Anne BurchatAnne is a retired elementary school teacher who grew up in Ontario's Ottawa Valley. She has long had a keen interest in researching her Kashubian anceestral history as well as Indigenous history, culture and practices. She enjoys spending time gardening,...

Masha KruppMasha was born in the hardscrabble mining town of Sudbury, Ontario, and grew up on an idyllic working farm located some 40 kilometers east of Nickel City. Masha is a retired business owner who worked in the language services industry for more than three...

Doug & Judy RobinsonDoug and Judy Robinson have helped thousands of people with the downsizing process since 1996. The seniors usually have two questions: what do I bring to my new place and what do I do with everything else? They have given presentations for...

Erik H. MarksErik H. Marks is an author, teacher and child advocate. He has spent the past 30 years working with vulnerable children, youth and families living in the most challenging circumstances, both in Canada and abroad. Domestically, Erik has helped on the...

Joyce HattJoyce spent many years as a caregiver to her late husband Cal who eventually lost his battle with Alzheimer's Disease. During that time, much of her time was spent researching and reading about Alzheimers and how to continue living after the death of a loved...

Bill E. ByersBill E. Byers was born in Winchester, Ontario and spent his childhood summers at the family cottage on the St. Lawrence River. His fascination with the flooding of the St. Lawrence Seaway and the impact it had on the residents of the area has percolated...

J.W.FJWF, a former Professor of Literature and Eastern Philosophy, has previously published two collections of poetry and two plays. He has two sons, Kaelan and Aidan, and currently resides in Cornwall, Ontario.

Juliette TurcotteJuliette Turcotte, DSW, is a mother of four children. Her career path includes providing treatment sevices to children, youth and families. A transition to work as an organizational design and development consultant led to a specialization in change...

Greg LubimivGreg Lubimiv (MSW; RSW: CACPT-S) is a father of five children and has worked in the mental health field serving children and families for over 40 years. He has received recognition for his work to improve mental health services with a number of awards...

J.A.R VeenHanna's story arose from the author's dream - filled with gnomes, dwarves and elves, a reminder of his long-held boyhood imaginings of fairy folk and his fascination with the unseen world. The dream stayed with John and he eventually set it down into words...

Jamie BramburgerOrginally trained as a broadcast journalist, Jamie Bramburger spent thirteen years in radio and television before becoming Manager of Community and Student Affairs at Algonquin College's Pembroke Campus, a position he has held for the past twenty-five...

Margaret LegearFor thirty years, Margaret LeGear, now retired, was the director and swim coach of her private Swim School. She is passionate about increasing water safety with her learn-to-swim-safely literature and [email protected]

Gillan RutzI am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to write down and share memories with the writings within the pages of This Valley I Call Home. I continue to enjoy my love of music, meeting new people and reacquainting with so many over a lifetime as I...

Robert Sefton BrownFrom humble beginnings, in a family of eight, I achieved every goal I yearned for. I stood toe to toe with both the powerful and the humbled. Worked the trenches, gambled running my own business, sang and danced in the Orpheus House stage production...

David MulhollandDavid Mulholland was born in Kinsgton, Ontario and raised in the Ottawa Valley town of Arnprior. He moved to Ottawa in 1970. Mulholland began his writing career as an advertising copywriter in private radio. He went on to work as a researcher, story...

Lynne McKenzieLynne McKenzie has always had a passion for stories. As a child she would sit for hours listening to her parents and grandparents talk about their lives when they were young. Everything they said was interesting to her. Now in retirement, Lynne has...

Melanie LecoursMelanie was born and raised in rural Ottawa, Ontario. She is a third generation volunteer firefighter in her community, following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather. Melanie has a bachelor's degree in nursing and works full-time as an...

Jacki EnglandA life-long learner, Jacki England began studying how to write for children after many years as an educator. Inspired by the thousands of picture books shared with her young learners, Jacki dreamed of writing a book of her own some day. EVERGREEN EVERMORE...

Anne-Marie LangeneggerAnne-Marie Langenegger is an avid reader and collector of books. She changed careers many times throughout her life, including 38 years as a farmer. Now retired, she has returned to her love of writing. As a lifelong observer of people, she draws...

James TallonJames Tallon lives in Kingston, Ontario. This is his second book, and his first work of fiction. His first book, Running the Sheets, was the number one selling book in the Rideau Lakes region in Eastern Ontario in the summer of 2013.

Wayne CampbellWayne Campbell is a biochemistry graduate from Queen's and University of Toronto. He spent most of his career as a science writer.editor for government, a freelancer for newspapers (Globe & Mail, Maclean's, New Scientist), and finally a writer/editor...

Susan Taylor MeehanA native of Edmonton, Alberta, Susan Taylor Meehan now lives and writes in Ottawa, Ontario, lovingly supported by her husband Ralph, her daughter Amanda, and her stepson Phil—along with a host of family and friends. As an air force brat, Susan grew...

Donna MetcalfeDonna Metcalfe was raised on a farm in Ramsay Township, Lanark County. It was a world of woodstoves, kitchen gardens, and horses. There, she learned to value her heritage and tell a good story, listening at the knees of older folks. She attended the...

