Post correspondent releases his first novel

Jeff Tribe recently had his first novel, Account With Benefits, published. The book is available in select local retailers and online. (Jeff Helsdon Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

Tillsonburg Post correspondent Jeff Tribe recently released his first novel, “Accountant with Benefits.”

Set in Alberta, the romance novel tells the story of heroine Sherry Strong, who overcame childhood tragedy and poverty by focusing on her accounting career. In part due to her ranching background, she is sent from her firm’s high-rise Calgary office to Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, to help Matt Logan transition the family ranching empire into a sustainable future.

“They say ‘write what you know,’ and Accountant With Benefits has strong, intelligent female characters based on the women in my life, a rural setting, and sensibility combined with visits to my cousin’s ranch in Rocky Mountain House,” Tribe said.

While some may be surprised by a writer widely known for his sports copy and photographs, Tribe points to when the seed was planted 15 years ago, when he was working with wrestling promoter Jay McDonald on a reality television show pilot he was working on. Tribe was the interviewer and made an impression on lead videographer Aaron Wilcox.

“He said you should be writing Christmas romances, that there’s a market and schmaltzier the better,” Tribe recounted.

The Beaconsfield writer saw a bunch of romance novels in a second-hand store and thought he might try that someday. Then, when he was laid off from The Tillsonburg News, he began to build on the idea of writing a romance novel. Watching Christmas movies with his wife finally got him motivated, and he started what he referred to as “a bit of a ludicrous but enjoyable challenge.”

“After 30-odd years in the newspaper business one should be able to put a decent sports or feature story together, but I found this to be a different beast, an unfamiliar style with different rules,” he said, explaining he heard ‘this is romance not literature’ and a lot of ‘show me, don’t tell me.’

After a couple of rejections and a break from it, he received the green light from first contact editor Jay Lang at BWL Publishing, a Certified Canadian Publisher based in Sylvan Lake, Alberta. Tribe agreed to tone down the ‘spice level’ and got passed to veteran editor Nancy Bell, where the real work started.

“With Jay’s support and Nancy’s guidance, I managed to fit Accountant With Benefits into the genre, included plot twists and turns while keeping the intent of the original storyline,” he said.

Elaborating more on the storyline, Tribe said drama, character transformation, and romance ensue between the two lead characters as their relationship grows.

“Rivalling War and Peace was never the goal, but hopefully it’s a decent read with characters and a narrative people can engage with,” he said. “Whether you’re putting together a newspaper story or romance novel, making it readable and enjoyable is always your most important goal.”

While writing the novel has been an experience in a different type of writing, marketing Account With Benefits has meant stepping outside his comfort zone. The book was BWL's leading seller to get it started, but he has also had to visit local retailers to inquire if they’d stock the book. Tribe put together a 52-second video (JT AWB Promo) on YouTube, was a guest on Dick Bourgeois-Doyle’s Dover Writes podcast, and is lined up to present at the Port Burwell Writers’ Festival on the May 24 weekend. Victoria Body is hosting a book launch on Saturday, March 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at The 100th Mile in Norwich, his hometown. It is available in print or digital form on Amazon by searching for Jeff Tribe, Accountant With Benefits, or via the BWL Publishing Inc. website. Available locally at Tillsonburg Sobey’s, the Station Arts Centre, The 100th Mile in Norwich, or by tracking down the author.

While Tribe wouldn’t share any insights into the ending, he did say he left the door open for a sequel via Matt’s younger brother, Jeremy. He has another storyline he coined, ‘Queen of Green’, inspired by his experience at a Norfolk County cannabis production facility, which would provide an opportunity to highlight this area’s natural beauty.