Delivering books with a big-birthday flare

After being away for a bit, I reconnected with dear friends, and was the recipient of a belated big-birthday celebration. I received a lovely gift, a silly party hat, and a flowery necklace. One friend reminded me, "You started this!" Which is true. We've been sharing silly birthday hats and neck adornments for 20 years! This fun tradition has come back to make my day. 

Deana Driver - 2026

Deana Driver and friends - 2026

So I wore my 70th birthday hat all day long, including into two local gift shops as I replenished their stock of DriverWorks Ink books!

Deana Driver at Local YQR Market

Deana Driver with owner Janelle Anderson
of Handmade Saskatchewan

Some of the terrific books published by DriverWorks Ink

My silly hat and flowered necklace brought smiles to everyone I met that afternoon. Thanks, friends!

To all of you reading this: Remember the inspiring words of the late Dionne Warner, subject of my Never Leave Your Wingman book: "Live your life to the fullest!"

At 103 years old, former WWII bomber pilot Reg Crash Harrison is still reading about aviation adventures

Whenever I am in Saskatoon, which is about 250 kilometres north of where I live in Saskatchewan, Canada, I visit my friend and former book subject Reginald "Crash" Harrison. I wrote Reg's life story in the award-winning book Crash Harrison: Tales of a Bomber Pilot Who Defied Death, and I always enjoy our visits.

Now at 103 years and two months old, Reg admitted to me, "I think my old age is finally catching up with me."

"Oh my goodness, Reg. You're 103. I suppose it's bound to happen."

This feisty gentleman survived four plane crashes (none of which were his fault) as a bomber pilot during the Second World War. He has a remarkable recall of those events and was a pleasure to interview during the process of writing, editing, and publishing that book. Reg met his late wife as part of his war story, which turned into a beautiful love story and is also detailed in our book. 

Author-publisher Deana J Driver
and 103-year-old Reg "Crash" Harrison
Saskatoon, SK, Canada, Oct. 5, 2025

Reg still reads every day, even though he's lost some eyesight and some of his previous physical strength, despite lifting eight-pound weights daily for the last few decades. He still follows Canadian news and events, and enjoys watching Toronto Blue Jays games on TV.

During my recent visit, I brought Reg a copy of my latest book, Flying a Gooney Bird in Canada's North: A Bush Pilot's Adventures, which I co-authored with the book's subject, Dorrin Wallace. I knew Reg would enjoy the book because he has a vast collection of aviation and war history books that he still refers to in conversation.

Reg immediately took the book over to his screen magnifier and placed it under the viewing device. It was such a delight to watch this unfold!

Reg "Crash" Harrison, getting his first look at Deana Driver's new book
by Dorrin Wallace,
Flying a Gooney Bird in Canada's North: A Bush Pilot's Adventures

Reg "Crash" Harrison, looking at the cover page of
Deana Driver's new book by Dorrin Wallace,
Flying a Gooney Bird in Canada's North: A Bush Pilot's Adventures

Reg is a member of the renowned Guinea Pig Club because he received experimental plastic surgery on a wound he suffered during the Second World War. He was also named an Honorary Snowbird by the Canadian Forces aerobatic team, which presented him on his 100th birthday with the metal plaque seen behind Reg and me in the top photo.

Honorary Pilot, SPS Air Support Unit plaque for Reg "Crash" Harrison

Reg's latest accolade came from the Saskatoon Police Service, which named him an Honorary Pilot of their Air Support Unit on the day before his 103rd birthday. Reg was delighted to show off the award, which adds to all the others adorning his apartment walls.

Well earned, kind sir. It's always a pleasure to see you.

Deana J Driver and Reg "Crash" Harrison, age 103,
Oct 5, 2025

Author's note:

Note: Reginald "Crash" Harrison passed away on November 20, 2025, at age 103. He will be missed.

Speaking Out and Standing Out with Canadian Children's Authors at CANSCAIP Prairie Horizons conference

The 2025 Prairie Horizons conference of the Saskatchewan chapter of the Canadian Association of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers was a great success! Set in beautiful downtown Saskatoon, conference attendees explored the theme of Don't Drop Out: Speak Out, Stand Out. I am grateful to organizers Yvonne Denomy, Mary Harelkin Bishop, and Maureen Ulrich for inviting me to speak as part of a publishing panel and to share notes on manuscript evaluations with three of the attendees.

