Maynooth, Ireland: Debut novelist Jenise Boland took home the Grand Prize from the Historical Novel Society's 2026 First Chapters Competition. TWUC member Ellen Bielawski placed third in the Adventure Category, earning a Bronze Medal. The competition had 640 entries from eight nations. The fifteen or so Canadians who attended the three-day craft and marketing conference swarmed Boland at the awards, for a very nice "elbows up Canada" moment. Boland's novel, The Bruges Affair, seeks a publisher, as does Bielawski's Strong As My Bones. Notably, Canadian entries did well in Adventure, but none placed in the Romance category. Does this say anything about our national character?