Who’s Who
Alison Acheson. Photo: Rex Logan Photography
A is for Acheson
In her 12th book, the novel Blue Hours (Freehand $24.95), Alison Acheson writes about fatherhood, grief, unanswerable questions and the small, magical moments that make up life. The father, Keith, has always striven to break rules as he navigates full-time parenting and supports the career of his successful photographer wife. Her unexpected illness and death leaves him and his son Charlie in bits. When Keith and Charlie take a road trip, a journey begins that does not end when they return home. Keith must deal with revelations that complicate his grief, even as Charlie’s response is unsettling. Together, father and son connect with loved ones, strangers and each other. Life’s magical and mystical moments emerge. Is it enough to heal, though?Acheson received an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC, lives in Vancouver and has taught at UBC. She was born in Tsawwassen. 9781990601897
Sara Blaydes
B is for Blaydes
Author of The Last Secret of Lily Adams (Lake Union, 2024), Sara Blaydes returns with The Restoration Garden (Lake Union $25.99), a novel that intertwines love, memory and the haunting beauty of an English manor’s forgotten grounds. Blaydes has been passionate about books since she was four years old, when she insisted her parents teach her to read so she could steal her brother’s comic books. Now based in British Columbia, she lives with her husband, two children and an anxious Boston terrier. She believes books are magic, summer is the best season and parsley is never optional. 9781662533198
Joanna Cheek
C is for Cheek
Joanna Cheek, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist, psychotherapist and clinical professor at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine. Drawing on decades of clinical practice, research and meditation training, Cheek explores mental health beyond the individual, arguing that symptoms such as anxiety, depression and stress are often alarms signaling wider systemic imbalances rather than personal failings. In It’s Not You, It’s the World (Collins $34.99), she provides readers with practical guidance for understanding these signals, caring for themselves and advocating for healthier collective systems. With a foreword by Gabor Maté, the book serves as both a survival guide and a call to transform how society addresses mental health. Cheek is also the co-creator of the national-award-winning MindSpace Collective, which has provided mental health workshops to tens of thousands of community members and physicians. Her work emphasizes compassion, connection and empowerment in navigating a world increasingly fraught with stress and disorder. 9781443474412
Giana Darling
D is for Darling
“I’m drawn to telling complicated love stories because I believe life is incredibly complex”, says Giana Darling, bestselling Canadian romance author takes readers back to Tuscany in the final chapter of her mafia duet, My Dark Ever After (Montlake $25.99), where Guinevere’s search for truth collides with Raffaele Romano’s dangerous world of power and passion. Known for writing forbidden and angsty romances with morally complex heroes and strong heroines, Darling has become a USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Amazon Top 40 bestselling writer. She lives on an island in British Columbia with her husband and their golden retriever, Romeo, where she balances writing with baking pies and spends time riding on the back of her husband’s bike. 9781662527593
Emma Cleary
E is for Emma
Liverpool-born, Vancouver-based writer Emma Cleary makes her debut with Afterbirth (HarperCollins $24.99), a haunting literary horror novel exploring sisterhood, motherhood and the body’s terrifying transformations. Set in a decaying Vancouver apartment stalked by a mysterious figure known as Medusa, the novel follows two estranged sisters whose reunion spirals into obsession and the supernatural. Cleary’s short fiction and essays have appeared in Best British Short Stories, James Baldwin Review and Canadian Literature. She holds a PhD in literature and an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and currently serves as editor-in-chief of Geist magazine. 9781443474276 9781771872812
Whitney French
F is for French
In Syncopation (Wolsak and Wynn $24.00), Whitney French imagines a fractured future where memory is currency, migration is survival and love is as dangerous as it is vital. After a decades-long earthquake and acid rain have ravaged the Earth, two young women—descended from space pirates and forged by hardship—set out on a journey that tests their values, their connection and their sense of hope in a world built from the ruins of the past. French is a multidisciplinary artist, educator and co-founder of Hush Harbour—the only Black queer feminist press in Canada. With over 500 workshops taught across schools, prisons and First Nations communities, she continues to use language, activism and imagination to challenge boundaries and build community. 9781998408283
Stefanie Giddens
G is for Giddens
