In June, 2014, I brought home from the printers my first copies of Looking for Aiktow. Then began the daunting task of selling it. How amazing to discover lots of people share my interest in Saskatchewan, in pre-settlement history, in the quirky stories that lurk between the lines of history books.
Who knew self-publishing could be this much fun?
But it’s also a lot of work.
Which is why I promised myself, “Never again.”
Of course, I kept on writing. There are so many stories begging to be told. Last winter, when I thought my fat little manuscript was almost full-term, I began sending out query letters, hoping a publisher would be interested.
The rejection letters piled up in my computer. But, thanks to encouraging friends and previewers, I did not give up. After making many revisions I resubmitted the manuscript to an editor at BWL Publishing. And wonder of wonders, in June 2019 they sent me a publishing contract!
Please consider this post a pre-birth announcement. Looking for Aiktow will soon have a little sister! And, like all siblings, they show differences, and similarities. Looking for Aiktow is non-fiction, whereas my new book Prairie Grass is fiction, a novel set within a landscape of historical fact. Both books are labours of love. Both grew out of my quest to learn more about the prairie and the wonderful individuals who have lived here.
BooksWeLove Publishing says the release date of Prairie Grass will be February 2020. But the exact date is unknown, as anyone who has given birth to babies or books will understand.
If you liked Looking for Aiktow, I hope you will love PRAIRIE GRASS.
Here is a preview for you of the cover blurb.
Prairie Grass takes the reader on an adventure that spans two centuries.
Gabby Mackenzie knows little and cares less about prairie people or their history. She sees her assignment to interview a hundred-year-old settler as nothing more than a bump in her hazy career path. But as she gets to know old Mr. Tollerud and the land that has been his home, she finds herself drawn into the interwoven stories of the settlers, the Metis, and the First Nations who came before them. And her own life changes.
Residential school survivor and life-long educator Dr. Cecil King says of Prairie Grass, “a dynamic piece of work … Yes, it is a good read.”
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