Bookseller Mary Sutherland, known as a relentless promoter of Saskatchewan books and writers, has died.

Sutherland, 57, died Sunday in Regina following a lengthy illness.

Sutherland had been in the bookselling business since she was a teenager, working in stores in Ottawa, England and New Zealand before managing the bookstore at the University of Regina.

Mystery writer Gail Bowen, a longtime friend of Sutherland, says her dream came true when she opened her own store in downtown Regina called Sutherland Books.

The store was notable for its beautiful decor but also for the way Sutherland interacted with her customers, Bowen said.

"The big thing was what we call in the biz hand-selling, which meant you knew what your customers liked, and … you were cognizant of that when they came in, so you could recommend new books," Bowen said.

Some of those new books were by Saskatchewan authors and publishers, for whom Sutherland was a strong advocate, according to Nik Burton, managing editor of Coteau Books.

"This enthusiasm particularly focused on local authors, local books, things … from the Saskatchewan community, from around here, … and the university [bookstore Sutherland ran] kind of carried that on as well," Burton said.

After her store closed in the 1990s, Sutherland went back to managing the University of Regina bookstore.

She also sat on the university's board of governors and chaired the province's minimum wage board.

Burton and Bowen both agreed Sutherland brought people together through business and books.