From Picture Books to Full-Length Novels: Behind the Scenes with Author, Carolyn Huizinga Mills

Muskoka Authors Association invites you to hear Carolyn Huizinga Mills on Thursday, January 11 as she talks about the inspiration behind her books, the twists and turns of her publishing journey, and what the writing process looks like at 5 am without a coherent plan or outline.
Ever since reading L.M. Montgomery’s Emily of New Moon as a child, Carolyn Huizinga Mills has dreamed of being an author. She didn’t start writing seriously, though, until she had done practical things like finishing university and finding a job. She began with short stories, then progressed to picture books and novels.
She describes her first two novels, The Good Son (Cormorant Books, 2021) and Sins of the Daughter (Cormorant Books, 2022), as character-driven family dramas with a hint of mystery. Driven by an underlying interest in human behaviour and motivation, in these first two novels she explores the complex relationships that exist within families and how those relationships shape people’s lives.
Carolyn also has also written two picture books, The Little Boy Who Lived Down the Drain (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2017) and Grandpa’s Stars (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2023). Both of these stories also explore family connections while paying homage to the role of imagination in young children’s lives.
Carolyn currently works as a grade 7 teacher, where she shares her passion for reading and writing with her students. She was born in Calgary, Alberta, and moved at the age of twelve to southwestern Ontario, where she still lives with her husband and two children. Before settling down, she worked overseas in Scotland and Australia, two places she would gladly call home, and which have both found their way into her most recent novel.
In addition to reading and writing, Carolyn loves playing soccer, camping, traveling, napping, and eating dark chocolate.
Location: Bracebridge United Church, 46 Dominion Street, Bracebridge, lower level. Enter by door on the southside driveway.
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm
Fee: MAA Members: Free, Non-Members: $20
For more information and to register, visit Eventbrite or visit MuskokaAuthors.ca and click on UPCOMING EVENTS or email David Bruce Patterson at [email protected]