9781894898942
6 x 9 x .25 in
240 pages
$19.95
Available

Where There's Food, There's Firefighters
More Surefire Recipes to Feed Your Crew
By Jeff Derraugh

In a follow-up to his bestselling Fire Hall Cooking with Jeff the Chef, Jeff Derraugh, a 20-year veteran firefighter, offers over 150 delectable, affordable and easy-to-make recipes straight from the fire hall kitchens. Written in a relaxed, conversational style, this eclectic collection of recipes for any time of day and any kind of food craving makes for both entertaining reading and great cooking. With new, funky recipes such as “Breakfast Lasagna” and “Fallin’ Off the Bone Already Ribs,” “Asian Orange Asparagus” and “Firehouse Jambalaya,” clearly decadence hath no bounds. Amusing anecdotes that reflect the unique camaraderie of fire hall life accompany the recipes. As January Magazine said in its review of Jeff’s debut cookbook: “He knows from feeding hungry guys, he is concerned about health, he likes variety. And additionally, he’s funny and he can write. This is a fun cookbook with lots of easy-to-follow recipes featuring the type of food most families will enjoy.”

The tradition continues with Where There’s Food, There’s Firefighters. So come on—the dinner bell’s ringing; it’s time to fire up your kitchen!

Jeff Derraugh is a dedicated firefighter who has also enjoyed a wide variety of writing experiences. He has been a morning-show radio personality, award-winning commercial writer and host of a nationally syndicated radio comedy program. He is a columnist for Fire Hall Magazine and is the co-creator of a fire-safety video game for children and the website www.stayingalive.ca. You can find Jeff online at www.jeffthechef.ca.

9781894898911
10.125 x 9.375 x .25 in
160 pages
$44.95
Available

Inside Chinatown
Ancient Culture in a New World
By Robert Amos and Kileasa Wong

Victoria’s Chinatown is Canada’s oldest Chinese neighbourhood and has a lineage unbroken since 1858. With large-format colour photos and photocollages, Robert Amos and Kileasa Wong take you behind the doors of the 29 private clubs that make up the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association. You’ll see the gilded altars, antique art and ornate furniture that grace these meeting halls. Through stunning pictures and text in both Chinese and English, you will meet the club members and take an inside look at the culture of this complex community. Inside Chinatown is sure to become a landmark publication chronicling the vibrant heritage of Chinese Canadians.

Robert Amos is a full-time artist who began painting professionally in 1980; a five-part panorama of Chinatown’s Fisgard Street was the centrepiece of his first exhibition. He is the author of Artists in Their Studios: Where Art is Born (TouchWood Editions). Since 1986, Robert has been the art writer for the Victoria Times Colonist newspaper and his drawings of Victoria’s Chinatown have appeared on almost every issue of the Victoria Chinatown Newsletter. Robert lives in Victoria, BC.

Kileasa Wong was born Wu Chewan in Hong Kong, the daughter of a family from Chaozhou in the northeast corner of Guangdong Province. She moved to Canada with her husband in 1974 and is now the secretary of Victoria's Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and the editor of the Victoria Chinatown Newsletter. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a master's degree in education from the University of Victoria, and is the foremost teacher of traditional Chinese painting in Victoria. She is also the principal of the Chinese Public School on Fisgard Street. Kileasa lives in Victoria, BC.

9781894898935
5.5 x 7.5 x .25 in
288 pages
$19.95
Available

The Chief Factor's Daughter
By Vanessa Winn

Chief factor: In the Hudson’s Bay Company fur-trade monopoly, the title of chief factor was the highest rank given to commissioned officers, who were responsible for a major trading post and its surrounding district.

