Niagara Author + Web Designer + Scenery Photographer
 John Hartig is a Canadian novelist and photographer. He publishes his e-books, paperback and hardcover novels through Amazon. John's Photobook Series is also available through Amazon.
John's genres include murder mysteries, historical fiction, cowboy novels and science fiction. His Photobook Series takes in Niagara Falls, Ball's Falls, Morningstar Mill, Port Dalhousie, Niagara on the Lake and his specialty, flowers and sunsets. John Hartig lives in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. He is retired. You can view John's wide range of writings by clicking the link below:
Paperbacks, Hardcovers and e-Books
Special Offer: 6 or more of the same book,
order directly through my E-mail: johnehartig@gmail.com
John's Selections
 NIAGARA FALLS PHOTO JAUNT: John's Photobook Series Niagara Falls! The seventh wonder of the world! The larger Horseshoe Falls are about 790 metres (2,590 ft) wide, while the American Falls are 320 metres (1,050 ft) wide. The height of the Falls varies between 51 metres (167 feet) and 57 metres (188 feet). It’s quite a drop! Niagara Falls is also the honeymoon capital of the world too! Niagara Falls has been the traditional, ”Honeymoon Capital of the World” for more than 215 years. Niagara Scenery photographer, John Hartig, has collected photos of the Niagara Peninsula for 20 some years and has created several lovely Photobooks of the region in a series. Niagara Falls, Port Dalhousie, Niagara-on-the Lake and landmarks, like Ball’s Falls, the Bruce Trail and of course, Niagara Falls itself. Welcome to John’s Photobook Series.
Paperback | Hardcover
 BALL'S FALLS: John's Photobook Series Actually, Ball’s Falls is comprised of two falls. There is Lower Ball’s Falls which is easy access to most people. And only a 15-to-20-minute hike, there is Upper Ball’s Falls. The park is run by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. The property was originally owned by the Ball family. Manly Ball sold it to the Conservation Authority in 1962. I like the trails in this area because it’s a part of the Bruce Trail.
Paperback | Hardcover
 MORNINGSTAR GRISTMILL: John's Photobook Series The Morningstar gristmill was built in 1872 to process wheat, oats, barley and rye. It is located above the Decew Falls at 2710 Decew Road in St. Catharines. There are two main structures noticeable off the road: the red building which is the maintenance building and the beige stone gristmill itself.There's a little park for picnicking before you get to the gristmill. The property also has a turbine shed, the miller's house in the back, the ice-house, the sawmill and the barn. There's a blacksmith's shop in the barn. It should be noted that the gristmill and the miller's house are heritage sites. “Friends of Morningstar Mill” are volunteers that keep the grounds and the gristmill operating for tourists and school groups.
Paperback | Hardcover
 PORT DALHOUSIE: John's Photobook Series Port Dalhousie is actually a suburb of St. Catharine’s. This quaint little town is renowned for its 2 lighthouses, 2 piers, lots of sailboats...and of course, craft shops. Port Dalhousie hosts the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta inviting rowers from all over the world. This event has been happening for almost 100 years! The Port is a great place to picnic, to watch sailboats, bicycle, take long walks along the pier and photograph the two lighthouses there..
Paperback | Hardcover
 FLOWERS: John's Photobook Series My eye has always been attracted to flowers. It’s the colour, the patterns, the symmetry, the shades. I love working in Photoshop with my images to bring all that out. My book falls into three main categories. My flower pictures over the years, my 2023 pictures of flowers at Fair Havens because that was our last year there, and my flower pictures which I manipulated for special effects [FX] in Photoshop.
Paperback | Hardcover
 SUNSETS: John's Photobook Series My book falls into four categories. My sunsets over the years, my last year in 2023 at Fair Havens, my Port Dalhousie sunsets and finally my FX effects in photoshop with sunsets where I add text or logos. I felt that my photos, especially of the sunsets at Fair Havens, was a special parting-gift. I hope you enjoy John’s Photobook Series. I also specialize in flower pictures and landscapes..
