Did you know that Petrolia is home to several authors? Who knew such talent dwelt in our midst! Please take a moment to read about our local authors and where you can find their books!
James Douglas
You might know Jim from school, as he’s been a teacher with LKDSB for many years! But Jim is also a prolific writer, and to date, he has penned 5 books with 2 more currently in the works! He is an avid outdoorsman who hunts, traps, fishes and trains hunting dogs. His first series was the Davie Meadows Assassin series, with the books Vigilante Justice and Sharpshooter: The Sins of Greed. Next was his inspiring autobiography, Straight from the Heart: Born to be Me. Below those are the two books from his current Mountain Men series:
These books are available locally at the Cash & Carry Feed Bin, 4349 Petrolia Line, and all of them are available at Amazon. For more information about Jim, his books and how to get them, head on over to his new website,
Gerry Van Hoorn
If you spend any time in downtown Petrolia, you’ve probably seen Gerry out one of his daily walks! Gerry has published 3 books in the last year, and he wrote all them in his 80’s! What a feat! He’s got more in the works, so watch for more from this busy writer! Here are Gerry’s current books:
You can find all of Gerry’s books on Amazon!
Daniel Barton
Daniel Barton is the author of the Novel, WATCH. He resides in Petrolia with his wife and daughter. Daniel is also a singer-songwriter who is currently arranging and performing (original material) in benefit ‘house concerts’ to raise awareness for suicide prevention. From his About the Author page in WATCH: “Having been recently retired has given Daniel the time to fulfill a long-time dream to write a novel. WATCH is the result of many interests and passions throughout his life“.
Book Synopsis: Retired construction worker Edward James discovers what appears to be an old pocket watch at the annual garage sale in his hometown of Petrolia. The device has only a single hand, no winding crown, and strange symbols adorning the dial. Posting photos online to uncover information about the watch leads to a meeting with an evasive man, only adding to the mystery. Edward acts on advice from a friend and travels to Brooklyn, New York to consult an old watchmaker. His innocent quest for knowledge soon becomes the adventure of a lifetime, as Edward and his family are plunged into the depths of a closely guarded secret. They have only their resourcefulness, life experience, and familial bond to confront a new and dangerous reality.
You can find WATCH on Amazon and Kobo.com, as well as locally at
Leisure Lane / Mr. B.’s / Sitek and Co. in Petrolia, and at The Book Keeper and Coles in Sarnia. For more information about Daniel and his book, please visit his website at:
Dawn Stilwell
Dawn is the author of the book, Healing Impact: Transforming Your Thoughts to Empower Your Life. A former lay minister with a heart for helping others, Dawn speaks from experience on how to leave behind the mindset of victim-hood and move forward with optimism and increased self-esteem. It’s a little book, but it packs a powerful message of hope!
Healing Impact: Transforming Your Thoughts to Empower Your Life is available as a Kindle e-book and as a print book on Amazon. Available in Petrolia at Tais Art Studio.
Jennifer’s Choice: A Right to Die Story is Dawn’s latest book, based on her family’s journey of supporting her sister, from cancer diagnosis to her receiving medical assistance in dying. A raw look at medically assisted suicide and how it affects a family.
Find it on Amazon, Google Play or other e-book platforms.
You can learn more about Dawn, her book and her outlook on life at:
More local authors to come! I’ve reached out to the ones that I know. If I haven’t reached out to you and you are a local author who would like to be a part of this page, please contact: The Publishing Shop!