Dina Bell-LarocheDina's life changed dramatically in 2001 after the death of her youngest sister, Tracy. Since then, her journey through grief has inspired her to advocate for greater grief and loss literacy. As a death educator, Integral Coach™ keynote speaker, and...

Mark Van DusenMark Van Dusen has reported for major news organizations (Ottawa Citizen, CTV, CBC) and advised the Canadian government on major media issues such as food safety, human rights, and refugees. He won a prestigious intrenational award for his TV...

John "Chappy" ChapmanJohn was born in Stettler, Alberta and met his wife Janny there, sixteen years later. Together they raised two daughters and travelled throughout Canada and the United States, as John pursued a career in hockey. They settled in Lethbridge,...

Elie Mikhael NasrallahElie Mikhael Nasrallah who, since 1998, is a certified and authorized immigration consultant, with an active international practice in Ottawa, Canada. He holds an Honours BA in Political Science from Carleton University and a post-graduate...

Deirdre McCabe-BerardiDeirdre McCabe-Berardi was born in New York City and spent most of her childhood in upper Michigan. She is an elementary teacher and lives with her husband and family in Arnpior, Ontario. She loves to watch movies and dance and read true crime...

Patricia JosefchakPatricia Josefchak passed away in November 2019. She had several passions, including history, music, her marriage and family, and their home and garden on a tiny slice of lakefront in Eastern Ontario, Canada. She earned a Bachelor's in Mathematics...

Don SeymourDon Seymour was born and raised on an agricultural area of Eastern Ontario. During college, he spent a summer working with the Forest Service in Bristish Columbia, gaining a background in wood lore and firefighting. After graduating as a Biochemical...

Gord HumeGord Hume is the creator of the popular "Samantha and the Sheriff" adventures. This is the seveneth book in the series, which has generated enthusiastic readership in North America and beyond. Gord is also the author of nine non-fiction books on building...

Ken ArmsonKen Armson was born in Newtonbrook, Ontario and attended secondary school in England. After service in the Canadian Army overseas, he studied forestry at the University of Toronto graduating in 1951 and worked in the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests....

Terrence Rundle WestSome of you will recognize me from schools I’ve taught at or administered in and around Ottawa (Hillcrest, Brookfield, Glebe, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Ottawa Tech, Eganville) or from community work in Ottawa’s Hunt Club/Riverside area. Others with long...

Shawn UrlockerShawn Urlocker is a transplanted Montrealer living in Pembroke, Ontario with his wife Lynn. They have five children, one, a redhead, still at home, and two dogs, Ruby and Loup.

Wayne M. TremblayWayne M. Tremblay spent three years in accounting, twenty-five years in the Royal Canadian Navy as a radio telegraphist, electronic technician and self-proclaimed lower deck lawyer extraordinaire. His second career lasted sixteen years in the Canadian...

Guy ThatcherGuy Thatcher served in the Canadian regular armed forces from 1955 to 1980 as a tank officer, helicopter pilot, anti-tank missile instructor, and computer analyst, serving in Germany, Belgium, Cyprus, Texas, and Alabama, as well as at various bases in...

Geoff TaylorGeoff Taylor has been telling stories and paddling Algonquin Park for over fifty years. He is a stay-at-home defenceman and a proud dad who grows garlic and plays sloppy mandolin. Geoff lives in Millbrook, Ontario. Tom Thomson's Last Bonfire is his first...

Bill SmithBill Smith was born in Shawville, Quebec .He graduated from McGill University with a B. Ed in 1966 and subsequently taught school for thirty-nine years. Retired now, he lives in the peaceful rural community of Bristol, Quebec, with June, his wife of...

Jane ShelleyORIGINALLY FROM A farm in Waterford, Ontario, M. Jane Shelley was self-employed in the flower business in Toronto and the coin machine business in Parry Sound and northern territories. She went back to school for five years at the age of forty, attending...

Wallace SchaberWallace Schaber was born in Ottawa in 1950. He graduated from the University of Waterloo in Environmental Science in 1974. While at university, he created Black Feather Wilderness Adventures Ltd., which formed the foundation for his summer employment....

Ken RockburnKen Rockburn has been a broadcast journalist for over four decades. He has worked in private radio, atCHEZ FM in Ottawa; for CBC Radio and CBC Television; for CPAC, the Cable Public Affairs Channel, where he hosts Rockburn Presents; and has written for the...

Kenneth RobinsonKen Robinson was born in an Eastern Ontario farmhouse in 1927. Following World War II, he served for a short time in the RCAF as an instrument technician and then as a chaplain’s assistant, receiving his commission in 1952.He graduated with a BA from...

Paton Lodge LindsayPaton Lodge Lindsay was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her interests have always involved the out-of-doors. She attributes her very early introduction to nature to the days spent with her grandfather in his canoe, and her lifetime love and...

Ray VerdonNot Exactly a War Hero is Ray’s first book.After years as the CEO of a multinational, he wanted to try something entrepreneurial that required nothing more than paper, pencils, and time. Ray has been summering in the Gatineau Hills for his whole remembered...