Paperback | Hardcover
 The New Crusades Wally, a scenery photographer, stumbles upon a dead woman in the woods off the Bruce Trail, near Ball's Falls. The woman is the victim of an honor-killing committed by her own brother, Aamir. He escapes arrest by fleeing to Syria and becoming part of ISIS. He is ordered back to Canada to carry out a "few assignments".
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Paperback | Hardcover
 The New Crusades: The Sequel The honeymoon couple arrive on Wednesday morning, January 7th, 2014. This couldn't be at a worse time. Sa’ d and Ch’ rif Kouachi have just broken into the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices with assault rifles to seek revenge for the magazine's mockery in satire of their Prophet. By the time they are through, 12 people lie dead and the brothers escape putting Paris on high alert. Ed Spencer and Abqurah's honeymoon turns into a nightmare...but not all is lost......
Paperback | Hardcover
 John's Science Fiction: Anthology of Short Stories The James Webb Telescope has caught my attention lately. Not that it proved that life is out there but that my imagination asked, what if life is out there? I compiled an anthology of short stories on the science fiction novels I’ve written to date, actually excerpts from my books, which might lead to reading the full version and enjoying your own flights of imagination.
Paperback | Hardcover
 Time and Space: A Flight of Fancy: What if we had a spaceship that traveled at almost the speed of light? What if your assignment was to go to Proxima b and check it out? Brian's destiny is just that! He has to get used to his companions though, Astra, a cyborg and two blue haired robots, Number 1 and Number 2. They encounter several anomalies on their way, Planet X, a rogue planet, a Celestial City and of course, life on Proxima b, Trappist-1g, and Kepler-452b. Yes, life is out there, but what kind of life is it? And is God only part of the Kardashev Scale?
Kindle eBook | Paperback | Hardcover
 We Are Not Alone: Civilizations in Outer Space Outer space has always been a fascinating topic in my mind. How big is the universe? How many stars and galaxies are out there? Are we alone?
The new discoveries of exoplanets suggests that we are not alone! Chances are that life of some sort is out there, only the distances to other star systems is so immense that we, or they, will never cross interstellar space to meet.
Paperback | Hardcover
 The Cosmos, Origins and Aliens, Vol. II: is a summary of thoughts of several noted physicists on YouTube, as well as some of their books, on topics like the Big Bang, string theory, multiverses, possibility of alien life and what created the whole "shebang", including the possibility of God.
Kindle eBook | Paperback | Hardcover
 The Final Exit: Medical Assistance in Dying, MAiD in Canada: In March 2024, incurably mentally ill people will be eligible for medical assistance in dying in Canada. Author John Hartig had two friends who used the service. It's a contentious issue. Who determines eligibility and who determines where the moral lines are drawn?
Kindle eBook | Paperback | Hardcover
 The Sasquatch: A Sasquatch family living in a cave near Whitehorse, Yukon, just wants to be left alone. A Rare Exhibits Inc. owned by an unscrupulous entrepreneur has other ideas. However, Ranger Bob Evans and an indigenous tribe are determined to foil the plans of evil-doers.
Kindle eBook Paperback | Hardcover
 Louis David RieI Revisited: John A. Macdonald, Canada's first Prime Minister, sent the wrong people into the Red River Colony, like William McDougall, to manage Rupert’s Land. McDougall sent in surveyors too early, not respecting old land claims. Metis farmers had lived in the Colony for decades but did not have proper land registration papers. Louis David Riel was an educated Metis who asked for negotiations with Ottawa. When Ottawa ignored the request. Consequently, two rebellions put a stain on Canada's history.
