Hi, I'm Arlin!

I'm a writer.

Author Arlin Dixon sitting at her desk and smiling

― why i write

I’ve always had a tough time with small talk. I’ll smile and nod with the best of them, but unless you want to open up about some deep trauma, I’ve got nothing beyond ‘nice weather, huh?’ I’ve never had this problem with books. All the small talk is out of the way, and I can get right to the good stuff. The world rearranges itself because of that line, that phrase, that story which is now cemented in my imagination. Books have changed me. Hopefully, for the better.

The very best thing I can do, (maybe the only thing I can do) is add to the story.

The wonderful thing about writing is that the page is always waiting. So, whether you’re a socially awkward introvert like me, or some magical raconteur sprinkled with fairy dust (I assume), pick up a pen, open up your laptop, and add to the conversation. You never know who is listening.

assorted-color pencil lot on white surface

― about me

I’m a writer, a mother, and an animal lover based in Toronto. I love reading, yoga, and going to concerts, but more so when they start on time and end at a reasonable hour. Oh, and if I can lean against the sound guy’s booth, so much the better. I also spend far too much time staring at my cat.

I started writing when I was a kid. My letters home from camp were stories about talking animals that must have confused my mother. Was I okay? Was I having fun? Who knows. Now let me tell you about this bird…

If you want to check out my work, please take a look at the My Fiction page. It’ll tell you all about what I’m working on.

Thanks for visiting!

Arlin

My fiction

THE GRAVE ROBBER'S APPRENTICE

Middle Grade/Historical Fiction

Growing up in the slums of 1850s Toronto you’ve got to be brave, especially when you’re an eleven-year-old girl who’s bold enough to dream of something better. Jo O’Doherty knows the only way out is with an education. But with no mother and a father who drinks more than he looks for work, Jo is meant to be caring for her little sister, Peggy, instead of sneaking off to the schoolhouse.

Her dreams are dashed when their father is jailed for killing a man in a drunken brawl. With the authorities on their tail, she and Peggy must run or risk being thrown in the workhouse. Orphaned in a cruel city they take refuge at a church, but unless Jo comes up with a plan, they won’t be together for long. Determined to make enough money to join their older brother in Quebec, Jo accepts a job as an apprentice to a gravedigger. A man who lost his daughter to the scourge of disease, but takes a shine to Jo.

Little does she know that this man who offered her a bit of hope has a darker side. He’s a grave robber, helping medical students by providing fresh bodies…for a price. Meanwhile, the church is eager to be rid of the girls and only too willing to sell them off to any family looking for free labour. If Jo doesn’t make enough money soon, the sisters will be separated. Desperate to keep her family together, Jo enters a world she is wholly unprepared for, and one that might cost her life.

THE GRAVE ROBBER’S APPRENTICE is a completed manuscript for which I’m seeking representation.

PLAYS

Baby Steps, written by Arlin Dixon & Matthew Gorman

Giving Up the Ghost, written by Arlin Dixon & Matthew Gorman

Nithy, and the Unsolvable Case, written by Arlin Dixon & Matthew Gorman

Eirlys and Eckhart, written by Arlin Dixon

B Side, written by Arlin Dixon

OTHER WRITING

“The Giant” - a short story published in issue #215 of The Antigonish Review

THE SHADOW OF THE BARGHEST

Young Adult/Contemporary Fantasy

There is nothing 15-year-old Ingrid wants more than to forget what she saw. No one believes her anyway. But as the sole witness to the last in a series of mysterious disappearances, Ingrid is both wrought with guilt and terrified she’s going crazy.

Despite officially retracting her statement for the benefit of her family, the evidence continues to stack up that something is very wrong. She tries blocking out the voices in her head, ignoring the shadows peeling off her body and the glimpses that throw her into a land of darkness.

But when she meets two friends who bring her reality into stark relief, she realizes she can’t deny the truth. A shape-shifting creature has crawled out of the Shadow Land into her small town, and stolen a little boy. Now the creature, called a Barghest, has its sights set on her.

When someone is falsely accused of the boy’s murder just as one of her new friends goes missing, Ingrid knows she must find the courage to travel to the Shadow Land and face the darkness that is closer to her than she ever imagined. If she fails, she risks disappearing forever.

THE SHADOW OF THE BARGHEST is a work in progress.