What a busy month! I thoroughly enjoyed an eight-day tour around the Kamloops area to the Thompson-Nicola libraries where I and my friend who accompanied me drove to Ashcroft, Merrit, Logan Lake, Clearwater, Barriere and Chase. We met the people who were part of the “One Book One Community” event in which all these library communities had read my book Always Pack a Candle: A Nurse in the Cariboo-Chilcotin and came to hear my presentation and engage in a discussion of the book. It was quite wonderful. We ended up in Kamloops, the central city, where I gave a workshop on Sunday around the writing process and then Monday night did an on-stage interview at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Kamloops. I felt quite glamourous.
I drove the highway to Kamloops and back and my friend drove to the small communities around Kamloops, ensuring that I could relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery. It’s like the Cariboo, only drier. I was impressed by the work of the librarians in establishing a reading community and by the people who responded to my book. For an author, there is nothing quite so thrilling—and surprising as people who want to talk about my book.. When I am struggling with the development of the story, or finding the right word, or chasing down all the typos, I lose track of the enjoyment I am creating for others. A tour such as the one I just came off, reminds me how connected the readers and I are. It was heart-warming.
While I concentrated on Always Pack a Candle on the tour, I did have some minutes to talk about Bloomsbury to Barkerville: The Life of Florence Wilson. She was such an intrepid, determined woman of nineteenth century British Columbia, that many were fascinated by her. It was interesting to think of Florence observing the country I was now observing: sage brush and grasslands, lakes and rivers, the winds coming through the valleys and the almost constant sunshine.
Back to my desk and packing.