Stories

Imagine a reimagining and realignment of our North American countries. There are water and food shortages. Slaughtering livestock is banned. This topical and cautionary dystopian tale would sit on bookstore shelves alongside Michael Christie’s "Greenwood," Michelle Min Sterling’s "Camp Zero," and (dare I say?) Margaret Atwood’s "The Handmaid’s Tale."

Set in 2071, NAADIA takes place in an autocratic superstate that encompasses the former USA, Canada, and Mexico. NELL McFee and GABE Smith run a modest, state-subsidized ranch in the beautiful Rocky Mountain foothills, but live in uneasy peace. As extreme weather escalates and the rebel group FLOE (For the Good of Earth) gains momentum, Nell and Gabe only want to remain self-sustained, live under the radar, and have the one state-allowed child.

But when a local Water Police officer is found murdered with Nell’s stolen knife, she is falsely accused, captured, and whisked to The Barrens, a northern, female prison, where dissidents are experimented on by robots. Nell navigates prison life and risks escaping with an inmate FLOE group. Gabe, at the risk of losing Nell, the ranch, and everything, goes against his convictions and joins FLOE to help free Nell. Their storylines converge amidst a merciless superstorm and grassroots revolution, and the true murderer’s betrayal is beyond apology or Nell’s forgiveness.

NAADIA

A Novel

Off the Grid

A Novel

During the 2008-2009 U.S. Mortgage Crisis, HANNAH Wilcox becomes her family's breadwinner, working as a cashier at a local grocery store. When her boss sexually harasses her, Hannah’s husband SEAN wants revenge, but goes too far.

Running from the law, the family arrives at St. Louis’s tent city—a colourful, quirky, and diverse community, where Hannah meets a charming young man and a spiritual woman who supplants Hannah’s own boozy mother, ALICE—until they are forced to flee again. With their young boys, Hannah and Sean escape through back routes to Canada, where they live OFF THE GRID.

Tough and unapologetic, FBI Special Agent DIANE Taylor is a manhunt expert who follows the family’s trail. As Diane closes in on Hannah’s family, a hot tip comes in regarding the worst unsolved case of Diane’s career: the disappearance and presumed abduction of a little girl named Suzanna, now an adult.

North of the border, the family survives in the woods until they are exposed by an intruder. Again, Sean goes too far, killing the intruder. Hannah, not wanting Sean as an example for her sons, leaves with her children in tow while Diane is forced to grapple with a ghost from her cold case and the emotional bonds that might keep Suzanna stuck in the patterns of her past. But will she be able to help Hannah do the right thing and turn in Sean?