The publishing panel addressed these topics (some of my responses are in parentheses):  

- What are the challenges for publishers and editors? (Cost of production; selling and marketing the books; lack of financial support for indie publishers & authors)

- What helps an author or manuscript/illustrator stand out, and what is a publisher looking for in a manuscript? (A unique topic/storyline/approach to a subject; great writing that tells the story and helps the reader care about the characters; for DriverWorks Ink books, a story that readers can learn something from, to help make the world a better place)

-  What are tips to encourage aspiring authors and illustrators to stay the course? (Keep going; try to not be discouraged by a rejection letter; try to look at comments or criticisms of the written work as opportunities for improvement; keep searching until you find an editor/publisher who is a good fit for you and your work)

- What do authors/illustrators need to know about Artificial Intelligence (Be careful; use it sparingly and cautiously; add an AI clause in your contracts to protect yourself and your publisher; know that AI  copies sources without permission or compensation to the originators of the ideas; check for the source of the information to confirm it is correct and not plagiarized; be cautious that you are not stealing the creations of others)

The conference had numerous sessions and events in addition to those in which I participated. It's always nice to learn something new and connect with other writers, authors, and publishers. Thanks again to CANSCAIP Saskatchewan for hosting a great conference.

Enjoy these photos from CANSCAIP's 2025 Prairie Horizons Conference.

Blogger and Book Editor Brian Henry, Deana Driver of DriverWorks Ink, Emma Sakamoto of Groundwood Books, and Edward Willett of Shadowpass Press 

Author and Spoken Word artist Khodi Dill inspired the audience to speak out against injustice

Author and Storyteller Cort Dogniez shared why authors should speak out about history and injustice

Three award-winning DriverWorks Ink authors (left to right) Mary Harelkin Bishop, Deana J Driver, and Jennifer S Wallace at the 2025 Prairie Horizons conference

A view of downtown Saskatoon and the South Saskatchewan River, May 2025

Inspiring Crash Harrison book goes to England

An author's wish is that their book will travel to destinations unknown and be appreciated by readers everywhere. In November 2023, my author friend Mary Harelkin Bishop helped my latest book get to England, to the hometown of the subject's parents. And I am grateful.

Reg "Crash" Harrison is a 102-year-old former bomber pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He survived four plane crashes - none of which were his fault - while serving in England during the Second World War. While writing Reg's life story in my award-winning Crash Harrison book, I learned about Reg's family background and his connections to England.

I wrote the book as though Reg was telling his story to the reader:

"My father, William Harrison, was born in the village of Bishop Wilton, about 14 miles east of York in northern England, and my mother, Nellie Harding, grew up in a village called Givendale that was just down the road. Both villages are in Yorkshire county...

"...England lost the cream of its youth in that war. My dad’s village of Bishop Wilton has a church that was built in 1916. There’s a cenotaph there (a memorial to people from that village who died in the First World War). All four sides of that cenotaph are covered with the names of men who never came back, including a family of five sons who were all killed. What a senseless, bloody war," Reg told me.

He went on to say, "As I mentioned, my parents knew each other in England. They dated while my dad was a soldier in the First World War. They got married in 1917, when my dad went home to Bishop Wilton on four days’ leave. After the First World War, my dad had an opportunity to go to New Zealand to work as a policeman, because his father was a policeman in Bishop Wilton. However, my dad really liked Canada and thought there was more opportunity for him here, so he and my mother packed up their belongings and moved to Canada."

Reg was born in 1922 in Saskatchewan, Canada, in the hamlet of Pheasant Forks, southeast of Yorkton. He began sharing more details of his war years when he was in his 80s, and his story has since become the subject of numerous news articles, documentaries, and my book.

Mary Harelkin Bishop has known Reg Harrison for decades, since they attended the same Presbyterian church in Saskatoon. I have worked with Mary for almost 20 years, as an editor and publisher of her work, and she has become a dear friend. In November 2023, Mary and her partner Pete took copies of my Crash Harrison book to England on their vacation. She sent me the photos below.

Thanks, Mary, for making this author's wishes come true!

Mary Harelkin Bishop with Crash Harrison book by Deana J Driver, at Bishop Wilton, England Nov 2023

Mary Harelkin Bishop with Crash Harrison book by Deana J Driver, in Bishop Wilton, England Nov 2023

Mary Harelkin Bishop donated a Crash Harrison book by Deana J Driver to the Pocklington Library, England Nov 2023. "They were pleased to receive it," Mary reports.

Shredding the past and moving into a new year

There's a certain satisfaction that comes with shredding old business files. You see where you have come from, what you've accomplished, who you touched, who touched you, what did not go so well, and what you learned from it.

In shredding business files that are older than seven years, the timeframe after which CRA says you can shred your business/income tax files, I came across many memories. Things I’d forgotten. Things I needed to be reminded of. Things I might want to try again, but maybe in a different way.

I found lovely notes from authors, readers, fans, work colleagues, and family. Little winks were hidden in expense and sales sheets from craft or trade shows and posters for dozens of author readings across the Prairies. I remembered mental images of children and adults who were enthralled to hear about my books and those of the authors I publish. What a precious gift of memories.

The new year will bring more terrific new books to my business. Four marketable books are on my DriverWorks Ink publishing list at present, along with a few that will be produced only for the authors and/or their families. There will be new growth – for my authors and readers, and for me as we learn new concepts from writers who are known and beloved or are new to us.

Onward and upward! Welcome, 2023!