Welcome to my Fall 2024 newsletter!

Thanks for reading. It’s been a wonderfully busy fall for How to Kidnap a Mermaid. I’ve met so many enthusiastic readers, booksellers, librarians, and writers at events in Nova Scotia and the US. We had a great crowd for the launch event in Annapolis Royal. Of course, the mermaid cupcakes baked my my wife Melody were a big hit!

• News •

I am so thrilled to be working with the fine folks at Nimbus Publishing for books two and three of my middle grade fantasy series. They have done an amazing job with How to Kidnap a Mermaid and I can’t wait to get these new adventure stories into the hands of young readers.

• NEIBA Conference •

In September, I was in Massachusetts for the New England Independent Booksellers Association fall conference. This gave me the chance to chat with tons of New England bookstore people. I was encouraged by the number of new bookstores opening and have seen that reflected in my home province of Nova Scotia. The classic picture book Make Room for Ducklings was read to me by my grandmother when I was a wee tyke, so it was cool to pick up a copy and visit the famous bronze ducks created by Nancy Schön located in the Boston Public Gardens.

• Books in short •

Pet Tales by Heidi Tattrie Rushton is the heartfelt and engaging story of Penny Maxwell, an 11-year-old girl with a rich imaginative life, and how she uses the power of story to combat her anxiety. Penny volunteers at an animal shelter and soon taps into her creative spark by writing stories about the furry residents. When the shelter is due to close, Penny and her new friend hatch a plan to save their beloved cats and dogs. I loved the well-drawn characters and the realistic setting (not far from where I’m writing this) and I can see young readers relating to the story, inspired to volunteer and make their communities a better place. Just as importantly, kids will see the value of tackling their mental health struggles with creativity and compassion. Love the cover too!

• Adventures with cats•

It’s that in between time of year when the wood stove is on but quickly overheats the house, subsequently our two toasty beasts, Olive and Ottoline, abandon their beds and get all flopsy on the floor.   

• Book Trailer•

Click here to watch the book trailer for How to Kidnap a Mermaid!