Beacons of Hope
- Michel Weatherall
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Bravery is not the absence of fear, but the courage to act in spite of it.
A powerful quote and powerful words.
Bravery is the strength to act despite fear.
Courage is the counter-intuitive instinct that
says something is bigger than ourselves -
the safety of others.
For those of you that know me, I'm sure you've heard me say, I believe our great city is rich with literary talents (amongst others). But there is something else Ottawa, our nation's Capital Region, is rich with:
Bravery. Heroes.
No, they might not be epic warriors clad in armor facing seemingly insurmountable odds on a battlefield. But the enemy they face is much darker, terrifying and threatening. And they don't flinch. Without glory, without fanfare, they wage this war alone. They have the audacity to refuse to remain silent, and the tenacity to shine the bright light of day into the darkest corners, ultimately, becoming a beacon of light to those suffering.
As Broken Keys Publishing & Press's Editor-in-Chief, it is my great honour to introduce you to two such people and their books.
Keith Egli and his newest release, Tenacious Little F*cker: A Survivor's Story, and
Kristin Howe and her soon to be released, UNBOUND: Not All Chains Are Visible.
Broken Keys Publishing & Press was proud to journey with Keith Egli to help bring forth Tenacious Little F*cker: A Survivor's Story.
It was a momentous step of bravery for the author to go public with this story, and an even bigger step to publish this book. But even more impressive, in my opinion, is the drive and ambition, that this can reach out to people struggling with these same experiences and challenges; to plunge a helping hand into the darkness of guilt, shame, despair, futility, and shine a light on hope. Send the message, There are resources; There is help; There is an exit from the darkness, and most important of all, You are not alone.
It is currently available in numerous bookstores across Ottawa, including Indigo Kanata, Indigo Pinecrest, Indigo Barrhaven, Indigo South Keys, Books on Beechwood, Re-Read Books, and The Spaniard's Tale, just to name a few.
If you are not in the Ottawa area, or mobility is a challenge, Tenacious Little F*cker: A Survivor's Story is also available, worldwide, on Amazon.
It is also available at the Ottawa Public Library.
Tenacious Little F*cker: A Survivor's Story also includes resources and support contact information, websites, and emails.
Synopsis:
From the outside, Keith Egli has everything. An accomplished lawyer who became a three-term municipal politician, married to his best friend and love of his life, three beautiful children, a home in a lovely area of Ottawa, the perfect family dog, everything.
Or so he thought.
There was a dark cloud in Keith’s life. A secret. A pain nobody understood. Something so traumatic his mind had kept it locked away in a box buried deep inside his brain. Until one day the box came up and the trauma spilled out in a torrent of tears.
Like so many Canadians, Keith is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who suffered in silence for decades.
No longer would he be silent.
In this raw, heart-wrenching but hopeful essay, this TLF (“Tenacious Little Fucker”) chronicles his journey through unexplained hurt to rage to self-forgiveness and finally, to the road he has taken towards healing. With this book, Keith wants to normalize discussions of childhood sexual abuse, assist other survivors in finding the resources they need to heal, and convince everyone else of the necessity to devote more resources to programs that have proven their worth in helping survivors.
And in line with Keith Egli's Tenacious Little F*cker: A Survivor's Story, Broken Keys Publishing will soon be releasing Kristin Howe's
Unbound: Not All Chains Are Visible. (Likely late June, early July 2026).
Although presented through the medium of fiction, it is based upon real life events and faces the issues of Human Trafficking and brings it into the light of day.
Resources and support will have links with Soroptimist International a Non-Government Organization with a consultative status at the UN, with unique Canadian initiatives like the Restore Her Smile Project.
Again, it is these survivors who will not remain quiet, but bravely speak out, share their stories with the world, and bring the same resounding message to those in need; You are not alone.
Synopsis:
Everyone believed Piper came from a good family, but some monsters wear familiar faces.
For Piper, survival meant silence. It meant learning how to read the shifting moods of a father who could transform from loving protector to something unrecognizable — something she named Fenrir. A wolf hiding inside her father. A darkness responsible for violence, manipulation, and horrors no child should ever endure.
Years later, while struggling with PTSD, intrusive thoughts, and the pressure of motherhood, Piper begins therapy expecting to fix the parts of herself she thinks are broken. Instead, she descends into the darkest corners of her past, where forgotten truths wait beneath years of denial, fear, and repression.
As memory and reality collide, Piper is forced to confront the truth about her childhood, the girls who disappeared, and the unbearable guilt she has carried for decades. But uncovering the past comes at a cost. Every revelation threatens to shatter the life she built, the mother she struggles to be, and the fragile sense of safety she has fought desperately to maintain.
Unflinching, raw, haunting, and deeply emotional, Unbound is a devastating and unforgettable psychological drama about trauma, survival, and breaking the cycle before it consumes another generation, and the terrifying journey of reclaiming your voice after a lifetime of silence.
CAUTION
Content Warning: Explicit sex, sexual abuse, rape, physical and psychological abuse and violence, with themes of child abuse, kidnapping, human trafficking and captivity.
Reader discretion is strongly advised.
Keep up to date with breaking news, new releases
and events, and keep your thumb on
the pulse of Ottawa's literary scene.
Subscribe and follow us on social media -
Comments