Keith A Hamilton

Since the early 1990s, Keith A. Hamilton has lived and worked in small remote Indigenous communities throughout Northern and Western Canada. He has made Bella Coola his home since 2016. He and his wife and their dog enjoy the beauty and serenity of the Central Coast region.

"A thought-provoking short story about coming to terms with your past - the good, the bad, and the ugly even if that means unearthing those painful memories you fought so hard to conceal." -Reader Views Book Review on Nine Bear Lodge

"A simplistic though fast-paced story of maritime crime and those who fight it." Kirkus Book Review on Desperation Island

Authors Note: (What inspired you to write Nine Bear Lodge?)

I was driving through Tweedsmuir Provincial Park with my wife during the height of bear viewing season. I have seen how many visitors come from Europe for the experience. I started to tell a story as it was occurring to me, about a couple of people who encountered each other many years ago who after all this time find each other again in Bella Coola. My wife said I should write it down, and family members asked for more back story on the protagonist and antagonist. It also gave me a story to idealize what I like about Bella Coola and relate some of the cultural history.

Authors Note: (What inspired you to write Desperation Island?)

I have been fortunate to travel fairly often to the Caribbean islands on vacation. When you fly in or especially from a cruise ship you can see clearly the neighboring islands in the windward/leeward chains. I am a fan of 17 and 18th century sailing novels, and I thought about the famous pirates in the area during those times. I wondered what it would be like to be a pirate in the Caribbean Sea in the modern age. This story is my attempt to explore that thought.