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ex ce rp ts · re vi ew fr s· ee bo o k w s ne spring 2011 · no 66 publications mail agreement · 40038836 in this issue all the atlantic book award coverage you need going digital kobo and kindle and ipad oh my the evolution of a book behind the scenes at gaspereau press celebrating 100 years of elizabeth bishop nova scotia s home-made poet did you know april is national poetry month find out more on page 32 newfoundland s award-winning robert chafe on his electrifying life as a playwright and the nominees are find all the details on page 23 atlantic book awards and festival may 12-19 2011

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atlantic books today contents 2011 may 12-19 contents atlantic books today · number 66 features 16 going digital what does it take for publishers to convert to digital formats for the e-reading crowd 18 the year of elizabeth bishop 2011 marks the centenary of the renowned poet s birth and her maritime roots are being celebrated all year long on the cover 23 the 2011 atlantic book awards and festival everything you need to know about this year s nominees from how it feels to be nominated authors they would most like to meet their major influences and more atlantic book awards 28 the evolution of a book an inside look at how a book becomes a book 32 napomo april is national poetry month and we re shining the spotlight on some outstanding atlantic canadian poets 34 guest editorial notes from an island under down under laurie brinklow is exploring all things cultural during the experience of a lifetime in tasmania the atlantic book awards and festival runs from may 12-19 2011 winners will be announced at the atlantic book awards celebration thursday may 19 at 7 p.m silent auction starts at 6 p.m alderney landing theatre dartmouth ns tickets $10.www.atlanticbookawards.ca gaspereau press behind the scenes 28 2 spring 2011 atlantic books today

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atlantic books today contents in every issue 7 our contributors virginia beaton is the editor of trident military newspaper based at cfb halifax john boileau s eighth book halifax the royal canadian navy was published by nimbus in april for the navy s centennial laurie brinklow is the former publisher of acorn press in charlottetown she is currently pursuing a phd at the university of tasmania exploring her fascination with islands michelle brunet is a freelance writer and esl teacher based in halifax n.s paul butler is a st john s-based author of cupids and hero stephen clare is a freelance writer and musician living in halifax n.s jodi delong is a freelance writer whose sanctuary is scotts bay n.s her new book plants for atlantic gardens was published by nimbus in early 2011 lisa doucet is a children s bookseller at woozles in halifax n.s margaret patricia eaton of moncton n.b is a freelance writer and photographer award-winning poet and author of seeking grace and painted poems shirley gueller is a writer and editor who works in halifax and cape town ralph higgins is a writer columnist and book/movie reviewer living in nova scotia s annapolis valley sharon hunt is a freelance writer and editor living in st john s n.l joanne jefferson is a writer and community worker who lives in lunenburg county n.s rosalie maceachern is a freelance writer living in stellarton n.s catherine martin is a writer performer facilitator instructor and the first mi kmaw filmmaker from the atlantic region as well as a member of the millbrook first nation in truro n.s clare o connor is a freelance writer living in halifax n.s elizabeth patterson is a writer musician and broadcaster based in sydney n.s jon tattrie is a freelance journalist and the author of black snow and the hermit of africville pottersfield press kelly toughill is director of the school of journalism at the university of king s college and an avid elizabeth bishop fan len wagg is the author of nova scotia landmarks wild nova scotia and nova scotia he is a photography columnist for the chronicle herald kate watson is a freelance writer and theatre critic for the coast living in dartmouth n.s inside the author s studio author anna quon migration songs invisible publishing 2009 is volunteering and writing in the czech republic a place she refers to as the home of her imagination 8 book excerpts tide road sonia macausland a widowed farm wife and former lighthouse keeper suffers a tragic loss when her oldest daughter stella completely vanishes leaving her toddler and husband behind hope for wildlife true stories of animal rescue the stories of fourteen different wild animals that have passed through the hope for wildlife rehabilitation centre are educational heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking but always filled with hope the widows of paradise bay widows real and false confuse the locals of paradise bay as prissy montgomery leaves the comfort of her toronto home and heads back to her childhood home in newfoundland 14 interview with an author abt talks to governor general literary award-winner robert chafe about his life as a playwright 20 children s books the best of new children s and young adult books 35 book reviews a selection of fiction history people art and culture and more 45 events a list of upcoming atlantic book-related events 46 book news all the latest from the atlantic book world 48 book giveaway enter to win a beautiful basket of atlantic canadian books atlantic books today spring 2011 3