Colonial Victoria in 1858 is an unruly mix of rowdy gold seekers and hustling immigrants caught in the upheaval of the fur trade giving way to the gold rush. Chief Factor John Work, an elite of the Hudson’s Bay Company fur trade and husband to a country-born wife, forbids his daughters to go into the formerly quiet Fort Victoria, to protect them from its burgeoning transient population. Margaret, the eldest daughter, chafes at her father’s restrictions and worries that, at 23, she is fated to be a spinster. Born of a British father and Métis mother, Margaret and her sisters belong to the upper class of the fur-trade community, though they become targets of snobbery and racism from the new settlers. But dashing naval officers and Royal Engineers still host parties and balls, and Margaret and her sisters attend, dressed in the fashionable gowns they order from England. As happens the world over, these cultural tensions lead to love and romance. 

An elegant recreation of real events and people, The Chief Factor’s Daughter takes readers inside a now-vanished society, just as Pride and Prejudice does. Margaret Work, with her aspirations, hopes and dreams, is a recognizable and thoroughly appealing heroine.

Vanessa Winn’s non-fiction has appeared in Monday Magazine and her poetry has been published in Quill’s Canadian Poetry Magazine and Island Writer Magazine. She has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in English from the University of Victoria. Beyond her love of the written word, Vanessa finds inspiration in music and dance and currently teaches Argentine tango. Born in England, Vanessa now lives in Victoria, BC, with her two daughters. The Chief Factor’s Daughter is her first novel.

9781894898997
5.5 x 7.5 x .25 in
240 pages
$18.95
Available

The Journey
The Overlanders' Quest for Gold
By Bill Gallaher

Bill Gallaher’s bestselling novel The Journey follows a group of three adventurous Overlanders—two young men and one remarkable woman—as they travel west in 1862, from the Manitoba prairies to the goldfields of the Cariboo.

With his gift for storytelling, Gallaher brings this intriguing era to the page as he vividly recounts the overland trek of the spirited Catherine Schubert, who made the trip in an undetected state of pregnancy; James Sellar, a combative young man of rigid determination; and Thomas McMicking, the visionary captain of the often unruly company.

Reprinted with an appealing new look, this popular novel is an engaging and moving tribute to a band of heroic pioneers.

“Rich in detail . . . A highly readable account of one of the most interesting, and most important, chapters in BC’s history.”—Times Colonist

“A captivating account of memorable heroic characters . . . a polished historical reconstruction.”—Kamloops Daily News

Bill Gallaher is the bestselling author of a number of books that feature Canadian historical figures, including The Promise: Love, Loyalty & the Lure of Gold; A Man Called Moses: The Curious Life of Wellington Delaney Moses; Deadly Innocent: Trouble on the Gold Trail; and The Frog Lake Massacre. Gallaher has worked as an air-traffic controller and taught social studies. He is also a well-known singer/songwriter, has co-produced cassettes and CDs, and performs his music frequently. Bill and his family live in Victoria, B.C.

Gardening
978-1-894898-82-9
6 x 8, 192 pages
full colour throughout
$24.95, softcover
Available

Blue Heaven
Encounters with the Blue Poppy
By Bill Terry

"With wit and erudition, author Bill Terry examines the world of the fabled Himalayan Blue Poppy and its relatives. Ranging from the slopes of the high Himalayas through the gardens of contemporary poppy lovers, Terry-himself an accomplished Meconopsis grower-also provides clear guidelines for the successful cultivation and propagation of these notoriously temperamental beauties. But buyer beware! Meconopsis obsession may ensue."
- Des Kennedy, author of An Ecology of Enchantment: A Year in the Life of a Garden

Blue Heaven: Encounters with the Blue Poppy tells the story of the enchanting Himalayan Blue Poppy. It begins in 1924 in Tibet, where the renowned plant explorer Frank Kingdon-Ward came upon "a stream of blue poppies, dazzling as sapphires in the pale light." Soon the blue poppy was introduced to cultivation and proved challenging, stubborn, even believed to be impossible to grow.
In Blue Heaven, Bill Terry-a leading North American authority on Asiatic poppies-debunks this myth, relating his own encounters with the blue poppy and showing how, given a suitable climate, a patient and persistent gardener can raise this most alluring of perennial plants. Gorgeous photographs accompany the text throughout, leading to a visually stunning collection of images and stories, illuminating this rare and precious flower.

