At 42 I left a corporate career to pursue my passion: telling stories of often overlooked or underrated individuals who, through their courage, heroism and conviction, deeply move and inspire us to be our best selves.  My first book, Into the Abyss, sold to Random House within two hours and has since become a national bestseller. Published in Canada, the United States, the UK, Brazil, Spain, and throughout the Spanish speaking world, Into the Abyss won the 2013 Edna Stabler National Award for Creative Nonfiction, and though previously under option for film, has recently become available.

My most recent book, The Marriott Cell,  co-written with award-winning Egyptian-Canadian journalist, Mohamed Fahmy, was described by The Globe & Mail as “urgent, wise, readable, and at times very moving.” Published by Random House Canada in November 2016, the book was long listed for the 2018 RBC Taylor Prize, selected as one of the Globe & Mail’s 100 Best Books of the Year, and received the 2016 Ontario Historical Society Huguenot Award.

Having worked as a journalist, I feel that if we pay close, honest attention to the people and events that intersect our lives, listen to one another generously, read widely, and think critically, we can find the answers to creating a better world; one without racism, poverty, violence, oppression or environmental degradation. Finally, I consider myself a humanist—someone who strives to live an ethical life guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and informed by knowledge and experience. The writing, teaching, and creative projects I undertake are driven by this philosophy and by my deep commitment to promote the greater good of humanity.

Knowing is not enough; we must apply
Willing is not enough; we must do
—Goethe

Into The Abyss

In the tradition of Into Thin Air & The Perfect Storm, Into the Abyss is a riveting tale of a deadly plane crash in Northern Canada and its aftermath.

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The MarriotT Cell

The Marriott Cell is the dramatic true account of one journalist's wrongful incarceration in an Egyptian prison and his inspiring fight for freedom.

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