About 'After River'

Growing up in the mountains of British Columbia in the 50s and 60s, three km north of the American border,
Natalie knew little of the outside world. But she knew family. A family so close and loving that Natalie
believed they were the envy of the nearby town of Atwood - particularly her eldest brother Boyer,
whom Natalie held especially close to her heart.

But Natalie began to question her family's existence the summer she turned fifteen. The arrival
of a soft-spoken stranger, an American draft-dodger called River, would test the morals and beliefs
of the family and the community to breaking point. The series of events following that summer
day would leave relationships shattered and the Ward family changed forever.

Thirty-five years later, Natalie receives a late-night phone call from her now estranged brother, Boyer,
asking her to come home. Their mother is dying. Reluctantly, Natalie agrees to return to Atwood, the town
she has spent most of her adult life avoiding. And as she travels backs to her childhood home, she steels
herself to face the horrors and secrets of a past she's desperately tried to forget.

After River is an unputdownable story; not just a romance, but a poignant and deeply moving account of how war and conflict can devastate lives across generations.

About Donna Milner

Donna Jonas Milner used to work in Real Estate until her husband encouraged her to start writing. Now she cannot imagine doing anything else. Donna likes to create real people who face real moral dilemmas, characters who speak to the reader and live with them long after their story is over. Donna lives in British Columbia with her husband. To read more about Donna, click HERE.

"The writing is so assured we could hardly believe it was a first novel."
- Sue Freestone, Quercus Books -

.:   site design  :.

About 'The Promise of Rain'

Ethie was born after her father returned from the war. She never knew him as he was before - an open, loving man and a devoted husband. When his wife dies in bizarre circumstances, he becomes even more silent and withdrawn.

Howard was one of two thousand Canadian soldiers sent to the Far East shortly before Pearl Harbor. Surviving the fierce battle for Hong Kong, he was captured and imprisoned by the Japanese.

Ethie's father hides more than the physical and mental scars inflicted by his captors. Something happened in Hong Kong, a secret that has haunted him for two decades and one that could destroy his family should it ever come to light. Ethie - inquisitive and fearless- is determined to discover the truth.

The Promise of Rain has been selected as one of the Globe and Mail's top 100 books of 2010, one of only 28 Canadian Fiction.

Globe Books special  The 2010 Globe 100: Canadian fiction
Compiled by Martin Levin and Jack Kirchhoff

Testimonials for After River and The Promise of Rain

The Spanish editon of After River will be available from Maeva publishers in Spain, under the title CUDANO TODO CAMBIO in June 2012

SOMEWHERE IN-BETWEEN - release date

The Canadian publication of my latest book SOMEWHERE IN-BETWEEN has been delayed and will not be February 22 as indicated on Amazon.ca. If you would like us to let you know when the book will be available please forward your Email address and we will email you with the date.