Kindle eBook | Paperback | Hardcover
 The Polish Cowboy is about a real-life Texas legend, Joseph Cotulla, who immigrated from Poland in 1856 with his mother, at the age of 12. As a young man, he moved to Atascosa County, Texas, where he learned about horses, cattle and ranching. When he was 19, in 1863, he signed up on the Union side at Brownsville during the Civil War. In 1868, at the age of 24, he bought a parcel of government land in La Salle County and started his own ranch. In those days, you could buy cattle dirt-cheap in Texas or Mexico. When The Chisholm Trail opened up leading north to Abilene, Cotulla herded his cattle to the new rail-head there, which brought beef to the Eastern markets at high prices. Joseph Cotulla grew rich. He bought more land around 1875 and donated some of it to the railroad. A town was named after him. Ride with Joseph Cotulla on his way to riches and fame, and see how the West was won. This is a factual story mixed in with captivating fiction about an immigrant boy who went from rags to riches at a time when America was a wild frontier and when you could carve out your own destiny. Joseph Cotulla is "The Polish Cowboy".
Kindle eBook | Paperback | Hardcover
 The Tipperary Kid is my first ever Western. Google and my imagination had fun creating this cowboy fiction about a young man whose folks escape the Irish Potato Famine in 1848. Aileen and Connor Murphy come to New York, and start a new life in America. Their son, Little Jimmy, is too young to join the Union Army during the Civil War, but by the age of 14 he has become Big Jim. He joins up at the tail end of the war in 1864. As a medic he befriends Sam Whitfield, a Confederate Reb, whose folks own a ranch in Laredo, Texas. Big Jim Murphy wants to become a cowboy and so he and the Reb team up and ride to Laredo, a dusty town this side of the Rio Grande. They have a run-in with Jesse James during a rainy night. They drive cattle up north along the Chisholm Trail to Abilene. They also catch a train to St. Louis and take riverboat trip down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. During his lonely nights guarding the horses in the remuda on the cattle drive, Big Jim Murphy practices his fast draw. He becomes fast, real fast. He earns a reputation as, “The Tipperary Kid”.
Kindle eBook | Paperback | Hardcover
 Duplicity Sergeant Benton Wright thinks that an economic boom is not necessarily a good thing for a little town. The police department, with only three officers, already has its hands full, trying to keep up with the abuse in a seniors’ home, poachers on the Indian side of town, teenage drunkenness, a car theft and the usual break and entry. What they don’t need now is the town’s first murder!
Available @ Agenda Bookshop: Paperback
 Crooked Bay Police Story depicts a quiet little town on the west coast of Newfoundland. It has a bunch of little houses, two churches, "The Reserve" and an RCMP outpost. Since the Lucky Strike Mining Company found gold north-east of town, Crooked Bay has been going through an economic boom, The police department, manned by three officers, has its hands full already, trying to keep up with abuse at the seniors' home, poachers on The Reserve, teenage drunkenness, a car theft and the usual break and entry. Sgt. Brett Wilson doesn't like the changes in his little town. Making things worse is its first murder, with a teenager wrongly accused.
Paperback | Hardcover
 Who Killed Jean-Marie Leclair? The year is 1764. Jean-Marie Leclair is found stabbed to death right in front of his house. The crime was never solved and no one was ever arrested. What are the secrets in this murder mystery which were never uncovered?
Jean-Marie Leclair was an accomplished violinist of the Baroque period. Also a composer. He founded the French School of Violin. The culprit could have been the nephew who was a mediocre violinist wanting his uncle to promote him before King Louis XV of France. It could also have been the ex-wife, Louise Roussel, who made money by publishing Lecalir's manuscripts. So, who dun it? Read and find out.
Kindle eBook | Paperback | Hardcover
 The Chosen is the story of a violin, but not just any violin. It was made in Cremona in 1732, by a rival, Joseph Guarneri, to the town’s most famous violin maker, Antonio Stradivari.
I was mesmerized by the movie, The Red Violin, and inspired to write something parallel to the story in that movie. Why not make this violin’s story come from Antonio’s competitor, from the Guarneri family?
Why not have the violin journey through different ownerships through history! Have it experience the fingers of Vivaldi, the threat of the Napoleonic Wars, survive World War 1, the Roaring Twenties, the Depression Era, Hitler’s Germany and the Second World War!