Kelowna-based writer Stefanie Giddens made her literary debut with If I Were to Say Something About It: Even in the darkness, there’s the light to keep going (TL Birch Publishing Inc $19.95). This poetry collection explores womanhood, resilience, self-worth and the pursuit of love and healing. With raw honesty and heartfelt intensity, Giddens honours the strength required to navigate life’s struggles while offering readers a reminder to keep moving forward. Raised in Kamloops and born in Vancouver in 1972, Giddens has spent her life in British Columbia. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Thompson Rivers University and has worked in media, real estate development, healthcare and health technology. 9781068911002
Donna Henningson
H is for Henningson
A key part of long lasting human relationships is overcoming conflict. In her debut book for young adults, White Space, Gray Areas, and Black Swans (FriesenPress US$8.99) Donna M. Henningson seeks to answer why people get into conflict and how they can get out. The characters in her book (White Space, Gray Area and Black Swan) work to transform conflict. Their quest takes them to different time periods and different places–from an isolated Himalayan village to a principal and teacher disagreeing on the subject of leadership styles, to an exploration of The Beatles’ career (and the fights between band members). Throughout, the issue of people overcoming common conflict and finding a way back to harmony is at the forefront. Henningson is a high school teacher, a vocal ensemble alto, and a former dragon boat coach. She has had her fair share of conflicts in different environments. She taught high school English in China just as COVID-19 hit. Before then, she worked with non-profit groups, and also was a full-time regional daily print journalist. She has an MA in Curriculum and Instruction from Gonzaga University, and a journalism certificate from Langara. Henningson currently lives in Summerland. 9781038303318
Anosh Irani
I is for Irani
In Behind the Moon (Talonbooks $21.95), award-winning playwright, Anosh Irani, explores the character of Ayub, a man haunted by his past and isolated in a cold, unfamiliar Toronto. Ayub works in a Mughlai restaurant, where his routine is disrupted by a late-night visit from a mysterious stranger, forcing him to confront the family he left behind and the dreams he abandoned. Through this lens, Irani delves into themes of love, loss, brotherhood and the complexities of starting anew. The play reflects Ayub’s emotional struggles, intensified by the harsh winter, as Irani examines the inner lives of his characters, embracing their strangeness and woundedness to uncover deeper truths about identity and resilience. 9781772016383
Jacqueline Bell
J is for Jacqueline
Jacqueline Bell has won the 2025 Raven Chapbooks Poetry Contest for her deeply-felt collection, Summoning (Raven Chapbooks $22.95), described by judges John Barton and Arlene Pare as “elegiac, yes, familial, inconsolable.” There’s death of family, a lost lover and sadness about nature. There’s also an elegy to lost childhood that reflects on the memory of two sunburnt children on a beach and “that huge / mint-green anemone / remember / how its tentacles cleaved to / your finger / then / one by / one they / let / go.” 9781778160387
Ron Kearse
K is for Kearse
LGBTQ+ author Ron Kearse has released a fantasy novella about an introvert named Neville who meets his guardian angel in Craig! (An Unlikely Story) (Filidh $24.50). Never one to assert himself, Neville was “content to be small,” writes Kearse. “Never mind me,” Neville thinks as he retires from his soul-destroying government job. Then he meets Craig—an angel given permission to appear in human form by the Archangel Michael—who accompanies Neville on motorcycle rides and extended trips to Europe. Is this new reality too good to last? 9781998307050
Keri Lefave
L is for Lefave
Keri LeFave, a retired police officer from Blind Bay, BC, writes from lived experience about healing and resilience. Her debut memoir, Unfinished – A Personal Journey of Healing, Self-Discovery and Resilience (Pilgrim Press $24.99), follows her escape from an abusive childhood and her path toward forgiveness. Her second book, The Chrysalid – A Soul’s Struggle to Rekindle Its Inner Magic (Pilgrim Press $24.99), explores spiritual renewal and self-worth. Her books won two International Impact Book Awards in 2025. LeFave finds peace in nature and hopes her work reminds readers that transformation is always possible. 9781068905322
Tara Moss
M is for Moss
Internationally bestselling author and advocate Tara Moss returns with The Italian Secret (HarperPerennial $25.99), a post-war mystery that follows glamorous private investigator Billie Walker from Sydney to Naples as she uncovers dangerous truths about her late father’s past. Moss is the bestselling author of The War Widow (Harper, 2020) and The Ghosts of Paris (Harper, 2022), both featuring the sharp, fast-driving Nazi hunter Billie Walker. Known for her immersive research, Moss has trained in private investigation, toured the FBI Academy at Quantico. An award-winning human rights and disability activist, she has written fourteen books of fiction and non-fiction, including the #1 international bestseller The Fictional Woman (Harper, 2014). 9781443461290
Oga Nwobsi. Photo Peter Murray
N is for Nwobosi
Oga Nwobosi and Christina Myers met in a postpartum support group where they were exposed to emotions ranging from grief to joy. Many new mothers experience depression, anxiety and other impacts but often don’t seek help. Becoming friends, Nwobosi and Myers have co-edited Beyond Blue: Stories of Heartbreak, Healing, and Hope in Postpartum Depression (Caitlin $26), a collection of stories from 26 mothers telling of an inability to make decisions, paranoia, fear of being a bad parent and even thoughts of self-harm. In addition to illuminating the often-invisible experiences of postpartum mental health, the book offers a life raft of hope and healing to struggling new parents. 9781773861739
