Meet Janice
Janice MacDonald is a Canadian author of literary and mystery novels, textbooks, non-fiction titles, and stories for both children and adults. She is best known for writing four novels featuring amateur sleuth Miranda "Randy" Craig. The Randy Craig Mysteries were the first detective series to be set in Edmonton, Alberta, where Janice lives and works. The latest installment, Hang Down Your Head, was published in November 2011 by Ravenstone Books, an imprint of the highly respected Turnstone Press. A fifth Randy Craig adventure is slated for release in 2013.
Janice is a lifelong fan of detective fiction and even wrote her master's thesis on the subject. She was a long-time reviewer of mystery novels for the Edmonton Journal and an on-air "crime fiction expert" for the Canadian television series Booked. Her first Randy Craig mystery was published in 1994. She is not to be confused with the "small d" Janice Macdonald who writes romance novels. Capital-D Janice MacDonald always makes certain that her books have a much higher body count.
Current Book
Hang Down Your Head: A Randy Craig Mystery
Four books into the series and perennial academic gypsy Randy Craig still hasn't landed a tenure-track position. She is now working on a project for the Folkways collection at the University of Alberta's Centre for Ethnomusicology. Considering Randy's love of folk music (she even plays a banjo, for heaven's sake), this should be a dream job. But when a rich benefactor's belligerent heir turns up dead, Randy discovers that she's a prime suspect with a compelling motive — and no alibi in sight.
Hang Down Your Head has been a brisk seller, spending three months on the Edmonton Journal Top 10 fiction list following its release last November. It was the #4 best-selling fiction title at Audrey's Books for the year 2011, which is a surprise for a novel released so late in the year!
Janice is honoured and delighted by the enthusiastic response to her latest book and enjoys interacting with readers through social media on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter. To join the discussion, see the icon links at the top of this page.