ARTS EAST

Peter Moreira comes by his gift of storytelling honestly. “Biologically, I am 25 per cent Portuguese and 75 per cent British,” he shares over fish ‘n’ chips at a downtown Halifax eatery. “But culturally, I am from Nova Scotia. I am also a member of the Presbyterian Church, attended St. Andrew’s College, attended Queen’s University (home of the Gaels) - so there is a heavy, heavy Scottish influence there.” A seasoned journalist with several books already under his belt, Moreira counts Ernest Hemingway, Michael Connelly, Wallace Stegner and Thomas Wolfe among his literary influences. “I have learned a thing or two about writing over the years,” he smiles. “I have become more disciplined. I know that what you delete is as important as what you write, and that great writing means leaving out good writing. “In fiction, using plot to bring out the traits of a great character, and using the actions of your characters to drive a great plot is what makes a great book. There ...

Though we knew one another quite well, I only met Ray Fraser once; in 2009, at Westminister Bookstore in Fredericton, New Brunswick - Ray’s home town - while on a speaking tour to promote my debut literary effort, Atlantic Canada’s 100 Greatest Books. After I had finished reading and answering a few questions from inquisitive readers, Ray saddled up to me in his brown leather jacket and old fisherman’s cap, sunglasses shielding his eyes from the overhead lighting. With an extra-large coffee in hand, he looked at me with a wide smile and said simply, “Howdy partner…” He was exactly as I imagined him to be; physically slight, lanky, even a little disheveled in places. Intellectually, he was on his game and for the next several hours we mused over the merits of region’s writers, many of whose works appeared in my aforementioned anthology. Five of Ray’s books made that list, and he was deservedly in the company of some of the finest scribes that Atlantic Canada, and the cou...