In the Media
Host Don-E-Coady invites Crime Author Helen Escott. Eye Physician & Surgeon Dr. Christopher Jackman. Michael Wahl, Host of the WAHL Show. Braeden King, Director, WAHL Show and a performance by Mallory Johnson.
See it here
Bestselling award-winning crime author Helen C. Escott gets real about where her passion for writing comes from
The book Operation Trafficked, fourth in the ‘Operation’ series, is getting lots of attention. In fact, it’s the first book Costco picked up from Newfoundland for sale in their Atlantic region.
What
Tags: Flanker, Helen Escott, Newfoundland, PTSD, Remembrance Day
Read the full article here.
Fashion Over 50 With Helen C. Escott
Author of local favourites like Operation Wormwood, The Reckoning, and her blog-turned-book I’m Funny Like That, Helen C. Escott is a local literary treasure. Aside from that, though, Helen has another side you wouldn’t see unless you knew right where to look.
EMERGING SYLE
If you do a quick Google search for Helen C. Escott you’ll find photos that fit the crime-writer aesthetic: a well-lit subject that stands apart from a dark and moody urban environment.
But once Escott steps off-set and signs on to social media, another style emerges. A style that’s dynamic, influential, and inspired by outfits inspired by ensembles fashioned for the most glamorous among us.
Read the full story here.
Operation Trafficked - a chilling current, criminal investigation into human trafficking
Human trafficking stops when men stop buying women and children for sex
Crime Thriller Operation Trafficked News Release
It is possible to get away with murder if you kill people whose lives are already devalued by society.
Operation Trafficked takes you inside the abyss of human trafficking from St. John’s to Ontario. In her most thrilling novel to date, bestselling, award-winning author Helen C. Escott takes you on a lightning-paced, chillingly current, criminal investigation that is surprising at every twist and completely unpredictable right up to its astonishing conclusion.
Published by Flanker Press, this is the fourth in Escott’s acclaimed Operation crime thriller series.
A spectacular murder in a downtown hotel of a sixteen-year-old girl brings together seasoned police officers RNC Sgt. Nicholas Myra and RCMP Cpl. Gail McNaughton in a Joint Forces Investigation. They quickly dive into a twisting, turning breathless race through the $28 billion dollar business of human trafficking.
Myra and McNaughton put together a team of experts who investigate this modern-day form of slavery where women and girls are openly sold on the world’s markets. They discover a sophisticated criminal organization that operates with impunity due to vast corruption and hide in the underground hallways of power.
They quickly learn it’s not the oldest profession but the oldest form of oppression.
When the team learns a seven-year-old girl is up for sale, they race to find her before she is transported over the border and lost forever.
The human trafficking national average is the highest in Ontario and Nova Scotia, and particularly Halifax because it is part of a corridor frequently used to transport victims from Atlantic Canada to larger urban centers. Operation Trafficked investigates a fictional human trafficking ring operating from St. John’s, NL to Ottawa, Ont.
Helen C. Escott’s bestselling crime thriller Operation Vanished was awarded a Silver Medal – Best Regional Fiction at the 24th annual Independent Publisher Book Awards. Her first crime thriller, Operation Wormwood, was a top five finalist for the 2019 Arthur Ellis Awards, Best First Crime Novel, by the Crime Writers of Canada. It’s conclusion, The Reckoning was a bestselling. In Search of Adventure – 70 Years of the RCMP in Newfoundland and Labrador was named one of the top memoirs in Atlantic Canda.
Operation Trafficked is available at Chapters, and Coles. Online at indigo.ca Apple – iTunes, Nook – (Barnes & Noble), Amazon, and Kobo. National and international orders can be placed by calling 1-866-739-4420 ext. #26 or you can send an e-mail to eoldford@flankerpress.com
Buy it now here.
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For media interviews, contact:
Ed Oldford
Flanker Press Marketing and Sales
709 739 4477 Ext # 26, eoldford@flankerpress.com
Nine Unforgettable Portraits
Memoirist Marjorie Simmons once wrote:
Why are readers so thirsty for memoir? Because we want to know how people navigate complexity and tragedy, how they heal from hurts—physical and psychic—how joy can be found or rediscovered. Memoirs remind us to recommit or rewrite our values, to stoke or re-stoke passions for life, for people. The story of a life—no matter what kind of life—is never really about an individual.
In that sense, a good memoir paints a portrait, not only of an individual, but of a time and place, laden with societal challenges or breakthroughs. In the books described below, their authors have painted such a portrait, focused on an individual or a few individuals with much in common, that shows us much about the wider world they inhabit, the highs and lows of their journeys, their greatest fears and triumphs. All the elements of a great story. Snuggle in.
To read the whole story click here.
On the CBC Cross Talk show, host Ramona Dearing talks with Helen C. Escott about a subject that can be taboo for some people. And that is menopause. It can be a difficult time, no question. But today we're hoping to poke some fun at the indignities that can come with menopause. Writer Helen Escott is standing by to share some stories. Listen to the whole show at CBC Cross Talk
Menopause, the lighter side.
