Jacqueline Halsey
and The Magic of story
what's up...
what's up...
I am part of the Save Dartmouth Cove group fighting to stop the in filling of this beautiful Downtown waterfront area. We have been writing letters to politicians of all levels of Government and holding peaceful but noisy rallies. The ARCP say the cove is toxic and dead and dumping vast quantities of pyrite slate in it will be good for the environment!!! Recently volunteer divers took some amazing underwater pictures proving that Dartmouth Cove is very much alive.
If you go to Herring Cove look for Tribune Head lane. Here you will find the start of a single-file over-grown path. It will take you up the rocky headland to a small, monument honouring the bravery of Joe Cracker, a Herring Cove teen who on November 24, 1797, when no one else dared, rowed his small boat through mountainous seas to rescue the survivors of the tragic Tribune shipwreck. Joe Cracker is the hero and inspiration of my book Joe and the Wreck of the Tribune.
Lots of kids, and lots of fun as visitors to my table wrote their favorite book on a paper bottle and posted it my ocean. I discovered that everyone liked my Joe Cracker book-earrings, and had read The Terrible Horrible Smelly Pirate!! I enjoyed telling Joe Cracker's story to visitors. A huge thank you to the organizers, sponsors and participants of this great event,
Registration for the Writer's Federation of Nova Scotia's WITS program is open now. If you'd like me to visit your school contact Linda Hudson at: wits@writers.ns.ca
Forty five people joined me in Alderney Gate library for Joe Cracker's book launch. There was a slide show, a reading, and Cindy Campbell presented an action packed interpretation of sea shanties. The audience sang along as volunteers heaved on a rope in time to the music. Everyone had a great time. Thank you Carrie for introducing me, Cindy Cambell for the interesting presentation, Alderney Gate library for hosting me and Nimbus for the tea and cookies.
photo is of Cindy showing how singing Shanties helps everyone to pull together. We should all sing more.
My latest book, published by Nimbus, was released in May 2025. It is based on the true story of Joe Cracker, the Herring Cove teen who rowed through a storm to rescue survivors of a ship, wrecked at the mouth of Halifax Harbour. His bravery shamed other fishermen into making a rescue attempt. The amazing cover was designed by Bee Stanton.
"Vivid descriptions, true to life characters, and an engaging young hero,make for a riveting tale of courage, grit and heart." Julie Lawson
"It is the story of a young man's courage and determination. It shows how one person can make a difference."
Writers Federation of New Brunswick: 2025 Sheree Fitch Award for Teen Writers.
I really enjoyed reading the entries for this years competition. The standard was extremely high, making choosing winners a very hard decision.