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Hamilton author Mark Coakley tells fascinating stories with a fresh voice

Hamilton-based author Mark Coakley’s journey to becoming a professional writer has been anything but linear. 

Prior to penning a profuse collection of both nonfiction and fiction works, Coakley found his footing in an eclectic range of job positions including encyclopedia editor, janitor at a sewage treatment plant, tugboat sailor, parking lot attendant, Greenpeace fundraiser, infantry reservist, and lawyer. 

Throughout his diverse career and even his childhood, however, Coakley’s passion for language was a constant presence. 

“I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was a student at Dalewood Middle School in Hamilton’s west end, reading The Hobbit, James Bond, Conan and Choose Your Own Adventures,” he recalls. 

“In high school – Westdale and Scott Park – I wrote comic essays to try to amuse girls in my class and poetry to try to convince them that I was deep.” 

While Coakley spent years dreaming of turning his talents for writing into a professional pursuit, the potential instability of such a path pushed him in what felt like a safer direction; one which led to a robust career in law after earning his degree at York University. 

However, after a decade as a lawyer – working in civil litigation, family law, criminal law, landlord-tenant law, and more – Coakley felt more than ready to leave behind the immense stresses of his law career and take a leap of faith by following his dream of becoming a professional writer. 

Shifting his focus to being a stay-at-home dad to his three sons at his Ainslie Wood residence shared with his wife Nadia, Coakley soon found a sense of joy that had proven elusive in his lawyer life, and used his writing talents to get himself signed with Toronto-based publisher ECW Press. 

Coakley’s earliest two published works were in the true crime genre, undoubtedly informed in part by his lengthy tenure in law. 

“My goal is to tell interesting stories in clear language, while hopefully teaching the reader something at the same time,” he adds. 

His first, titled Tip and Trade: How Two Lawyers Made Millions from Insider Trading, was published in 2011 and tells the gripping story of Canada’s largest insider trading scandal, anchoring an entertaining creative voice and clarity of language to informative non-fiction storytelling. 

His 2014 sophomore effort Hidden Harvest featured similar writerly trademarks, documenting an illegal cannabis grow-op within an abandoned Molson brewing facility in Toronto that was raided by police in 2003 and gained a reputation as the largest grow-op in North America. 

These two books certainly helped raise Coakley’s profile as an emerging writer to watch, captivating readers and receiving critical acclaim from publications like the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail. 

With a shifting sense of his aspirations, Coakley later parted ways with ECW Press and launched his own publishing house, Fire Ant Press, which gave him the openness to write and publish works with complete creative freedom. 

While recent Fire Ant books like Shroom Boom – documenting the rise in psychedelic therapy – stick to Coakley’s fascination with vital true stories, many of the author’s latest published works are a departure from his earliest publications, notably embracing more of his voice as a fiction writer with some intriguing, genre-bending storytelling. 

The Saga of Halfdan the Black sends Coakley’s writing into decidedly different territory in what he describes as a “Norse-style saga about an ancient Viking warrior and king.” 

“Violent, non-modern and stereotype-shattering, the saga is the product of three years research into the world of Scandinavia in the ‘Dark Ages,’” Coakley adds. 

The author also recently published Various, a diverse collection of essays, poetry, articles, and short stories that he regards as a mix of “greatest hits” alongside some early works. 

But the book Coakley says he’s most proud of is his creepy-crawly mystery novel Murder Bugs: A Love Story, which follows an entomologist helping the police as they attempt to get to the bottom of a series of peculiar killings by insects. 

“Years in the making, it is the culmination of my childhood obsession with insects and my adult fascination with criminal investigation,” Coakley says. “It’s fast, fun, and surprising, with a sting in the tail.”

Compelled by crime thrillers, Coakley’s forthcoming projects feature an enticingly local focus with stories set in his hometown of Hamilton. 

The series of books, called Gangs of Hamilton, will explore stories inspired by this region with the first – tentatively titled The Tow Truck War – centering on a real-life series of murders and arsons within Ontario’s tow truck industry. 

With these intriguing works on the horizon, Coakley is also planning to pack up some signed paperbacks of Shroom Boom, Murder Bugs, and the others and hit the road to tour literary festivals and events across Southern Ontario in 2023. 

But no matter where the road – or the page – takes him, Coakley makes it clear that his roots will always lie here in the Hammer. 

“To quote the ubiquitous t-shirt: ‘Hamilton is home,’” he says. “Often in my mind, always in my heart.” 

Read more about Mark Coakley and his published works on his website. Mark’s catalogue of books can be purchased on Amazon. Follow Mark on Twitter at @markcoakleybook.

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