Thanks to your suggestions, we have a compiled a list of your favourite Basin Authors.
All authors are located within the Columbia Basin region. Check out our list below to learn more about each author.
Deryn Collier
“Deryn Collier is the author of The Bern Fortin novels Confined Space and Open Secret, both published by Simon & Schuster Canada. Originally from Montreal, she is a graduate of McGill University. After a very short career as a federal bureaucrat she ran away to the mountains of British Columbia where she has been for over twenty years. She lives in Nelson, BC with her husband, sons and cats.” – Bio courtesy of Deryn Collier
You can find more information about Deryn on her website deryncollier.com.
Dave Butler
“Dave Butler is the author of the Jenny Willson mystery series, published by Dundurn Press. He’s a forester and biologist living in Cranbrook, British Columbia, in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. His writing and photography have appeared in numerous Canadian publications. He’s a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal winner, and a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. When he’s not writing, Dave is professionally involved in sustainable tourism at local, national and international levels and he travels extensively. He’s a Professional Author Member of the Crime Writers of Canada.” – Bio courtesy of Dave Butler
You can find more information about Dave at davebutlerwriting.com.
Elinor Florance
“Elinor Florence grew up on a Saskatchewan grain farm, a former World War Two training airfield near North Battleford.
After earning her English degree at the University of Saskatchewan, she studied journalism at Carleton University. She launched her career at her hometown newspaper The Battlefords Advertiser-Post, followed by The Western Producer in Saskatoon, The Red Deer Advocate in Alberta, The Winnipeg Sun in Manitoba, and The Province in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Weary of city life, Elinor and her husband moved their young family to the mountain resort town of Invermere, British Columbia. For the next eight years, she was a regular writer for Reader’s Digest.
She returned to her newspaper roots when she purchased a fledgling local newspaper, The Columbia Valley Pioneer, and turned it into an award-winning community staple.
Elinor sold the newspaper in 2010 to pursue her lifelong goal of writing fiction. Her first historical novel Bird’s Eye View was published by Dundurn Press of Toronto in 2014 and became a Canadian bestseller.” – Bio courtesy of Elinor Florance
Learn more about Elinor and her books at elinorflorence.com.
Jane Byers
“Jane Byers lives with her wife and two children in Nelson, British Columbia. She writes about human resilience in the context of raising children, lesbian and gay issues, sexism, local geography and health and safety in the workplace. She spent many years working for the City of Toronto in corporate health and safety and now works at WorkSafeBC where she continues to facilitate resilience in injured workers. She has had poems, essays and short fiction published in a variety of books and literary magazines in Canada, the US, and the UK, including BEST CANADIAN POETRY ANTHOLOGY, GRAIN, RATTLE, DESCANT, THE ANTIGONISH REVIEW, THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF HOCKEY LITERATURE and OUR TIMES. She is a three-time winner of the Nelson and District Poetry Competition.” – Bio courtesy of Jane Byers
Learn more about Jane and her work at janebyerspoetry.com.
Angie Abdou
“Angie Abdou is a Canadian author who has published seven books, including The Bone Cage (a CBC Canada Reads finalist in 2011, defended by NHL star Georges Laraque). Chatelaine magazine named Angie’s most recent novel, In Case I Go, one of the most-riveting mysteries of 2017, and The Vancouver Sun called it a “spectacularly successful” novel. It was a finalist for the Banff Mountain Book Award, in the fiction and poetry category. With her seventh book, Abdou turns her attention to nonfiction. Home Ice: Reflections of a Reluctant Hockey Mom chronicles the year in the life of a busy sport family. A starred review in Booklist calls Home Ice a first-rate memoir, a fine example of narrative nonfiction, and a must-read for parents with youngsters in organized sport. Angie is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Athabasca University.” – Bio courtesy of Angi Abdou
Learn more about Angie on her website abdou.ca.
Galadriel Watson
“I‘m Galadriel Watson. I’ve been writing since childhood, when I penned the spellbinding “Amy Goes to the Olympics”—typed by my grandmother on a manual typewriter, illustrated by me and bound in green construction paper.
I’ve since honed my skills through years of practice, plus through my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, where I won the 2016 Penguin Random House/Hazlitt Award in Creative Writing. I also have a Bachelor of Arts With Distinction in Writing from the University of Victoria, plus completed Humber College’s Creative Writing by Correspondence program.
My 24th non-fiction book for children, Running Wild, was published in April 2020 by Annick Press, following 2019’s Extreme Abilities. I have also published over 50 articles for children in magazines like Brainspace, Muse and Ask.
