Stittsville author Elysia Rourke publishes debut novel Whale Fall about a captive orca
The middle-grade story draws on research into killer whale captivity and releases Sept. 15 through Penguin Random House with launch events across the region.
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Elysia Rourke, born and raised in Stittsville, has published her debut novel Whale Fall, a middle-grade story about a killer whale forced to adapt to life in a marine park while clinging to stories that sustain her.
Rourke, now a resident of Almonte, drew the story from years of research into marine animal captivity. After watching the 2018 documentary Blackfish, she said she "read as many books and articles as I could about killer whales," including Death at Seaworld by David Kirby and The Killer in the Pool, published in Outside Magazine. "With all of my reading and research, a story started brewing in my head about an orca named Whale and what her life would be like growing up in captivity but longing for the ocean."
Wrote Rourke, "Writing middle grade was a natural fit for me. Reading as a kid was what got me into writing, especially books like the Silverwing series by Kenneth Oppel and Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. I love engaging with budding new readers – some that are hesitant – and showing them how cool books can be."
Oppel, author of the bestselling Silverwing series, blurbed the book: "Unique and always surprising, Whale Fall is an unflinching tale of captivity and resilience, and the power of stories." Shakirah Bourne, author of Josephine Against the Sea and Here Lies A Ghost, added: "Heartbreaking, but unputdownable. Read with a box of tissues. Whale's story doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of animals in captivity, but it is a testament to the power of faith, storytelling, and hope."
Rourke won The Stittsville News Quill Award for her writing while graduating from Sacred Heart Catholic High School in 2009. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Queen's University and a Master of Philosophy in Early Modern History from Trinity College Dublin. She also manages the Almonte Writers' Guild and serves as editor-in-chief for LAM, a literary arts magazine supporting local visual artists and writers in Lanark County.
Whale Fall releases Sept. 15 through Penguin Random House. Mill Street Books in Almonte is hosting a book launch and signing on Sept. 15 from 5 to 7 p.m., with children welcome. Additional events are planned across Ottawa, Kanata, Almonte and Barrhaven.
