Donna Morrissey (born in The Beaches, Newfoundland) is a Canadian author. At age 16, Morrissey left her birthplace of The Beaches, a small outport on the west coast of Newfoundland. She lived in various places in Canada before returning to St. John's, where she studied at Memorial University and obtained a Bachelor of Social Work and a diploma in adult education. Morrissey now lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Morrissey has written six national best sellers and prize-winning novels — Kit's Law, Downhill Chance, Sylvanus Now, What They Wanted, The Deception of Livvy Higgs, and The Fortunate Brother — as well as one Gemini-nominated screenplay. In 2021 She published a memoir, Pluck: A Memoir of a Newfoundland Childhood and the Raucous, Terrible, Amazing Journey to becoming a Novelist. Morrissey defended Frank Parker Day's novel Rockbound in Canada Reads 2005. Rockbound eventually won the competition. In the 2007 edition of Canada Reads, an "all-star" competition pitting the five winning advocates from previous years against each other, Morrissey returned to champion Anosh Irani's novel The Song of Kahunsha. Bibliography Kit's Law Downhill Chance Sylvanus Now What They Wanted The Deception of Livvy Higgs The Fortunate Brother Pluck: A memoir of a Newfoundland Childhood and the Raucous, Terrible, Amazing Journey to Becoming a Novelist Filmography Clothesline Patch (screenplay) nominated for Gemini for Best Writing Awards and recognition For Sylvanus Now: Winner of the Thomas Head Raddall Award Atlantic Booksellers Choice Award Short-listed for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize For Downhill Chance: Winner of the Thomas Head Raddall Award For Kit's Law: Winner of the Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award Winner of the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize Winner of the American Library Association Alex Award Shortlisted for the Books in Canada First Novel Award Shortlisted for the Atlantic Provinces Booksellers' Choice Award Shortlisted for the Thomas Head Raddall Award For Clothesline Patch: Winner, Best Production, 2002 Gemini Awards nominated Best Writing For The Deception of Livvy Higgs: One Book Nova Scotia selection, 2016 For "''The Fortunate Brother": Winner of the Thomas Head Raddall Award Winner of Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Book of 2017 External links Author page at Penguin Canada Donna Morrissey's web page Donna Morrissey's entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia Online interview from CBC Words at Large 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian women novelists Living people People from Newfoundland (island) Writers from Newfoundland and Labrador 21st-century Canadian women writers