S. J. Maher is a novelist and journalist based in Ottawa. He has received a National Newspaper Award, Michener Award, Canadian Hillman prize, and two Canadian Association of Journalism awards, and is a 2016 Harvard Nieman fellow. Maher was born in France, raised in Nova Scotia, and has lived in Toronto, Newfoundland, the United States, Jamaica, Japan, and France. He lives in Ottawa with his partner, Camille, and his old sailboat, Free Spirit. Visit him at StephenMaher.ca or follow him on Twitter @StphnMaher.