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atlantic books today where to find us abt can be found in many libraries bookstores and cafés throughout atlantic canada and here are a few new brunswick bathurst · bathurst book gallery dieppe · chapters champlain place fredericton · chapters regent mall · maritime writers workshop · owl s nest bookstore · read s newstand united book exchange · strange adventures · unb bookstore · westminster books · york regional library fundy guild national park · fundy guild bookstore miramichi · books inn moncton · centre d etudes acadiennes · moncton public library · rags of time books and crafts · read s newstand united book exchange oromocto · sharla books plaster rock · blue mountain pharmacy book gallery riverview · cover to cover rothesay · benjamin s books sackville · rags of time books and crafts · tidewater books saint john · chapters indigo point · coles brunswick square · coles lancaster mall · coles mcallister place · inprint · saint john regional library · scheherazade books and music · the museum shop · trinity enterprise bookstore · unbsj bookstore st andrews · boutique la baleine the whale store woodstock · owl books and gifts newfoundland corner brook · coles corner brook plaza · family bookstore · newfoundland emporium · sir wilfred grenfell college bookstore gander · the book worm grand falls-windsor · the bookmark st john s · chapters · coles avalon mall · coles village shopping centre · downhomer · memorial university bookstore 4 spring 2011 · newfoundland public library · the bookery on signal hill · writers alliance of newfoundland and labrador stephenville · beavercraft nova scotia amherst · amy s used books · coles amherst shopping centre · pugsley s pharmacy ltd annapolis royal · bainton tannery outlet mad hatter books antigonish · antigonish 5c to the $1.00 · bookends · coles antigonish mall · word by word bookstore baddeck · blue heron gift shop ltd bear rvier · bear river bargains and books bedford · coles bedford place mall · smithbooks sunnyside mall bridgewater · coles bridgewater mall · sagors bookstore dartmouth · chapters mic mac mall · coles penhorn shopping centre · tattletales books digby · magasin campus bookstore eastern passage · dockside treasures enfield · ns tourism and information booth · relay books greenwood · the inside story halifax · atlantic news · back pages · bookmark ii · buy the book and more ltd · carrefour atlantique emporium · chapters bayers lake · coles halifax shopping centre · coles scotia square · dal tech bookstore · dalhousie university bookstore · diocesan bookroom · etc press · jade w · king s bookstore cooperative ltd · little mysteries bookstore · maps and more · mount saint vincent university bookstore · ns provincial libraries · ns visitor and information centre · nscc bookstore · pier 21 giftshop · schooner books · st mary s university bookstore · strange adventures · trident booksellers · united book stores · woozles children s bookstore · writers federation of nova scotia kentville · r.d chisholm ltd liverpool · snug harbour books gourmet shop lunenburg · admiral benbow trading company · bluenose ii company store · elizabeth s books · salt store gift shop · the black duck mahone bay · biscuit eater books and café · bluestone magik · simple things booksellers and gift shop new glasgow · coles · downtown book exchange new minas · coles county fair mall port hawkesbury · the nautical institute library shelburne · the whirligig book shop stewiacke · the ridge shop sydney · coles mayflower mall · reynolds bookshop · cape breton university bookstore · cape breton university library tatamagouche · hanna s books · tatamagouche centre truro · bookstore of the nova scotia agricultural college · coles truro mall · nscc bookstore · nscc library · the book nook wolfville · acadia university bookstore · box of delights yarmouth · at the sign of the whale · coles yarmouth mall · mast head gift shop prince edward island charlottetown · bookmark confederation court mall · bookmark publisher s outlet · holland college · indigo charlottetown · university of pei bookstore cornwall · booktales morell · pei provincial library · the bookmark summerside · avonlea bookstore · coles county fair mall atlantic books today is published by the atlantic publishers marketing association www.atlanticpublishers.ca which gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the canada council for the arts and the canada book fund of the department of canadian heritage opinions expressed in articles in atlantic books today do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the board of the atlantic publishers marketing association publisher atlantic publishers marketing association peggy walt executive director managing editor heather fegan editorial advisory committee diane faulkner heidi hallett kristina parlee editorial consultant krista ivanov advertising sales regional peggy walt 902 420.0711 pwalt@atlanticpublishers.ca national michael wile 416 531.1483 ads@lrcreview.com design meghan rushton ­ design@atlanticpublishers.ca printed in canada this is issue number 66 spring 2011 atlantic books today is published three times a year all issues are numbered in sequence total atlantic-wide circulation 60,000 issn 1192-3652 one-year subscriptions to abt are available for $15 17.25 including hst please make cheques payable to the atlantic publishers marketing association and mail to address below or contact heather fegan for subscription inquiries publications mail agreement no 40038836 return undeliverable canadian addresses to atlantic publishers marketing association atlantic books today 1484 carlton street halifax ns b3h 3b7 e-mail apma.admin@atlanticpublishers.ca phone 902 420.0711 fax 902 423.4302 www.atlanticpublishers.ca atlantic books today