My writing for adults has been published in places like The Globe and Mail, Discover magazine, The Washington Post and the Montreal Gazette, and my comics have been published by The Washington Post and others. I have taught creative writing at Camosun College in Victoria, BC.”– Bio courtesy of Galadriel Watson
Learn more about Galadriel on her website galadrielwatson.com.
KEITH POWELL
“Keith Powell is a life-long resident of the Kootenays. He is the former publisher at Koocanusa Publications Inc., in Cranbrook. He has a keen interest in local history and the lives of the many colourful characters who at one time or another called the Kootenays home. He retried as publisher of Kootenay Business magazine in September 2019.” – Bio courtesy of Keith Powell
Learn more about his novels at wildhorsecreekpress.com
SHELBY CAIN
“Shelby Cain was raised in Cranbrook, British Columbia, where she developed an obsession for nature and adrenaline. She now lives an hour away in Fernie with her husband and two young daughters. Writing is a new and exhilarating passion she has explored since having her children. She writes short stories, magazine articles, and a monthly column about her life for Fernie Fix magazine entitled “Family Stoke.” Mountain Girl is her first novel.”– Bio courtesy of Oolichan Books
Learn more about Shelby and her work at oolichan.com
HEATHER MCLEOD
“I am a writer and blogger living in Invermere, BC, Canada. We live in the beautiful Columbia Valley, between the Rocky mountain and Purcell mountain ranges.
I write about women (sometimes fictional, sometimes myself) working through their grief to help and reconnect with the world.” – Bio courtesy of Heather Mcleod
Learn more about Heather at heatherwmcleod.com
TOM GREENTREE
“I’m proud to be married to Tennille and thrilled to be the father of two great teenage boys. I am the lead pastor of a great church in the Kootenay Mountains of the Creston Valley, British Columbia. As a family, we run a little farm where we grow our own food and love the land God gave us.
I’m passionate about helping people grow in all the relationships that matter–our relationship with God, with each other, with God’s creation, and even within ourselves. That’s why I write: I believe God wants us all to flourish across all these relationships, so we can live a truly whole life.” – Bio courtesy of Tom Greenttree
Learn more about Tom and his work at tomgreentree.com
CHRIS BRAUER
“Chris Brauer lives in British Columbia, Canada where he splits his time between writing and teaching. He has recently completed a travel memoir about living in the Sultanate of Oman, and is currently working on a book about his travels in Ireland. He is also working on his first collection of poetry. He enjoys traveling, eating out, and wearing wool sweaters. He writes with a Visconti fountain pen.” – Bio courtesy of Chris Brauer
Learn more about Chris at chrisbrauerwriter.com.
Rosa Jordan
“Rosa Jordan grew up in the Florida Everglades, earned degrees from universities in California and Mexico, and immigrated to Canada in 1980. Her earliest writings were in the field of journalism, articles drawn from high-risk travels in Central and South America. These experiences formed the basis of Dangerous Places: Travels on the Edge, an autobiographical travel narrative in which she consistently probes for the point at which political and social realities intersect with personal courage and compassion. Rosa now lives, writes, skies, and cycles in the Monashee Mountains of British Columbia.” – Bio courtesy of Rosa Jordan
Learn more about Rosa at rosajordan.com.
TERRY NELSON
“Local author and trail enthusiast Terry Nelson has put together a thoughtful collection of classic hikes that will assist hikers in identifying trailheads, routes and terrain. A keen plant enthusiast, Nelson has included a compendium of plants he has identified in the area, along with quotes and anecdotes to enhance the narrative. Not intended to a definitive guide, this book is more of a companion to assist hiking enthusiasts in making the most of the area’s incredible trail networks.” – Bio courtesy of Polar Bear Books
Learn more about Terry at elkvalleyculture.com.
PAT & BAIBA MORROW
“We are mountain people: we like climbing them, exploring them, sleeping beneath their majestic ramparts under a blanket of stars, and living among the ancient tribes that have carved out a life in their harsh shadows. While our professional experiences reach far beyond the mountain world, we concentrate our efforts there. In the process, we have become masters at combining what we love doing with earning a livelihood.” – Bio courtesy of Pat & Baiba Morrow
Learn more about Pat and Baiba at patmorrow.com.
JANICE STRONG
“Outdoor Photographer, East Kootenay, BC. Mountain Footsteps is her guidebook *BC Bestseller 2018*, guidebook for Hikes in the East Kootenay of southeastern BC.” – Bio courtesy of Janice Strong
Learn more about Janice at janicestrong.smugmug.com.
Did we miss your favourite Basin Author? Email us at communications@ourtrust.org and let us know!