The great people of Viking, AB

Last week, we had the pleasure of visiting the town of Viking, Alberta - and meeting some more fine Prairie people. They invited me to talk specifically about the inspiring Never Leave Your Wingman book but all of our books were showcased and much appreciated (as evidenced by the purchases after the talk).

Here's a photo story of our time in Viking:

                       This beautiful mural is painted on a store on Main Street, Viking, AB.

 

 

 

Various businesses, including the local newspaper, were splashed with pink to support the Wild Pink Yonder trail riders - who were coming to town a few days later, raising money for breast cancer research.

 

 

 

My talk was held in the Viking Station Teahouse, a train station that was beautifully renovated to become a tea room and home for the local arts community. (I only had to stop talking once as a train horn blasted in the background outside these windows.)

 

 

Here, I am sure I am saying something profound and wildly amusing!

 

                  We enjoyed viewing the work of local artists, of which trolls were a common theme.

And here we are at the entrance to Troll Park. Note the elaborate head gear we're wearing. More on that later.

 

 

Troll Mountain. Do not climb on it, says the sign.

 

 

 

Three Billy Goats Gruff...

 

 

A Viking longship, of course.

 

 

Ah yes... the Viking helmets. The town of Viking hosted a group that reenacted the Vikings' arrival in North America. The fancy helmets above are some of those used to help the town celebrate its Norwegian history. Our hostess Sylvia Hoffman kindly offered us these helmets to bring home to our grandsons. The hats were happily and humourously worn at the next family gathering!

 

P.S. Did you know that the everyday Viking helmets did not have horns? Face plates, yes - but horns, no.

P.S.S. A special thank-you to Sylvia Hoffman for inviting us. From The Weekly Review (Viking, Alberta) August 21 issue:  'Hoffman says, "We became aware of Deana last year and have placed several of her books in the library. I liked the idea of promoting her books because they are about Canadians and are well written." '

 

 

 

 

Our books are now E-books

A wonderful feeling of acomplishment and anxiety (surprise... I'm a writer!) came over me on Saturday afternoon while we were sitting at an outdoor barbecue with relatives. A woman we hadn't seen for years decided to type my name into her iPad to see if she could find any of the books I've written in an e-book form, because that is how she reads these days.

We had sent one of the books I've written and several of the other ones we've published to be converted and sold by different retailers. Temporarily forgetting the scheduled release dates for the e-books, I told her our titles would not be available as e-books until the end of the month.

Imagine my surprise when my name and my Never Leave Your Wingman book popped up in iBooks! Then Prairie Pilot popped up! It has my name prominently listed as editor because the author passed away years ago and I am the face of that inspiring book as well.

Imagine my further surprise when I realized it was August 18 and it had been a few weeks since I'd sent the files to be converted into e-books!

Holy moly! That was a little surreal!

I once again felt the type of excitement that overcomes authors when they see their newest book for the first time! All their hard work is there - in a published form before their eyes. All the possibilities stretch before them, and a little touch of fear seeps through them when they fleetingly wonder, 'What if no one reads my book?'

Ah, the life of a writer.

So after the barbecue (and an impromptu celebration dance because so many more people can now read these fabulous inspiring books), I went searching to see what other retailers are already selling our e-books.

We've converted these titles to e-books:

• Never Leave Your Wingman: Dionne and Graham Warner's Story of Hope by Deana J. Driver (that's me!) (non-fiction)
• The Little Coat: The Bob and Sue Elliott Story by Alan J. Buick (non-fiction)
• Prairie Pilot: Lady Luck Was On My Side; The Stories of Walter D. William; Compiled and Edited by Deana J. Driver (non-fiction)
• The Inquiring Reporter by Clay Stacey (non-fiction)
• Letters to Jennifer From Maudie & Oliver by Sharon Gray (humour)
• Seeds of Hope: A Prairie Story by Mary Harelkin Bishop (novel)

So far, Nook, iBooks and Copia are selling our e-books. Within the next few weeks, you will be able to purchase our e-books from these retailers as well: Kobo, Kindle, Blio, eBookPie, and Gardners Books.

So we hope you enjoy our work - in printed or electronic format. And keep on reading. It is one of the most delightful ways to learn and to expand your horizons.

Take care,

The publisher and author (now of an e-book, too!)

    

 

Warm welcome in Wolseley SK

There’s nothing quite like a relaxing Sunday drive in the summer that includes some wonderful scenery, friendly people and a chance to share our passion – our Prairie books!

Al and I were pleased to have that opportunity this past weekend when the good folks of St. James United Church in Wolseley, Saskatchewan invited me to speak during their Sunday morning worship service/informal coffee chat.

I talked about my background as a writer since childhood and as a journalist and contributor to the United Church Observer magazine since 1985. I shared examples of my work and how I got involved in writing and publishing books from 2001 to date. It was a show-and-tell sort of talk as I showed each of the great books we’ve published over the years and shared a bit about how the stories came to me and the people involved.

(Imagine a photo of me talking here. Al forgot to take one...)

The audience was gracious and interested, asking at least a dozen questions after my presentation. Many of the questions will eventually find their way into another blog or a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section of either this blog or our www.driverworks.ca web page.

 For now, here’s a little glimpse of our marvellous day in Wolseley and area…

The sanctuary of St. James United, Wolseley SK. We met in a large downstairs Christian Education room.

Al and I shared our books including Never Leave Your Wingman and The Little Coat, pictured above.

Wolseley has a beautiful dam and a famous swinging bridge in the centre of town.

Al's mom grew up in Wolseley and enjoyed our day trip, including telling us stories of the older plank version of this swinging bridge that she walked across as a youngster.

After the presentation, local master gardener and author Shirley Harris kindly invited us to her home. There, we enjoyed a tour of her grand backyard gardens and glorious flowers including this gladiola.

This is a small section of one of the murals on a building in Wolseley.

After lunch, we drove north of town down into the beautiful Qu'Appelle Valley to what was once the village of Ellisboro.

The Ellisboro Cemetery overlooks the valley. What a peaceful resting place. Al's grandparents, one of his great aunts and other relatives are buried here.

Al learned that his grandfather John Brown helped build the stately but simple Ellisboro United Church.

Just east of Ellisboro is this stone bridge, built by Al's great uncle Bill Merrifield and his crew in 1930. A lovely drive and a history lesson, too!

The swallows are enjoying this bridge across the Qu'Appelle River. There are nests like these at every pillar.

Another kind resident of Wolseley, Kit Campbell, went above and beyond during our visit. In learning Al's mom's family history, she not only provided Mom with a copy of a local history book written by her own  mother, but she invited us to visit the property where Mom's grandparents homesteaded. None of us had been on that land before. It was a wonderful historical moment!

 

Take a deep breath, relax and enjoy. This is the scenic Qu'Appelle Valley.