Elizabeth Oldham
O is for Oldham
In her second novel Shadows on the Heart (Doppia Press $17), Elizabeth Oldham explores what happens when life forces you into roles you never expected. This character-driven story follows three generations of women as they navigate love, memory and the long reach of grief. Oldham’s storytelling is gentle, offering a compassionate look at family bonds and personal transformation. Through shifting perspectives, the novel highlights how connection can grow in even the most complicated circumstances. Shadows on the Heart is a testament to resilience and the ways we carry both pain and hope across generations. 9781738822638
Peter Darbyshire
P is for Peter
Blending dark humour, myth and adventure, Peter Darbyshire created the supernatural Cross series and other acclaimed works of fiction. His latest instalment, The Wonder Land Wars (Wolsak and Wynn $24.00), sends the enigmatic Cross on a globe-spanning quest to rescue Alice, lost to a whirlpool after sacrificing herself in battle. With help from the Faerie Queen Morgana and her court, Cross navigates mystical islands, confronts murderous immortals and braves chaotic lands that inspired the original Alice tales—while evading relentless angels determined to find her first. Darbyshire’s debut novel, Please (Raincoast Books, 2003), won the KM Hunter Award for Best Emerging Artist and Canada’s ReLit Award for Best Novel. His other works include The Warhol Gang (HarperCollins, 2011) and Has the World Ended Yet? (Buckrider, 2017), alongside countless short stories. Based near Vancouver, he divides his time between writing, raising children and playing Dungeons & Dragons with fellow authors. 9781998408290
Christine Quintana
Q is for Quintana
Set in a Mexican resort, the lives of Sarah, a cynical Canadian wedding guest, and Adriana, a perfectionist hotel floor manager, intersect in unexpected ways in Christine Quintana’s latest play, Espejos: Clean (Playwrights Canada Press $19.99). Sarah’s pessimism and Adriana’s quest for order mask deeper anxieties, which come to light as their parallel realities collide. Through poignant and often humorous monologues, the bilingual play delves into themes of female strength, solidarity, and the struggles each woman faces in navigating her world. Speaking directly to the audience, their stories reveal both contrasts and commonalities, magnifying their shared pain and resilience. The play was adapted and translated into Spanish by Paula Zelaya-Cervantes. 9780369104588
Alena Rainsberry
R is for Rainsberry
Alena Rainsberry, a queer American kayaker and co-editor of Flow (RMB $40.00), an anthology that pairs with a forthcoming 2025 documentary to spotlight women’s narratives in adventure sports. Introduced to whitewater kayaking in 2021, Rainsberry quickly pursued rivers from the Ecuadorian jungle to the Indian Himalayas, embracing both the challenges of rapids and the cultural connections she formed along the way. She is a passionate advocate for women’s representation in outdoor sports, fostering community and encouraging others to explore new experiences. Living and kayaking in the Pacific Northwest, Rainsberry brings her voice and vision to a book that celebrates empowerment, resilience and inclusion across global adventure communities. 9781771607063
Scott McIntyre
S is for Scott
A lifelong champion of Canadian books, Scott McIntyre has shaped the nation’s literary landscape for more than half a century. Starting at McClelland & Stewart in 1967, he went on to cofound Douglas & McIntyre in 1970, publishing over 2,000 titles and nearly 900 authors, from Wayson Choy and Farley Mowat to Richard Wagamese and Douglas Coupland. Under his leadership, Douglas & McIntyre and its children’s imprint, Groundwood Books, became among the first publishers to bring Indigenous issues to the forefront. In his memoir A Precarious Enterprise (ECW Press $39.95), McIntyre tells the inside story of Canadian publishing’s postwar renaissance, weaving anecdotes of the writers, editors and risk-takers who transformed a fledgling industry into a cultural force. More than a business history, it is a personal account of the grit, risk and vision required to believe in Canadian voices before the rest of the world did. 9781770418196
Tom Stewart
T is for Tom
Tofino: A Novel (Lucky Dollar $22.99) is the fourth book by Tom Stewart, an award-winning author based in Tofino. Following his national fiction award for Immortal North (Lucky Dollar, 2024), Stewart returns with an intimate story of heartbreak and healing set in the coastal town he calls home. Edited by Fran Lebowitz, who has worked on a National Award finalist and multiple New York Times bestsellers, the novel intertwines three days of modern romance with threads of Tofino’s storied past. Previously recognized with the 2023 Whistler Independent Book Award for Best Fiction, Stewart has collaborated with Pacific Northwest historians to ground his fiction in a rich sense of place. His writing blends humour, sensuality, and lyrical prose, appealing to readers of women’s fiction, thoughtful rom-coms, and literary works rooted in the landscapes of British Columbia. Tofino is already garnering strong reviews on Goodreads, cementing Stewart’s reputation as a distinctive voice in contemporary Canadian fiction. 9781777221195