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atlantic books today editors message dear reader there was some alarming news amongst the art culture community earlier this year when word got out that the halifax mayor s awards for literary achievement and excellence in book illustration might be suspended in 2011 twitter feeds and facebook pages were instantly filled with comments about the awards lipslippery wordsmith sheree fitch tweeted it best when she shared her thoughts on why awards do matter affirmation validation consolation celebration for contribution of hardworking low paid artists people care art matters the swift public outcry did not go unnoticed and it wasn t long before the mayor s office confirmed the continuation of the awards through 2011 a news release from the mayor s office did state that consideration will be given to how best recognize and support the arts community in the years ahead they plan to seek input from the cultural community on a new mayor s awards program consultation is one thing but to not present any awards at all is clearly not an option not only do award prizes help authors be able to continue working on their craft the attention that comes with the publicity and promotion of all nominees is priceless so there is always a lot of excitement in the air when the atlantic book awards and festival season comes around with its slew of events taking place across the region this month culminating with an awards celebration like no other at the end of the festival for all the details and to get to know this year s nominees better turn to page twenty-three another always-hot topic in the publishing industry is the world of e-books and digital publishing at abt we believe there can be a time and place for both e-readers while travelling perhaps and a sturdy beautiful bound book out in the backyard this summer for example so in this issue we re bringing you the scoop on the digital publishing scene here in atlantic canada page sixteen and we re taking you behind the scenes at gaspereau press to see just how a book becomes a book page twenty-eight don t miss our summer reading guide coming out in june with all the newest books for the season and mark your calendars for june 18 you can meet all your favourite writers at bookstores across the region on atlantic author day stay tuned to www.atlanticbookstoday.ca for all the details heather fegan peggy walt atlantic books today how does a printing company in a small nova scotia town become a major force in the atlantic canadian print industry and a hands-down favourite for clients roots work ethic ability diversity desire www.advocateprinting.com 1-800-236-9526 pictou ns dartmouth ns st stephen nb moncton nb our goal is simple be indispensable atlantic books today spring 2011 5

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atlantic books today inside the author s studio anna quon s migration to the home of her imagination by michelle brunet anna quon away from her dartmouth desk where she penned her first novel migration songs invisible publishing 2009 anna quon is on the other side of the atlantic in 1990 she went to slovakia to teach esl twenty years later quon has returned to what she refers to as the home of her imagination now in the czech republic she is volunteering as a writer-in-residence and completing an artist residency to work on her latest book so that s what it was anna quon caught up with atlantic books today directly from her cesky krumlov writing studio abt tell us about the writer-in-residence position you just completed aq the first two months i spent at townshend international school which is a baha iinspired international school the baha i faith is a world religion that has as its main aim to unify humanity establish universal education and bring peace to the planet i was doing creative writing workshops with a lot of the kids as part of my baha i service baha i service can be either volunteer or paid work in support of the faith it can involve teaching the faith making food for baha i events volunteering at a baha i school or outreach in the community to non-bahai is for example i worked on the kind of exercises that i would do with my writing group at the healthy minds cooperative [at home in halifax nova scotia they would write and share their writing with the class who live downstairs are quiet and neighbourly but we keep to ourselves i don t have a phone here so am not constantly interrupted by someone calling when i go out the door i don t see anyone i know which is actually quite reassuring i feel like what i am a foreigner and a guest whose job here is to write can have a mental illness and still be a normal person to be able to show the inside of a person s mind when they re going through that which i think really all novels are about to help you see what it s like to see through others eyes and live another life novels are all about