A Decade of Writing Books

My first book, a memoir titled Dafydd, was written in response to my grandchildren asking me what it was like when I was a little boy. I enjoyed the idea of sharing my memories and the process of writing so much, that I then wrote Too Cold for Mermaids, a non-fiction account of cruising the Atlantic coasts and inland waterways of the US and Canada.

Then, I gathered all that I could find of the poems I'd written over my lifetime and submitted them to my publisher, Rock's Mills Press, along with footnotes regarding each work's inspiration and meaning. The book is titled, Footnotes.

If I am to be remembered as an author, it will be for my fourth book, a creative non-fiction account of a WWI war-bride, titled Alice and the Machine Gunner.

My first work of fiction, Shadows and Reflections, is a collection of six short stories based on shadows of my past and reflections of my life.

138 copies of Dafydd and 132 copies of Too Cold for Mermaids are now in circulation, along with 65 Footnotes and 135 copies of Alice and the Machine Gunner. Only 34 copies of Shadows and Reflections have been sold to date, but I am honoured that 504 readers now have one my books on their shelves.

There is a very limited market in Canada, a lot of domestic and foreign competition, and marketing is expensive. I'm lucky to have a publisher who fully funds the production and distribution of my books though royalties are rather modest. Still, I'm happy to have reached so many readers, and I'm currently working on yet another book.

I'm a little obsessed with the history of 'ordinary' people, so one of the things I tell my audiences when I do presentations is that every time the lid of a coffin is closed, a story is lost forever.

The highlight of my writing career came just five days ago, when I was notified that Alice and the Machine Gunner is one of four books nominated for the Hamilton Arts Council Literary Award (non-fiction). It's a local award, but I'm very honoured to have my work acknowledged.

I don't expect my writing to bring me fame or wealth, I just hope to share my stories and entertain. If you've read one of my books, I'd be very grateful if you'd take a moment to rate it or write a review on Goodreads, Amazon or the literary website of your choice. It will help me reach more readers, and I would really appreciate your feedback. I hope you'll check out my website at www.davidjforsyth.com.