Exciting news! This is the cover of my newest book, coming out in April 2021. More details to come!
My Books ‘Til Now
In the Spirit is a collection of essays from my columns on the Halifax Chronicle Herald’s religion page, plus some new material. Each essay examines the bits of our lives that make up our faith, religion, or spirituality. Creation, the talents we each have, the troubles we share, global and local perspectives, and how our beliefs shapes the world – are addressed in less than 180 pages.
Nimbus Publishing, Halifax, 2015
ISBN 978-1-77108-275-4 paper
ISBN 978-1-77108-276-1 html
Cradle of Knowledge: Pictou Academy 1816-2016 marks the school’s 200th anniversary. Written as if the school was a person, the book includes photos, drawings, lists, and sidebars to supplement the chronology, and a forward by alumnus Dr. T. Jock Murray.
Published by the Pictou Academy Educational Foundation, Pictou, 2015
ISBN 978-0-9737556-9-5 paper
ISBN 978-0-9940556-0-6 pdf
Fire Spook is a true ghost story. It describes the strange fires and other events that haunted a farm family in a remote community south of Antigonish in 1922. The book mixes old rumours with new insights for a comprehensive look at the mystery.
Nimbus Publishing, Halifax, 2013
ISBN 978-1-77108-093-4 paper
ISBN 978-1-77108-094-1 pdf
Historic New Glasgow, Stellarton, Westville & Trenton is a collection of 1860-1950 photos accompanied by well-researched explanations and anecdotes from all four of these Pictou County towns.
ISBN 978-1-55109-896-8
Bluenose covers the history of the schooner that appears on our dime, from its 1921 launch at Lunenburg, through its races, fishing exploits, fame – and ignominious end when it ran aground at Haiti in January, 1946. Pages include photos, maps, diagrams and drawings.
ISBN 978-1-55109-793-0
The Great Maritime Detective tell the larger-than-life story of Peter Owen (Peachie) Carroll of Pictou: policeman, sailor, bounty hunter, railway guard, strike buster, dog catcher, prospector, ghost hunter, prohibition inspector and more. Born in 1960, his unorthodox methods solved prominent crimes and got him fired – and rehired. Often.
ISBN 978-1-55109-705-3
Scotch Willy is an 88-page list of nicknames, from Aardvark to Zullins, collected only in Pictou County, NS. Organized into categories, with explanations for some of the monikers, the slim book is illustrated by Graham Pilsworth.
ISBN 1-55109-567-X
The Historic Town of Pictou collects 135 pages of historic photos, maps and drawings from Pictou, the county seat for Pictou County. Well-researched explanations and anecdotes accompany the images, and a brief history of its pre-photographic era (pre 1860) is provided.
ISBN 1-55109-501-7
Pictou County gathers about 300 photos dating from 1860 to 1949, all from the towns, villages and hamlets of Pictou County, with informative captions. The chapters cover People, Places, Community, Transportation, Institutions and Industry.
ISBN 1-55068-920-7
If you want to read these books:
Most are available through Nimbus Publishing; Coles/Indigo and other book-selling companies; independent bookstores, and some giftshops in northern Nova Scotia. Also – check your library. If it is not on the shelf there, a request can often bring them in from another library. As a writer, I am as happy when you borrow a book as when you buy it! Just READ!
I have provided IBSN information for each, to make the search easier.
However, my first book, Looking Back at Pictou County, is now out of print, though it might be available second-hand.
Scotch Willy is also out of print, but I have multiple copies on hand to sell. Use the contact information on this website to request what you are looking for. While this website is not set up to handle sales, we can arrange something.
Cradle of Knowledge is available through the Pictou Academy Educational Foundation. Send a message via the foundation’s Facebook page. Proceeds go towards educational initiatives.
My “Not-Books” Stories
(A.K.A. assorted efforts, encouragement and accomplishments)
By 1993, I had been a reporter-photographer for The Pictou Advocate for a few years. The company celebrated its centennial that year, and produced this special edition. My contribution was a three-page history of The Pictou Advocate as well as an explanation of how a newspaper is put together. They were the two longest pieces I’d ever written at that point. The experience allowed me, a relative newcomer, to delve into Pictou’s past and eventually led to writing books.