Staff Picks
At FriesenPress, we celebrate each and every book we help our authors publish. Here are some of our team’s recent favourites – happy reading!
Solidarity Forever
The Art and Soul of Stevie Van Zandt by
Robert Lawson
Solidarity Forever is the definitive account of the musical journey of the music legend of Disciples of Soul, Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, and anti-apartheid project Sun City fame, Little Steven Van Zandt. Following Van Zandt’s unforgettable sixty-year (and counting!) career from his beginnings with the Asbury Jukes and Springsteen to leading the Disciples of Soul, from touring, arranging, and producing timeless music to playing an onscreen gangster in The Sopranos and Lilyhammer, Solidarity Forever is packed with a level of detail that will impress devotees and enchant new fans. Every song, every album, every single, live shows; bootlegs, production credits, covers, activism—everything is covered here and presented alongside fascinating interviews of over forty past and present band members and Van Zandt himself. A stunning work of music journalism and love letter to rock ‘n’ roll, Solidarity Forever delivers Little Steven’s story and the timeless messages of his music like never before. “This is no time to be fighting each other What we need, what we need is solidarity.”
The Magic Hat
by
Donna Marie Seim
Meet Nisse Nils! A little Norwegian elf who is friends with all the animals. Nisse Nils has magic! He can speak with the animals and he can disappear in the wink of an eye! The animals on the farm come to him when they need help and he solves all their problems. But one day he loses his red hat to the wind. Sadly, he soon finds that without his hat he has lost his magic! His animal friends try to help him find his hat. The children on the farm try to help too, but so far nothing works. Will sad little Nisse Nils find his hat and get his magic back?
Not So Normal
Memoirs of a Gay Boomer From Wild Rose Country by
Tom Symington
Growing up in post-World War II Alberta in a stable, loving home, Tom Symington didn’t feel that he was “different.” Evading early pressures of romance and sexual exploration, repressing instances of name-calling (“femmy”), and hostility from schoolmates, Tom was almost able to believe in a world that valued the rights and freedoms of all citizens. From Calgary to Sierra Leone to France, this candid, heartbreaking memoir braids the evolution of gay rights in Canada with the life journey of one individual. Following high school, as Tom entered university and became a teacher, he was forced to reconcile his sexual orientation with the prevailing social and legal environment in Alberta, Canada, and the world beyond. As decades passed, “femmy” merged with “gay,” “queer,” and “LGBTQ+ community” in a rallying movement and an enduring struggle towards pride and self-acceptance against the current of societal expectations and discriminatory legislation. Not So Normal is as much a coming-of-age odyssey and a celebration of selfhood as it is a grave reminder that there is still much work to be done in the realm of human rights, and an urgent call to action to recentre love in our increasingly diverse and divisive world.
Your True Colours
Intentions and Reflections to Deepen Self-Awareness by
Sinead Moylett
An invitation to embrace your True Colours and begin your journey of healing and enlightenment. Designed as both a tool for yoga teachers and a daily guided mindfulness practice, True Colours offers readers the opportunity to set an Intention, engage with a Reflection, and journal about their experience, celebrating the beauty of their True Colours. Drawn from the author’s own experiences of growth and transformation, each offering is both personal and universal, highlighting our connectedness with all living beings. By creating and holding sacred space for internal work, these intentions and reflections encourage you to look at the parts of yourself that need healing and care, showing up without shame or judgement. Celebrate every day with a grateful heart. Cultivate your connection to social justice. Re-discover the value of stillness and self-love, and the power of each individual’s energy to change the world. A passionate offering of love, light, and reflection, Your True Colours: Intentions and Reflections to Deepen Self-Awareness offers a pathway to heightened spirituality, a greater sense of self-worth, and a joyful life.
From Daylight to Dark
Finding Work in an Inaccessible World by
Valerie D. Maidment
When Valerie Maidment was a baby, doctors diagnosed her with hydrocephalus, a condition that causes excess fluid to build in the brain. After the second surgery at age 9, she was declared healthy; she lived a happy, normal life, graduating from high school and college, having children, and buying and managing her own convenience store. Until one day, when everything changed. Fluid began to build once again in Valerie’s brain, causing immense pressure that—due to misdiagnosis on the part of multiple doctors—caused her optic nerves to break down. By the time the doctors realized what was happening, it was too late; Valerie was legally blind. She had to re-learn how to do everything, from folding laundry to using a computer to walking up and down the stairs of her own home. Eventually, she was forced to sell her business, leaving her wondering if she would ever work again. Through tragedy and triumph, Valerie persisted, never losing hope or courage as she navigated a world that is largely unprepared to accommodate people with disabilities. Told with remarkable heart, humour, and wisdom, From Daylight to Dark is above all a story of perseverance against great odds, offering important insight into the need for accessibility in the workforce for all Canadians.
The Queen of Swords
A Tarot Card Murder Mystery by
Connie L. Cook
When Jennifer’s best friend Deslyn vanishes after a date with an online stranger, her world is thrown into chaos. As a seasoned ER nurse, Jennifer thrives under pressure, but this time it’s personal—and she refuses to sit idly by. Meanwhile, Detective Joe Moretti from the Boston PD is hot on a similar case: three women dead, all linked through the same online dating site Deslyn was using before her disappearance. The trail has gone cold, until a chilling new discovery points north to Port Credit, Ontario, where a recent victim pulled from the lake matches the killer’s MO. But this time, there’s a twist: the victim is still alive. Arriving in Canada, Joe meets Jennifer, the ER nurse assigned to the latest victim. Sparks fly between the sharp-witted nurse and the determined detective, each holding pieces of a puzzle that could stop a killer. But Jennifer has a secret weapon—her mother Portia, the town witch and psychic, who might be able to tip the scales in their favor. In a race against time, they'll need every advantage they can get. As danger escalates, Jennifer and Joe must navigate a tangled web of deceit and trust, their quest symbolized by the tarot cards that guide their path. Can they expose the killer and locate Deslyn before it's too late? Will Portia’s magic help uncover the truth? Intuition meets investigation in this gripping thriller, where the power of the otherworldly may hold the key to solving the case and saving lives.
I Just Love You
by
B.B. and E.E.
Sometimes the greatest love stories are the ones you didn't see coming. The authors, both on their own at the time, rediscovered one another and fell in love. Each week, inspired by his love for her, he would write a love verse for them to share. Over time, she added some of her own. I Just Love You is a collection of some of those verses. They are meant for all those falling in love, for those already in love, and for those finding love in their later years. They know what the verses are saying . . . I Just Love You.
A Bear Named Cinnamon
by
Vanessa Schwabe
Cinnamon is not like other teddy bears. Thanks to an enchantress named Freya, Cinnamon can feel. Most of what she feels is wonder and curiosity about the world around her. But when she ventures out on her own into the enchanted forest, she finds herself feeling something else. Something like . . . loneliness. From the enchanted forest to a village toy store, Cinnamon finds herself hoping and waiting for a friend—someone to love her and take her home. Someone to go on adventures with. Someone to teach her what it is to feel joy. And just when Cinnamon is about to give up hope, a woman named Eileen walks into the toy store. Cinnamon’s life is about to change. Inspired by true events, A Bear Named Cinnamon tells a heartwarming tale of discovery and friendship and imparts an important message: Sometimes dreams seem out of reach, but with patience, kindness, and a little magic, they might just come true.