Uma Krishnaswami
U is for Uma
In Uma Krishnaswami’s final instalment of the Book Uncle trilogy—the middle grade novels set in India about the power of grassroots activism and how kids can make a difference—The Sunshine Project (Groundwood $11.99), the karate-loving Anil and his friends have been championing a solar energy project. Anil doesn’t like speaking up, for, as his karate sensei says, “best fight, no fight.” But when he learns that the new solar panel factory the city is planning will threaten plant and animal species, Anil takes action with help from Yasmin and Reeni (the main protagonists, respectively, of the first two titles). Just how loudly will he have to speak up? Illustrations by Julianna Swaney. 9781779460530
Vince Beiser
V is for Vince
When Vince Beiser rode with first responders into disaster zones and trained alongside US Army soldiers, he was honing the grit that now fuels his writing. In his latest book, Power Metal: The Race for Resources that Will Shape the Future (Riverhead Books $32), the Vancouver-based journalist examines the paradox at the core of our technological age: the same lithium, cobalt and copper that enable the internet and renewable energy are driving environmental havoc, political unrest and human suffering. From Nigerian e-waste salvagers risking their lives to billionaires eyeing the ocean floor, Beiser crisscrosses the globe to expose the hidden costs of the green transition and the scramble for critical minerals. Power Metal, one of the 2025 Balsillie Prize Finalists, reveals the underbelly of progress while daring readers to ask how we can do better. 9780593541708
Katie Welch
W is for Welch
When a massive earthquake devastates the Pacific coast in 2045, Del Samara flees into isolation—abandoning her family, her ruined home and her spiralling addiction. Three years later, grief over her dog’s death compels her to re-emerge into a world that has dramatically changed. Ladder to Heaven (Wolsak & Wynn $26.00), by Katie Welch, follows Del’s perilous journey across a fractured landscape—where animals now communicate telepathically and technology has collapsed—as she seeks redemption and a reunion with her daughters. Along the way, she meets a sailor who shares her sense of loss and opens a path toward healing, even as the truth of Del’s past slowly begins to surface. Welch’s debut novel Mad Honey (Buckrider Books, 2022) was nominated for the 2023 OLA Evergreen Prize and she was shortlisted for the 2023 CBC Short Story Contest. 9781998408276
Mary Fox
X is for Fox
Renowned potter Mary Fox shares her knowledge of glazing in Developing Glazes: Low-Fire Reduction and Oxidation (Harbour Publishing $44.95), a guide that encourages ceramic artists to experiment with confidence. Rather than relying on ready-made glazes, Fox invites potters to explore the use of minerals and clay slips, offering step-by-step instructions and techniques for low-temperature firing. All royalties are donated to the endowment fund for the Legacy Project, which supports the careers of emerging potters through apprenticeships, residencies, studio space and a library of instructional videos. A self-taught exploratory potter, Fox moved with her family to British Columbia in 1966. She has worked exclusively as an artist since then, developing an international reputation for her sculptural ceramic vessels. In Developing Glazes, she extends this mentorship to readers, blending her creative philosophy with practical techniques to help others discover joy and freedom in the glazing process. 9781998526253
Yong Nan Kim
Y is for Yong
In Off the Map: Vancouver Writers with Lived Experience of Mental Health Issues (Bell Press Books $22), edited by Betsy Warland, Seema Shah and Kate Bird, Yong Nan Kim’s poetry “Dreaming with Ghosts” brings the otherworldly close to home. A standout moment comes in her piece where ancestral memory collides with loss: “days before grandmother passed away / i dream with my grandmother / her face glows like the full moon / she says i’m not dead yet!” These lines echo through Kim’s broader body of work—poetry and ghost stories inspired by her Korean heritage and childhood in Paraguay and Brazil. When she’s not writing, she hikes, snowshoes, or learns new dance moves. 9781738716791
Ziyad Saadi
Z is for Ziyad
Set over a single, chaotic day in Detroit, this debut novel follows queer Palestinian refugee Firas Dareer as he plans to come out to his family at an elaborately staged birthday dinner, only to find his orchestrated reveal thrown into disarray by a chain of escalating crises. Three Parties (Hamish Hamilton $34.95) explores Palestinian diasporic life, generational trauma and the pressure of queer self-revelation with humour and emotional depth. It’s a story of self-presentation, fractured families and the quiet dignity of choosing to be known on one’s own terms. Ziyad Saadi is a Palestinian Canadian writer and filmmaker based in Vancouver. A Nicholl Fellowship semi-finalist and winner of the MPAC Hollywood Bureau pilot writing competition, his writing has appeared in Indiewire, The Independent and The Gay & Lesbian Review. His short story “The Third or Fourth Casualty” appears in the speculative fiction anthology Thyme Travellers (Fernwood, 2024). 9780735250963
