Writing...Just because!

If you're looking for a great beach read for this summer, I highly recommend Acadian Shorelines by Patrick d'Entremont releasing on July 11 (I am a bit biased but I really do think it should be on the top of your beach TBR pile).  Acadian Shorelines relays the hijinks and heartaches of teenager Tommy Breau growing up in the late 1960s in a small Acadian fishing village in Nova Scotia, where American radio broadcasts of pop music, world news, and baseball come in more clearly than the Habs games from Montreal. Hilarious and heart-breaking in equal measure and featuring a rich cast of smart but clueless friends, wished-for girlfriends, and a loving if strict family, Acadian Shorelines has the adult Tommy looking back and wondering whether the French Catholic upbringing he was so eager to escape may have been the best years of his life.   “A delightful novel, bittersweet, comical, and immersive, where calamities—small and large—occur to beloved characters in a distinctly C...

  With less than a month to the launch of J. D. Grant's debut novel, Flowers for Gaia , we are lining up reviews and author interviews. If you are a book reviewer and love YA/speculative fiction, send me a message to request a review copy! Here's a bit about the book: Call her Earth, or call her Gaia, years from now, our planet is almost uninhabitable as a result of worldwide environmental chaos and war. In the middle of the ocean, two small, conjoined islands still thrive and serve as home to a unique population of survivors, the Wiconi. These peaceful, agrarian-based islanders have genetically evolved affinities that allow them to influence earth, water, air, and fire, talents they use to protect and aid the Earth Mother. They are her Guardians. When three Terran ships from the dying, outer “civilized” world land on the Wiconi islands, cultures collide. The newcomers, with their advanced technologies and cultural arrogance, subjugate the peaceful islanders and build industrie...

It gives me great pleasure to share that we have our first dystopian YA coming out with J. D. Grant's debut novel, Flowers for Gaia, on May 9th. Call her Earth, or call her Gaia, years from now, our planet is almost uninhabitable as a result of worldwide environmental chaos and war. In the middle of the ocean, two small, conjoined islands still thrive and serve as home to a unique population of survivors, the Wiconi. These peaceful, agrarian-based islanders have genetically evolved affinities that allow them to influence earth, water, air, and fire, talents they use to protect and aid the Earth Mother. They are her Guardians. “Flowers for Gaia is a needed book that will entertain and educate youth with its engaging tale of superpowered people literally moving the earth. Grant's story respects young readers' capacity for nuanced and complex realities. This tale, set in the future, parallels our own timeline—its colonial and neo-colonial destruction of the environment—yet is...

 Our next title to launch in the New Year will be Dr. Mark Gilbert's memoir-plus where he shares a look back at a twenty-year collaborative project between Canada and Indonesia. What is a BIG BANG in governance all about? How could two countries as different as Canada and Indonesia start and maintain a twenty-year partnership to improve public services in Indonesia? This book answers these two questions by going back to 1994 when four Canadians representing the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) made their first appearance at the main office of the Indonesian Ministry of Home Affairs. Initially it was all about timing. Indonesia wanted to grow its economy by speeding up its government regulation approvals, Canada wanted to share knowledge and build relationships with nations aspiring to middle income country status. The cooperation began with a focus on administrative decentralization. It evolved quickly in 1998 when fallout from the Asian financial crises led to...

 In this episode of WIP Tips, I discuss how to get started. What do you do to springboard from that blinking cursor to diving into your story and moving your narrative along?

Happy to announce the launch of Corinne Hoebers's Tethered Spirits—Wiaqtaqne’wasultijik na Kjijaqmijinaq on October 18th and available to  order now . We're excited for the launch party that will take place at the Halifax Central Library, and to have an opportunity to recognize and celebrate Mi'kmaw History Month, (visit our event page for more details). All are invited! Tethered Spirits Against the violent backdrop of the French and Indian (Seven Years) War, two German siblings come to learn about and understand the Mi'kmaq. Christian, now named Bear Cub, lives with the ancient People and develops a deep bond with his chosen brother, Eagle Feather, while his new family’s way of life is increasingly threatened. On the outskirts of Lunenburg, Hanna, his younger sister, befriends a Mi’kmaw Elder and questions her papa’s ownership of the land they are settling. Christian immerses himself in the Mi’kmaw language and the ways of the land, prepared to defend the People alon...