Rod Hynes has managed to show his wife a different part of Newfoundland every time they visit home.
“Last time I showed her the Northern Peninsula. She’s from Quebec but she loves it there. She says I’m a different person when I’m there. I’m more of a Newfoundlander,” said Hynes. “But I say she’s more of a Newfoundlander than I am.”
The couple have been to Hynes home town of Norris Arm, they visited Rocky Harbour and Mobile, St. John’s and Cape Broyle. When Idele wanted to see France, Rod brought her to St. Pierre st Miquelon off the coast of Newfoundland.
Miniature Boats in Mobile
When the couple isn’t exploring unknown parts of home, Hynes resides in Ajax, Ontario. He left the island in the 70s and stayed on the mainland for work.
“I left pretty well right after school. If you found work, it was with the papermill. I didn’t want to do that,” said the Norris Arm South native. “I thought I’d come up and see what happens.”
Swimming hole in Cape Broyle
When Rod’s grandkids came along, he started sharing stories with them about his upbringing.
“I kept saying to my three grandkids you don’t go outside and I told them that’s all I did growing up and I started telling them stories,” said the Newfoundlander. “My wife suggested I start writing. I had always wrote short stories growing up, but they were just for me and I used to rip them up.”
Eventually Hynes revisited old passions and took his wife’s advice, he decided to sit down and write a book.
Mic Mac Mary is the first novel Hynes released. A story of a young boy’s adventures in Newfoundland during the summer in mid-1960s.
“It’s based on me growing up as a 12-year-old and it’s all true except I put a murder in there,” said the author. “90 percent is all me, growing up in Norris Arm.”
Hyne’s second novel Ploughman’s Journey is set in Newfoundland but with very different circumstances.
“It’s during a environmental catastrophe if all the bees died at the same time.” Explained the author. “I wanted to finish this story so I wrote Ploughman’s Nightmare.”
Set in a fictional town, the first novel follows Eli Ploughman and his family as they journey across the island in means of survival meeting many different people along the way. While the sequel sees the Ploughmans returning home in what would appear to be a new world- with new adventure.
“Once you start writing, you can’t stop. I enjoy writing these stories. If someone comes back to me with a smile on their face, then that’s enough for me,” said Hynes. “Everyone we sold a book to comes back to me with glowing reviews.”
Hynes has put aside a signed copy of each novel for three of his grandkids to read one day, when they are old enough.
For everyone else, all books can be found in some stores across Newfoundland and Freezerland in Brampton, On.
To order any of Hynes publication, feel free to contact him via email: roderick.hynes2@sympatico.ca
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Comment
RE- Rod Hynes Stories.
Thank you for this article; As an avid reader, myself, I would like to say that I have read Rod’s first two books; “Mic Mack Mary”, and “The Ploughman’s Journey” and enjoyed them immensely. I am looking forward to his third book, “The Ploughman’s Nightmare,” already ordered and on route as I write this comment.