Rosella Leslie
Alberta-born Rosella Leslie's writing career began in 1980 after she moved to a small floathouse on an inlet 25 miles north of Sechelt. There she could develop her craft without being disturbed. Since then she has participated in on-going tutorials with Betty Keller and has attended writing workshops with Ian Slater and Daniel Wood. Her feature articles and short fiction have appeared in Western People Magazine Fiction, The Leader, Alive Canadian Journal of Health and Nutrition, and Coast News Weekender. Her published books include The Goat Lady's Daughter, The Sunshine Coast: A Place to Be, two histories co-authored with Betty Keller-Bright Seas, Pioneer Spirits: The Sunshine Coast, and Sea Silver: Inside British Columbia's Salmon Farming Industry, which was condensed and included in the award-winning book, Stain Upon the Sea. A second novel, The Driftchild, will be published by NeWest Press in the summer of 2010.
A founding member of the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts and the Suncoast Writers Forge, Rosella served as a director, program writer, and house co-ordinator. In 1990 she and her husband moved to Sechelt. Four years later she retired from the Festival to devote more time to her son's school, participating in Parent Advisory Councils, serving as a director of the Chatelech-Sechelt Community School Society, initiating a district-wide Breakfast for Kids program and working with C-PAS to organize an annual parent conference. In 2002 she was awarded the BCCPAC's George Matthews Award for Excellence in Parent Leadership.
Today Rosella and her husband John continue to live in Sechelt where she is hard at work on her third novel.
A founding member of the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts and the Suncoast Writers Forge, Rosella served as a director, program writer, and house co-ordinator. In 1990 she and her husband moved to Sechelt. Four years later she retired from the Festival to devote more time to her son's school, participating in Parent Advisory Councils, serving as a director of the Chatelech-Sechelt Community School Society, initiating a district-wide Breakfast for Kids program and working with C-PAS to organize an annual parent conference. In 2002 she was awarded the BCCPAC's George Matthews Award for Excellence in Parent Leadership.
Today Rosella and her husband John continue to live in Sechelt where she is hard at work on her third novel.
THE GOAT LADY'S DAUGHTER
is a novel about two eccentric sisters in their early fifties who find themselves adopting a baby girl. Mag, the crusty, conniving older sister and the breadwinner of the family, sees the child as a burden, but Florrie, the more motherly of the two, welcomes baby Jen with open arms. As the sisters struggle to make a living from their remote inlet farm, Jen worms her way into their hearts. When the child starts school, she is suddenly faced with juggling her wilderness existence with the social demands of a life in town. This cobbled-together family is drawn closer together as they grapple with the rigours of living off the land and battle an unscrupulous logger and developer named Pete Saari. They are helped by Sylvia Lower, an amateur archaeologist whose ideas on parenting clash with Mag's, and by Billy Thom, who runs a salvage boat called the Squawk Box. Then suddenly the family's bonds are threatened by a tragedy that nearly overwhelms them.
Published by NeWest Press.
Reviews:
"The climax of this story is a marvel of shrewd narrative structure and emotional restraint. Rosella Leslie keeps her pathos on a tight leash. The more she holds back, the more power she gives readers to loose their own knowledge of loss. You'll need a hankie." Jim Bartley, The Globe and Mail, Oct 21, 2006
An "affecting, gentle novel." Owensoundsuntimes.com Nov 24/06
"[The Goat lady's Daughter] has a page-turning quality that is difficult to resist." Joe Wiebe, The Vancouver Sun, January 6, 2007
"Rosella Leslie's take on the classic rescued-orphan story steers clear of sentimentality and easy moralism. Instead, Leslie confirms for readers that a classic plot can still offer what Anne Shirley herself might call, "scope for the imagination." Edwards Magazine, January 2007
"Intriguing characters are the stronghold of Rosella Leslie's first novel, The Goat Lady's Daughter. With an intentionally basic storyline, Leslie has managed to vividly communicate complex and riveting characters that you will think about long after you've read the novel. Too often, first-time authors become entangled and too ambitious with their plotlines and high impact twists and turns. Few ever succeed in making such a solid character portrait as Leslie does in The Goat Lady's Daughter. Kindah Mardam Bey, Lucid Forge, 2007.
"In this extraordinary novel, Rosella Leslie envisions one of the most ramshackle yet thoroughly engaging families we're likely to see in Canadian fiction this year. With The Goat Lady's Daughter, she proves, in the style of Barbara Kingsolver, that our true families aren't always our relatives but are often those people we get stuck with and choose to keep." Kimmy Beach, author of fake Paul. (Turnstone Press)
BuyNow
is a novel about two eccentric sisters in their early fifties who find themselves adopting a baby girl. Mag, the crusty, conniving older sister and the breadwinner of the family, sees the child as a burden, but Florrie, the more motherly of the two, welcomes baby Jen with open arms. As the sisters struggle to make a living from their remote inlet farm, Jen worms her way into their hearts. When the child starts school, she is suddenly faced with juggling her wilderness existence with the social demands of a life in town. This cobbled-together family is drawn closer together as they grapple with the rigours of living off the land and battle an unscrupulous logger and developer named Pete Saari. They are helped by Sylvia Lower, an amateur archaeologist whose ideas on parenting clash with Mag's, and by Billy Thom, who runs a salvage boat called the Squawk Box. Then suddenly the family's bonds are threatened by a tragedy that nearly overwhelms them.
