Exclusive Retreat with Award-Winning NS Authors

For the Love of Books

Exclusive Retreat with Award-Winning NS Authors

February 20-22, 2026

In Partnership with:
Nimbus Publishing Logo
For the Love of Books , a winter weekend wrapped in the warmth of great Nova Scotia books plus personal time with their creators. Indulge yourself in a 2-night retreat at Digby Pines, connecting one-on-one with 4 renowned and award-winning Nova Scotia authors; Carol Bruneau, Lesley Crewe, Stephens Gerard-Malone and Renee Belliveau . During this exclusive event, hear the personal journeys of the authors as they created their memorable stories, what inspired them and what's next!

Presented in partnership with Nimbus Publishing, the weekend includes individual author's insights on their writing, time to meet and interact with authors and like-minded bibliophiles, group dinner and a pop-up book market.


Love of Books Retreat Package includes:

  • Two nights accommodation in a cozy resort room based on availability
  • Upgrade to cottage or suite available
  • Early Check-in from 2pm
  • Welcome Gift
  • Voucher for 25% discount on one Spa Treatment
  • Two full, hot breakfasts (Saturday & Sunday mornings)
  • One drink ticket to Friday night Meet & Greet Reception
  • Lunch on Saturday
  • Refreshment Break on Saturday
  • 3-course Private Dinner with authors (Saturday night)
  • Pop-up Book Market
  • Plenty of time to interact and talk one-on-one with authors.


Love of Books Retreat Package Pricing:

  • Starting from $436 plus tax and gratuities for 1 person in a resort room, based on availability 
  • Starting from $612 plus tax and gratuities for 2 people in a resort room, based on availability
  • Upgrades to suites and cottages available.


Love of Books Retreat Package Agenda:

Friday, February 20, 2026

  • 2pm: Early Check In   
  • Welcome gift in your room
  • Come at 2pm and enjoy time to have a Spa Treatment or enjoy the surroundings
  • Voucher for 25% discount on one Spa Treatment for Retreat participants
  • Dinner on your own. 
  • Consider a 3- course Prime Rib Dinner or a Chef-inspired meal in Churchill's Restaurant; our speciality is Scallops
  • 7pm: Meet & Greet Reception with the authors, in the Grande Lounge.
  • One drink ticket included.


Saturday, February 21, 2026

  • Pop-up Book Market open in the Grande Lounge, presented by Nimbus Publishing
  • 7am – 10am: Full, hot breakfast in Churchill's Restaurant
  • Included in the package pricing
  • 10 – 11am: A morning with an author.
  • The first of 4 writers will discuss her newest book and core concepts, as well as treasured favorites, with anecdotes and interactive discussion. 
  • 11:30am – 12:30pm: Group lunch
  • Included in the package pricing
  • 1 – 3pm: Two hours in conversation with 2 authors. 
  • 3:15 – 4pm: Refreshment Break 
  • 4 – 5pm: Final author's personal thoughts on writing and conceptualizing a new work. 
  • 6:30pm: Pre-Dinner Drinks in the Garden Room
  • On your own
  • 7pm: Private Dinner with Authors and Retreat Participants in the Garden Room
  • Included in the package price
  • 8 – 9pm: Q & A with all authors 


Sunday, February 22, 2026

  • 7am – 10am: Full, hot breakfast in Churchill's Restaurant
  • Included in the package Price.
  • Check-out.


Make the most of your stay with us! Resort Amenities and Activities are available to all guests while visiting The Pines. Churchill's Restaurant prides itself on locally-sourced and Nova Scotia-inspired dining, including Prime Rib Fridays. Treat yourself to the luxury of The Spa at The Pines; walk the woodland nature trails on-site and enjoy unique views from the beach look-off. The Grand Lounge is the perfect spot to enjoy games and activities provided or sit back and enjoy a good book. Additional charges may apply.


Conditions:

  • Available only February 20 – 22, 2026
  • Standard 72-hour cancelation policy prior to the arrival date
  • All rates are subject to HST
  • Discount cannot be used in conjunction with other discounts, packages, or promotions
  • Not applicable to groups, or contracted rates
  • Limited availability.

2026 FOR THE LOVE OF BOOKS AUTHORS

LESLEY CREWE

A Quebecer by birth and a Nova Scotian by choice, Lesley Crewe published her first book, Relative Happiness, in 2005 and has never looked back. Crewe won the 2021 Jim Connors Dartmouth Book Award at the Atlantic Book Awards for her 2020 novel The Spoon Stealer, which was also long-listed for Canada Reads in 2022. As a child, Crewe's mother took her to Cape Breton for two months every summer, which inspired her desire to live there.  Her latest novel, Spirit of Scatarie is a stunning new work of historical fiction set on Nova Scotia’s remote Scatarie Island, following three friends whose lives are inextricably bound, and the spirit who guides them.

STEPHENS GERARD MALONE

Stephens Gerard Malone currently lives and writes on Canada’s east coast. In 1994, he published his first novel, Endless Bay under the pseudonym Laura Fairburn. His second novel, Miss Elva followed in 2005 and was short-listed for the Dartmouth Book Award. His most recent novel Jumbo was published in 2023 and the rights to his seventh, Two Boys in a Yellow Wood has been sold to Nimbus Publishing/Vagrant Press for publication in 2026.

CAROL BRUNEAU

Halifax resident, Carol Bruneau is the author of eleven books: four short fiction collections, including Threshold in 2024, one non-fiction book, No Ordinary Magic: the Art of Laurie Swim and six novels. These include Brighten the Corner Where You Are: a Novel Inspired by the Life of Maud Lewis and nominated for the IMPAQ Dublin Literary Award, and A Circle on the Surface winner of the Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction. Her 2017 story collection, A Bird on Every Tree, was a finalist for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction. Her first novel, Purple for Sky, won both awards in 2001. Many of Bruneau’s works are book club favourites. Her reviews, stories, essays and articles have appeared nation-wide in newspapers, journals and anthologies. 

RENÉE BELLIVEAU

Renée Belliveau is the author of the novels A Sense of Things Beyond and The Sound of Fire, which was named a Quill and Quire Book of the Year and shortlisted for the 2022 ReLit Novel Award, as well as the memoir Les étoiles à l’aube. A proud Acadienne originally from Shediac, NB, Renée now lives in Dartmouth where she draws inspiration from her work as an archivist. Her latest novel, A Sense of Things Beyond is set in Nova Scotia in 1922 and was inspired by a real-life couple – a nurse who cared for soldiers near the frontlines and a man once imprisoned in a German internment camp during the First World War. Their stories intertwine as they try to rebuild their lives after the war, revealing the lasting effects of conflict long after peace is declared.

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