Why not bring the violin to America through immigrants looking for a new life? The violin travels to San Francisco in 1967 to the Haight-Ashbury District to see how the Hippies hoped to change the world through Peace and Free Love.
Kindle eBook | Paperback | Hardcover
 The Murderous Sea: Gateway to Freedom: The reality of life is that hopes are dashed when these boat people are fleeced of their life’s savings in boat rides which often end in tragedy. Storms and hurricanes can batter these vessels in the murderous Mediterranean Sea where asylum seekers hoped for a gateway to freedom, for a better life. These vessels are most often not seaworthy and end up as derelicts on a little island called Lampedusa. The wood from these derelicts is scavenged and shipped to Milan prison where inmates use the wood to make violins, violas and cellos.
Kindle eBook | Paperback | Hardcover
 Things Have Gotta Get Better Than This: The two-year Pandemic has wreaked havoc with Josh’s life. He had a wife and two kids. His restaurant had been thriving in Toronto. Then he lost everything and became a homeless drunk. His friend, Harvey, did not give up on him but got Josh to go to London, Ontario, enrolled in a program for addicts, called Teen Challenge. Josh cleaned up his act, enrolled in a cooking school in Gander, Newfoundland, of all places, where he got his second chance. Would he be able to live up to it? Josh bought a building in an out-of-the-place village called Crooked Bay. He also met and married a lovely woman named Melissa. His failures seemed to be far behind him. But a killer lurked in the wings intent on destroying Josh's happiness. Would the killer succeed?
Kindle eBook | Papaerback | Hardcover
 Where Do Good Atheists Go?: This book came about through Jonah [not his real name], a friend’s death, who was an Atheist. He was a good person and it seemed that his soul, after death, just did not deserve to end its eternity in Hell. Jonah’s heritage was Jewish. He followed the culture of his birth, without a belief. He suffered sickness in life where his ulcers and his food sensitivities gave him a poor quality of life.
Finally, he chose doctor assisted dying. Friends and family grieved over the situation. Jonah was only 49 years old. Where did the soul of this marvelous young man go? Was it oblivion or was it some destiny in some dimension in the universe that God had designated for people like him? If indeed God was a fair judge and a merciful one!
Kindle eBook | Paperback | Hardcover
 Jonah's Journey: Jonah was a basket case who struggled with his sanity, relying on counseling and the right balance of drugs. Maybe, it started with his inferiority complex being small for a man. Jonah saw a string of psychiatrists who tried different things on him, but still his mind faced a battle as formidable as David facing Goliath. Jonah thought his gift as a musician, as an excellent violin and guitar player, could save him. He drove to Los Angeles to try his luck with a record label. He also tried his hand at teaching high school where students towered over his diminutive size and conspired to get rid of him. Jonah felt cornered. What could he do? What job could he hold down where he felt fulfilled and got respect? How does a small man with an inferiority complex survive in a world that admires tall people?
Kindle eBook | Paperback | Hardcover
 Love and Faith Trilogy [A fictitious honour-killing in 3 volumes]. Book One asks the question: "What Honor is there in an Honor Killing?" The novel starts with Ahmad, the brother, killing his own sister, Khalisa, in the woods at Ball's Falls, outside of Vineland, Ontario. Father, mother and the brother all agree that Khalisa must die because she is willfully dating a white "infidel", Christopher Unger. This, in their minds, is a relationship which is not on the true path of Allah. Ahmad gets away with the murder for nearly 2 years. The younger daughter, Fahm, doesn't know that her own brother had killed her older sister. But a silver necklace, found at the scene of the murder, leads to Ahmad, as the killer. When the police close in, the parents give Ahmad money to escape and join ISIS. They go on trial and are imprisoned. Detective Ed Spencer and Fahm fall in love after the trial. The parents disown Fahm. The brother is still free and plans to come back to Canada with a false passport to do what?
