November 1 is National Author’s Day. Throughout November 2023, join us in celebrating these talented Mohawk Alumni who have published a variety of works from fiction and non-fiction books to academic papers to sheet music.
Ghada Abdou
Social Service Worker, 2020
The Thoughts of Trauma (2022)
Becoming an author: In 2022, I published this book as my friend had shared that he loved my writing, and the world should see it. He pushed me to compile it into a book and the rest is history!! I had never published anything before this
Fred Addis
Community School Workers Training Program, 1973
Gallinger: A Life Suspended (2023)
Becoming an author: I have been organizing and hosting writers’ events since 2001. First, at the Leacock Museum National Historic Site and after my retirement in 2016, I have been producing the annual GATHERING: Festival of First Nations Stories in association with Arts Orillia and the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. During COVID I put my head down and produced a manuscript based on a longtime subject of interest. I have also served as President of the Society for International Hockey Research and am active in the community with the Mariposa Folk Festival and the Orillia and Area Community Development Corporation.
Karim Baratov
Insurance, 2023
Disconnected: A memoir of the Yahoo hacker (2023)
Becoming an author: I started hacking when I turned 13, a career of crime that saw me drive all my dream cars such as Lamborghinis and Porsches. I rocked in expensive clothes and bought a house for myself and my parents, in my teenage years. I lived what many perceived as a "dream life." However, my career was cut short at its peak in 2017 when I was arrested and charged with crimes relating to the Yahoo hack from 2014. I am now free after spending five years behind bars, and my book details my journey to the experiences of my life prior to prison and inside. The memoir is divided into four main parts, each detailing the events in my life at that particular time and setting; a chance for me to reveal what really happened. I decided to write my book when I realized that I had a unique story to tell which people can use as a learning experience.
Purchase Disconnected: A Memoir of the Yahoo Hacker.
Caralee Bolton
Registered Nurse, 1997
Registered Nurse OR, 2008
Registered Nurse First Assistant, 2017
"Is Topical Vancomycin an Option? A Randomized Controlled Trial to Determine the Safety of the Topical Use of Vancomycin Powder in Preventing Postoperative Infections in the Total Knee Arthroplasty as Compared With Standard Postoperative Antibiotics" (The Journal of Arthroplasty Volume 38, Number 8, August 2023)
Becoming an author: I've been involved with research since 2014 alongside Dr. Michael Woolfrey Orthopedic Surgeon at the Brant Community Healthcare System. I'm a registered nurse first assistant, working in the operating room in orthopedics at the Brant Community Healthcare System.
Lee-Ann Brodeur
Applied Music, 2001
Fundraising Development Associate, 2008
Snowbound in Winterberry Falls (2020)
Becoming an author: I've always wanted to be a writer, but it wasn't until my English teacher at Mohawk (Dale) asked me if I've ever thought of writing a book (specifically a Harlequin book) that I started thinking, "someday". After college, I started working in non-profits writing grant proposals and newsletter articles, but it wasn't until much later I wrote my first novel. In 2018, I entered the Harlequin Romance Blitz. An editor was interested in the full manuscript, but ultimately passed. However, her constructive criticism was the encouragement I needed to continue to write novels. Now, I have an agent and two books under consideration with major publishing houses in the CBA market. I have plans to indie-publish as well.
Glen Brown
Applied Music, 1984
Published three editions of Hamilton Musicians Annual called Greater Hamilton Musician. 2014-2016.
Becoming an author: My work as a teacher involved writing; I wrote grants during my teaching time, published contents for school websites, and continued to explore my own love for supporting the local music and arts sector by writing. I continue to work as a grant writer and online publisher of digital news.
Publications out of print but you can see Glen’s other work at Hamilton Musician
Patrick Clark
Applied Music Preparatory, 2013
Porters (2021)
Becoming an author: I decided I wanted to publish this novel idea in 2019 after getting some very positive feedback from the industry on the first draft. (Including interest in developing a TV Series based on it.) It was published through crowd funding and during the time of its campaign was the #2 ranked novel in Canada on Kickstarter. The campaign doubled its funding goal and sold copies across the world.
