Shirley Mackenzie – illustratör

The HIPPIES WHO MEANT IT takes readers through the life experiences of young people within the hippie / back-to-the-land culture. The story takes place in 1960s Nova Scotia, which like many other Canadian regions, attracted young Americans who chose to head north rather than go to Vietnam. The characters, after harrowing experiences in their own histories, come together to make a life for themselves. The characters seek escape, solace, self-discovery, personal growth, and new beginnings in which to make peace with their pasts, and find their place in life. This they must do against a backdrop of the Vietnam War, social change, survival and family issues, injustice and prejudice, the emotional impacts of war, and the burden of self-expectations. The characters evolve, heal, and navigate the joys and challenges of their new surroundings, facing love, death, fear, friendship, betrayal, and despair. The twists and turns of the main characters'' journeys are often unexpected, surprising and sometimes humorous as they weave toward an unconventional resolution.

Only three stones of power remain, and only the eight descendants of Zubin can wield them. Mairi, Trogen, and two of their cousins have the last four.

A ruthless and power-hungry man is intent on stealing the stones, murdering the three leaders of the fleet, and torturing the secrets of navigation from the next generation.

Grand master Astreya gives Mairi command of a ship with instructions to keep the younger members of his family far from danger.

Mairi must face political turmoil ashore, resolve conflicts with her twin brother Trogen, and lead her young crew through storms, dangerous passages, and battles at sea before she can discover the mysterious river of stones.

River of Stones begins 20 years after the end of The Astreya Trilogy. Mairi and Trogen, the twin daughter and son of Astreya and Lindey are 18, and have risen up the ranks to second mate.

Angel''s Share is a prequel to The Astreya Trilogy, as told to Astreya and Lindey after they make their home in Matris. Angel recounts how when he was a young able seaman aboard a three-masted schooner, a charismatic leader needed his help to transport five men, more than a dozen women and their children to an abandoned fort. They hoped to escape the breakdown of society by living in a community guided by faith, hope and loyalty. Among the children is a girl with sea-bright eyes, and her little sister. More than twenty years later, Angel returns in his own ship to find out how they all fared, triggering a spate of murderous violence that threatens to destroy the little community and Angel with it.

Ellie is a story about losing your way and finding it again. 

Ellie, the youngest navigator in the fleet, challenges the authority of her uncle Astreya, the Grand Commander. Only hours later, cannon shots cripple her boat, she falls overboard and is lost ashore. Ellie tries to return home to Matris, but unexpected friends and threatening foes intervene. As her uncle, sister, and cousins search for her, Ellie is forced to travel by foot, horseback, and land crawler to the Castle, where the Governor is fomenting war.