Love and Faith Trilogy: Book Two explores "Modern Clashes of Cultures". It sees Ahmad fully trained as an ISIS fighter after a year of living in Syria. He is told to go back to Canada to blow up the subway in Toronto. While Fahm and Detective Spencer develop a love relationship, there are terrible things happening in Canada. Patrice Vincent, a soldier, is killed by a car driven by an ISIS terrorist in Quebec, and Corporal Nathan Cirillo is shot dead on Parliament Hill. “Islamophobia” grows noticeably in Canada and hate videos are uploaded to Youtube.
Love and Faith Trilogy: Book Three asks the question: "Can a Muslim girl and a white Christian make it work ?" Fahm and Spencer go to Paris, France for their honeymoon. Except the date for their honeymoon is all wrong! January 7, 2015, is the day that the Kouachi Brothers massacre people at the Charlie Hebdo Magazine. How will the couple cope and indeed survive?
 77 Looking Back: My Sort of Diary: My "sort of diary" covers about half a year of my life from October 2022 to February 23rd when I turned 77 years old.
During that time, Ontario was recovering from the Pandemic. The healthcare system was crumbling. Premier Doug Ford was moving the system towards a more for-profit system, as people were dying because of huge wait times in emergency wards and as old folks were neglected in seniors' homes.
Things were no better on the world stage, as Putin's war killed more people in Ukraine.
Refugees and asylum seekers looked to Canada as a refuge with a Liberal government under Trudeau not providing the infrastructure to handle the new influx. As a former refugee myself from Austria in 1954, I wondered what really had changed in the world!
Kindle eBook | Paperback | Hardcover
 You Love Our MIlk and Honey, Memoir of a Refugee, Phase One: When Don Cherry got fired in November, 2019 for calling new immigrants, "you people", urging them to buy a poppy for Remembrance Day, I was not offended, but thought it was a good time to write my memoir as an immigrant and a new Canadian.
My family are refugees from Austria. We came with two suitcases in 1954 and landed at Pier 21 in Halifax, Canada, hoping to start over. Dad’s family came from Romania; mom’s family from Serbia. They spoke 5 languages, and faced the fact they’d have to add English to that list, making it an even half dozen languages. We were given badges to pin to our coats in Bremenhaven before we boarded the S.S. Neptunia to identify ourselves as “DPs” or Displaced Persons.This was November, a cold, damp Atlanic crossing. We knew nothing about wearing poppies on our lapels to honour Canadian soldiers who had died in the Great Wars.
My story comes in two volumes: Phase One, with the racism I faced when I first came to Canada, my Catholic grade-school and high-school education, my university degrees and my various jobs until the age of 43. Phase Two traces my experiences as a news reporter, teacher, and my re-direction as a photographer and a web designer.
I wanted to make a difference in my memoir, not only as a memoir about my life but also as a place to air my views about the social injustices in my adopted country. I want to live in a country that I can be proud of. It's better than most, but there is so much we can improve on. Maybe just pointing problems out is the first step towards what Pierre Elliott Trudeau wanted to create for all of us Canadians, as far back as 1968, which is a “Just Society”.
I am now a Canadian author with some 20 odd novels under my belt. I write mild murder mysteries, cowboy novels, biographies and science fiction. – John Hartig, Canadian Author
 Children's Rhyming Picture Book: "Can You Imagine?" is my first ever children’s picture book, targeting ages 4 to 104. It combines little poems with my knack for photography, especially sunsets and flowers. I owe my sunsets and flowers to Fair Havens Ministries, a Christian camp ground, where I spend every August on my holidays with my camera.I hope that my photography is eye-catching enough for little kids to take a delight in.
The basic premise of this children’s book is to get a child to imagine if he or she could be anything they'd like to be in nature. What would the child like to be? How about a flower or a bumblebee? What would it feel like to be the blue sky or a red sunset? “Can You Imagine?”
The book is short, 44 pages long, a perfect length for a mom or dad to read to a child, to share thoughts about the photographs and to ask questions. The colorful pictures have little rhymes. Kids love stories and pictures with little rhymes.
Kindle eBook | Paperback | Hardcover
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Intrigue, Entertainment and Humor!
John's books make a pefect gift!
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