When Terry Fallis takes the stage, it is evident why he has been a finalist and winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour more than once. She knew she was able to move forward with the novel when the response she received to the question, “Did I catch something here?” was welcomed with overwhelming compassion from the first responders she was working with. When researching for the book, Mitchell was granted access to ride-alongs, listening in on 911 calls, and individual interviews with first responders, allowing the shape of each character to form from real experiences. Maybe police scanners, maybe dreaming of answering 911 calls, maybe feeling like a first responder in own life, taking in the exposure, a myriad really.” These infinite signs led to further exploration. “Where did it all begin?” she asks herself, anticipating this question from the audience. Mitchell traces the unraveling bonds that are holding these people together as the fateful epoch approaches. While reading a passage from her novel, she speaks as if reciting poetry while she maps the daily routines she has instilled in her characters. Mitchell admits to writing about “the courage of the everyday,” and poses the question: how do we keep going through the storms? Whether it is mentally, physically or emotionally, the theme of being lost and found permeates her work. In particular, a trauma nurse, a police officer, and a 911 dispatcher.

Her newest work, The Waiting Hours, binds together the lives of three individuals whose job it is to rescue strangers. Shandi Mitchell is an author and filmmaker.

Shandi mitchell books