Donna Morrissey (born January 13, 1956, 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 novelsKit'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.

Morrissey had a double mastectomy due to breast cancer,

Bibliography

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  • 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
  • Rage The Night

Filmography

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  • Clothesline Patch (screenplay)

nominated for Gemini for Best Writing

Awards and recognition

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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

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