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Mauureen Jennings                    

 

                  

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Maureen Jennings, now a Canadian Citizen, was born on Eastfield Road in Birmingham, England and spent her formative years there until she emigrated to Canada at the age of seventeen with her mother.

This has meant that she still feels a deep connection with her homeland. It has also no doubt been a strong influence in her love for, and her writing about, the Victorian period. She attended the University of Windsor where she attained a BA in philosophy and psychology

A couple of years trying to decide what she really wanted to do with her life resulted in her returning to university, the University of Toronto, this time where she earned an MA in English literature.For the next eight years, she taught English at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute at a time when the English department seemed to be chock full of writers. Eric Wright, went on to write the highly successful Charlie Salter mystery series, Graeme Gibson, Peter Such, and others were writing both novels and poetry. An exciting time in so many ways but after eight years, another change of direction and in 1972, Maureen left Ryerson to become a psychotherapist, which was a long time interest. She has continued in private practice since then, although nowadays she mostly conducts creative expression groups and writes. Always passionate about dogs, she is happy to own a border collie named Jeremy-Brett and a mixed breed named Varley.

Jeremy dog
Varley Dog

There are seven novels in the Detective Murdoch series (all in print), and two in the Christine Morris Forensic Profiler series (all in print).The film rights for The Murdoch Mysteries & The Christine Morris series are held by Shaftesbury Films in Toronto. The film rights for Maureen's next novel (tentatively titled "White Poppies"), set during WWll in the UK are to be negotiated.

All requests for international rights to the Murdoch series should be directed through the email link on this page.

Awards
Except the Dying
Nominated for The Arthur Ellis Award, The Anthony Award, Winner of the Heritage Toronto Certificate of Commendation 1998 winner
Poor Tom Is Cold
The Editorial board of The Drood Review of Mystery, Favourite Novel 2001 (one of eight finalists)
Let Loose The Dogs
Anthony Award nominee for best historical mystery published in 2003
The Weeping Time
Nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story, Crime Through Time 3 (2001)
Night's Child
Nominated for: the Macavity/Sue Feder Historical Mystery award for best historical mystery published in 2005, the "Barry" award for best paperback original published in 2005, the "Bruce Alexander Award" for best historical mystery published in 2005
Wreckwood
Nominated for best short story, Blood on the Holly- The Crime writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award 2008
A Journeyman to Grief
Nominated for best novel - The Crime writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maureen at 11 yrs old

 

Saltley Grammer Schoold