Anthony Frisina
Enterprise Business, 2002
Office Administration Executive, 2003
Office Administration, General. 2005
Above & Beyond (2018)
Becoming an author: I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be a published author, I started writing paragraphs about key moments in my life that I initially never intended to publish, cue Mohawk College and their TV Broadcasting Program, I learned of a show on Cable 14, entitled "The Showcase" I was awarded a pilot, then a show, going on my 5th season beginning October 2nd 2023 at 9pm on Cable 14 and www.cable14.com
Jordan Grupe
Personal Support Worker, 2015
Registered Practical Nurse, 2017
Beneath the Asylum (2020)
No Sleep Tonight: Scary Short Stories (2021)
Escape from the Asylum (2022)
Becoming an author: Around the start of the pandemic, I began writing and posting horror stories online. They received a lot of attention from podcasts and YouTube channels, eventually garnering interest with local publisher Manor House. I've had three books published and I'm very proud of all three!
John Harvey
Architectural Technology, 1988
Various short books (2007 – 2011)
Becoming an author: When a professor suggested it after I attended a Humber Comedy Workshop.
Arno Ilic
Industrial Management Technology, 1973,
The World According to AI (2023)
Becoming an author: I used to write little notes in my wife's lunch bag. At some point, I decided to collect them and put them into a book. That was published some years ago and is also available on Amazon. When I was a student at Mohawk, I had an English teacher (sorry, I can't remember his name) who encouraged me to write as he thought I had potential. I lacked the confidence to write, so it lay dormant for many decades. On Amazon, I was answering a lot of questions on different topics. I decided that I should write a book explaining how artificial intelligence works in our minds, as the brain is simply a computerized AI that has us convinced that we are in control of our lives. So, if that is correct, why are people's lives not working? The book explores possibilities.
Purchase The World According to AI.
Gaynor Jones
Office Administration - Executive, 1994,
Rose's Tale: The Strap - The Wooden Compass - The Endless Abuse at School (2020)
Gabby's Journey: The Making of a Canadian Air Cadet Pilot (2021)
Reese and Marble (2022)
Becoming an author: Born near Liverpool, England, I moved to Canada as a young child. My work history includes office admin jobs, and I went back to college in 2016 to get my diploma as a law clerk, in which I achieved honours. Two months prior to graduating, I lost my father. My mother's health took a bad turn, and I have been looking after her ever since. I have two books I have written, Rose's Tale: The Wooden Compass, The Strap-The Neverending Abuse at School (her story of abuse by her teachers in England), and Gabby's Journey-The Making of a Canadian Air Cadet Pilot. Gabby's journey is based on the adventures of my daughter Abby in the cadet program. My hopes and dreams are that other youth will read the book and join the program themselves. My latest book, Reese and Marble, is about the life of my guinea pigs, and how they impacted our lives. It originally started out to be part of a collection of stories, but eventually ended up being printed as its own book.
Learn more about Gaynor’s books.
Jeffrey Luscombe
Computer Systems Technology, 1992
Shirts and Skins (2022)
To Refrain From Embracing (2023)
Becoming an author: I worked 10 years as a computer engineer and then went to the University of Toronto for my BA and MA. I was given a PhD placement at McGill but chose to go to the Humber School for Writers and try writing myself. (I always wanted too!)
Shantel Maloney
Civil Engineering Technology, 2016
Anthropology of the Unsuccessful (2023)
Becoming an author: I realized that writing material and editing wasn't the difficult part - the challenging part was stepping outside my comfort zone to accomplish the administrative segments of publishing and trusting a stranger [my illustrator] with my vision. Those two concepts made the process longer than I expected; however, I realized that much of the prolonged decision making and fine tuning was solely because of my own insecurities, of which I had to overcome.
I am proud of what I've accomplished, and grateful for the overwhelming reviews (of which I'm still struggling to embrace), and now I am tackling the current challenge of extended marketing for my book - a challenge of which I'm excited to conquer as well.
