Fiction (YA)

Joanne Jefferson

Joanne Jefferson has been passionately involved in the Nova Scotia writing community ever since she helped create Quod Libet, the QEH arts and literary magazine in 1981. She was a contributing editor with the Halifax-based newspaper, Pandora; a founding member of the Oxford Street Writers Group; and she helped establish Community of Writers, a Tatamagouche Centre program. Joanne has also been a teacher at Write Here, Write Now, the Centre’s March Break program for young writers. She facilitates hands-on writing, performance, and zine-making workshops for creators of all ages.

Joanne’s first novel, Lightning and Blackberries, was released by Nimbus Publishing in April 2008. Her short fiction, poetry, and personal essays have been published in various anthologies, including The Vagrant Revue of New Fiction, and her non-fiction work has appeared in Saltscapes, The Chronicle Herald, and The Globe and Mail. She also works as a freelance editor.

Born and raised in Halifax, Joanne now makes her home in West LaHave, Lunenburg County. She received a BA from Acadia and an MA from Dalhousie. er other passions include music, visual art, history, and baseball.

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K.V. Johansen

Originally from Kingston, Ont., K.V. Johansen studied English and History at Mount Allison, received a Master’s in Medieval Studies from the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto, and another Master’s in English, from McMaster. She writes mostly epic fantasy, as well as fantasy and science fiction for young readers; she has also written short stories and literary criticism for adults. Ancient and Medieval history and languages are one of her main interests. Johansen taught workshops at the spring 2010 MASC Young Authors and Illustrators Conference in Ottawa. She has worked with the elementary or elementary/intermediate sessions of Writers in Electronic Residence (WIER) over a number of terms and has visited schools from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario, to Austria and Macedonia. She has in the past written a large number of articles for the Nova Scotia based farm magazines Rural Delivery and Atlantic Beef Quarterly, as well as other non-fiction. She was the editor of Stalin Versus Me, the final volume of the late Donald Jack’s triple Leacock-Award-winning Bandy Papers series (Sybertooth 2005). Johansen currently lives in Sackville, NB.

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A.J.B. (John or Jay) Johnston

A.J.B. (John) Johnston is the author or co-author of books and museum exhibits, as well as articles in scholarly journals, magazines and newspapers. He was made a chevalier of France’s Ordre des Palmes Académiques in recognition of his body of work on Louisbourg and other French colonial topics. The best known of his history books is Endgame 1758, which won a Clio award from the Canadian Historical Assocation and was short-listed for the Dartmouth Book Award.

His two latest books, his 20th and 21st, will appear in 2020. First up will be Kings of Friday Night: The Lincolns (Nimbus). Then it will be Ancient World, New World: Skmaqn—Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst (Acorn), co-authored with Jesse Francis.

In 2018, John released The Hat, a YA novel that offers a 21st-century take on the Acadian Deportation, and Something True, which was inspired by the real-life adventures of Katharine McLennan in late 19th and early 20th-century Cape Breton and in France during the First World War.

In 2017, he was Writer-in-Residence at the Center for the Writing Arts in Fairhope, Alabama. Back in 2016, John participated as a mentor to emerging writer Linda MacLean in the Alistair MacLeod Mentorship Program. From mid-April to mid-May 2017 he combined with Sal Sawler and Norma Jean MacPhee to offer sessions for the WFNS entitled “So You Want to be Published” in Halifax, Antigonish, Wolfville, Sydney and Yarmouth.

John has written three novels in the Thomas Pichon series: Thomas, A Secret Life in 2012; The Maze in 2114 and Crossings in 2015.

Back in 2013, Ni’n na L’nu: The Mi’kmaq of Prince Edward Island (Acorn), won three awards: “best-published Atlantic Book”, best PEI Non-Fiction, and a PEI Heritage Award. The French version of the book, Ni’n na L’nu: Les Mi’kmaq de l’Ile-de-Prince-Édouard, is now available from La Grand Marée (Tracadie Sheila, NB).

Released in 2015 was Grand Pré, Landscape for the World (Nimbus), co-written with Ronnie-Gilles LeBlanc.

Most of his books are available as e-books.

John writes exhibits as well, including the “Vanguard: 150 Years of Remarkable Nova Scotians” for the Nova Scotia Museum and the ground floor of the Black Cultural Centre. The award-winning travelling exhibition Ni’n na L’nu: The Mi’kmaq of Prince Edward Island opened at the Confederation Centre in Charlottetown and then travelled to the Museum of Canadian History in Gatienau, Quebec and other subsequent venues. More recently, John developed the storyline and texts for the revitalization of the Colchester Historeum in Truro. That exhibit opened officially in early 2016.

More information on John can be found at ajbjohnston.com and on Facebook at A J B Johnston, Writer. John is on Twitter at @ajbjohnston and on Instagram at AJBJohnston.

