Well, it has been quite a ride, but I am super excited to announce that CHANCE & KING, my novel of urban magical realism, is forthcoming from Invisible Publishing in the spring of 2016!

Watch this space (and Twitter, and Facebook) for more details.

About the novel: Mutton calls calls the magic cubbyhole in the back of Second Chances, her mother’s Hamilton thrift store, “The Niche.” For one chosen person every day, The Niche delivers the one thing everyone hopes for when they browse pre-chanced things: the perfect gift, keepsake, memory, or heirloom-to-be. When Mutton is robbed at gunpoint and the thief runs away with a Niche item that isn’t meant for him, she embarks upon a summer journey that will transform her and her family forever. CHANCE & KING is an urban odyssey of everyday magic, unexpected saints, family challenges, and the many levels of love.

Hello, gang!

A busy spring indeed. Here are the highlights:

1. My short story "A Week on the Water" received an honourable mention from Neil Smith, judge of Sarah Selecky's 2015 Little Bird short fiction contest. I'm a big fan of Sarah's work--her writing and creative coaching are well worth checking out.

2. My short story "Declination" received an honourable mention in The Master's Review anthology contest. Nice to get the nod.

3. My MFA work through UBC is almost complete. My thesis, a novel entitled BOY, was read and approved by Timothy Taylor, my thesis advisor, as well as Miriam Toews, my second reader (and all-around literary patron saint). All that's left is a ten-day intensive course at UBC in July and this writer can call himself an alumnus of Canada's most respected writing program!

4. I have been hired to teach a creative writing class at Redeemer University College, my alma mater, in the winter semester of the 2015-16 academic year. I'm excited to return to the place that birthed much of my passion for writing, as well as to get back to teaching the craft, which I have long wanted to do in a college/university setting.

5. Through the Ontario Arts Council Writer's Reserve program as well as a UBC graduate research grant, this summer I'll be embarking upon my next big project, a novel about a Canadian peacekeeping veteran wrestling with the trauma of his experiences in Croatia in the early 1990's. My funding will allow me to take a research trip to Croatia in September as well as do cross-Canada interviews of a number of key players impacted by Canada's involvement in Bosnia and Croatia.

Oh, there's more, too, but you'll have to watch this space over the next little while for details!