Annabel Lyon's Still "Golden" To Me

I realise I left loose ends when it came to the talented Annabel Lyon and the rabid praise that pursued her first novel, The Golden Mean.

I admit, I'd put faith in the newspapers to alert me on the results of the numerous Can lit. awards Lyon was nominated for, and..... well, there was no word. Well, no conclusive word. I caught a glimpse of the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner back in December. He received, oh, a paragraph of font and a small photo? Odd.

Anyhow, the winners for the major Canadian literary awards are as follows:

• The Governor General's Award for Fiction (English): Kate Pullinger, The Mistress of Nothing.
• The Scotiabank Giller Prize: Linden MacIntyre, The Bishop's Man.
• The Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Award: Annabel Lyon, The Golden Mean.

So there -- she cinched one of the three awards in 2009. I was getting rather nervous when I hadn't heard word of the outcome. I mean, the press was causing such a ruckus following her literary hat trick -- it seemed odd there was such a hushed follow-up. In any case, I am proud to see Lyon's been recognised for such a stellar first novel and I am excited to see the course her professional writing career takes from here.

I mean, to have nominations/awards like those tacked on to your resume this early, there's not a publisher out there who would reject your second novel.

So, three cheers for our Golden Girl and for her ability to get Canadians both writing AND reading.