Local Writer Pens Book About Canadian Kindness in the Time of COVID-19

Being an artist can be a struggle at the best of times. Add a worldwide pandemic to the mix and many Canadian artists have thrown a major stumbling block when it comes to succeeding in the arts. Writer Heather Down, however, decided to use the pandemic as a source of inspiration. Down and her friend Catherine Kenwell co-authored the book "Not Cancelled: Canadian Caremongering in the Face of COVID-19." The nonfiction book is a collection of stories from across Canada telling the tales of Canadians who looked out for their neighbours in the time of COVID-19.

While researching for the book from her home in Ontario, Down came across a news segment online produced by Charlotte County TV in St. Andrews, New Brunswick about a local married couple who dressed up as clowns to cheer up their neighbours.
"Although I ended up not doing a story about them in this collection of short stories, I'm thinking of including them in the n

ext. More than that, they are actually the reason my husband and I decided to move to St. Andrews in the pandemic. We had never been here before, but we got intrigued by the small town and started doing research on it," said Down.

Down's husband John Fraser is an artist like his wife, but in his case he's a musician. He fell in love with St. Andrews' arts community he quickly discovered online and was on board with the move out east. The couple are also opening a cafe, Coldjack Cafe, offering up the best of British imports. from teas to shortbread cookies, on Water Street in downtown St. Andrews.

"We are thrilled to be here and look forward to meeting more people, including the two clowns from the news story who we have yet to meet in real life. They are the reason we moved here!"