A Brampton author has won the coveted 2017 John Kenneth Galbraith Literary Award.

Bruce Madole, a well-known songwriter and author, won the honour for his short story, How to make a BLT.

The winning story was one of two Madole placed in the finalist list. In 2015, the longtime Bramptonian was a semifinalist.

“I was totally pleased, and surprised, to hear that I’d won,” Madole said. “Despite having decent odds, with two finalist stories, I had very nearly talked myself out of believing it was possible. The winning story, in fact, was one that I stumbled upon while cleaning up my desk. I hadn’t even typed it up yet, more than a year later. However, my wife believed in the story, and insisted it was the winner, so I entered it. And that’s how it turned out.”

The John Kenneth Galbraith Literary Award was established by the famed Canadian economist’s family to reward one Canadian author each year, in honour of Galbraith’s love of literature.

Galbraith authored more than 48 books including several novels, and over a thousand articles and essays.

Madole has three novels in the humorous crime genre under his belt and is currently working on his fourth.

The former journalist describes his winning story as a 3,500-word crime story that practically “wrote itself.”

“It is a story about instructions on how to make a bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwich,” he said. “When I write a story, I come up with a character and let the character speak and act with the voice that seems to be appropriate for them and let them lead where the story might go …”

Madole received a $2,000 cash prize and a pewter medallion at a ceremony held in Dutton-Dunwich, Ont., Galbraith’s hometown.