Linda Marshall
Early Childhood Education, 1982
Giving Back, How To Find Your Personal Joy and Make a Difference to Others (2015)
The Power of Emotion, A Practical Guide to Making The Most Of Your Emotional Intelligence (2021)
Becoming an author: After my retirement from a 32-year career at Mohawk College, I had the tools and experience to start a new career and open new doors. My first book was one of self-discovery, which led me to my second book focusing on a new path to the work I do today. Currently, I’m working on my third book.
Kevin Matthews
Applied Music, 2006
I arrange and publish sheet music and sell on a global scale. I have created an online PDF shop selling licensed pdf arrangements for immediate download. All work is licensed with Universal Music, SONY/ATV, Warner Chappell etc. I created arrangements back in college and then had the opportunity to perform around the world full time in the cruise industry for 12 years. I decided to come back home around 2020 and pursue music publishing and licensing full time.
Brian McAndrew
Communication Arts: Journalism, 1975
Soft Target: How the Indian Intelligence Service Penetrated Canada (1989; 2005)
Niagara Parks Butterflies (2000)
Becoming an author: After spending an entire year devoted to covering the Air India disaster for the Toronto Star, it was a natural progression to producing a book about the tragedy.
Ellen McDonald
Nursing – Chedoke, 1985
Published in scientific medical journals
Becoming an author: I’ve worked with leaders in medical science.
Robin McKee
Television Arts, 1980
Gone But Not Forgotten (2021 – 2023)
Vol. 1: War of 1812 tour, the Disaster Tour, and the Firefighters Tour (2021)
Vol. 2: Women's Tour, the Masonic Tour, and Hamilton First Tour (2022)
Vol. 3: Art Crawl Tour and the Past Mayors Tour (2023)
Vo.l 4: Power of the City Tour and the American Civil War Tour (2023)
Viewpoints:Perceptions of a Visually Impaired Photographer (2020)
Becoming an author: I have now written and published 4 Volumes of walking tour books of the Hamilton Cemetery. I have also been a contributing author to 13 other historical books. I have a wealth of information from the tours I have led, so I decided to create self-walking tours of the cemetery. Each volume has the themes of the tours, photos of the stone you are looking for, a route to follow and a map so you can't get lost. For my fifth book, after three strokes that took away most of my eyesight, I decided to take photos to show people a disability can be overcome.
How to purchase: At the Hamilton Cemetery, 777 York Blvd, on Saturdays at 11 am, when Robin hosts historical cemetery tours.
Mary-Frances Raso
Teaching the Adult Learner, 2016
I’m Still Me - A Glimpse into Autism (2017)
Bully, Bully, Go Away! (2021)
Becoming an author: I fell in love with children’s literature while studying at Brock University. Since then, I have focused my attention on creating awareness about big topics for little readers, one book at a time! With my first book, I self-published online via blurb.com. With my second book, I worked with a Canadian publisher, Tellwell.
Michelle Sherren
Perioperative Nursing, 2023
“The Continuous Fragility Index of Statistically Significant Findings in Randomized Controlled Trials That Compare Interventions for Anterior Shoulder Instability” (American Journal of Sports, 2023)
Becoming an author: I was always very interested in research courses from undergrad. While in my perioperative nursing postgrad program, I met a lot of distinguished researchers at my placement site. I networked, offered my interest and haven’t looked back since!
Ellen Smith
Early Childhood Educaton, 1983
The Tale of Nick the Chick and Chuck the Duck (2022)
Becoming an author: As an early childhood educator and later an educational assistant, I often wrote little stories for young children. This book has an important theme of friendship, inclusivity and helping one another. My awesome illustrator is a friend who was able to put on paper exactly what the story line needed. I researched ways to be published and felt that BookBaby, from New Jersey, offered what I was looking for.
Debbie Volf
Office Administration Executive, 2007
Her Forgotten Life (Elsa's Story), (2016)
Her Sister's Fate (Greta's Story), (2018)
Her Friend's Secret (Petra's Story), (2022)
Becoming an author: Writing is something I have always wanted to do, and taking early retirement provided me the opportunity to begin my journey. It started more as a hobby, so the traditional publishing route wasn't something I considered. After much research, I chose to self-publish my work. Although there is a steep learning curve that is constantly changing, this allows me the freedom to write what I enjoy without the added stress of deadlines, while still retaining ownership and control of my stories.
