With 29 bestselling novels, countless critical accolades, and an international following, Joy Fielding stands among the giants of contemporary fiction. Her gripping thrillers have captivated readers worldwide, cementing her reputation as one of the most successful and enduring voices in modern literature.

The Muskoka Authors Association is proud to host this literary icon for an exclusive evening of storytelling and insight. Author of See Jane Run, Someone Is Watching, Now You See Her, Mad River Road, and more, Fielding is celebrated for her razor-sharp suspense, unforgettable characters, and masterful exploration of human psychology.

At this event, Joy will read from her highly anticipated new novel, Jenny Cooper Has a Secret, before offering a rare behind-the-scenes look into her writing process, the craft of creating popular fiction, and the surprising moments when her characters seize control of the story.

A true icon of the literary world, Fielding brings wit, candor, and decades of wisdom to every conversation. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for readers, writers, and fans of psychological suspense to engage with one of the most influential storytellers of our time.

Don’t miss this chance to experience an unforgettable evening with Joy Fielding—a writer whose novels prove that while facts belong to nonfiction, the deepest truths are often revealed through fiction.

Event Details:

Location: Bracebridge United Church, 46 Dominion Street, Bracebridge, lower level. Enter by door on the southside driveway.

Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm

Fee: MAA Members: Free, Non-Members: $20

For more information and to register, Please email your contact information and etransfer payment to info@muskokaauthors.ca.

The post Muskoka Authors Association Welcomes International Bestselling Author Joy Fielding appeared first on Muskoka411.

Described as “an innovative and revelatory work of autofiction,” Starry Starry Nightexplores the complexities of family secrets, trauma, race, class, and loss with Mootoo’s signature depth and lyricism. The book is already attracting attention as one of her most powerful works to date.

Mootoo’s literary accomplishments are as impressive as they are inspiring. She is a four-time Giller Prize nominee, and her writing has been both longlisted and shortlisted for some of the world’s most prestigious awards, including the Booker Prize, the Lambda Literary Prize, and the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. In addition to her six novels, she has published three poetry collections and a short story collection, further cementing her reputation as a versatile and fearless storyteller.

Her accolades include an honorary Doctor of Letters from Western University, the Lambda Literary James Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist Prize, the Writers’ Trust Engel Findley Award, and the Library and Archives Canada Scholar Award.

Born in Ireland, raised in Trinidad, and now living in Southern Ontario, Mootoo brings a global perspective to her work, one that resonates deeply with readers across cultures and continents.

This event offers a rare opportunity for Muskoka’s literary community to engage with one of Canada’s most celebrated voices in contemporary literature.

Location: Bracebridge United Church, 46 Dominion Street, Bracebridge, lower level. Enter by door on the southside driveway.

Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm

Fee: MAA Members: Free, Non-Members: $20

For more information and to register, Please email your contact information and etransfer payment to info@muskokaauthors.ca.

You can also reach out for more information, to Wendie Donabie at info@muskokaauthors.ca

The post Award-Winning Author Shani Mootoo To Speak At Muskoka Authors Association appeared first on Muskoka411.

Zafar has been recognized among the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, the Top 25 Most Inspirational Women in Canada, and the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants. Her book A Good Wife: Escaping the Life I Never Chose, based on her journey of escaping an abusive child marriage to pursue her freedom, sheds light on gender-based oppression, and was a national bestseller and a CBC Best Book. One of the youngest alumnae to serve as governor at the University of Toronto, she is currently on the board of the Women’s College Hospital Foundation and a celebrated ambassador for Plan International. She is also the founder and executive director of Brave Beginnings, a national charity that provides mentorship to women who have escaped abuse. Her work has impacted millions and has been extensively featured in national and global media. Samra Zafar’s speaking portfolio includes four successful TEDx Talks and many leading organizations around the world.

Location: Bracebridge United Church, 46 Dominion Street, Bracebridge, lower level. Enter by door on the southside driveway.

Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm

Fee: MAA Members: Free, Non-Members: $20

For more information and to register, Please email your contact information and etransfer payment to info@muskokaauthors.ca.

You can also reach out for more information, to David Bruce Patterson atdavidbrucepatterson.maa@gmail.com

The post Award-Winning, Internationally Renowned Speaker, Physician, Author And Educator Samara Zafar, Guest Speaker At Muskoka Authors Association appeared first on Muskoka411.