teaching us about our own humanity abt is there anything you would like to add about your writing experiences in the czech republic aq i have such huge insecurities about my writing and then on the other hand i have this huge ego [laughs this huge shaky unstable ego and sometimes it makes me feel great i feel like it s a struggle every day and yet i think that s part of being a writer struggling with your ego struggling to see the worth of your own work i just want people to know it s not easy i m not sitting here drinking champagne [laughs it s not like you come over to do a writing residency and you re automatically transformed into something amazing it s still a hard slog every day abt what are your future plans aq i want to finish this novel first and hopefully see it published i would like to write a series of poems called mental illness poems i really would like to concentrate on creating a manuscript of poetry and shopping that around i would also like to try short stories something just a little less onerous than a novel i m open to lots of things and hopefully i ll make a living at the same time but not be too distracted by making a living to not be able to do my own writing abt atlantic books today spring 2011 7 abt do you feel like the czech republic is a second home aq i wouldn t say i feel as at home as i did twenty years ago in slovakia but i was younger then and things are always quite different when you are young and open to a new culture but there s something really comfortable about being here for me i think it s partly because everything is on a more human scale the prices are more affordable people let dogs into the cafés everything seems simpler in a way i really abt do you enjoy being a creative writing love krumlov s architectural beauty and the old everything it s amazing to have facilitator aq i really do i love it actually it s great street on street covered with stones that are to see people get excited and laugh and full of shops and cafés enjoy the work abt what is the basic premise of the novel abt now that you are at the milkwood you are working on international artist residence what is the aq it s again about a mixed race young woman half-chinese half in this case space like and is it conducive for writing aq i have a really lovely little flatlet on the slovak this young woman ends up in the top of this old house my little dining table mental hospital so it s about that experiis just the right height for me to use my lap ence and her relationship with her dad and top which is where i do practically all my her younger sister writing it has a tendency to migrate west toward the wardrobe which is strange and abt your protagonist like yourself suffers makes me think i must be pushing forward with a mental illness is your aim to educate as i write what is most motivating about readers about mental illness the flatlet is that i am alone here the artists aq it s more to be able to see that a character

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atlantic books today book excerpt abt book excerpt tide road by valerie compton excerpted from tide road by valerie compton goose lane editions $19.95 pb 240 pp 978-0-86492-635-7 march 2011 on a warm day in january stella vanishes without a trace leaving behind a young daughter and a husband bewildered by her departure the police officially label her disappearance an accident stella somehow slipping beneath the ice of a nearby river as her mother sonia clings to her family she begins to harbour a deepening suspicion that stella s absence is no accident new fiction from goose lane editions january 1965 prospect prince edward island the memorial service made stella s disappearance real for ten days sonia had been trying to position her daughter s absence as a magic play stella s clever vanishing trick she tried to think of it as a routine stella would soon complete with a theatrical flourish ta-da here i am but now as she zipped on a black wool dress pinned up her hair and slid her feet into pumps sonia felt no faith in magic or drama or any other creative force stella was gone and evidently she had made a decision not to return having a memorial service imbued this fact with a sickening finality it was embarrassing this proof of her failure as a mother her daughter had run away from home of course publicly no one took this view evvie they whispered or tragic accident they were good neighbours they went to great lengths to make it not her fault she entered the church with her two sons and her remaining daughters together they walked toward the seats that waited empty for them in the first pew as they walked a hush came loose the exhalation of three dozen pairs of healthy lungs at once an obscene sound 8 spring 2011 people shuffled in their seats the wood of a pew creaked lightly as someone arched her back against it for a moment this blameless gesture seemed to ripple outward through one body into the next then evvie walked in and sat down the church was nearly full and the silence in it roused in sonia a feeling of elaborate suffocation as though a thousand hands wrapped themselves around her throat in quick succession beside her frances dropped mum she heard or thought she heard automatically she put out her arms and frances fell into them later sonia sat like a guest in her own living room while mary walt and marina cray served tea and biscuits and plates of ham and beans