Before writing, John worked as a film editor and made four short films about modern dance. Life with his wife Annie opened the way to summers in France, home of Inspector Aliette Nouvelle. The Voice of Aliette Nouvelle was published in 1999. The Aliette series comprises seven books. All Pure Souls was a QWF MacLennan Prize finalist. Walls of a Mind was short-listed for the CWC Arthur Ellis Award.
John’s short story The Finer Points of Apples won the Journey Prize in 1998. This story became the inspiration for Last Days of Montreal, a novel focusing on life in a quiet cul-de-sac during and after the 1995 Referendum on Sovereignty.
In 2001, John won a CBC/QWF short fiction prize for The Death of PJ Barford, which became the starting point for The Barford Threesome, a novel revolving around the travails of three overly-affluent dads, recently completed and currently seeking a publisher.