How to Survive a Bear Attack: A Memoir is at once an intimate portrait of an extraordinary animal, a bracing chronicle of pain, obsession, and love, and a profoundly moving exploration of how we can understand and survive the wildness that lives inside us.

Cameron’s most recent novel, The Last Neanderthal, was a national bestseller and a finalist for the 2017 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Her second novel, The Bear, was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and was a #1 national bestseller. It won the Northern Lit Award from the Ontario Library Service, which her first novel, The Line Painter, also won.

Claire has led canoe trips in Algonquin Park and worked as an instructor for Outward Bound, teaching mountaineering, climbing, and whitewater rafting in Oregon and beyond. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Guardian, and she is a monthly contributor to The Globe and Mail. She lives in Toronto.

Location: Bracebridge United Church, 46 Dominion Street, Bracebridge, lower level. Enter by door on the southside driveway.

Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm

Fee: MAA Members: Free, Non-Members: $20

For more information and to register, Please email your contact information and etransfer payment to info@muskokaauthors.ca.

You can also reach out for more information, to David Bruce Patterson at davidbrucepatterson.maa@gmail.com

The post Interview With Best Selling Author, Claire Cameron About Her Debut Memoir, How To Survive A Bear Attack appeared first on Muskoka411.

Gwen is descended from Irish tenant farmers and English Quakers. Her storytelling influences include soul searching, an interest in bygone days, and the complexities of living a life. Fascinated by the landscape of human tenacity, she writes about women navigating the social restrictions of their era. Gwen lives with her husband on a small rural homestead that strengthens the connection to her characters and nourishes her creativity.

Location: Bracebridge United Church, 46 Dominion Street, Bracebridge, lower level. Enter by door on the southside driveway.

Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm

Fee: MAA Members: Free, Non-Members: $20

For more information and to register, Please email your contact information and etransfer payment to info@muskokaauthors.ca.

You can also reach out for more information, to David Bruce Patterson at davidbrucepatterson.maa@gmail.com

The post Author Gwen Tuinman Shares Her Journey To Publication Of Novel, Unrest appeared first on Muskoka411.

After rescuing Smiley who was born without eyes from a puppy mill, Joanne soon realized the connection people had with him – especially school children.  They spent years visiting classrooms talking to children about being born different, overcoming adversity, working hard to achieve your goals, anti-bullying, and giving back.  Joanne wrote his story into a children’s book, Smiley, A Journey of Love, so that his life-lessons could be shared even after his passing.  His inspiring story has been shared all over the world, and he became a social media sensation for all the right reasons.

Since Smiley’s passing in October 2017, Joanne and her family (Husband Darrin, and 9yr old son Shepherd) have rescued another dog born with the same condition as Smiley – his name is Sunny, and all indications are he will make a great therapy dog one day.  They continue to share inspiration in their school visits and on social media and will certainly leave you with a smile.

Joanne and Sunny will share with you the impact Smiley had on so many, and ways children (and adults) connected to him.  We all remember how it felt when we realized how different we were from the others.  We may have been one of the students who needed extra help.  Through her presentation you will see how blind dogs are able to help students become more non-judgemental and accepting and realize that it is not how fast you accomplish something, but the fact that in the end, you did succeed.

Location: Bracebridge United Church, 46 Dominion Street, Bracebridge, lower level. Enter by door on the southside driveway.

Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm

Fee: MAA Members: Free, Non-Members: $20

For more information and to register, visit Eventbrite or visit MuskokaAuthors.ca and click on UPCOMING EVENTS or email David Bruce Patterson at davidbrucepatterson.maa@gmail.com

The post Seeing With Your Heart With Author, Joanne George & Sunny, The Dog appeared first on Muskoka411.

Entry is by donation with proceeds supporting the purchase of books and supplies for the host libraries.

This year’s events kicked off at Gravenhurst Public Library on May 30 but don’t worry, you have three more opportunities to hear the work of talented local writers. The next events take place at 6 pm on Wednesday, July 17 at Baysville Public Library, Monday, August 12 at Huntsville Public Library and Thursday, October 3 at Bracebridge Public Library.

For more information and updates, watch the Muskoka Authors Association Facebook Page or contact Wendie Donabie at 705-646-3663.

