Jayne Self, author and wife of moderator-elect Rev. Harvey Self, is among six finalists contending for this year’s Word Guild prize for best new Christian author.
Her novel, which she describes as “a Presbyterian whodunit,” features Rev. Dean Constable, a police detective turned pastor who is faced with a mysterious death among the members of his first congregation.
“I’m trying to write a Christian novel, not so much in an evangelistic nature, but in terms of writing about Christians and the struggle of Christian people, putting faith into life,” Self said, noting that her writing has deepened her relationship with God. “Some of the personality issues I gave Dean, and the things he struggled with—being adopted, belonging, family, identity—were things that I struggled with as someone who was adopted.”
Caught Dead: A Dean Constable Mystery is one of four unpublished novels Self has written to date, with a fifth underway. She is an active member of the Word Guild, a national association of Christian writers, and has published short stories in local Orangeville magazines such as Sideroads and In the Hills.
The winning author, to be announced on June 17, will receive $1,000 and a chance at publication by Castle Quay Books Canada.
Self will be posting a regular diary of her experiences at General Assembly on the Record’s website.
