R.T. Wells
Official Author Website
Praise & Reviews
Submarines are terrifying enough (to me) without reality misbehaving. Clever, claustrophobic, and packed with escalating tension, R.T. Wells hooked me from the start and kept me guessing right to the end. An absolute blast of a read!
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R.T. Wells uses her insider knowledge of Canada's submarine service to provide the perfect setting for the tale of a boat facing a deadly maritime encounter with the preternatural. Authenticity and action meld in a fast-paced thriller.
One hell of a ride. Could not put it down!
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ANDREW BUCKLEY,
AUTHOR OF HAVELOCK
THOMAS MOFFATT,
AUTHOR OF PINOT MORT
LISA POLLOCK
AUTHOR
BIO
Before the Military
R.T. Wells graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts. After completing her education, she taught English in South Korea for two years and acquired her goldsmithing papers from a local college in Seoul.
She worked in Montreal as a jeweler before deciding to join the Armed Forces during the global recession of 2008.
Military Service
R.T. Wells is a veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy. She served for six years as a Regular Force member between 2010-2016.
During her military career she was posted to St. John’s, Newfoundland, as well as Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Esquimalt, British Columbia. She received the bulk of her training from the Marine Institute where she finished a three-year program in Electronics Engineering.
After joining the West Coast Fleet she sailed on a wide variety of ships, including the HMCS Oriole, the RCN’s oldest commissioned vessel.
But her inspiration for writing a book about the Navy came when she was posted to Maritime Pacific Headquarters, manning the submarine desk. It was there, in Esquimalt, that she became familiar with Canada’s most secret service and decided that one day, she’d write about it.
Notable Achievements
R.T. Wells saved a man’s life in the winter of 2012 while serving on board an Orca-class patrol vessel.
The incident occurred during a routine training exercise when loading the Zodiac back onto the ship in rough weather. During the evolution, the line handlers lost control of the boat as it hung suspended from the crane, and the vessel began to violently pendulum. While the buffer tried to regain positive control of the lines, the 500lbs rescue boat swung towards him. With no time to move, Wells threw herself against the buffer, knocking them both to the deck, just as the crane broke and the boat fell on top of them. The deck bollards saved them from being crushed and the two were able to escape with only minor injuries.
R.T. Wells was not eligible for a medal as her actions did not qualify for formal acknowledgement.
Thriving in athletics, she always achieved the men’s fitness standards and won Top Athlete for her efforts.
After the Military
After leaving the Armed Forces she moved to Nova Scotia where she acquired an education in architectural drafting. She later moved to Alberta with her family where she now writes. SHIFT is her debut novel and the first of the SHIFT trilogy.