The post Muskoka Authors Association Presents Tall Pine Tales 2024 appeared first on Muskoka411.

Since Smiley’s passing in October 2017, Joanne and her family (Husband Darrin, and 9yr old son Shepherd) have rescued another dog born with the same condition as Smiley – his name is Sunny, and all indications are he will make a great therapy dog one day.  They continue to share inspiration in their school visits and on social media and will certainly leave you with a smile.

Joanne and Sunny will share with you the impact Smiley had on so many, and ways children (and adults) connected to him.  We all remember how it felt when we realized how different we were from the others.  We may have been one of the students who needed extra help.  Through her presentation you will see how blind dogs are able to help students become more non-judgemental and accepting and realize that it is not how fast you accomplish something, but the fact that in the end, you did succeed.

Location: Bracebridge United Church, 46 Dominion Street, Bracebridge, lower level. Enter by door on the southside driveway.

Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm

Fee: MAA Members: Free, Non-Members: $20

For more information and to register, visit Eventbrite or visit MuskokaAuthors.ca and click on UPCOMING EVENTS or email David Bruce Patterson at davidbrucepatterson.maa@gmail.com

The post Seeing With Your Heart With Author Joanne George & Sunny appeared first on Muskoka411.

Views from the Edge of the Earth presents the beauty of the natural world through poetic musing and images of Donabie’s artwork and photographs. The collection includes seventy-eight poems written in a mix of free verse, narrative, and rhyming styles interspersed with seventy-six black and white images of her original paintings and photos to complement the text. With habitat losses, and species gone or fading fast, the book reminds us of what is in jeopardy.

Donabie says, “For some time, I’ve pondered our fate and our future, seeking a way to help, to give back—to leave behind something of value. That was my purpose in writing this book — to add my voice to those calling for action to protect and preserve this extraordinary planet we call home.”

When Donabie moved to Muskoka in 2010, she immediately connected with the writing and arts communities. She co-founded Muskoka Authors Association in 2015, served on the Board of Directors of Muskoka Arts & Crafts for over five years and is still an active volunteer with both organizations. In 2018, Donabie opened Heron’s Nest Studio Gallery in Bracebridge where she carries her art and that of other Muskoka Artists and books by local authors.

The June 2 event commences with a book signing and runs from 4:00 to 6:00  p.m., at the Muskoka Arts and Crafts’ new gallery, 63 Manitoba Street, Bracebridge. Refreshments will be served throughout the event with a short presentation on the creation of the work at 4:30 p.m. Both print and e-book formats of Views from the Edge of the Earth will be released on AMAZON.ca the same day.

The post Focus On Natural World In New Book By Muskoka Artist-Writer, Wendie Donabie appeared first on Muskoka411.

Dawn Promislow is the author of the novel Wan (Freehand Books, 2022), which was a finalist for the Canadian Authors Association’s Fred Kerner Book Award 2023, a Miramichi Best Fiction title of 2022, a CanLit Bookclub Pick in Zoomer magazine, and a finalist in the design category for an Alberta Book Publishing Award 2023. The novel was on several of CBC Books’s recommended lists of historical fiction for 2022.  Dawn is also the author of the short story collection Jewels and Other Stories (Mawenzi House, 2010), which was named one of the eight best fiction debuts of 2011 and was long-listed for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award 2011. She’s had numerous award-nominated short stories, poems, and essays published in literary journals in Canada, the US, and the UK, and anthologized in books. She’s received grants from the Ontario Arts Council for her writing, a Works-in-progress and several Recommenders grants among them.

Dawn has designed and led writing workshops at high schools, an art museum, and with other groups, and has spoken about writing at universities, libraries, book festivals, book clubs, and on CBC Radio Canada. Currently, she is writing a new novel.

Location: Bracebridge United Church, 46 Dominion Street, Bracebridge, lower level. Enter by door on the southside driveway.

Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm

Fee: MAA Members: Free, Non-Members: $20

For more information and to register, visit Eventbrite or visit MuskokaAuthors.ca and click on UPCOMING EVENTS or email David Bruce Patterson at davidbrucepatterson.maa@gmail.com

The post How To Create Compelling Characters In Fiction With Author, Dawn Promislow appeared first on Muskoka411.