John donates his papers to the Beaton Institute of the Cape Breton University.

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Jessica Scott Kerrin

Jessica grew up on the Canadian prairies, and although she enjoyed school, she had a terrible secret. She was a horrible speller. This made it tough because she really liked to write. It turns out that a lot of writers can’t spell, and Jessica figured this out when she got her first award for creative writing, back in grade three. On the trophy, her writing teacher had misspelled her name! Since then, Jessica has tried, as much as she can, to write about experiences she finds funny, like that one.

Today, she lives with her family and their hunting dog in downtown Halifax in a house so old the floors slope, and all the balls she tosses to her dog roll into one corner. Her family likes to participate in outdoor adventures in other countries such sailing, biking and hiking. In addition to writing, Jessica has managed galleries, dance schools and museums, and she has worked with artists, performers and curators. Unfortunately, her spelling has not improved!

About her newest novel, Clear Skies:

As the US/Soviet Space Race heats up in 1961, Arno wrestles with self-doubt. Are his dreams of becoming an astronomer about to explode like an extra-galactic supernova?

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Deanna Foster

Deanna Foster currently works at Dalhousie University, where she received her BA in History and English. Her first published work, A History of Hangings in Nova Scotia (Pottersfield Press), was a local bestseller. She has also written three novels, Broken Ivy (paranormal), Raven’s Blood (fantasy), and Fortunes of Madness (mystery). Her poetry, articles, short stories and book reviews have been published through Canadian media outlets. She lives with her two boys in Halifax

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Vicki Grant

After a career in advertising and television, Vicki wrote her first novel, The Puppet Wrangler, in 2004. Since then she has written sixteen YA/MG novels and been nominated for over twenty-five major awards. Her latest YA novel, 36 QUESTIONS THAT CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT YOU, has sold to 19 territories worldwide and will be translated into 15 languages.

Vicki has visited schools in Africa, South America and across Canada.

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Joyce Grant-Smith

Joyce Grant-Smith was born in Annapolis Royal and has spent most of her life in the beautiful Annapolis Valley. She took her B.A. and B.Ed. at Acadia University. She has enjoyed teaching in elementary and middle schools for many years; so many years, in fact, that she’s frequently taught the children of former students. She and her husband, Les, have been married for over thirty years. They have raised two children, Jesse and Alexis, and a large menagerie of animals.

Joyce remembers writing as a small child, composing little notes and poems for family members. Her love for writing grew as she did and she delighted in learning to hone her craft. As an adult author, she has derived special satisfaction from writing for young readers.

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Sylvia Gunnery

Sylvia Gunnery has published many books for teens and children as well as professional resources for teachers of writing. A recipient of a Prime Minister’s Teaching Award, she has presented at conferences, libraries, and schools across Canada. She also enjoys working virtually with adult writers and students through workshops, mentorships, and WITS visits. Road Signs That Say West is her most recent YA novel. Sylvia lives at Crescent Beach on the South Shore of Nova Scotia where she’s working on a YA series of linked stories, what I know about next. https://sylviagunnery.ca

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Pamela Ditchoff

Pamela Ditchoff was born in Lansing, Michigan on September 21, 1950. She received a BA in Communication Arts from Michigan State University (1982), and an MA in English/Creative Writing from Michigan State University (1985). In the mid-1980s, Ditchoff worked at WFSL-TV47 in Lansing as head copywriter/creative consultant and then as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Michigan State University.During this period, her early fiction and poetry was published in various literary magazines. She taught in elementary and secondary schools with the Writer’s In Schools program, and Interact Press published two of her texts for teachers. In 1993, Ditchoff was recognized in Who’s Who in Writers, Editors & Poets: United States & Canada, 1992-1993 for her significant literary contributions. Ditchoff moved to Liverpool in 2006, and has conducted classes there with WFNS and SCANS.

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Gwen Davies

Gwen Davies writes short stories and novels and the occasional essay. In 2000 she founded the acclaimed writing retreat Community of Writers, a summer retreat at the Tatamagouche Centre. She teaches creative writing at the Nova Scotia Community College and in private workshops and retreats, and particularly enjoys working with new writers. She earns a living as a consultant in clear language and design, and boosts her spirit doing parkour — check out this video on Halifax parkour [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEZLdVbD56E].

Gwen grew up as an Air Force Brat, moving with her strange and interesting family around Ontario and France and exploring Europe with them in a VW camper. She graduated from Wilfird Laurier with a BA Honours in English and later from King’s with a BJ and holds an Adult Education Certificate from the Tatamagouche Centre. Over the years she has taught high school English, worked with health food, written stories for magazines and newspapers including The Globe and Mail, and worked in community development and various types of consulting. For many years, she earned her living editing public materials (like the NS Power Bill and the Youth Criminal Justice Act) into language that was clear and accessible to its intended audience.

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