and other things the ladies in the community had brought over rose herded the ladies and bossed them frances slid from one room to the next to avoid their sympathetic eyes sonia watched her a blank-eyed girl in a black crepe dress searching for a solitary space in the hall mirror the rooms of the house appeared festive and they were filled with convivial talk kate so adorable at eighteen months was at the centre of a group of older neighbours who patted her clumsily like children themselves in thrall to some one s pet this is how life is somewhere else sonia thought or how it might have been dan and rob had vanished to the barn maybe with some of the men how lovely it would be to be outdoors sonia slipped on her coat small groups of people lingered on the porch she wandered among them stella she found herself saying frances rose then she was sitting on a kitchen chair in a corner of the porch drinking tea with eddie mack my dear eddie said it s better for the girls to get on with their lives it s what they need to do what had she said to elicit this she could not think moments of her life kept disappearing even as she lived them sonia watched eddie doctor her tea with liquor from his pocket flask the gesture he used a casual splash and a neat little turn was deeply familiar for years she d watched him amend her husband max s tea this way things were different now gradually in the seven years since max died eddie had converted sonia into a replacement for his friend and sonia colluded with this she listened when eddie told her things she let him come by whenever he wanted they sat together sometimes they played cards atlantic books today

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atlantic books today book excerpt the memorial service made stella s disappearance real for ten days sonia had been trying to position her daughter s absence as a magic play stella s clever vanishing trick she tried to think of it as a routine stella would soon complete with a theatrical flourish ta-da here i am he was older but sometimes he depended on her like a child help me work this out he d say and the issue might be personal or practical or something to do with the running of his farm he could have used his own brain but he didn t bother if hers was available he was like a cat saving energy for the tasks he valued most but when he wanted to he could exert enormous power now she wanted to copy that strength she sat with her wool coat open and her arms across her knees leaning over her teacup like a man they didn t find her ed how can we get on with things when they haven t found her we don t know where she is she could be anywhere she could ve run away according to the police stella s body was in the river under ice that varied from two to eighteen inches thick and from smooth to slobby they had no proof of this at all stella could have run away sonia had worked it out to get to the village she would have needed a ride the trip to charlottetown took an hour more but people went in all the time if stella could get to town she could disappear hardly anyone knew them there but why would she do it this was the part sonia hadn t been able to understand the world they lived in was from a history book a place apart that neither strife nor progress had reached sonia heard news of wars in distant places and her children watched shows on television and listened to the beatles on the radio but none of these influences touched them deeply sonia had often been startled by change during her own childhood in montreal living with her mother and her grandmother who kept few secrets she had been aware from a young age of adult concerns political matters domestic disagreement strained finances her children knew a gentler reality their daily lives proceeded simply governed by habits born of poverty but not desperate need frances chopped wood for the kitchen stove rose helped sonia grow their food dan and rob ran the farm and they all worked so hard they fell asleep the minute they hit the bed they bought clothes from the eaton s catalogue on those rare occasions they bought new clothes but mostly they handed them down they had plenty they had good lives lives they were comfortable with my dear she didn t run away eddie had his arms around sonia now and he was smoothing back her hair his voice had grown unnaturally soft as though he were trying to calm a frightened child we have to find her ed what could eddie say sonia knew as well as he did that the ice and tides would scour out the river either stella s body would be caught up on the riverbank in spring or it would be carried out to sea unless she had run away my dear said eddie and he kissed the top of sonia s aching head abt things were different now gradually in the seven years since max died eddie had converted sonia into a replacement for his friend and sonia colluded with this she listened when eddie told her things she let him come by whenever he wanted they sat together sometimes they played cards valerie compton grew up in bangor prince edward island she left the island to attend university in halifax and then spent more than ten years in alberta raising two boys and working as a freelance writer valerie now resides in halifax nova scotia where she teaches fiction writing and is working on a new novel her fiction has appeared in the new quarterly the malahat review the antigonish review grain echolocation the dalhousie review and riddle fence her stories have been shortlisted for both the cbc literary award and the island literary award and she has won the island literary award for non-fiction atlantic books today spring 2011 9 about the author

