Alumni Book Nook: Anthony Bidulka (BA’83, BEd’91, BComm’91)

University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduate Anthony Bidulka (BA’83, BEd’91, BComm’91) is an award-winning author of mystery, suspense, and thriller novels who has toured extensively throughout Canada and the United States. Following a career as a chartered professional accountant in Saskatoon, Bidulka turned to writing full-time in 2001. His second book, Flight of Aquavit, was awarded the Lambda Literary Award for Best Men’s Mystery, making him the first Canadian to win in that category. In addition to being shortlisted for a Saskatchewan Book Award and Alberta Book Publishing Award, Bidulka’s Going to Beautiful won an Independent Publisher Book Award, being named Gold Medalist as the 2023 Canada West Best Overall Fiction novel, and was awarded the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence as Canada’s Best Crime Novel for 2023. He has written more than a dozen books, including 2024’s From Sweetgrass Bridge.

A great believer in community involvement, Bidulka has sat on the boards of local, national, and international organizations, including Persephone Theatre, the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, Crime Writers of Canada, the International Association of Crime Writers, Remai Modern Gala Modern, and The Word On The Street Saskatoon. He received the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Nation Builders Award and was named, along with his husband Herb McFaull, Saskatoon Citizen of the Year. For his promotion of Saskatchewan through his writing, co-founding Camp fYrefly Saskatchewan—a leadership retreat for gender and sexually diverse and allied youth—and his widespread volunteer and philanthropic efforts in the community, Bidulka was honoured by the selection of a two-part park in Saskatoon named Bidulka Park and Bidulka Park North.

Bidulka is a proud USask alumnus who remains actively involved with his alma mater. USask has inducted him into the College of Education Wall of Honour and has presented him with the College of Arts and Science Alumni of Influence Award. He continues to serve the university community as a member of the USask Alumni Advisory Board and as the chair of the Alumni Achievement Awards Committee. Thanks to a generous donation from Bidulka and McFaull, Residence Services at USask officially launched the Queer Housing Lounge in the fall of 2024. It was designed to provide students living in Queer Housing with a community space where they can feel safe, supported, and comfortable in their home during the academic year. 

Here, Bidulka talks about his latest mystery, Home Fires Burn. The novel, published by Stonehouse Publishing, will be released on June 1, 2025.

What is the focus of your new book?

A celebrated philanthropist is found slumped against his car, frozen to death. PI Merry Bell is hired by his son, country music star Evan Whatley, to find out the truth behind what really happened on that desolate stretch of road. As Merry’s investigation uncovers old wounds which never healed, her own are revealed as she confronts her pre-transition past and questions the boundaries of family and friendship.

What inspired you to write this book?

A piece of advice I commonly give to writers is to ask themselves: Why do I write? Let it not be said I do not follow my own advice. In my case, it took decades for me to come up with a concise answer to this question. Today I am very confident in my why. My why is this: I write to tell stories about underrepresented people and underrepresented places in a way that is both accessible and, hopefully, entertaining.

When I look at my body of work, now 15 books, the vast majority of those books meet the criteria of my why very closely. They encompass the common themes of representing people and places currently, in my opinion, underrepresented in Canadian genre fiction, be it a Saskatchewan setting or the lives of main characters who are, for example, LGBTQ+, over 50, or of Ukrainian heritage. Ancillary are the themes of family and legacy, justice and investigation, community and change, resilience and hope.

Over the course of this trilogy, Merry Bell continues her transition while confronting past relationships and building new ones, facing inner demons, and navigating the challenges of building a new life in a prairie city. Her story continues my tradition of writing about underrepresented characters and settings that immediately feel familiar and beloved while tugging at heart strings and tickling your funny bone.

Did your education at USask play a role in researching and/or writing this book?

All aspects of my life, education included, form the foundation from which I draw inspiration and, perhaps, skill, to write.

What are five adjectives that you would use to describe your book?

Canadian, entertaining, mysterious, enlightening, and representational.

Why would you recommend your book to USask alumni?

(This is) an opportunity to read about and support people and places underrepresented in Canadian genre fiction.