Menopause, the lighter side.
Menopause, the lighter side.
Menopause, the lighter side.
Menopause, the lighter side.
Menopause, the lighter side.
Menopause, the lighter side.
Menopause, the lighter side.
Creativity Covid Style
Helen C. Escott didn’t intend to have two books published this fall, but as a retired civilian member with the RCMP and COVID-19 leaving her housebound for most of 2020, she found ample time to write.
Her plan with Flanker Press was to release one book, Operation Wormwood: The Reckoning in September and then a second book, In Search of Adventure: 70 Years of The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Newfoundland and Labrador at a later date.
However, like most things in relation to 2020, those plans changed.
Read the full story here.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating its 70th anniversary, and is doing so by encapsulating some of the stories of the force over the last seven decades. On Friday, the RCMP celebrated the launch of In Search of Adventure: 70 Years of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Newfoundland and Labrador, written by Helen Escott, a former civilian member of the RCMP. The book is a collection of stories from RCMP veterans—including three of the last surviving Newfoundland Rangers—and helps to tell the history of the force. Read it here
Helen C. Escott is a retired civilian member of the RCMP in Newfoundland and Labrador and the author of two crime thrillers. She served as the communications lead on many high-profile events, including 9/11. She shared more of that experience on a past episode of Blue Line, The Podcast. We bring you clips from that conversation here.
The best gifts are made at home. That may be truer this holiday season than ever before. In a year that has kept so many of us close to home, doing our part by staying apart, the most memorable gifts are the ones imagined, planned, and stitched together right here in Atlantic Canada. When you give a local book, you give an escape, an experience, a world. And you give a piece of local culture that lasts a lifetime.
Order: In Search of Adventure - 70 Years of the RCMP in Newfoundland and Labrador & The Reckoning - the conclusion to the Operation Wormwood series here.
Atlantic Books Holiday Gift Guide
I don’t think it is too much of a stretch to say that Helen C. Escott is Newfoundland’s premier crime-thriller author. Her novels such as Operation Vanished (2019, Flanker Press) and now the two Operation Wormwood books will cement her career as such. All three books lean toward the “cozy’ side of the crime-thriller genre, but they have touches of grittiness that keeps things a little on the edgy side too. Her decades of service as a civilian employee of the RCMP serves her well when it comes to the force’s officers (who are styled after real-life members of the RCMP and RNC) including the crimes and criminals they encounter as well as the investigative process. For the full story, click here.
Operation Wormwood: The Reckoning by Helen C. Escott
On the Day of Reckoning, everyone is called to account for their actions. Award-winning crime fiction writer Helen C. Escott is back with the thrilling conclusion to Operation Wormwood – The Reckoning published by Flanker Press. For the full story, click here.
The Reckoning – The conclusion to Operation Wormwood has arrived!
Helen Escott is a retired civilian member of the RCMP who created the force’s N.L. Media Relations/Communications Unit and has published a memoir and a pair of crime thrillers. Here she has compiled 80-odd, usually quite personal, tales inter-linked by RCMP service: most of the book is composed of brief biographies which taken together “tells the stories of who we are.”
The history of the RCMP in our province is largely post-Confederation, when 55 Rangers and 35 members of the Newfoundland Constabulary transitioned to the Canadian police organization (although the first Newfoundlander to join the RCMP – Const. Ernest W. Peyton of Twillingate – actually did so in 1888). Read full story here.
Book commemorating 70 years of the RCMP in Newfoundland and Labrador released Friday
Helen C. Escott has done a remarkable job at capturing the stories of these brave and humble men and women while at the same time making a great contribution to the unique history of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police within Newfoundland and Labrador. This is a wonderful piece of Canadiana that will be enjoyed by both law enforcement personnel and civilians alike and will leave readers with an incredible appreciation for the men and women on our frontlines. In Search Of Adventure ~ 70 Years of The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Newfoundland and Labrador is a Flanker Press publication. Read full story here
Author Biography: Helen C. Escott
Writer's Alliance Newfoundland & Labrador
Helen C. Escott is used to blazing trails. She is a retired Civilian Member of the world-renowned Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). In 1998, she created the RCMP’s Media Relations/ Communications Unit in Newfoundland and Labrador where she became the first female Senior Communications Strategist and Media Relations spokesperson for the RCMP in that province. Read full article.
Book commemorating 70 years of the RCMP in Newfoundland and Labrador released Friday
When George Powell joined the RCMP in 1953, the new officer from Ontario found himself in Newfoundland and Labrador, working with members of the former Newfoundland Ranger Force.
“Some of the people would call the office and they’d want to know, are you a Canadian Mountie or are you one of ours?” Powell said.
The RCMP had taken over and absorbed the Rangers on Aug. 1, 1950, a year after Newfoundland joined Confederation.
Compared to now, those days were pretty rudimentary, Powell says.
“It was a different atmosphere, a different life,” he said.
