N. J. grew
up reading Trixie Beldon, Ginny Gordon, and Nancy Drew; switched to
the works of Agatha Christie, Erle Stanley Gardiner, Georgette Heyer,
Dorothy Sayers, and P. D. James; and eventually decided to try her hand
at writing a contemporary mystery in the classic style. Reviews from
Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and other readers
have compared her first mystery to the best of Agatha Christie.
A life-long
baseball fan, cheering first for the Yankees and then the Blue Jays,
N. J.'s second mystery is set in the world of professional baseball
and the media that surrounds it.
N. J.'s
writing is driven by her love for justice, her abhorrence of the belief
that one person is better than another, her sadness at man's inhumanity
to man, her desire to help people better themselves, and her faith that,
no matter how bad things might get, there is a Creator who is ultimately
in control, and it is possible to have a relationship with him.
N. J.'s
first "published and paid for" piece was a short story, "One
Last Ride on the VIA Rail," which was a Judges' Choice in the 1991
Toronto Star's annual short story competition.
N. J. is
a member of nine writing associations, including the Writers Union of
Canada, Sister in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Crime Writers of
Canada.
In September
of 2001, N. J. realized that because of the American domination for
the Christian publishing industry, there was a very real need for a
Canadian association for writers with a Christian world view. Her vision
led to the founding of The Word
Guild in December of 2001. She has been the Executive Director since
it began.
N. J. has
received numerous awards for her writing, but the most memorable to
date have been a plaque and "Deeds Speak" certificate presented
by the York Regional Police Chief Armand P. La Barge in 2006 for her
"contribution to facilitating positive change within the community"
and "assisting youth in dealing with issues like anger, fear, and
peer pressure" through her book, In Time of Trouble.
In March
of 2006, N. J. received the 2006 Leading Women Award for Communications
and Media for her work in co-founding The Word Guild.
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