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atlantic books today book excerpt abt book excerpt by ray macleod hope for wildlife true stories of animal rescue excerpted from hope for wildlife true stories of animal rescue by ray macleod nimbus publishing $19.95 pb 176 pp 978-1-55109-817-3 may 2010 since 1997 thousands of animals have been saved through the tireless efforts of the staff and volunteers at hope for wildlife a nova scotia wildlife rehabilitation centre each creature comes with its own challenges either through a difficult injury or a quirky personality hope for wildlife true stories of animal rescue tells the stories of fourteen different wild animals that have passed through the centre stories that are educational heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking but always filled with hope new non-fiction from nimbus publishing through everything at hope for wildlife run the beliefs of its founder hope swinimer is passionate in all she does and has given herself a lot to do swinimer is a certified veterinary practice manager and holds a full-time job as administrator of the dartmouth veterinary hospital she recently took over the halifax city animal pound service founding homeward bound city pound to run it groups all over the province constantly ask her to speak or to lead tours of her seaforth facility universities have sent students sometimes entire classes to see how wildlife rehabilitation should be done swinimer s work has made her a largerthan-life figure in nova scotia a person whose name and organization are touchstones for care of the province s wild creatures hope for wildlife is a continuing story with many chapters including tales that were told and retold long before they were discovered by the media or printed here one of the reasons hope swinimer and her followers attract so much interest is that their adventures tend to start off in one direction then go in another for example when she took the job as administrator for the dartmouth veterinary hospital swinimer had no intention of getting involved 10 spring 2011 with wildlife hers was to be a life of cats dogs and other domestic animals that people keep as pets and companions these were the ones her doctors worked with these were also the ones whose owners paid the bills however she found herself more and more drawn to injuries veterinarians did not deal with such as the backyard blue jay that collided with a window or the porcupine with legs broken by a pickup truck one day in 1993 a couple who had run over a skunk brought it to swinimer s workplace the veterinarians could not look after the animal so she decided to take it home and do it herself and that was how her wildlife rehabilitation started under her care the skunk recovered but was blind in one eye and could not be released instead swinimer decided to use the animal she called zorro to teach nova scotians about their native wildlife of course to prepare a skunk to meet the public it had to be de-scented which segued into the unexpected element of this tale the part people talk about in veterinary circles when the topic of skunk surgery is evoked swinimer decided zorro s anal musk glands had to be removed and found no veterinarian willing to help finally she badgered dr ian mckay at her hospital to try people would learn in time that letting hope swinimer talk them into things could have unforeseen results he agreed to do the de-scenting despite warnings from his colleagues a skunk s scent glands may be situated similar to a dog s but they are much larger about the size of two very large grapes compared to the pea-sized canine ones and much more potent mckay worked carefully he got the glands out without nicking them which was his biggest fear and the subject of endless warnings then secured the ducts to prevent any leakage there was a slight aroma in the operating room but no one out in the waiting area of the hospital was complaining swinimer and mckay declared it a success i got them both out intact and they were sitting on a tray while i finished sewing zorro and let him wake up i was quite pleased very proud of myself i d done it we d got along fine and zorro had lived through the surgery we hadn t contaminated the hospital and things were looking pretty good said mckay the chickens should not yet have been counted another staff veterinarian entered and asked how large a skunk s musk glands atlantic books today