Prisoner escorts were all done by rail, and there was no calling for backup on a two-way radio. Sometimes, especially in rural parts of the province, the single officer who manned a rural detachment might be gone for almost a week. Their wives would take over, despite women not officially being allowed to join the RCMP until 1974.
“She would look after everything, taking the phone calls, helping people, even looking after prisoners,” Powell said.
Powell finished his career as a chief superintendent in British Columbia, but moved back to Newfoundland soon after he retired 32 years ago.
On Friday, Powell was back at RCMP headquarters in St. John’s to celebrate the release of a book called "In Search of Adventure — 70 Years of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Newfoundland and Labrador," by Helen C. Escott and published by Flanker Press.
Writing World: Helen C Escott Operation Vanished
By Nick Travis
Operation Vanished explores Newfoundland in a time not so long ago, when things were very different.
Helen Escott knows crime. In 1998, she became the founding member and Senior Communications Strategist of the Newfoundland and Labrador RCMP’s Media Relations and Communications Unit – a position she held for 18 years. Her behind-the-scenes knowledge of the world of police work has helped Escott pen truly gripping crime novels, where one almost feels like they’re watching over a real police investigation. Read full article.
Book commemorating 70 years of the RCMP in Newfoundland and Labrador released Friday
When George Powell joined the RCMP in 1953, the new officer from Ontario found himself in Newfoundland and Labrador, working with members of the former Newfoundland Ranger Force.
“Some of the people would call the office and they’d want to know, are you a Canadian Mountie or are you one of ours?” Powell said.
The RCMP had taken over and absorbed the Rangers on Aug. 1, 1950, a year after Newfoundland joined Confederation.
Compared to now, those days were pretty rudimentary, Powell says.
“It was a different atmosphere, a different life,” he said.
Prisoner escorts were all done by rail, and there was no calling for backup on a two-way radio. Sometimes, especially in rural parts of the province, the single officer who manned a rural detachment might be gone for almost a week. Their wives would take over, despite women not officially being allowed to join the RCMP until 1974.
“She would look after everything, taking the phone calls, helping people, even looking after prisoners,” Powell said.
Powell finished his career as a chief superintendent in British Columbia, but moved back to Newfoundland soon after he retired 32 years ago.
On Friday, Powell was back at RCMP headquarters in St. John’s to celebrate the release of a book called "In Search of Adventure — 70 Years of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Newfoundland and Labrador," by Helen C. Escott and published by Flanker Press.
Blue Line, The Podcast: Helen Escott, RCMP Newfoundland & Labrador’s first communications strategist
By Renee Francoeur
We are celebrating women in law enforcement this fall!
Each month, Blue Line, The Podcast is profiling some of the many passionate officers and civilian employees in law enforcement agencies who strive every day to make a difference. Listen to podcast.
Newfoundland crime thriller pairs police and archivist
By Barb Sweet
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — There’s a new kind of crime fighter in the fictional world, and author Helen C. Escott based the archivist helping her new thriller’s main police investigator on The Rooms’ own Larry Dohey.
Dohey, director of programming and public engagement and author of the popular Archival Moments blog, makes his fictional debut as Larry Morgan in Escott’s book, in which Morgan helps main character Cpl. Gail McNaughton delve into the mystery of missing and murdered women cases dating back to the 1950s. Read full article.
Cool People Profiles: Operation Wormwood by Helen C. Escott
About the Book... A Newfoundland and Labrador Crime Thriller
An elderly man is carried into the emergency department of the Health Sciences Centre in St. John’s, setting off a chain of events that leaves doctors mystified. He is the first of many victims suffering from severe nosebleeds and excruciating pain. Dr. Luke Gillespie and Nurse Agatha Catania investigate their symptoms but are unable to diagnose them. The only thing they have in common is Sgt. Nicholas Myra, an investigator with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. Read full article.
Find your next great Canadian Read: Operation Vanished
About the Book... A Newfoundland and Labrador Crime Thriller
In 2018, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary executed Operation Wormwood, an investigation into a mysterious disease that targeted some of the worst criminals this province has ever seen. Read full article.
Book Reviews to Ponder: Operation Vanished by Helen C. Escott
Nine stars
After loving Helen C. Escott’s debut novel about policing in Newfoundland and Labrador, I could not wait to get my hands on this second piece. Set again on The Rock, Escott takes readers into a darker and oft-forgotten side of missing person inquiries from yesteryear. Read full article.
Helen C. Escott's 'Operation Wormwood' is one heck of a thriller
By Joan Sullivan
On a foggy St. John's night, two men enter the emergency room of the Health Sciences Centre. They could be father and son, the young man supporting his elderly dad who is clearly in distress. But they aren't. They are a priest and archbishop. Father Horan has finally persuaded his superior, Archbishop Keating, to seek medical aid. For months Keating has been suffering from physical pain, nose-bleeds, and a great thrirst- he longs for water but can't drink it and protests it's actually vinegar. These symptoms have now escalated to a crisis point. Read full article.
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