Sudbury based author writes series based on real-life sex workers
Angel May Mckay has always been a writer.
"I wrote a lot of inspirational journals. I also help people writing their biographies but this, it came about as a biography," McKay said. "It was about Alison Lindsey McKeen, and it was a girl that I heard about that went missing in the Sault and was later found dead. She was a minor and along doing my research for it there was a lot of blocks because it was the 80s, so I decided to do something a little bit different with it."
Coming from a Scottish background, McKay now lives in Canada. She ended up in Sudbury, Ont. during the pandemic.
Instead of creating just one book, she turned it into a series.
"I was making her a hero, but then when it was coming to an end, I had interviewed so many girls on the streets in the Sault and in Sudbury I couldn’t let the story end. So instead, I created a series and created a bond between these girls."
Ally, book one from the series called The Pack, came out in July and is only available online. McKay said she will finish the series while living in Sudbury before moving to the east coast later this year to write a spin-off series.
The author said she felt connected to the women in her stories and knew of the need out on the streets. She volunteers at the mission every Saturday handing out breakfast bags.
"I pack up anywhere from 100-160 bags for breakfast. We're making coffee for them," McKay said.
Officials with the mission said volunteers like McKay are really needed right now.
"For supper, now, we're feeding almost 300. So it's really unreal and volunteers are the lifeline of the Elgin Street Mission, of course without the volunteers we could never do this," said Gary Newbury, the founder of the Elgin Street Mission.
The mission currently has 30 active volunteers on a regular basis, however, Newbury said 30 more are needed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.