7 Fall Fiction Releases from Atlantic Canadian Publishers

We've had a lot of fun highlighting hotly anticipated fall releases on The Reader in the past few weeks, but there are still plenty more on the way. Atlantic Canada is home to a number of great presses who also have a full roster of releases to check out this autumn. We only have space for a selection of them here, click on the links to publishers to find out what else they have on offer, or leave a message in the comments field about the Atlantic Canadian fiction release you're most excited for this fall.

Chasing Freedom
by Gloria Ann Wesley (September - out now!)

Roseway Publishing from Black Point, NS is marketing this as a book for Young Adults, but I think this compelling historical novel will appeal to adults as well. At the end of the American Revolutionary war, a group of freed Loyalist slaves, including a young girl named Sarah Redmond and her grandmother Lydia, set sail for Birchtown, Nova Scotia. From the publisher: "With their Certificates of Freedom in hand, Lydia and Sarah wait anxiously, hoping beyond hope that their new life will bring acceptance and happiness. But once they reach Birchtown they find that their new home is barren, cold and isolated — and in a world slow to forget old fears and hate, their Certificates offer them freedom in name only." Halifax Public Libraries hosts author Gloria Ann Wesley for a book launch on September 29th at the Halifax North Branch.

Big Town
by Stevens Gerard Malone (September 15th)

Halifax based Nimbus Publishing brings a novel from author Stevens Gerard Malone, whose previous books include the Dartmouth Book Award nominated I Still Have a Suitcase in Berlin and Miss Elva. Big Town is an historical novel set in Halifax in the 1960s. From the publisher: "Seventeen-year-old Early Okander lives with his father in a shack, a white family on the outskirts of the Halifax community of Africville. It is the early 1960s, and Early and his young friends, Toby and Chub, start to hear whispers that the city wants to move the residents of Africville out of their homes. As the three try to sort out what relocation might mean for the community, they also struggle to come to terms with their own problems: Early's abuse at the hands of his father, Toby's illness, Chub's family breakdown. "

The High Heart
by Basil King (Oct 12)

Halifax based publisher Formac has been producing its Formac Fiction Treasures series for a number of years now. The series reprints novels by Maritime authors or with Maritime settings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries: many of which had gone out of print or were hard to find before reprinting. The High Heart is the first book to appear from Basil King who was a PEI born Anglican clergyman who attended the University of Kings College and lived in Halifax during the late 1800s. From the Publisher: "Plunged into the world of fashionable New York society, a young Canadian woman is courted and then marries a rich young American. Her new world is populated by wealthy Americans and aristocratic English. All are strongly affected by the ongoing First World War which is being fought by Canadians and British, while the Americans debate whether they should join in the conflict."

That Forgetful Shore
by Trudy Morgan-Cole (Sept 25)

St. John's, Newfoundland publisher Breakwater Books brings a new historical novel from St. John's author Trudy Morgan-Cole. From the publisher: "Triffie and Kit are closer than sisters. But for two girls growing up in a tiny Newfoundland outport at the dawn of the twentieth century, having the same dreams and ambitions doesn't mean life will hand you the same opportunities. A teacher's certificate offers Kit the chance to explore the wider world, while Triffie is left behind, living the life she never wanted with the man she swore she'd never marry. "Trudy Morgan-Cole is the author of several previous books, including By the Rivers of Brooklyn, which was shortlisted for an Atlantic Book Award in 2010.

The Town That Drowned
by Riel Nason (Oct 7th)

Fredericton's Goose Lane Editions brings us more 1960s set Maritime fiction, this the debut novel from New Brunswick author Riel Nason. From the publisher: "Living with a weird brother in a small town can be tough enough. Having a spectacular fall through the ice at a skating party and nearly drowning are grounds for embarrassment. But having a vision and narrating it to the assembled crowd solidifies your status as an outcast.What Ruby Carson saw during that fateful day was her entire town — buildings and people — floating underwater. Then an orange-tipped surveyor stake turns up in a farmer's field. Another is found in the cemetery. A man with surveying equipment is spotted eating lunch near Pokiok Falls. The residents of Haventon soon discover that a massive dam is being constructed and that most of their homes will be swallowed by the rising water."
And finally, two books that were previously mentioned in our post on fall books from up-and-coming Canadian writers, but they also fit here, so we'll give them another shout-out.

Newfoundland's Killick Press brings the latest from St. John's author Michelle Butler Hallett. Deluded Your Sailors tells parallel stories in 18th century and modern day Newfoundland and Halifax's Invisible Publishing offers Algoma by Toronto poet Dani Couture about a young boy who won't acknowledge the death of his brother. (Check out the previous post for more details).