Brent is a recovering high school literature teacher, army medic and tree planter, who now considers himself to be an in-progress writer. He’s the author of the young adult novel Nothing but Life, the adult novels Boy and Saints, Unexpected, as well as Cut Road, a forthcoming collection of short stories. He has published some stories and won a few awards, too. When not writing, he can be found Daddying and Husbanding super hard, working for the local public library or wandering Hamilton, Ontario looking for stories. For more information, go to www.brentvans.com

Q: You’ve really burst on the scene, given all the awards and acclaim you’ve enjoyed for your work. And they’re hard-hitting books on heavy topics – lots of anguish, tragedy, loss, scars. What draws you to dark, contemporary topics and characters that one might call misfits?