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atlantic books today book excerpt one day in 1993 a couple who had run over a skunk brought it to swinimer s workplace the veterinarians could not look after the animal so she decided to take it home and do it herself and that was how her wildlife rehabilitation started swinimer decided hope swinimer to use the animal she called zorro to teach zorro the skunk nova scotians about their native wildlife way and would keep growing tales of glorious success and heart-wrenching failure often couched in irony spread year by year from there before long hope for wildlife was rehabilitating and releasing more than 1,500 animals each year in doing so word of its work spread and young people in particular found enchantment in it for many contact with hope and her animals helped form their futures lower sackville s tiffany sullivan was one of these in 1995 when she was twelve a friend invited her to supper in eastern passage where she could meet her friend s father s unusual girlfriend they were eating pizza at swinimer s kitchen table when it happened i felt something on my foot and looked down i m pretty sure i screamed and jumped up on a chair because i d never seen a skunk in someone s house before sullivan said it was the first wildlife i d ever been close to it kind of scared me a little bit as she grew older finished high school and entered university sullivan always held in the back of her mind that touch on her foot from an onion-hungry skunk by late 2008 sullivan was attending nova scotia agricultural college and looking for a place to get in some required volunteer hours with animals during a web search she typed in wildlife and up popped hope for wildlife and the name hope swinimer i must have called her several times a week for at least four months i just completely harassed her to get in there and then i went to my first orientation and i ve been there ever since sullivan said i knew once i found her again this was where i was supposed to be abt were and mckay proudly extended the tray to show him both glands rolled off mckay said it was like a car accident when everything goes into slow motion and eternity passes as your vehicle swerves across the road and hits another it seemed to take at least five minutes for the glands to roll off the tray and hit the floor then it was kind of like an atomic bomb blast he said i can still see those things hitting and exploding into a mushroom arc the odour was just incredible it was so strong not at all like driving by a dead skunk on the road that would be mild by comparison they exploded like balloons full of water and the smell filled the hospital almost instantly people weren t happy with me they weren t happy with hope it was bad the entire dartmouth veterinary hospital had to be evacuated and scrubbed out inch by inch mckay was strongly advised to shed his clothes and either bury or burn the lot but he insisted on taking them home and trying to wash out the scent in the family laundry nothing good came of that the clothing still reeked and the aroma had happily invaded his entire house his wife arrived home from a trip a few days later and despite an entire weekend of his frantic deodourizing immediately asked her sheepish husband how the skunk had got in so there it was the first story of many the legend of hope swinimer and the strange things that happened to her and her band of wildlife workers was under about the author ray macleod is a retired teacher and a former columnist and reporter with the the chronicle herald and several other newspapers his creation of a full-credit high school applied journalism course won him the 1993 hilroy fellowship for outstanding innovation in canadian education ray is a former information officer for the newfoundland department of resources and a life-long outdoorsman and naturalist he lives in waverley nova scotia atlantic books today spring 2011 11

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atlantic books today book excerpt abt book excerpt by jill sooley the widows of paradise bay excerpted from the widows of paradise bay by jill sooley breakwater books $19.95 pb 256 pp 978-1-55081-330-2 october 2010 widows real and false confuse the locals of paradise bay as prissy montgomery leaves the comfort of her toronto home and heads back to her childhood home in newfoundland in this hilarious yet thoughtful novel new fiction from breakwater books ltd chapter one prissy i don t want to have sex with my husband tonight but i don t think i ll be able to get out of it either it s been nearly six months since we ve slept together and howie seems intent on resuming relations with me this evening dropping a series of not so subtle clues as to his intentions for starters it is friday he has arranged for our son to spend the night at a friend s and he refers to us needing to talk later the morning sun is strong and i squint against the light tucking the bed sheets under my chin like a nervous bride although i am in no danger of being ravished not yet howie is at least two hours into a busy morning schedule that has already included a short run a shower a handful of text messages one and a half cups of black coffee and scrambled egg whites that come in a container resembling a milk carton i am hoping to stay in bed long enough to avoid him altogether this morning but he seems to linger purposefully waiting for me to get up and get quentin ready for school i think of the sounds he makes when we re having sex the grunts and moans that accompany his facial expressions 12 spring 2011 i don t want to think about that right now but i can t help it my head automatically swirls with potential ailments ranging from an upset stomach to a yeast infection and a host of other illnesses i might possibly feign i close my eyes against the morning sunlight remembering another lifetime when neither of us could keep our hands off each other it s perfectly normal i assure myself our marriage has simply evolved from passionate to practical as most marriages eventually do sex no longer ranks up there with what i consider to be the better aspects of marriage like