Animal Person: Nova Scotia author Alexander MacLeod returns with a new book

Alexander MacLeod says he's been living with the stories in 'Animal Person' for twelve years.

"You have to feel what they're going through is sincere," MacLeod says of developing characters and sharing them with readers.

'Light Lifting', his best-selling debut collection of short stories, released in 2010, was short-listed for the Giller Prize.

The eight short stories, sharing the pages of Animal Person, confirm MacLeod's talent for building suspense just below the surface of everyday events, then knocking the reader off balance with plot twists.

"Incrementally cranking it up and then swerving it in ways people hopefully don't see coming," the 49 year old author says of his honing his craft.

One story, called 'What Exactly Do You Think You're Looking At?' was inspired by a 1970's image taken by photographer Henry Wessel. MacLeod says it fits his style of writing. He likes to hold a single image of his protagonists in mind.

"Who is this? Who is this person?" MacLeod asked himself, "It's almost like following the image to wherever it's leading you."

You won't find any mention of the pandemic in Animal Person, but he says the book has been infused by it.

"It's kind of like the perfect petri dish," says MacLeod, describing the plot twists the pandemic continues to throw our way.

The father of three grew up in a large family between Cape Breton's Inverness County and Windsor, Ontario, but now calls Dartmouth home, while teaching at Saint Mary's University.

As for advice to aspiring writers, the teacher says 'find your own style', quoting another famous author.

"Oscar Wilde used to say trust yourself. Everyone else is taken."