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CookeMcDermid

@cookemcdermid

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Literary Agency representing literary and commercial fiction, narrative-driven nonfiction, middle grade and YA.

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I've not had a chance to post in recent days, but I'm off to Calgary to join @wordfest for the weekend, and I'm very fired up to be in the Crime Noir panel with Don Gillmor and Alex Spring (aka Jared Bland).

It's FREE at 10am on Saturday, October 17th, over at the Memorial Park Library, and the event is at capacity right now. So make sure to grab up one of the last tickets and check it out...

I'll be festing around for the weekend otherwise, so, if you're at Wordfest feel free to yell hilarious insults at me from afar or even just say hey. Looking forward to seeing you all out there...

Link here and in bio:
https://wordfest.com/2026/show/crime-noir-with-don-gillmor-kevin-hardcastle-alex-spring/

#AmReading #Calgary #CanLit #Bookstagram

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COVER REVEAL ✨ My memoir is available to preorder!Comment “MEMOIR” and I’ll send you the link, plus an exclusive first look at the chapter “Catalyst” as a thank-you ⬇️

‘If I Had Known Then: A Memoir of Sexual Assault, Hope and My Battle to Reimagine Justice’ comes out on February 9th, 2027. This is the culmination of four years of writing, ten years of advocacy and countless years of dreaming. I’m so excited and honoured to share it with you 🥹😭

From the publisher: “A survivor of sexual violence advocates for ending harm rather than merely transferring it in this unapologetically frank and astonishingly optimistic memoir. If I Had Known Then provides a window into life after trauma and the harmful realities of criminal ‘justice,’ presenting an undeniably compelling case for why alternatives to the punitive approach are absolutely needed. A story full of hope and embodied resilience that offers a clear way forward, Marlee invites us all to believe in transformation and to courageously advocate for what we need—even when those needs oppose dominant systems.”

Preorders help shape how far a book can reach. Thank you for supporting this one, for uplifting survivor stories, and for being part of the movement to bridge healing with justice!

Thank you to my publisher @penguincanada and my literary agency @cookemcdermid 🩵🦋

#reimaginejustice #survivorstories #restorativejustice #healingtrauma #memoir

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The magical @emwritersfestival is tomorrow, friends! And you can find me there at 2pm in the Family Secrets panel at The Meadow with mega-authors @amandapetersauthor and Wayne Johnston!

It'll be an awesome day out for all book-lovers, and a perfect backdrop for such tales. Grab your tickets here and join us at the fest.

https://edenmillswritersfestival.ca/festival-sunday-schedule/#secrets

#AmReading #CanLit #EdenMills #Bookstagram

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Thank you to the Canadian Jewish Literary Awards for naming Other Evolutions their 2026 Fiction winner!

Very grateful and honoured to be recognized this way!

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Other Evolutions has been nominated for an Ottawa Book Award! 🏆

Thank you to the jury and congrats to my fellow nominees!

Full finalists here:

https://ottawa.ca/en/arts-heritage-and-events/professional-cultural-awards-and-programs/ottawa-book-awards/2026-finalists

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Happy publication day to my friend @louisbusch2 and CARRY YOUR HEART, out now with @simonschusterca

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What if healing begins not by setting down our pain, but by learning to carry it with compassion?

Drawing on Cree worldview, teachings from Indigenous Knowledge Holders across Turtle Island, and more than two decades of clinical experience, Louis Busch’s CARRY YOUR HEART offers an accessible and hopeful path toward resilience, connection, and lasting well-being.

CARRY YOUR HEART is ON SALE NOW. 💜 #Bookstagram #IndigenousAuthors #IndigenousBooks

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@printersrowfest is done and Chicago owes me nothing… but it never does. But thanks to @amybdanger and the team for bringing me out, and to Ed and @evanfmoore_ for sharing the stage with me to talk South Side specifics for an audience that gets it.

Overall… from the panel to the volunteers to the chocolate chip cookies in the green room, the experience surpassed my expectation, and I couldn’t have dreamed of a better way to cap Homecoming Week for #MyFightingFamily

Huge shouts out to @sandmeyers_books, who were absolute pros in the buy-and-sign tent, and to @yogimarquis and @drkerrihartwork for coming thru to support another mid-1990s vintage Black Cat.

And to Chicago… I’ll be back… sooner than you think

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For those of you who f**ckin' love screens and such, or at least screens that are good to read on, the e-book version of COUNTY ROAD SIX (@doubledayca) is now on a mega-sale for a bit at KOBO, Amazon, and all kinds of places where you buy such things.

If you haven't had the chance to buy a hardcopy yet (which you should if you can and I'll sign it if you ever see me, and even draw a picture of a giant sloth burning down mar-a-lago, or something cool), then you can grab a copy for your e-reader here. Or, if you are out in the country and want rural chaos with feelings and art and such for company, this is a great time to snag the novel.

Otherwise, more soon about upcoming events around the land. And thanks to you all for reading! Keep the dream alive... 📚🦄

#AmReading #CanLit #Rural #Bookstagram

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Sebastian's Non-Fiction Debut is coming in 2027!

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It. Is. Happening.
Honoured to have Happy Enough as one of Random House Canada’s “highly anticipated releases for Winter 2027”.

Crazy to think that booksellers and reviewers will get their hands on a copy in a few months.

Could not be more excited for what’s to come!

📕Happy Enough Feb 2027

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Don’t Call it A Book Tour… just consult the calendar, because I’ll be a travelling man these next few weeks. Toronto —> North Buxton —> Chicago, meeting new readers and old friends, talking #MyFightingFamily and more.

As always, if you can read this post you’re invited. And if you’re within driving distance of Toronto, North Buxton or Chicago, I look forward to seeing you and signing your copy of my book.

#BlackAuthors #bookstagram

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