Based on real events surrounding a cult in rural Quebec, Hetherington's debut novel Mooncalves weaves a tale of present-day crime and a strange, dystopian future.
"The arrival of Hetherington’s unique narrative voice may announce the coming of a new genre. Call it Post Singularity Toronto Gothic, if you will. You may be tempted, if you are as impressed by this debut as this reviewer is, to see Hetherington as the millennial generation’s persuasive answer to Atwood."
- The Vancouver Sun
"Word started to spread in literary circles earlier this spring about a startling literary debut, a first novel called Mooncalves by Victoria Hetherington, published by a very small press in Vancouver. Such presses have no money for publicity, so the only way for a novel such as that to create some word of mouth is to be really, really good. Here is evidence, for the skeptical, that it sometimes does happen. Mooncalves is a stunning debut."
- The Globe and Mail
"With family resemblances to other Canadians, specifically the novels of Lynn Crosbie and the body-horror films of early David Cronenberg...Mooncalves forges its own path. A stylish puzzle of a story, Victoria Hetherington’s debut novel is prickly and demanding and a bit feral but both singular and absorbing."
- The Toronto Star
"From Netflix’s Wild Wild Country to a slew of books – including Claudia Dey’s Heartbreaker, Victoria Hetherington’s Mooncalves, and Emma Cline’s The Girls...explorations of cults are filling a particular, and dark, societal need."
- Quill and Quire
"A work of great thematic depth...[the central relationship] I completely loved and have had to restrain myself from writing paragraph after paragraph."
- The Puritan
"Mooncalves is capable of becoming The Handmaid’s Tale of our time not only because of how relevant it is to current discussions about climate change and patriarchy but also for some of the ways it goes further in its discussion of feminism... It is a book that is, in many ways, unlike anything that I have read before, and it is hard to imagine I will encounter anything quite like it again."
- The Town Crier
"Mooncalves is startling...A truly harrowing read that strips all of the glamor from the genre within which it operates."
- Broken Pencil Magazine
"Set against a backdrop of impending environmental catastrophe, Hetherington’s fresh and unconventional story is composed of deeply complex characters including cult devotees, time travellers, synthetic companions, and ghosts. Hetherington offers us a biting social critique in this stunning debut."
- Kathryn Mockler, author of Onion Man
" Hetherington is a beautiful writer. In the depraved and terrifying future she creates, her sentences dance nimbly, brightly across the page, like the palest of flowers left on decomposing bodies."
- Diana Wagman, author of Extraordinary October
" Anchored by survivalist women’s voices, this dystopic story catapults the Millennial perspective into the visionary position. In this cultish, futuristic landscape, I was reassured by this mysterious talent women have, to absorb ancestrally, survivalist tricks fit for any era.”
- Alisha Piercy, author of Bunny and Shark
"Hetherington holds nothing back, whether it’s sexual, violent, or emotionally toxic.You will have trouble putting Mooncalves down, because as protagonist Erica says, “transgression can be unbearably sexy.”
- Myna Wallin, author of Confessions of a Reluctant Cougar
"A ganglion of masterfully structured insights and anxieties reminiscent of Jean Rhys and Renata Adler. Mooncalves speaks closer than most to our contemporary moment."
- Michael Turner, author of Hard Core Logo
COPYWRITER
Welcome to my website! If you’re here, it’s probably because you’re in the market for a copywriter. Or perhaps you’re in need of a sizzling ad campaign, or a smoothly curated ghostwriting service. Then again, maybe you’re simply looking for more information about my literary projects. Either way, you’re in the right place.
My copywriting clients are many and various. I’ve worked for academic institutions, including the University of Toronto and Ryerson University. I’ve also helped signal-boost and troubleshoot for the healthcare sector in an ad copy and copywriting capacity. I’m especially proud to count The Hospital for Sick Children and Altima Healthcare among my clients in this critical sector.
AUTHOR
I am a member of the Writers Union of Canada and the managing fiction editor at Broken Pencil Magazine. I am also a two-time recipient of the Ontario Arts Council Writer's Works in Progress Grant, (2013, 2016) and a recipient of the Ontario Arts Council Writers' Reserve (2015). My short stories and poetry have appeared in places like Hazlitt, Taddle Creek, The Hart House Review, and The Puritan.
My debut novel, Mooncalves, was published in 2019 to wide acclaim. Media outlets such as The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and the Vancouver Sun turned in positive reviews. The book was shortlisted for the 2020 Amazon Canada First Novel Award.
My second novel, Autonomy, will be released in February 2022 with Dundurn Press.
My own literary adventure began some time before that, though; I have been publishing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry since 2010. A notable digital fiction project from this period, I Have to Tell You, was written with the support of multiple grants from the Ontario Arts Council, and published in 2014 by 0s&1s Books. It was mentioned and reviewed in The Guardian, Publisher's Weekly, and The L.A. Review of Books.
ACADEMIC CREDITS
I hold an Honours Bachelor’s degree in English and Women’s Studies from the University of Toronto (2013). My undergraduate thesis, titled “You Hear Funny Things,” was awarded a Writer’s Works in Progress Grant from the Ontario Arts Council (2013). I built on this work for my subsequent Master’s thesis, graduating in 2016.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER
CONTENT CREATION
Great content is great for business! And I’m a one-stop shop for copy that packs a punch. My copywriting experience has covered everything from irresistible web pages to scannable reports, from pitch-perfect marketing campaigns to fresh-out-of-the-box blog content. I can also ensure that your own content zips and zings, error-free, in my capacity as a professional editor! Contact me below for a no-obligations quote.
GHOSTWRITING
Always wanted to write the tale of your business? Narrate your latest travel adventure? Pen the story of your life? I can help you. I’m a professional ghostwriter with Writers Union of Canada accreditation. Why not utilize my experience and expertise to tell your story the way you’ve always wanted it told? Contact me today for a quote, and let’s see how we can get your unique story out into the world.
SEO (SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION)
Customers need to be able to find your website. Of course they do. That’s why search rankings are your bread and butter when it comes to online survival. My SEO strategy is highly effective at improving organic search rankings. I’ve represented diverse sectors from healthcare to universities to real estate. Why not join my growing client list? Reach out today for a quick quote, and let’s get your SEO show on the road!
CONTACT
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