What began as a pandemic pastime has turned into a literary passion. Anne-Marie Mawhiney, who first started writing to fill quiet days at home, is now celebrating the release of her third self-published novel, Fugitive Rifts. To mark the release of her novel, she is hosting three intimate storytelling sessions over the next few months.
Fugitive Rifts is a coming-of-age story that begins with four teens joining a debate club. These teens are strangers to each other in the beginning and not your typical debate club kids, explained Mawhiney. That quickly changes as secrets are revealed. Then one teen disappears, changing the trajectory of all their lives. No one is the same afterward.
“I wanted to write a book where three or four characters faced enormous challenges and worked through it,” said Mawhiney. “Because I’m a pantser (writing by the seat of one’s pants), I sat down with the first scene and had no clue where it was going. But over time, I achieved what I wanted to do and left the reader with hope and perhaps inspiration, because ultimately there’s potential to change the world with what they accomplish.”
During her academic career as a Laurentian University professor, Mawhiney would write and edit papers and books on the topics of social work, sociology and inclusivity. During the pandemic, she took to writing fiction to escape feeling helpless. She found hope in the narrative she created.
Mawhiney’s book, including her first two, Spindrifts and Spelldrifts, leaves the reader with a sense of hope. There are also the constant narrative threads of relationships, climate change and social issues throughout all three novels. Mawhiney said her latest is geared to teens 15 and up because of the mature subject matter.
When it came to releasing her third book, Mawhiney didn’t want any ordinary book launch. Yes, she will read an excerpt from her book, but Mawhiney wanted an opportunity to go further than that and chat with people about what they are reading and writing. Each scheduled session has a different theme, inspired by different characters in her novel.
“Please come if you are just interested in discussion,” she said. “The idea of conversation and sharing is what I want to achieve. I’m hoping this builds a sense of community and might be something that can continue. There is such a vibrant writing community here and it’s not necessarily visible to everyone.”
The book launch and storytelling sessions for Fugitive Rifts take place on three different dates: Oct. 18 at La Fromagerie from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Nov. 29 at Seasons Pharmacy and Culinaria from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Dec. 5 at La Fromagerie from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Seating is limited to 10 people for each date. RSVP by emailing ammawhiney@gmail.com. The book is available at Books and Beans for $35 and online from her publisher, Freisen Press. Amazon.ca has the e-book version of Fugitive Rifts, while Amazon.com has all three hard copies of Mawhiney’s books.
