Paulson calls Adam’s Witness a “romp” through mystery and romance. (jcpaulsonauthor.com)

The world of storytelling is nothing new for Saskatoon writer Joanne Paulson but Adam’s Witness marks her first work of fiction. A journalist by trade, Paulson has been a mainstay in Saskatoon’s reporting pool working for publications like The Saskatoon Express, The Saskatoon StarPhoenix and The Western Producer. She says she never considered the possibility she could write a novel until she went through a difficult time in her private life.

“After spending three months under the bed I decided enough was enough. I didn’t do it consciously, it happened subconsciously,” Paulson explains. “I woke up at 3 a.m. and I wasn’t thinking about the bad things that had happened. Instead there was this plot in my head.”

One part crime drama, one part romance, the story of Adam’s Witness centers around hard-working reporter Grace Rampling who suddenly finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. When she meets detective sergeant Adam Davis, the sparks fly.

“I used to read interviews with authors and they would talk about how they got the basic plot going but then the characters just took over and I thought ‘Oh yeah right’,” Paulson says. “I realized they were right. My characters just went down their own paths.”

Saskatchewan audiences have been quickly charmed by this book, which is set in Saskatoon. The former police station, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix newsroom and even the coffee shops are all easily recognizable. Paulson draws on her own experience as a reporter in telling this story. She hopes people will be drawn in the same way she was.

“Writing this book sent me into another world,” She said. “It was a tremendous exercise in trying to understand people and create real, believable people. I’m already writing book two. You just get hooked on being somewhere else.”

Joanne Paulson will be launching Adam’s Witness at McNally Robinson Booksellers in Saskatoon Wednesday November 1, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.

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