"An irresistible book. Bill Terry's ardent account of the fabled Blue Poppy is elegant, humorous, and bracingly practical-a master class in gardening, the record of a 40-year passion, a chronicle of other gardeners and plant hunters equally possessed. Author and subject are a match made in heaven. I loved the book all the way to the end."
-Elizabeth Hay, author of Late Nights on Air, winner of the 2007 Scotia Bank Giller Prize

Bill Terry is a retired CBC executive. His broadcast career spanned 35 years and encompassed 13 jobs in radio and television production and management in four Canadian cities. Since 1994, he has lived on the BC Sunshine Coast, with his wife, Rosemary, pursuing a life-long ambition to create the perfect garden. His collection of Asiatic poppies is the most diverse in North America. Please visit www.meconopsis.ca.

Canadian History / Biography
978-1-894898-87-4
6 x 9, 256 pages
b/w photos throughout
$18.95, softcover
Available

Bright Seas, Pioneer Spirits
A History of the Sunshine Coast
By Betty Keller and Rosella Leslie

"For the people who live on the Sunshine Coast, and for the people who are thinking about coming here, this book is invaluable."
-Going Coastal Magazine

For well over a century, the bright seas of the Sunshine Coast have been attracting visitors to the waterfront resorts, fishing lodges and beaches that rest between Howe Sound and the spectacular Princess Louisa Inlet. But these coastal hotspots and communities were settled by a few courageous and daring pioneers whose names are still familiar today: Gibsons, Roberts, Whitaker, Donley, Silvey, Griffiths.

Bright Seas, Pioneer Spirits tells the stories of the homesteaders, loggers, prospectors and fishermen who carved out a living on the treacherous mountainside that rises straight out of the inlets. These men and women came with nothing in their pockets and founded logging empires, shingle mills and sawmills, launched fish canneries, a glue factory and even a well-known jam factory, and scaled the mountainsides to start copper and gold mines. They travelled and traded by boat, long before coastal roads were built in the 1950s, and their pioneering spirits still ride the bright seas of the Sunshine Coast today.

Betty Keller has lived in Vancouver, BC's Fraser Valley, the Okanagan and Kootenay areas, as well as in Nigeria. She has taught at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia and was a founding member of the SunCoast Writers Forge, The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts and the Sunshine Coast Writers-in- Residence Program. Author of several books of non-fiction and fiction, Betty has been the recipient of a number of awards, including The Lescarbot Award (1991), the Talewind Books Award (1996) and The Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal (2002). Please visit www.quintessentialwriters.com.

Rosella Leslie was born in Alberta and began writing when she moved to a small floathouse on an inlet 25 miles north of Sechelt, BC. Her feature articles and short fiction have appeared in local and national magazines and she is the author of several books. A founding member of the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts and the SunCoast Writers Forge, she continues to be involved with community leadership. In 2002, she was awarded the BC Confederation of Parent Advistory Councils' George Matthews Award for Excellence in Parent Leadership. Please visit www.quintessentialwriters.com.

History / Biography
978-1-894898-86-7
6 x 9, 288 pages
b/w photos throughout
$19.95, softcover
Available

The Dangerous River
Adventure on the Nahanni
By R.M. Patterson

"A truly enchanting book." -The New Yorker

"The excitement, anxiety and hardships are slipped naturally into a story which conjures up pictures with the effortlessness of good and restrained writing."
-The Times, London

R.M. Patterson's bestselling book The Dangerous River is back in print in its unabridged version and ready to take readers down the treacherous and challenging waters of the Nahanni River once again. Written with Patterson's characteristic sharp wit and observation, The Dangerous River chronicles the year he spent battling the temperatures and wild waters as he canoed down the Nahanni in 1927. Patterson originally travelled to Canada's Northwest Territories with hopes of finding gold in the river and clues to the mysterious murder of a prospector. Instead, he fell in love with the landscape and through his meticulously recorded journals and hauntingly beautiful photographs he introduced the world to the Nahanni River, now known as a prime destination for adventure seekers. Included in this newest printing are Patterson's own black and- white photographs, including the first photos to be taken of the falls of the Nahanni.

