Latest news with #NatalieSue
CTV News
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Author Natalie Sue's first novel found its inspiration in Calgary's Crown prosecutor's office
Ian White speaks to Calgary author Natalie Sue, whose debut novel I Hope This Finds You Well won the 2025 Leacock Medal for Humour.
Calgary Herald
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Q and A with Calgary author Natalie Sue, winner of the 2025 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour
Article content Natalie Sue was busy working on revisions for her upcoming sophomore novel when she let an incoming phone call go to voicemail. Article content It turns out it was someone from Stephen Leacock Associates calling to tell her she had made the list for the prestigious $25,000 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, which she won this weekend at a gala in Orillia, Ont. Leacock, who wrote comical CanLit classics such as Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town in the early 20th century, lived in Orilli,a and it is home to the Leacock Museum. Article content Article content The win tops off what has been a remarkable ride for Sue and her debut novel, I Hope This Finds You Well. After writing three novels and receiving no interest from publishers or agents, Sue changed her style and pitched a book with a lighter tone and an ensemble cast of characters. She received offers from 10 literary agents, and I Hope This Finds You Well eventually had 10 publishers bidding for it. Released in early 2024 by Harper Collins Canada, it has been described as 'The Office meets Fleabag' with its tale of a burned-out twenty-something office outcast named Jolene who catches flak when unflattering online messages about her co-workers that she thought were private come to light. When she accidentally becomes privy to her co-workers' similarly disparaging DMs, she decides to use them to climb the corporate ladder. Article content Article content Local writers have a strong track record with the Leacock Medal. In 2024, B.C.-born novelist Patrick deWitt won the award for The Librarianist, but the runner-ups were Calgary authors Ali Bryan and Deborah Willis for Coq and Girlfriend on Mars, respectively. Article content Article content Past winners have also included Calgary's Will Ferguson, who has won the medal three times. Ferguson's brother Ian has also won the award, as did the late W.O. Mitchell. Article content For me, I try to prioritize the storytelling. I don't want to say comedy comes naturally, because I do think about my jokes. Sometimes I do get a little wrapped up in them, trying to make things funny. Before writing this book, I had written a few suspense (novels) and I think the biggest problem with me writing suspense was that I was throwing a few jokes in and it wasn't really the right tone. So, now, when I decided to write something a little lighter in tone, it matched much more. That's when I was finally able to find an agent and all that.
CBC
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Natalie Sue wins for $25K Leacock Medal for Canadian humour writing
Social Sharing Calgary writer Natalie Sue has won the 2025 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour for her novel I Hope This Finds You Well. The $25,000 prize is one of the oldest of its kind, established in 1947 to support the growth of Canadian humour writing. I Hope This Finds You Well follows Jolene, an anxious admin for Supershops, Inc., as she navigates a workplace of unsatisfactory colleagues. Jolene copes with the frustrations of her office job through passive aggressive messages in emails that are never meant to be seen. Calgary author Natalie Sue revels in the humour of errant work emails and office rivalries in debut novel When she is caught and reprimanded, an IT mishap results in her having access to the confidential messages of her superiors. Can Jolene use this to the advantage of her career? Sue is a Calgary-based writer of Iranian and British descent. I Hope This Finds You Well is her debut novel and was also nominated for the 2025 Amazon First Novel Award. The shortlisted authors, Greg Kearney, for An Evening With Birdy O'Day, and Patricia J. Parsons, for We Came From Away, each receive $5,000. The winners were selected from a Canada-wide panel of judges. The prize is named in honour of Ontario writer Stephen Leacock, a humorist and popular author in the first half of the 20th century. His books include Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, published in 1912, and Literary Lapses, published in 1910. The prize has been funded by the Dunkley Charitable Foundation since the fall of 2020. The organization is based in Orillia, Ont., the town that inspired the fictional community of Mariposa in Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. Leacock had a summer estate there. Last year's winner was Patrick deWitt for The Librarianist.
CTV News
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Calgary author Natalie Sue wins Leacock Medal for Humour for novel ‘I Hope This Finds You Well'
Natalie Sue, as shown in this handout photo, is the winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour for "I Hope This Finds You Well." THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - HarperCollins/Leacock Memorial Medal (Mandatory Credit) Natalie Sue's debut novel 'I Hope This Finds You Well' has won this year's Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. The $25,000 award is given to the best Canadian book of literary humour published in the previous year. The novel follows the story of an office worker in her early thirties who one day stumbles upon all of her colleagues' private emails and decides to use their gossip to help save her job. 'I Hope This Finds You Well' was published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. Sue is a Calgary-based author of Iranian and British descent who spent her early years living in western Canada. Runners-up, who received $5,000 each, were Greg Kearney for 'An Evening With Birdy O'Day,' about an aging hairstylist who lost connection with his childhood best friend when he left to pursue a pop music career, and Patricia J. Parsons for 'We Came From Away: That Summer on the Rock,' which follows one woman's attempt to reconnect her family with Newfoundland. --David Friend This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2025.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Natalie Sue wins Leacock Medal for Humour for novel 'I Hope This Finds You Well'
Natalie Sue's debut novel 'I Hope This Finds You Well' has won this year's Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. The $25,000 award is given to the best Canadian book of literary humour published in the previous year. The novel follows the story of an office worker in her early thirties who one day stumbles upon all of her colleagues' private emails and decides to use their gossip to help save her job. 'I Hope This Finds You Well' was published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. Sue is a Calgary-based author of Iranian and British descent who spent her early years living in western Canada. Runners-up, who received $5,000 each, were Greg Kearney for "An Evening With Birdy O'Day," about an aging hairstylist who lost connection with his childhood best friend when he left to pursue a pop music career, and Patricia J. Parsons for "We Came From Away: That Summer on the Rock," which follows one woman's attempt to reconnect her family with Newfoundland. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2025. David Friend, The Canadian Press
