Interview with Netta Johnson of Stonehouse Publishing, March 2025
Q: In 2022, Stonehouse Publishing released your 12th book, ‘Going to Beautiful’, which must make ‘Home Fires Burn’ your 15th book. So many changes between now and then, I am sure, including the Buy Canada movement infusing some new energy and interest into home grown books, so to speak. As a long-time Canadian author, can you share with us some thoughts and reflections on where writing and publishing is in Canada in 2025?
A: My first book was published in 2003 and, indeed, ‘Home Fires Burn’ is my 15th. In the past 20+ years I have seen a great many changes in the publishing industry. Whenever I am asked about this today, I immediately recall an interview from several years ago, where I was asked how I was dealing with the “seismic” changes we were experiencing at the time (I think it had to do with the burgeoning age of eBooks). I told them this: Since I began my career as a writer, I have never known a time when some kind of change influencing the publishing industry was not afoot. Never. From the widespread use of computers to the decline of independent bookstores in favour of big box retailers, the emergence of social media, the disappearance of book columns and columnists in newspapers, ascendance of eBooks, the rise and fall of blogging, U.S./Canadian exchange rates, the end of the Bloody Words Mystery conference (Canada), the widening gap between a handful of bestselling authors and all others, and most recently AI. The list goes on and on. Simply put, publishing—no matter what role you play in it—is not a stable industry. Expected the unexpected. Expect changes. Some say change is good, change is growth, change is progress. Although I’m not convinced that is always the case, the key, to my mind, is to remain open to change, be flexible and responsive, and adapt as best you can in the best interests of your publishing goals.
Q: With ‘Livingsky,’ you introduced us to Canada’s first kick-ass transgender P.I., Merry Bell, in a series which explores life, crime, but also, the dynamics of human relationships. We all are living a version of Merry Bell’s story. We all came from somewhere and then develop as individuals. After we have sorted this out, the drama comes as we try to figure out how we relate to the community we emerged from. In Home Fires Burn, for the first time, Merry Bell calls home… Eeep! Authors often like to save the best for last, but my question is: What was it like for you as a writer to explore the unique material of Merry Bell’s decision to reach out to her estranged family?
A: This was some of the most challenging yet rewarding writing I’ve done in this series. Although I am predominately known as a crime writer, I think of myself more as someone who tells very human stories. In truth, the time I spend writing about the people in my crime novels gives me much greater joy and satisfaction than writing about the crime itself. This isn’t because writing about people is simpler or less stressful than writing about crime. The human experience can be as twisted and unsavoury as the worst crime you can think of. But, in the darkness of humanity, there is always the capacity for light. I love investigating this duality.
Going into this third book, we knew Merry had not been in contact with her family since returning to her hometown of Livingsky. Wanting to know the reason for that was perhaps the most often asked question from readers of the first two books. Some even wondered if I’d neglected to even think about that and how could Merry possibly not reach out to or be discovered by a family member.
This is a sweet spot for a writer like me, one who writes about people and places and circumstances not often represented in Canadian genre fiction. Writing about the circumstances of Merry’s return to her hometown—something that was never part of her life plan—and deciding whether or not to confront her past and estranged family is, I hope, revelatory and satisfying.
Q. Much of this is very relatable to me, having grown up in Alberta, but I have to ask… have you ever been on the side of a country road on a cold winter night, when you can’t find your car keys?
A: It makes me shiver just thinking about it. Many years ago, a reviewer described an attempted murder scene in one of my earlier books as a “very Saskatchewan way to die”. I loved that! Since then, I think I’m always considering unique murderous hijinks in service of my very Canadian prairie sensibility. Perhaps Alan Bradley, author of the Flavia de Luce series said it best: “…Anthony Bidulka has created a whole new genre: Saskatchewan Gothic, which will both chill and warm your heart.”
Q. In addition to Stonehouse’s upcoming season, ‘Home Fires Burn’ & ‘A Dark Death’, can you share with us the name of one Canadian novel that really charmed you this year?
A: There are so many. Let me give you a few: Anna Dowdall’s “The Suspension Bridge”, Betty Ternier Daniel’s “Grounds for Murder”, Brenda Chapman’s “Fatal Harvest”, Charlotte Morganti’s “Local Heiress Dead”, and Elinor Florence’s “Finding Flora”. And I’m looking forward to Karen Grose’s “Flat Out Lies”.
Q. The Merry Bell Series is three stand-alone books, but also a Trilogy. As you wrap-up this Merry Bell adventure, I am curious if you ended up at the place you expected to? (no spoilers, please).
A: In the age-old battle between plotter and pantser, I am definitely more on the plotter end of the continuum. At the outset of this trilogy I took on the responsibility of telling the stories of not only Merry Bell, but of Roger and Brenda Brown, very seriously. There was a journey I intended to take them on, an unraveling of life stories and, finally, a place I wanted it all to end. It was bittersweet to write those final pages, as I’ve come to cherish these characters over these past years we’ve spent together, but, thankfully, very satisfying. I hope readers feel the same way.