R.M. Patterson (1898-1984) moved to Canada when he realized that working in a London bank would never bring him happiness. He spent the remaining years of his life pursuing adventure in the Canadian West and was a delightfully evocative writer and an intrepid explorer. Authoring a total of five books about his excursions into the Canadian wilderness and his life on a southern Alberta ranch, Raymond Murray Patterson earned himself legions of fans and made Canada's wilderness famous. TouchWood Editions is proud to be keeping his works in print.

Cooking / Travel
978-1-894898-90-4
6 x 9, 320 pages
b/w photos throughout
$24.95, softcover
Available

An Edible Journey (3rd Edition)
Exploring the Islands' Fine Foods, Farms and Vineyards
By Elizabeth Levinson

"Even those of us who think we know Vancouver Island will find some surprises in this book. A great book for the food-lover."
-Island Home and Style

"This is argumentatively the most comprehensive summary of Vancouver Island's emerging culinary and agricultural community."
-The Vancouver Courier

"Each person profiled has a story to tell, and Levinson tells it. Region by region."
-EAT Magazine (Epicure and Travel)

"[Elizabeth's] easy, carefree writing style just adds to the charm."
-Northwest Palate

"An Edible Journey is a chatty account, including photos and maps, of how much fun it is to seek out, make, and eat really good 'natural' food."
-Independently Reviewed

Winner in the 2004 Cuisine Canada Culinary Book Awards

With thoughtful detail and thorough research, Elizabeth Levinson has expanded and updated her award-winning An Edible Journey to its third edition. With new recipes and destinations to visit, this revised volume offers the ins and outs of Victoria, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands' growing culinary community. From luscious organic vegetables and fruits, outstanding cheeses and prized wines, Elizabeth has tracked down the local and devoted growers and artisans. What she discovered is that many of these people have left behind high-profile careers in other fields to dedicate themselves to the land and to growing and developing gourmet goodies. Meant to inspire, savour and explore, An Edible Journey belongs on every foodie's table.

A long-time resident of Victoria, BC, Elizabeth Levinson is an inexhaustible hunter gatherer of fresh, organic foods. She is the author of Getting Fresh In and Around Victoria: The Guide to Going Organic and writes a monthly column about food, "At My Table", in Focus Magazine.

Mystery
978-1-894898-89-8
5.25 x 8.5, 312 pages
$14.95, softcover
Available

Never Sleep with a Suspect on Gabriola Island
An Islands Investigations International Mystery
By George Szanto and Sandy Frances Duncan

Murder, forgery and international intrigue are part of the newest TouchWood
Mystery Series.

Rose Gill Marchand, a paraplegic, brilliant botanist and co-owner, with her husband, of Eaglenest Gallery on Gabriola Island, finds the body of Roy Dempster, their gardener, sprawled dead on the gallery grounds. An RCMP investigation ensues, without immediate success. Upset by a suggestive gossipy article about the murder in the local paper, Rose's husband, Artemus, calls on Noel Franklin, an ex-investigative reporter living in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, and asks him to find evidence that will eliminate the spreading rumours. Noel agrees to start looking into it and asks his long-time friend Kyra Rachel an insurance investigator from Bellingham, Washington, to assist him.

As Noel and Kyra's inquiry proceeds, they discover that islands like Gabriola hide secrets far more mysterious than murder, far more dangerous than gossip, as each investigator falls prey to the depravity of those they need to trust.
Never Sleep With a Suspect on Gabriola Island is the first novel in George Szanto and Sandy Frances Duncan's Islands Investigations International detective novel series. 

