November 2020 – Sigrid Stark

Potluck at Rabbit Hill
Memories of life with the Rabbit Hill Baptist Church Community
Sigrid Stark
Friesen Press, November 2020

Potluck at Rabbit Hill is an engaging and enjoyable read about memorable times with a beautiful community. Author Sigrid Stark was part of the church when her husband was their pastor from 1992 to 2004.

Readers will find stories that need to be told.  Stories about burning outhouses, exploding trees, and flying mice.  There are stories about people who will make the reader laugh out loud and wish that they were part of this community.  Minus the things that burn, explode and fly.

Sigrid Stark is a consummate storyteller who captures the laughter, love, and sometimes, the sadness of a compassionate community of faith.  Whether or not readers are people of faith, they will find her stories about kind people living good lives both captivating and inspirational.

About the Author
After their time at Rabbit Hill Baptist Church, Sigrid Stark and her husband, Loren, moved to Canada’s west coast.  They now live in Comox B.C. where she spends her time writing, creating art, and exploring the beauty of Vancouver Island.

Books are available directly from the author [email protected]  and through the website www.potluckatrabbithill.com

Paperback ISBN
978-1-5255-1747-1
Black and White
174 pages
5.5 x 8.5 inches

Fall 2020 – Teresa Hedley

What’s Not Allowed? A Family Journey with Autism
Teresa Hedley
Wintertickle Press, 2020

Lauded by autism leaders and practitioners as “relatable, insightful, joyful and inspiring,” What’s Not Allowed? A Family Journey with Autism tells the tale of Erik from womb to emerging adult. Written with compassion, humour and keen observation, we are taken inside the shoes of autism and invited to link arms with the Hedley family as they nurture Erik from boy to man. Heartfelt stories highlight themes around life with autism and allow us an intriguing glimpse into the mind of autism. The tales are those of any and every family living with autism: they pose questions, poke at philosophies and offer insight into shaping potential. What’s Not Allowed? offers an uplifting approach to mining the best version of each of us—autism or not.

“There are a lot of lessons on these pages for all of us, and we can benefit from considering them and acting upon them.”
–PETER MANSBRIDGE, former anchor and chief correspondent, CBC’s The National; Stratford, ON

“Pure brilliance…Often funny, yet serious at its root, this book is a portrayal of how love and compassion overcome percentiles and projection.”
–TELAH MORRISON, Colonel, OMM, CD, Director Military Family Service, Canadian Armed Forces; Ottawa, ON,

“I highly recommend this book. Teresa is a gifted storyteller…overall a masterful blend of humour and authenticity.”
–MIKE LAKE , Canadian Parliamentarian and international autism advocate; Edmonton, AB

* What’s Not Allowed? is available online at Amazon and Indigo, at Coles in the Driftwood Mall and at Laughing Oyster Books and Blue Heron Books.

December 2020 – Ulrike Ostermann

Of Bears at Fridges, drinking Planes and Cinderella’s Shoe 
Jordis Tumby (aka Uli Ostermann)
Published by Tredition.de

Of Bears at Fridges, drinking Planes and Cinderella’s Shoe is about 8-year-old Sammy who just had been told that the family will move away from London and to a new home. In Sammy’s eyes a bombshell went off at the breakfast table, and so the book starts with a scream and a big bang caused by slammed doors.

The story addresses the fear of changes, coming with the unfamiliar and its challenges.

It is Aunt Nova, a flamboyant Woman, who suddenly comes wading through the snow on this snowy December day to approach her godchild, while Sammy sits hidden under the old oak tree on the other side of the street, observing the movers. She is equipped with a blanket, a basket with goodies and the story of Maggy, called Mag.

Slowly she drags Sammy into Mag’s story, who is eight years old as well and has to move, too; later even to a foreign country, Canada – far away from grandparents and friends. By telling the story Nova provides a neutral and fearless platform on which Sammy can relate to Mag and face the fears. Adventure and fun are not held short.

Everything starts with a stubborn ‘No!’. Will it end with a convinced ‘Yes’?

For children between eight and up, and for those who are young at heart. Taking place in London, Dresden and British Columbia.

The book is available in hardcover (176 pages, including 43 illustrations) and in paperback (148 pages, with 3 illustrations). It’s also available in German.

It can be ordered directly by Tredition.de, in bookshops or online on Amazon.com.


The author is a mother of three, has a Masters degree in educational sciences, and lives and also works as a painter in Courtenay, BC. This is her first children’s book under the name Jordis Tumby, an open pseudonym.

November 2020 – Neil Garvie

Neil GarvieNeil Garvie – Mother Nature Eats Her Kind
Neil’s 2nd book of environmental poetry; published by Pod Creative

You are invited to a virtual launch — available now at garvie.ca — where you will hear selected readings by Neil and his wife, Carol. You can purchase a copy of Neil’s exciting new book at garvie.ca. Price $10.00. A portion of the proceeds from sales will go to support ALS of Canada.

October 2020 – Christine Dickinson

Step Into Wilderness
Deborah Griffiths, Christine Dickinson, Judy Hagen, Catherine Siba.
Harbour Publishing (2020)

The spectacular landscapes in and surrounding the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island have long shaped the lives of the valley’s diverse inhabitants. From expansive shorelines to snowy mountain peaks, the region contains a wide variety of attractions to lure people over their thresholds for sustenance, recreation and survival, including such landmarks as Forbidden Plateau, Paradise Meadows, Comox Glacier, Mt. Washington and Miracle Beach.

More than a volume of beautiful photos, this collection illustrates a community’s evolving relationship with the natural wonders surrounding it, as well as the emergence of outdoor exploration on Vancouver Island.

More than a volume of beautiful photos, this collection illustrates a community’s evolving relationship with the natural wonders surrounding it, as well as the emergence of outdoor exploration on Vancouver Island.

August 2020 – Ann Berens

Ann Berens – Letters of a Pioneer Oil Geologist: A True Life Story 1884-1978

A compilation of eloquent letters written by Ann’s father to his mother that covered his travels on four continents during his eventual career as a petroleum geologist. Included are memoirs of his childhood in England and his four years spent in South Africa – all part of an adventurous true life story.

Date: Friday. August 21, 2020
Time: 2 – 3:30 pm
Place: The Gardens at Anderton
Cost: A donation of $4.00 per person (at the entrance gate) is appreciated by this volunteer-run establishment.

Pre-signed books will be for sale for $20.00

Refreshments will be served (juice boxes and individually wrapped goodies)
COVID-19 precautions: Face masks and social distancing are advised. There is a limited number of people allowed in the garden at one time.