“Smith is adept at taking his readers into the world he has created and making them feel at home there.”
-Publishers Weekly
New book in the works!
It's 1999 and the world's about to end. Marine biologist Dorothy and her preteen son, Sam, have just moved to Orchard Island hoping for a quiet place to escape their past. At first, the residents of the small town seem harmlessly eccentric, but the vibe is far from cheerful. The warnings are clear: Y2K is the end of humanity as we know it, and even the most skeptical are beginning to believe it, especially when people start disappearing.
Although Sam has other things on his mind (acne to hide and a first kiss to cover up), Dorothy's worried that Orchard Island is yet another place they need to escape. All over the island, residents are up to weird things, and somewhere out in the misty bay lurks a mysterious, humming boat ... can Dorothy and Sam, with help from their new friends the inimitable Bert Mintenko and morose Robin Rainsford, save Orchard Island — and the world wide web — from a hostile takeover, or will Y2K truly be the end of days?
The Unpleasantness on Orchard is a heartfelt, twisty mystery set in 1999. It’s currently unpublished and is looking for a home.
Everything’s a bit glitchy on Orchard … and not only because of Y2K.
“Smith's prose is sharp and on point, perfectly evoking the awkward joy and despair that is adolescence.”
“The Unpleasantness on Orchard is singular … truly a one of a kind novel.”
Publishers Weekly Booklife Manuscript Review: https://booklife.com/project/the-unpleasantness-on-orchard-102203
“[Smith] has created such a bizarrely lovable character in Bert Mintenko that it's all but impossible to stop reading – you just have to know what he's going do and say next.”
-Publishers Weekly
Bio
Bryan is an award-winning Canadian writer and filmmaker who lives in Victoria, B.C. As a documentary filmmaker, he tells stories on a daily basis. From a short-doc about a band taking their veggie-fuelled bus on tour across Canada (Tuned Up, 2019) to a four-season series on sustainability in the wedding industry (Sustainably Wed, 2021-2025), Bryan’s stories are out there on screens around the world!
Bryan has a master’s degree in history and worked for many years in museums and galleries. He teaches Digital History and Planning at the University of Victoria and his work on adult education in museums was published in Adult Education, Museums, and Art Galleries: Animating Social Cultural and Institutional Change in 2016.
Bryan reads everything, but a few favourites (in no particular order) are: High Fidelity, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and Leave it to Psmith.
“Smith writes with considerable humor and great warmth.”
-Publishers Weekly
Awards & Acclaim
Arthur Ellis Awards for Best Unpublished Crime Novel, finalist (2020)
Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing Awards, longlist (2021)
Chanticleer Mystery and Mayhem Awards, First Place (2018)
Chaucer Historical Fiction Awards, First Place - Best in Category (2020)
Gertrude Warner Prize for Middle Grade Fiction, shortlist (2020, 2021),
Dante Rossetti Young Adult Award, finalist (2020),
Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize, quarterfinalist for two different works (2021)
Canadian Society of Children’s Authors Book Prize, longlist (2021).