Donna Morrissey
Canadian author
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Donna Morrissey (born January 13, 1956, The Beaches, Newfoundland)[1] is a Canadian author.
Donna Morrissey | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 13, 1956 |
| Occupation | Author |
| Children | 2 |
At age 16, Morrissey left The Beaches. She lived in various places in Canada before returning to St. John's, where she studied at Memorial University and obtained a Bachelor of Social Work and a diploma in adult education.[2] Morrissey now lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Morrissey has written six national best sellers and prize-winning novels — Kit's Law, Downhill Chance, Sylvanus Now, What They Wanted, The Deception of Livvy Higgs, and The Fortunate Brother — as well as one Gemini-nominated screenplay. In 2021 she published a memoir, Pluck: A Memoir of a Newfoundland Childhood and the Raucous, Terrible, Amazing Journey to Becoming a Novelist.
Morrissey defended Frank Parker Day's novel Rockbound in Canada Reads 2005. Rockbound eventually won the competition. In the 2007 edition of Canada Reads, an "all-star" competition pitting the five winning advocates from previous years against each other, Morrissey returned to champion Anosh Irani's novel The Song of Kahunsha.[3]
Morrissey had a double mastectomy due to breast cancer.[4]
Publications
- Kit's Law (1999)
- Downhill Chance (2002)
- Sylvanus Now (2005)
- What They Wanted (2008)
- The Deception of Livvy Higgs (2012)
- Cross Katie Cross (2012)
- What Beautiful Mistake Did You Make Today (2012)
- The Fortunate Brother (2016)
- Pluck: A Memoir of a Newfoundland Childhood and the Raucous, Terrible, Amazing Journey to Becoming a Novelist (2021)
- Rage the Night (2023)
- Tell It to the Water: Five Siblings Tell of Their Father's Grief and His Struggle Back to Hope (2026)
Filmography
- Clothesline Patch (screenplay)
Awards and recognition
For Sylvanus Now:
- Winner of the Thomas Head Raddall Award
- Atlantic Booksellers Choice Award
- Shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize
For Downhill Chance:
- Winner of the Thomas Head Raddall Award
For Kit's Law:
- Winner of the Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award
- Winner of the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize
- Winner of the Alex Award[5]
- Shortlisted for the Books in Canada First Novel Award
- Shortlisted for the Atlantic Provinces Booksellers' Choice Award
- Shortlisted for the Thomas Head Raddall Award
For Clothesline Patch:
- Winner, Best Production, 2002 Gemini Awards
For The Deception of Livvy Higgs:
- One Book Nova Scotia selection, 2016
For The Fortunate Brother:
- Winner of the Thomas Head Raddall Award
- Winner of Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Book of 2017
