mamook tzum pepah : making written paper
My books are my curriculum vitae. I write when I have something to say, and anything I have to say is in the books. Mostly I write to illuminate forgotten corners of the past.
A few books are listed below. Most Canadian libraries offer print editions of these books, and bookstores sell them or take special orders. One of my favourite stores is Tanner’s Books in Sidney, British Columbia: https://www.tannersbooks.com.
Digital editions are available online; click on the covers.
Shadow Matter
2023, Tyche Books
The war is lost. Seren Qasri is on her way home, her memories of the final days of the war a disturbing blur. Her occupied homeworld of Claer is in ruins, her mother is missing, and her lost love Teak Kuhan survives only as an avatar. All Seren knows for certain is that she must report in with her data—information that could force a renegotiation of the peace treaty and free her homeworld.
But Seren’s commanding officers aren’t the only ones who want that data or knowledge
of the events buried in her memory. Pursued by ruthless killers, Seren doesn’t know who
she can trust.
As her memories of a diplomatic courier’s murder return in fragments, Seren strikes a
truce with Tas Damou, the freelance who once betrayed her. They detest each other, but
only Damou can help Seren stay alive long enough to carry out her task … and prevent
another war from engulfing human space.
A future recasting of the Orpheus and Eurydike myth that weaves together love, loyalty, and the restorative power of art.
“Exhilarating . . . Each page is a gift.” – The BC Review
Awen
1997, Eastern Washington University Press
2020, Holdfast Books
Inspired by the ninth-century Welsh poetry cycle Canu Heledd (the Heledd poetry), Awen draws on three enigmas of early medieval Wales: the inscription on a ruined memorial stone, the monumental earthwork that marked the border between early Welsh and English kingdoms, and the unnamed poet of Canu Heledd.
One woman alone, a homeless wanderer shocked by grief, survived the destruction of her family and her kingdom of Powys. Her name was Heledd. One poet made her the voice and conscience of his own devastated Powys generations later. His purpose and identity remain unknown. Only fragments of the poetry cycle still exist to suggest what happened on the Welsh border in the seventh and eighth centuries.
This novel tells of a fragile peace between enemies. It is the story of Cynfarch’s journey from dispossessed hostage to king’s poet, his obsession with a lost kinswoman, his hard exile and the betrayals that ended peace forever.
Awen reconstructs the shattered portrait of a complex, brilliant culture long since swept away on the flood of history.
Awards: Shortlisted in manuscript for Bodley Head (Georgette Heyer) Historical Fiction Prize, UK.
“Mayse writes with poetic grace… ” The Globe and Mail
Ginger: The Life and Death of Albert Goodwin
1990, 2020, Harbour Publishing
A historical biography of socialist labour organizer Albert “Ginger” Goodwin, shot in 1918 by Canada’s Dominion Police in the Vancouver Island wilderness near Cumberland, Ginger is an attempt to bridge the gaps between local tradition, archival documents and important oral history recorded by Ruth Masters of Courtenay. Goodwin’s death sparked Canada’s first general strike, and his memory is alive and well in the former island coal town of Cumberland.
Awards: Arthur Ellis Award for True Crime Writing, Crime Writers of Canada.; Edna Staebler Award for Creative Nonfiction.
“Cuts through the loose ends, the doubletalk, the faded memories, the lies and the lack of documentation, to weave a tale that is both compelling and poignant.” – Vancouver Sun
Merlin’s Web
1987, Irwin Publishing, Beech Tree Books, Seal Books, Avon Books
A political thriller, Merlin’s Web addresses questions of internal colonialism, popular direct action and state terrorism in a fictional 1980s Wales in which Welsh radicals kidnap a member of the Royal Family.
Awards: Arthur Ellis First Novel Award, runner-up, Crime Writers of Canada.
“A writer of astonishing grace and control.” – Maclean’s Magazine
Other books, articles and plays (1980 to 2010) written on commission.