Here at NeWest Press, nothing gets our adrenaline flowing like a good literary competition — and our heartbeats have kicked into high gear now that the polls are open at the Alberta Readers' Choice Award. That's the new prize created by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta and the Edmonton Public Library to reward the public's favourite work of Alberta literature from last year with a hefty $10,000 prize.

NeWest Press has two horses in this race: Myrna Kostash's masterful exercise in bringing Alberta history to life, The Frog Lake Reader; and Michael Davie's hilarious coming-of-age novel, Fishing for Bacon. Quite frankly, we can't choose between them... but luckily, we don't have to — the winner will be determined by public vote.

Which is where you come in. Just visit the Alberta Readers' Choice Award website between now and April 30 and click on the title you like best. Simplicity! Keep in mind, though, that you can vote multiple times, although no more than once a day. So bookmark that site, Alberta readers, and visit it often.

"Melwyk," an Ontario librarian who also runs the literary blog The Indextrious Reader, has posted a lovely and enthusiastic new review of Theanna Bischoff's novel Cleavage. Here's a taste of what she had to say:

"The voice of the book is fantastic. Leah seems so real, and so isolated in her experience of this disease.... I loved the way she spoke, and the additions of newspaper articles, a magazine quiz, a sarcastic résumé, dictionary entries, postcards, etc. between the narrative itself are intriguing, and not at all gimmicky. I thought the story and the form were wonderfully suited, and found Bischoff to be a supremely confident writer who has turned out a very well crafted story.

"[Bischoff] is currently studying for her PhD in psychology — I just hope that along with her future career as a psychologist she will continue writing fiction. I enjoyed reading this novel, feeling as if I was being led through this not-so-pleasant life by someone that I could trust would give it meaning. Definitely recommended if you are interested in modern narratives about young Canadian women or about those dealing with serious illness."

You can read the entire thing here.

Crime writer and blogger Anthony Bidulka recently tracked down NeWest Press author Garry Ryan in Las Vegas and distracted him from the slot machines long enough to ask him a few frivolous questions. Ryan's answers won't tell you much about Smoked, the exciting upcoming entry in his Detective Lane mystery series, but you will learn plenty about Ryan's Canadian credentials (or lack thereof), as well as which member of the cast of Caddyshack he most resembles. (Hint: it's not Bill Murray.)

10 Silly Things You Didn't Know About Canadian Crime Writer Garry Ryan