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Riel Nason – At Home Here in New Brunswick

Occupation: Author of "The Town That Drowned" & Currently working on a new novel.

Place of Birth: Hawkshaw, NB

Currently Resides: Quispamsis, NB

Where’s your favourite place in New Brunswick to grab a coffee?

Java Moose in Rothesay.

Where’s your favourite place in New Brunswick to grab a pint?

There hasn’t been a lot of pint grabbing by me lately, but an old favourite is The Lunar Rogue in downtown Fredericton.

Where’s your favourite place to shop in New Brunswick?

The annual NB Antique Auto Club Flea Market held in Sussex the third weekend of August. It is New Brunswick’s biggest outdoor flea market and is a giant treasure hunt.

Where in New Brunswick would we stand to see your favourite view?

Any point along the shore of the St. John River between Mactaquac and Woodstock.

Name 3 things we’ve gotta do when we visit New Brunswick:

Only three? Yikes. Well …

1. Visit Campobello Island. Get there by taking the (seasonal) ferry from Deer Island rather than driving all the way around through Maine. Visit the East Quoddy Head Harbour Lighthouse and the Roosevelt Cottage. Hang out on the shore and watch the sunset.

2. Go to Minister’s Island. So many friends that I mention it to even here don’t know about it, and it is the absolute perfect destination for a family picnic. Get your kids excited by telling them that you have to drive on the ocean floor to get there (a tide road). Then on the island there is the giant simultaneously beautiful but spooky cottage, gorgeous grounds, beach, etc.

3. Go to King’s Landing Historical Settlement. It has a special place in my heart as I used to work there as a tour guide in the summers during university and of course it is mentioned (fictionally) in "The Town That Drowned".

What makes New Brunswick such a special place on earth for you?

It is where I’m from – it has my past, present and likely future. There are lots of trees, forests, rivers and ocean, endless natural beauty. It is an outdoor place. I like seeing deer almost every night when I go on my walk. I like seeing people I know almost every time I leave the house. I like that my kids are growing up here.