books i've written

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As a long, hot Saskatchewan summer dawns, Darby Swank’s life is
forever changed when she finds her beloved aunt floating dead in a lake.

All at once, her blinders are lifted and she sees the country lifestyle she’s always known in a whole new way, with hidden pain and anguish lurking behind familiar faces, and violence forever threatening to burst forth, like brushfire smouldering and dormant under the muskeg.

With her first novel, Lisa Guenther lays bare familial bonds, secret histories, and the healing potential of art. Friendly Fire eviscerates small-town platitudes and brings important issues to light.

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Darby Swank’s entire life changed when her Aunt Bea was brutally murdered one summer in their rural Saskatchewan community. Following her gripping debut, Friendly Fire, Lisa Guenther skillfully picks up Darby’s story a few weeks after the dramatic finale.

Rebuilding her life, Darby forges lasting friendships and reconnects with family members - including her charismatic cousin Brynny, a young woman leading a new and inclusive church in rural Alberta. Landing a sought-after gig in an established Toronto band, Darby is thrust into the life of a working musician on the road. Still haunted by the violence hidden in her past, Darby must find a way to live at least partially in the public eye, as her music career takes off and her Aunt Bea’s art and story become more well known.

Guenther’s second novel is a pressing account of a life wrecked by trauma, and rebuilt brick by brick with joy, love, and friendship. Guenther asks important questions about privacy, safety, the vulnerability of artists in the public eye, and meditates on the importance of art and the transcendental properties of music.