Published by NeWest Press.
Reviews:
"The climax of this story is a marvel of shrewd narrative structure and emotional restraint. Rosella Leslie keeps her pathos on a tight leash. The more she holds back, the more power she gives readers to loose their own knowledge of loss. You'll need a hankie." Jim Bartley, The Globe and Mail, Oct 21, 2006
An "affecting, gentle novel." Owensoundsuntimes.com Nov 24/06
"[The Goat lady's Daughter] has a page-turning quality that is difficult to resist." Joe Wiebe, The Vancouver Sun, January 6, 2007
"Rosella Leslie's take on the classic rescued-orphan story steers clear of sentimentality and easy moralism. Instead, Leslie confirms for readers that a classic plot can still offer what Anne Shirley herself might call, "scope for the imagination." Edwards Magazine, January 2007
"Intriguing characters are the stronghold of Rosella Leslie's first novel, The Goat Lady's Daughter. With an intentionally basic storyline, Leslie has managed to vividly communicate complex and riveting characters that you will think about long after you've read the novel. Too often, first-time authors become entangled and too ambitious with their plotlines and high impact twists and turns. Few ever succeed in making such a solid character portrait as Leslie does in The Goat Lady's Daughter. Kindah Mardam Bey, Lucid Forge, 2007.
"In this extraordinary novel, Rosella Leslie envisions one of the most ramshackle yet thoroughly engaging families we're likely to see in Canadian fiction this year. With The Goat Lady's Daughter, she proves, in the style of Barbara Kingsolver, that our true families aren't always our relatives but are often those people we get stuck with and choose to keep." Kimmy Beach, author of fake Paul. (Turnstone Press)
BuyNow
BRIGHT SEAS AND PIONEER SPIRITS: A HISTORY of the THE SUNSHINE COAST
co-authored with Betty Keller.
This updated and revised edition of the authors' acclaimed history was published in the summer of 2009 by Touchwood Editions. It chronicles significant geological events, the log entries of early explorers and the tragic impact of European intrusion on native culture, as well as detailing the triumphs and failures of the early steamship companies, tugboat captains, fishermen, loggers, miners and farmers.
It was first published by Horsdal & Schubart in the spring of 1996 when it won third prize in the B.C. Historical Writing Competition in a field of 45 entries
Buy Now
co-authored with Betty Keller.
This updated and revised edition of the authors' acclaimed history was published in the summer of 2009 by Touchwood Editions. It chronicles significant geological events, the log entries of early explorers and the tragic impact of European intrusion on native culture, as well as detailing the triumphs and failures of the early steamship companies, tugboat captains, fishermen, loggers, miners and farmers.
It was first published by Horsdal & Schubart in the spring of 1996 when it won third prize in the B.C. Historical Writing Competition in a field of 45 entries
Buy Now
SEA SILVER: INSIDE BRITISH COLUMBIA'S SALMON FARMING INDUSTRY
co-authored with Betty Keller (Horsdal & Schubart, Spring 1996), is a detailed history of salmon farming in British Columbia. Taking a middle-of-the-road approach to the concerns of both salmon farmers and environmentalists, the book explores issues such as disease transference to wild stock, interbreeding of escaped Atlantic salmon with native Pacific salmon, and the costly impact on the industry and environment of establishing too many farms in one area.
Sorry, Out of Print
co-authored with Betty Keller (Horsdal & Schubart, Spring 1996), is a detailed history of salmon farming in British Columbia. Taking a middle-of-the-road approach to the concerns of both salmon farmers and environmentalists, the book explores issues such as disease transference to wild stock, interbreeding of escaped Atlantic salmon with native Pacific salmon, and the costly impact on the industry and environment of establishing too many farms in one area.
Sorry, Out of Print
SUNSHINE COAST A PLACE TO BE
Published by Heritage House in August 2000, this book is a combination of historical sketches and a contemporary look at the Sunshine Coast, the people who live here, the things there are to do, and where to find food and lodging. Local residents profiled in the book include artists, musicians, crafts people, writers and publishers.
"Leslie packs in scads of well-researched information and trivia. . . ." Coast Reporter, October 28, 2001.
"Your style is warm and inclusive, informative and helpful." Letter from reader Eleanor Swan, September 20, 2001
Buy Now
Published by Heritage House in August 2000, this book is a combination of historical sketches and a contemporary look at the Sunshine Coast, the people who live here, the things there are to do, and where to find food and lodging. Local residents profiled in the book include artists, musicians, crafts people, writers and publishers.
"Leslie packs in scads of well-researched information and trivia. . . ." Coast Reporter, October 28, 2001.