A National Magazine Award recipient and winner of the Hugh MacLennan Prize for fiction, George Szanto is the author of half a dozen novels, the most recent being his Mexican trilogy, The Underside of Stones, Second Sight and The Condesa of M., as well as several books of essays. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Please visit www.georgeszanto.com.

Sandy Frances Duncan is the author of ten award-winning books for children and adults. Her most recent historical fiction is Gold Rush Orphan, shortlisted for the BC Book Prize.

Art / Travel
978-1-894898-79-9
6 x 9, 192 pages
full colour throughout
$19.95, softcover
Available

Public Art in Vancouver
Angels Among Lions
By John Steil and Aileen Stalker

Featuring more than 500 public art installations, this is the essential guide for tourists and Vancouver residents alike.

The character of a city is revealed by its public art-what it collectively places on its streets and walls and in its public spaces. As a city known internationally for its breathtaking cityscapes and mountain backdrop, Vancouver has much to offer visually including the diverse and thriving public art found in the city's neighbourhoods. Public Art in Vancouver: Angels Among Lions is the first comprehensive guidebook that explores Vancouver through the eyes of public art.

Engaging colour photos and detailed descriptions that focus on the historical and cultural context of each art piece, its place in modern art and the artist who created it allow for a greater understanding of these urban treasures. Easy-to follow maps take readers to communities and destinations such as False Creek, Chinatown, the West End, Downtown North and South, East Vancouver, Van- Dusen Botanical Garden, Stanley Park and the University of British Columbia. Tour the better known and the hidden art installations that are made from every possible medium and include monuments, paintings, murals, tapestries, figurines, First Nations art, relics, busts, fountains, gateways, mosaics, sculptures and reliefs. 

John Steil was raised in Edmonton and moved to Vancouver in 1992. He is a community planning consultant for a major Canadian consulting firm and has had numerous articles published in Albertan and Canadian planning journals. John is also a Vancouver visual artist, and works from his studio where Chinatown, Gastown and the Port meet. Please visit www.johnsteil.com.

Aileen Stalker was born in Kingston, Ontario and enjoys working as an occupational therapist. She has also worked as an elementary school teacher, tutor and mother. She is co-author of two books including Paddling Through History: Sea Kayak Vancouver and Victoria (2005) and is the author of a children's book coming out this spring. Aileen lives in Vancouver and enjoys travelling the world.

Mystery
978-1-894898-88-1
5.25 x 8, 224 pages
$12.95, softcover
Available

Scammed
By Ron Chudley

"Grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go." -The Globe and Mail

"Anger, fear and staggering grief is so strong and passionately written that it drives the reader into turning the pages . . . . The writing is explosive. . . . the conclusion is a riveting gunshot. A hard-to-put-down winner."
-The Hamilton Spectator

"Enjoyed the chase 'em, catch 'em, beat 'em, lose 'em story line. . . . would make a great thriller-style movie." -St. Albert Gazette

Nearly two million Canadians have fallen victim to identity theft, could you be next?

In Ron Chudley's latest mystery, Greg Lothian's orderly life is torn apart when his mother and famous artist father are scammed of their life savings by cruel con men. When the same criminals steal Greg's own identity, the normally law-abiding accountant turns his analytical mind to plotting revenge. This uncharacteristic decision plunges him into the strange and horrifying underworld that lurks everywhere, even on peaceful Vancouver Island. As Greg prepares to find the perpetrators of the debilitating crime, he sets up a clever plan of entrapment that ends up going badly wrong.

Greg's descent into the whirlpool of evil puts at risk a helpless neighbour, a loyal young woman and his very life. The magnificent panorama of the Pacific coast, with its mountains, dense forest, fog-shrouded shores and swift, cold rivers, provides the moody setting for this tale of crime and punishment-and bravery.

Ron Chudley is an accomplished screenwriter and playwright, and the author of three other novels of mystery and suspense: Stolen (2007), Dark Resurrection (2006) and Old Bones (2005). He lives on Vancouver Island and knows intimately the landscape where he unfurls this story of a frightening violation that is becoming increasingly familiar to all of us.