Smolders, JanetJanet Smolders is a retired land use and environmental planner who worked in consulting for many years. Her previous two books, also published by Burnstown Publishing, are Letters Home: RCAF Overseas,  and Robert Henry White: An Unknown Soldier  Janet...

Caroline Balderston ParryCaroline Parry grew up in Quaker Pennsylvania loving libraries and books, thanks to her grandmother who was also her kindergarten teacher! She studied History and Literature at Harvard, and married an Englishman while volunteering in India....

Isabel Gibson, MBAAfter graduating from the University of Saskatchewan with an MBA in 1984, Isabel taught business at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Alberta, and worked as a marketing consultant and project manager. In 1990 she wandered into...

Don McKayDon McKay was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, on October 5, 1937. He had a fascination with flying from a very early age and never lost his desire to be a pilot. He grew up in the Maritimes and calls Saint John, New Brunswick, home. Don is married to his high...

G. Alan HepburnG. Alan Hepburn was born in Paisley, Scotland, in 1944. He was educated at Paisley Grammar School and the University of Glasgow, where he obtained a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering in 1966 and a Ph.D. in 1970. Alan learned to fly in Scotland in 1968,...

Dave ThompsonDave Thompson was born in Belfast, N. Ireland, in 1935. As a child he experienced the bombing raids of the war when the targets were the shipyard and the aircraft factory. Later, he worked as an engineer in the same shipyard. He and his wife, Anne, moved...

Harvey SawlerHarvey Sawler was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, but has lived most of his adult life in Atlantic Canada. He began his career as a newspaper journalist covering such diverse stories as the Pierre Trudeau 1974 campaign train and the 1975 double...

Erika E. GaertnerErika Gaertner immigrated as a teenager from what is now the Czech Republic to Canada with her parents in the spring of 1939, following her father’s recruitment as a farmer by the Canadian Pacific Railway on behalf of the Canadian government. Upon...

Daniel LivermoreDaniel Livermore graduated from Brock and Carleton Universities and has a Ph.D. in history from Queen’s University. After serving in the Canadian foreign service for more than three decades, he became a Senior Fellow at the Graduate School of Public...

The Early History of Cumberland Township AuthorsGérard Boyer – The idea of writing an early history of Cumberland Township became a necessity for the following reasons :I could not find a complete historical context for the arrival of my ancestors, the Morins, the...

Aline HollowayBorn in the small northern Ontario town of Warren, Aline Holloway now resides in Vanderhoof, Bristish Columbia, with her husband, Don, and cat, Illick. She graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s with double majors in French and...

Robert AinsworthRobert Ainsworth divides his time between writing stories, working as a high school English teacher and dancing Argentine Tango. He has published two books of poetry, Prismatic Poetry, and Children of the Hectic Kingdom. Boogie's Law is his first...

Carol BujeauCarol Bujeau is a former communications strategist, who has a keen interest in interior decorating and furniture design. A Cordon Bleu graduate, with a certificate in diamond grading, she is a student of ikebana and calligraphy. Carol has travelled the...

Corey Long Corey Long is the executive director of communications at Seneca. He grew up in Alliston, Ontario, and has studied in the United States and Norway. Corey lives in Newmarket, Ontario, with his wife, Shannon, and their daughters, Clara and June.

Ken BairdKen Baird was born on the east coast of Canada, traveled to the west on many occasions and now resides in Renfrew County, Ontario. He chose this area because this is where it all began and the people here have made me think of it as home. "I'm just like...

James OgleJames Ogle was born in Toronto. Ontario and served in the Royal Canadian Regiment for three years. He has been a correctional officer since 1994, serving in the Toronto Jail and then the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene, Ontario. And...

l.h dusseaultBorn in Alberta and adopted at the age of four, l.h dusseault spent much of his childhood being shuffled from one boarding school to another. By age twelve, he had spent nine years in institutions. Roaming much of the country he has lived in British...

Ken DoranKen has worked for three decades as a Recreation Therapist at a psychiatric hospital in Hamilton, Ontario. He was a career house leaguer in his youth and is a retired hockey dad. A lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan, he lives in Cambridge with his wife and two...

Kylee GoldmanKylee Goldman is a Registered Psychotherapist. She works with adults, families, and children struggling with mental wellness and experiences of violence, abuse, and trauma. She also teached in the field of social services and enjoys mentoring new helping...

Dani SheppardDani Sheppard grew up on a little hobby farm in a small Ontario town where she loved watching the animals and playing outside. As an Early Childhood Educator, Dani finds the children she works with a great source of inspiration for her children's books. ...

Sherry O’Quinn-LeeSherry is married and is a mother of three, focusing on her career and her busy family life. Born and raised in Newfoundland and currently residing in Ontario, she has carried a passion for fiction and literature her entire life. This is her first...

Ralph & Kathryn GastmeierThe second of seven children, Ralph Gastmeier spent the free time of his formative years tramping through the rural landscape surrounding the city of Kitchener. He developed a deep affinity for the natural world and was struck with...