"Your style is warm and inclusive, informative and helpful." Letter from reader Eleanor Swan, September 20, 2001
Buy Now
A STAIN UPON THE SEA: WEST COAST SALMON FARMING
Though years and years of shoddy logging and farming practices near streams, mine tailings leaking into rivers, untreated human waste being pumped into the ocean, and the damming of salmon-bearing waters have imperilled Pacific salmon stocks, it is the most recent menace-salmon farms-that will finally destroy the last of these remarkable animals unless drastic measures are taken--and soon. A Stain Upon the Sea, which contains a condensed and updated version of Sea Silver: Inside British Columbia's Salmon Farming Industry (1996) by Rosella M. Leslie and Betty C. Keller, synthesizes the various threads of danger posed by salmon farming to wild fish, the threat posed by the Atlantic salmon which are being cultivated in west coast fish farms, and the lethal infestations of sea lice originating on salmon farms. Leslie and Keller chronicle the haphazard growth of the industry, the contradictions in DFO and MAFF regulations, the unwillingness of government to investigate or police the industry, and its control by foreign multinational companies.
Winner of the Roderick Haig-Brown Prize given annually for the book which "merits distinction as the work contributing most to an appreciation of British Columbia."
Finalist for the Second Annual George Ryga Award for Social Awareness.
Reviews:
Currently, the corporate-government collusion prioritizes the profiteering of salmon-farming operations with minimal regard for the environment, wild creatures, First Nations and the health of workers and consumers while staunchly refusing cost-incurring alternatives. In western society, citizens caught stealing from corporations are severely punished, but when corporations steal the right of citizens to a clean environment and healthful food, they are too often unpunished and seldom penalized harshly. As A Stain Upon the Sea illustrates, this is a scenario that must be changed-the continued existence of wild Pacific salmon may depend upon it.
Kim Peterson, Shunpiking: The Discovery Magazine (online)
A Stain Upon the Sea is a necessary critique of fish farming practices used in BC and abroad, featuring an all-star cast of contributors. BC Book Prizes
Buy Now
Though years and years of shoddy logging and farming practices near streams, mine tailings leaking into rivers, untreated human waste being pumped into the ocean, and the damming of salmon-bearing waters have imperilled Pacific salmon stocks, it is the most recent menace-salmon farms-that will finally destroy the last of these remarkable animals unless drastic measures are taken--and soon. A Stain Upon the Sea, which contains a condensed and updated version of Sea Silver: Inside British Columbia's Salmon Farming Industry (1996) by Rosella M. Leslie and Betty C. Keller, synthesizes the various threads of danger posed by salmon farming to wild fish, the threat posed by the Atlantic salmon which are being cultivated in west coast fish farms, and the lethal infestations of sea lice originating on salmon farms. Leslie and Keller chronicle the haphazard growth of the industry, the contradictions in DFO and MAFF regulations, the unwillingness of government to investigate or police the industry, and its control by foreign multinational companies.
Winner of the Roderick Haig-Brown Prize given annually for the book which "merits distinction as the work contributing most to an appreciation of British Columbia."
Finalist for the Second Annual George Ryga Award for Social Awareness.
Reviews:
Currently, the corporate-government collusion prioritizes the profiteering of salmon-farming operations with minimal regard for the environment, wild creatures, First Nations and the health of workers and consumers while staunchly refusing cost-incurring alternatives. In western society, citizens caught stealing from corporations are severely punished, but when corporations steal the right of citizens to a clean environment and healthful food, they are too often unpunished and seldom penalized harshly. As A Stain Upon the Sea illustrates, this is a scenario that must be changed-the continued existence of wild Pacific salmon may depend upon it.
Kim Peterson, Shunpiking: The Discovery Magazine (online)
A Stain Upon the Sea is a necessary critique of fish farming practices used in BC and abroad, featuring an all-star cast of contributors. BC Book Prizes
Buy Now
THE DRIFTCHILD
Survival is the driving factor when Emma, a divorced legal secretary, hitches a ride on a fish-boat-turned freighter and is thrown together with three orphans in the midst of a violent storm in Queen Charlotte Strait off northeastern Vancouver Island. Thinking to be rid of the children as soon as they reach the safety of her home town, Emma instead becomes their unwilling temporary guardian. As she works to reunite the youngsters with an eccentric aunt, they face one crisis after another, including a police investigation that identifies Emma as the chief suspect in the mysterious death of the freighter's captain.
To be published in the late spring of 2010 by NeWest Press.
Survival is the driving factor when Emma, a divorced legal secretary, hitches a ride on a fish-boat-turned freighter and is thrown together with three orphans in the midst of a violent storm in Queen Charlotte Strait off northeastern Vancouver Island. Thinking to be rid of the children as soon as they reach the safety of her home town, Emma instead becomes their unwilling temporary guardian. As she works to reunite the youngsters with an eccentric aunt, they face one crisis after another, including a police investigation that identifies Emma as the chief suspect in the mysterious death of the freighter's captain.
To be published in the late spring of 2010 by NeWest Press.