Every Arm Outstretched

A gripping novel set during the height of the Nicaraguan revolution.

In 1978, the Somoza family held the people of Nicaragua in a stranglehold, stripping the country of everything of value and making beggars out of honest citizens. The only thing that kept the Somozas in power was the draconian actions of the feared Guardia Nacional. Every Arm Outstretched explores how we determine what is right and wrong amidst widespread corruption, the meaning of love, loyalty and friendship, and whether the ends can ever truly justify the means. READ MORE 

Blood Washing Blood

A clear-eyed view of the conflict in Afghanistan and its century-deep roots.

The war in Afghanistan has consumed vast amounts of blood and treasure, causing the Western powers to seek an exit without achieving victory. The seemingly never-ending conflict has become synonymous with a number of issues — global jihad, rampant tribalism, and the narcotics trade — but despite being cited as causes of the conflict, they are in fact symptoms. The first step toward achieving a “solution” to the Afghanistan “problem” is to have a clear-eyed view of what is really driving it. READ MORE

This Shall Be a House of Peace

A moving retelling of the humble origins of the Taliban movement and their deeply conflicted moral journey.

Chaos reigns in the wake of the collapse of Afghanistan’s Soviet-backed government. In the rural, warlord-ruled south, a student is badly beaten at a checkpoint run by bandits. His teacher, who leads a madrassa for orphans left behind by Afghanistan’s civil war, leads his students back to the checkpoint and forces the bandits out. His actions set in motion a chain of events that will change the balance of power in his country and send shock waves through history. READ MORE

Mindful of Our Ancient Valour

Experience the actions of Canada’s most storied Regiment from 1756 to today.

For the first time, the first person accounts of military operations by the Queen’s York Rangers are collected together, allowing the reader to see the breadth of the Regiment’s history through the eyes of those who served in it. Many of their observations and concerns echo down through the ages, as all of the technological and social changes of the past three centuries have made little difference to the lot of the common soldier when their experience is stripped to the bare essentials. READ MORE

Blood & Bourbon #6

Blood & Bourbon is a fiercely independent journal run by storytellers, for storytellers.

Co-founded by Canadian writers Phil Halton and Matt Lennox in 2016, this literary journal is their “karmic-give back” to writers everywhere.

We’re here to celebrate all things hard, gritty, and raw. True or not-so-true, all we care about is a good story. The kind you tell over too many drinks, too late on a work night, too far down the street on the other side of town. A publication by authors for authors, it is a labour of love rather than a massively commercial project.