News

Here’s the latest news about my writing work! Scroll down to learn more about what I’ve been up to.

ODD: Milksop Released into the Wilds of Writing!

In my latest Old Dog Dumps post, I celebrate publication day for my debut novel Milksop.

In “Look Out! Milksop Released Today into the Wilds of Writing,” I share what inspired the novel and what my hopes are for my little paper boat—along with how readers can help keep it afloat.

Here’s a taste: “It began with a memory from 50 years ago. That memory became an image: a teenage boy from the city sits on a tractor in an unfamiliar farmyard. He can’t get the tractor started, even though the farmer showed this strange boy how to do it the night before. On a second tractor, the farmer is heading down the laneway. He doesn’t look back.”

Have a read, and if the spirit moves you, subscribe to ODD: it’s all free, all the time.

ODD Post: Small Dreams and Minor Miracles

In my latest Old Dog Dumps post, “Small Dreams and Minor Miracles: That’s ODD,” I reflect on both writing and reading fiction as forms of dreaming—and the minor miracle that my debut novel Milksop will be released in less than a week.

Here’s a taste: “It’s a noisy world filled with words, isn’t it? A world of shortened attention spans for reading those words. A world of tweets by twits, rage-bait posts, and content designed to keep us doomscrolling. It’s a minor miracle that the novel exists in this environment.”

Have a read, and if the spirit moves you, subscribe to ODD: it’s all free, all the time.

ODD Post: Milksop Evan Gets Smacked Down by a French Teenager

Milksop Evan has received a smack down from a French teenager.

In my latest ODD post, part 4 of “Milksop: In Others’ Words,” I share the story of how seventeen-year-old Tina from France (2026) reacted to seventeen-year-old Evan from Ontario (1979). It wasn’t pretty. I’ve concluded that my novel must be banned, at least among French teenagers, maybe all teenagers. Perhaps existing copies should be turned into a bonfire of my vanities.

Happy reading! And as always, if the spirit moves you, feel free to share your thoughts and the post itself. Don’t forget to subscribe: it’s all free all the time.

Odd Post: More Sightings of Milksops in the Wild

Apparently there’s no cure for my writerly madness.

In my latest ODD post, “More Sightings of Milksops in the Wild,” I share my horror at discovering that centuries-long debates have raged about this humble word, “milksop.”

Here’s a taste: “Yes, my little novel has entered a minefield. Above that minefield a storm is brewing, one the literary world and the global order have never seen, worse than the combined havoc created by those two viruses, COVID and Donald Trump.”

Warning: I’m still prone to exaggeration and suffer from illusions of grandeur.

Happy reading! And as always, if the spirit moves you, feel free to share your thoughts and the post itself. Don’t forget to subscribe: it’s all free all the time.

Milksop: In Others’ Words, Part 3

I’ve received another lovely endorsement for my debut novel Milksop!

Here’s a taste of what Melissa Kuipers says: “Full of delightful characters, farming mishaps, and a relatable city-slicker narrator who finds himself out of his depth in the country, Van Rys’s debut novel is full of description so rich you can smell the hay and feel the rumble of the tractor while reading.”

What else does Melissa say? In my latest ODD post, part 3 of “Milksop: In Others’ Words,” you’ll find her full endorsement along with my reflection on her words, especially on how Milksop is a fish-out-of-water story. I also ask whether my novel and I are something of a fish out of water in the publishing world.

Have a read, and if the spirit moves you, subscribe to ODD: it’s all free, all the time.

ODD Post: Milksop Pre-Ordering Frenzy!

It’s April 23! One month until Milksop’s launch!

In my latest ODD Substack post, I share links for pre-ordering Milksop, along with two rather embarrassing fantasies, one about a pre-ordering frenzy, the other about Ann Patchett.

Here’s a taste: “I see Ann Patchett in bed. There’s nothing untoward about this fantasy. She’s in bed reading, and her husband, Karl VanDevender, whose name suggests he’s of Dutch heritage, like Evan Mulder and me, is beside her. Ann clearly likes Dutchmen. Their dog Nemo is sleeping between them. Ann is reading Milksop, smiling and laughing and even shedding a tear or two—at Evan’s story, not at the poor quality of my writing. That would be a nightmare.”

Where’s the line between having big dreams for your writing and being delusional? I think I’ve crossed it.

Happy reading!

Latest ODD Post: Milksop sightings in the Wild

In my latest Old Dog Dumps post, “Sightings of ‘Milksop’ in the Wild,” I explore how the title word from my novel has shown up in writing across the centuries.

Here’s a taste: “My ambition in publishing Milksop is to fully resuscitate this marvelous word. More than that, my novel aims to redeem ‘milksop’ and all those poor souls around the world who’ve been wrongly belittled by being labelled with the term.”

Warning: I’m prone to exaggeration and suffer from illusions of grandeur.

Have a read, and if the spirit moves you, subscribe to ODD: it’s all free, all the time. Feel free, as well, to share your thoughts and this post.

Milksop: In Others’ Words, Part 2

I’ve received an endorsement for my novel Milksop that’s left me gobsmacked.

Here’s what Joseph Kertes says: “Who’d have thought that there could be a fresh take on the age-old tale of growing up, of finding oneself, of growing into oneself, of falling in love (even if it is with the wrong girl)? That is precisely the journey that Evan, the protagonist of this novel, takes. He is a clumsy city boy, the ‘milksop’ of the title, who is transplanted by his parents into the country only to discover what is good and right about this world, after believing that little of it could be true or possible. John Van Rys is a bold, honest and eloquent new voice in Canadian letters. We should welcome and celebrate his arrival.”

In my latest ODD post, part 2 of “Milksop: In Others’ Words,” I reflect on Joe’s words, as well as on how Milksop is a coming-of-age novel in a double sense. Have a read, and if the spirit moves you, subscribe to ODD: it’s all free, all the time.

Milksop: In Others’ Words, Part 1

It’s beginning! Voices other than mine are starting to talk about Milksop ahead of its publication on May 23. In my latest Old Dog Dumps post, I share a bit about who’s saying what. First up? Larry Link, my supplier (of hay, not drugs). Here’s a taste: “It’s time for me to say of Milksop, ‘Don’t take my word for it.’ Or at least, ‘not just my word.’ With the publication date beginning to loom large on the horizon (May 23), Milksop feels to me like a child about to graduate, to move out, to move on into the larger world. My child. And because Milksop is my debut novel, that makes her a debutante, on top of everything else. No pressure!” Have a read, and if the spirit moves you, subscribe to ODD: it’s all free, all the time.

My Latest ODD Post: Something Ventured

What’s in a “word of intention”? In my newest post, “Something Ventured. Nothing Gained?,” I share a bit about my word of intention for 2026, “venture,” and what it’s meant for my writing life.

Here’s a taste: “Why ‘venture’? Because in life and writing I tend to be risk averse, and that can be quite limiting. Venturing involves undertaking daring actions that offer but do not guarantee a reward, a return on the investment of time, energy, or money. Of course, marriage is such a venture, as is having children, writing a novel, or wrestling an alligator. ‘Putting yourself out there’ in any of these ways might lead to your body marinating beneath a log in a swamp if things don’t go well with family members, critics, or critters.”

The background question I’m asking: might our writing lives be strengthened by this practice?

Happy reading! And as always, if the spirit moves you, feel free to share your thoughts and the post itself. Don’t forget to subscribe: it’s all free all the time.