having someone who can unclog the toilet bring in my car for an oil change every 6,000 kilometres shovel the driveway or reach things on the high shelves of cabinets and closets it s not that i don t love my husband or that i don t like being married to the contrary i can t imagine not being married to howie i like referring to him as my husband in a way that still makes me feel like a little girl playing house the sound of quentin dragging his feet into the shower awakens me from my reverie and i drag my feet over the side of the bed any hope of avoiding howie dashed for the moment after accumulating two late slips so far this month quentin needs to get to school on time for once i glance at the clock the display telling me it s 7:23 and my motions go from sluggish to hurried howie is quietly reading the newspaper and sipping orange juice at the kitchen table when i walk into the room in search of coffee he briefly glances up but otherwise ignores my entrance he does not say good morning or ask me how i slept or if i heard the thunder in the middle of the night nor do i ask the same of him he s wearing a navy suit with a crisp white shirt fresh from the drycleaners which he paired with a tie that bears a sailboat pattern it puts me in mind of what members of a yacht club must wear when they are not out sailing although what howie knows about sailboats is negligible at best sailboats or not at least howie looks pulled together in contrast i look every bit the image of someone who has just crawled out of bed my hair is pulled back into a hasty ponytail with knots of tangles matted along my scalp i haven t brushed my teeth yet and my faded blue bathrobe showcases stains of coffee and strawberry jelly i have to go howie announces throwing on his suit jacket remember i ll be home early tonight he reminds me as if atlantic books today

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atlantic books today book excerpt i need reminding quentin is staying at jake s so we can be alone we really need to talk priss yes i snap sighing so you ve mentioned one hundred times i say more quietly i watch the broad expanse of his shoulders escape through the narrow kitchen doorway before he s gotten to the front door i am already refining my list of excuses to get out of this evening s romp i wonder when i started feeling such dread at my physical relationship with howie certainly it wasn t a conscious decision on my part at some point sex had become just another household chore once howie has left for work and quentin for school i move about the house with my usual efficiency i strategically put dirty dishes in the dishwasher stacking plates and coffee mugs in close proximity so as to maximize space without overcrowding too much i go about the rest of the day making beds doing laundry and running errands by two o clock in the afternoon i am conveniently nursing a headache which makes the whole ordeal of coming up with an excuse easier i take the extra-strength tylenol from the medicine cabinet swallow two pills and leave the bottle on the kitchen counter where it can be seen i lie down on the sofa and place a warm washcloth on my forehead and wait for the sound of howie s car to pull up in the driveway but when howie comes home he doesn t look like he s ready for romance at all he stands in the centre of the living room staring at me but i feel like he s looking right through me when he begins pacing up and down the living room i sit up and remove the washcloth from my forehead for the first time all day it occurs to me that howie actually does want to talk to me about something important judging from his troubled expression it s something bad my first thought is that howie is sick maybe dying on the surface he s the picture of health he doesn t look like most men approaching fifty his hair is mostly grey now with streaks of dark brown but it s still full still i ve always thought i d be a widow someday i m panicking now at the possibility of life without him whatever it is i am going to be there for him i resolve to drive him to chemo treatments keep track of all his medicines hold the straw steady for him while he sips water through parched lips even help him get to the bathroom if it comes to it i stand up and go to him wrap my arms around his neck and rest my head against his shoulder i breathe in his familiar scent which has an instant calming effect on me my gesture is loving and supportive and conveys all the things i m thinking we ll beat this i am here for you i ll do whatever it takes i m surprised to feel him stiffen under my embrace and even more surprised when he pulls away from me when he says the word divorce all i can do is stare blankly at the sailboats on his tie i picture myself sailing and then suddenly sinking to the bottom of the ocean i can feel my lungs fill with water and i wait to be pulled back above the surface abt about the author jill sooley grew up in mt pearl newfoundland she enjoyed a successful career in public relations first with the government of newfoundland and labrador and later at a boutique public relations firm in midtown manhattan she currently resides in long island with her husband and children the widows of paradise bay is her first novel both german and italian-language rights have been sold for this book and sooley s next atlantic books today spring 2011 13

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