Could the shocking bequest in Grandma Runa’s will be the key to unlock Melinda Hall’s mysterious past—and her future?
Brace yourself for monsters brought to life by talented Atlantic Canadians—Rhonda included—in this 2023 anthology, by Partridge Island Publishing.
If you don’t like Brussels sprouts, here’s a fun, fractured fairy tale explaining why–it’s all Sog’s fault.
Adults and children alike will enjoy this light-hearted picture storybook about self-perception and elusive dreams.
I received an email from an editor a little while ago. She said the piece I submitted “holds promise,” and/or “has merit,” but she didn’t think it was quite right for her publication at this...
There was a stand of rosebushes at the end of the lake, in furious bloom. The dark pink kind with yellow centers, like the ones you planted at home. Their sweet scent was thick on the breeze....
This is a reminder that it’s not too late. Remember the minutes, the hours and the days will pass whether you do “that thing” or not. It is the moment by moment choices we make that move us for...
A man doesn’t plant a tree for himself. He plants it for posterity—Alexander Smith. Earlier today, Glad Tidings church in Moncton, New Brunswick, dedicated a green space on its property t...
Dear New Brunswick: I am ashamed to tell you that people have been saying terrible things today, my love. They say you’ve made so many ill-thought decisions, leaving you poor and without status in o...
A couple of weeks ago I woke one morning after dreaming about houses. I dreamed that in addition to the house we own currently, my husband and I bought an additional house. It was the first house we e...
Mr. Milner was my grade four teacher and he had the loveliest handwriting. On the chalkboard, I admired the way he wrote in flowing, classical strokes and perfectly straight lines. By grade nine, when...
Do you wonder what Christmas is all about sometimes? Other than a pile of self-indulgent gifts, high-caloric intake and a credit card bill to choke on in January, I mean? I’m about to tell you....
A few things about me.
I am a New Brunswicker, born and raised. I’ve never lived anywhere else except to go to college. I could have stayed in Ontario after I graduated. I might’ve made more money. I often wonder what my life would have been like had I gotten a job in Toronto and made my life there.
There’s quite a bit of me in The Widow & The Will.
As much as I like cities, I felt strongly that I needed to come home. Perhaps it was the crashing waves of the Bay of Fundy that were calling me back. Or the brightly-coloured fishing boats at the wharf in Alma. Or the sparkly Richibucto River on the Acadian shore, where I spent my childhood summers. I watched the moon rise over it at night, and in the sunshine, I picked the wild blue irises (my grandmother called them Blue Flags) that lined the dirt road leading to the cottage.
Over the years, my husband and I toyed with leaving the province for other opportunities. But all the memories are here. Our friends, our family, the salty-air landscapes, the familiar mixes of language, of culture, of ideas…
It’s all different out there, you know.
My background is in public relations and freelance writing and promotional work, but these days, I’m working as an arts administrator – something I sort of fell into by accident — and I have learned a great many new things in this position. And there’s so much more to learn!
I am a wife of more than 30 years, mother to three grown-up kids, and now a small grandson has joined our little circle. He lights up everyone’s world. Other than writing, I love to paint, sing, bake, hike (after I eat what I bake). I like camping in the rain, but I’d have to do it alone. The family likes hotels.
I’d like to hike the Fundy Footpath—in theory. I hear it’s not for beginners.
I love historical fiction, mysteries, thrillers, fantasy/science fiction, dystopian, and the biographies of interesting people. And a really, really good love story never goes amiss.
Thanks for visiting! Feel free to check out my books, available for purchase. You can read my blog posts on the writing life, a little bit of fiction, plus some family & personal stuff. I hope you find something here to entertain, challenge or inspire you.
