ARTS EAST

It has been a year since we last spoke with author Christy Ann Conlin. Like many of us, the Nova Scotia-based writer has spent much of her time adjusting to the world’s new normal. Unlike many of us, however, she has been juggling the Coronavirus pandemic with the impending publication of her fourth book, The Speed of Mercy. “It has certainly been strange in a writerly capacity,” she shares. “One of the things that was difficult with this book was that we were rolling into the final line edits when everything began and - as the book was set in the summer of 2020 - that wasn’t going to work. So, I had to go through the whole book, do another revision to address COVID-19 and how it impacted the world. There is a subtle thread - a very tiny thread - that I had to weave into the storyline which required a huge amount of skill.” Set for release this March, The Speed of Mercy is described as a “feminist tour de force,” e xploring a variety of subjects, including colonization, religion, P...

Born in Halifax and raised on Cape Breton Island by her grandparents, Colette Thomas was destined to be storyteller. “I have been telling stories since before I could even write them down,” explains Thomas from her current home on Nova Scotia’s scenic South Shore. “I would make up all these stories and act them out for my grandparents in the living room. My grandfather was a native Gaelic speaker, singer, and storyteller. However, it was my 8th grade English teacher - Mr. Keele - who made me realize that I had a talent for storytelling. I will never forget the comment he wrote on an assignment saying that, with my talent, I really should write a book.” Thomas has spent years working as a filmmaker and TV producer in her home province, and recently added author to her resume with her first novel The Forgotten Son. “I am a born storyteller the same as my grandfather was. I constantly have ideas for stories, or I see something or read about something and an idea for a story comes to...