Selling my books at craft and trade shows on the Canadian Prairies is usually a fun and fascinating exercise in which I meet avid readers and get ideas for future stories to write and/or publish. Sometimes, people praise my publishing efforts and the nonfiction or historical fiction books they particularly enjoyed. But the lovely surprise at a craft show in Swift Current in October 2024 was a unique experience.
A few minutes before the show closed on its final day, a woman came running up to my booth, clutching her copy of my book Crash Harrison: Tales of a Bomber Pilot Who Defied Death. "I made it!" she said. "I told my husband I met you yesterday and it was too bad I didn't have my book with me. He asked when the show ended today and told me I still had time to get back here!" Which she did, and I promptly autographed the book for her.
But that wasn't the only reason for her return visit. This time, she brought her cellphone, which contained photos she wanted to show me of an important farmhouse.
You see, Arlie (Dreger) Neufeld was raised on a farm at Lorlie, Saskatchewan, just down the road from Reg "Crash" Harrison, the 102-year-old subject of my book. Reg was a bomber pilot in England in the Second World War who had survived four plane crashes and numerous close calls. I wrote the biography about Reg's childhood on the farm at Finnie, SK, his adventures during his war years, and his life afterward, including being made an Honorary Snowbird by the famed Canadian aerobatics team.
 |
| Author-publisher Deana Driver and Arlie (Dreger) Neufeld |
When Arlie first spoke with me, she said her sister Loretta was a friend of Reg's youngest sister Sylvia, so she wasn't sure if Reg would know her. Arlie then asked when Reg had last been to the area where they grew up - a question I did not have an answer for. She talked about how she'd been out there recently and had taken photos of the farmhouse. She would have shown them to me except she'd left her phone at home.
So here she was on Day Two of the show, posing for a photo with me and the book, and showing me photos of the farmhouse - the Harrisons' farmhouse, not the house her family lived in!
I was astounded and pleased. I had thought Arlie was talking about photos of her family's farmhouse, not Reg's. This was a great surprise!
 |
| Harrison family's farmhouse, Finnie, SK, 2024 Photo by Arlie (Dreger) Neufeld |
 |
| Side view of Harrison family's farmhouse, Finnie, SK, 2024 Photo by Arlie (Dreger) Neufeld |
 |
| Harrison family's farmhouse, Finnie SK, 1960 (one of the 98 photos in the Crash Harrison book) |
I wish I'd had those recent photos for the book, but I didn't know the house was still standing or I probably would have driven out to take some photos myself.
Oh well. The things you learn after a book has been published.
Thanks, Arlie, for coming back to the craft show and sharing those images with me.
Reg and his daughter Laurie, and his sister Sylvia were all tickled by the reconnection and the photos. They all say, "Hi, neighbour! And thank you!"
 |
| Reginald "Crash" Harrison and author Deana J Driver, 2023 |
No comments:
Post a Comment