Halifax

Halifax, capital of Nova Scotia and home to six universities

and several bases of our Royal Canadian Navy, Air Force

and Army, gateway to the grand Atlantic. I love the city!

I did an interview with a great website: Haligonia.ca, which alerts

Haligonians to major events in the city. But they share a building

with a surf shop and a tattoo parlour!

First stop, at Bayers Lake Power Centre just outside the city,

I signed books at the enormous Chapters repository,

where The Deserter reposes in quantity.

I was accompanied by Nicholas Graham, who not only helps out

publishers, but ran bookshops in the city — so very

knowledgeable about the book business, he gave me a lot of tips.

The next day, another book signing and talk at the HMCS Wardroom,

a students’ bar and common room in the basement of Kings College,

which is also a part of Dalhousie University. During WWII, this was

a naval base, and they permitted the name to be carried on.

Here we were graced by the unexpected appearance of one

of North America’s foremost movie and TV performers, Leslie Hope,

and her fine Naval Captain father, Frank. Leslie was discovered by me

in Ups and Downs, in Victoria BC almost thirty years ago. She was a

brilliant student at St. Michael’s University School, where I shot that movie.

Her husband Adam Kane is directing and Exec Producing a TV series in

Montreal, where I shall soon be presenting my book.

Then of course I went sightseeing with the explorer cousin Ted:

we crossed the harbour to Dartmouth, and had a splendid lunch at

a harbour-side pub, and saw around the comprehensive Maritime Museum.