Laurali Rose "Bunny" Wright (née Appleby) (5 June 1939 – 25 February 2001) was a Canadian writer of mainstream fiction and

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

novels. Many of her stories are set on the coast of British Columbia.

Early life and education

Wright was born in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...

. She was educated at Carleton, the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being inst ...

UBC The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top three ...

, and later at

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located ...

(Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, 1995).

Career

In 1959, Wright worked as a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

at the Fraser Valley Record; she wrote for the Saskatoon ''

Star Phoenix ''The StarPhoenix'' is a daily newspaper that serves Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is a part of Postmedia Network. The ''StarPhoenix'' puts out six editions each week and publishes one weekly, ''Bridges''. It is also part of the canada.com ...

'', but her first article was for '' The Globe and Mail'' about being a teenager in Germany. She later moved to Calgary, where she was mentored by

W.O. Mitchell William Ormond Mitchell, (March 13, 1914 – February 25, 1998) was a Canadian writer and broadcaster. His "best-loved" novel is ''Who Has Seen the Wind'' (1947), which portrays life on the Canadian Prairies from the point of view of a smal ...

. She worked in California for advertising agency. While in Vancouver, Wright met John Wright. The two were married, and she spent time as an actor with her husband, including a stint doing summer stock in Dawson City. She worked for several years as a journalist at the

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The Ca ...

, eventually becoming Assistant City Editor, before turning to full-time writing in 1977. Wright published her first novel, ''Neighbours'', in 1979. Her earliest novels were literary fiction; after the publication of ''The Suspect'' (1985), her first mystery novel and winner of the 1986 Edgar Award for Best Novel, she concentrated almost exclusively on the genre. One further work of literary fiction, ''Love in the Temperate Zone'', appeared in 1988. In addition to the Edgar Award, Wright received the

Arthur Ellis Award The Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, formerly known as the Arthur Ellis Awards, are a group of Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the Crime Writers of Canada for the best Canadian crime and mystery writing published in th ...

and wrote several adaptations of her novels for CBC Radio. Her novels have been published and distributed throughout the world in several languages. ''The Suspect'' has been adapted for the stage and, at various times, the "Alberg and Cassandra" series has been optioned for film and television.

Personal

Wright rarely used her given names for any purpose. She published all her novels as L. R. Wright (except in the US, where she appeared as Laurali Wright), and was known as Bunny in her personal life. She and husband John Wright had two daughters. Wright died of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

on February 25, 2001.

Bibliography

*The Alberg and Cassandra Mysteries **''The Suspect'' (1985) **''Sleep While I Sing'' (1986) **''A Chill Rain in January'' (1990) **''Fall From Grace'' (1991) **''Prized Possessions'' (1993) **''A Touch of Panic'' (1994) **''Mother Love'' (1995) **''Strangers Among Us'' (1996) **''Acts of Murder'' (1997) *The Edwina Henderson Mysteries **''Kidnap'' (2000)"Book Reviews: Kidnap"
''Quill & Quire'', W. P. Kinsella **''Menace'' (2001) *Other novels **''Neighbours'' (1979) **''The Favorite'' (1982) **''Among Friends'' (1984) **''Love in the Temperate Zone'' (1988)

References

External links

www.lrwright.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, L.R. 1939 births 2001 deaths 20th-century Canadian novelists Deaths from breast cancer Deaths from cancer in British Columbia Canadian mystery writers Edgar Award winners Canadian women novelists Writers from Saskatoon Women mystery writers 20th-century Canadian women writers Canadian women non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian journalists