Fun book launches should always begin with an author pilot flying in on a Cessna

The latest book I've published has led to numerous "firsts" during my 24 years as an author, editor, and independent Canadian book publisher. Here is a snapshot of what happened during an exciting two weeks launching Flying a Gooney Bird in Canada's North: A Bush Pilot's Adventures with the book's subject and author, Dorrin Wallace.

This is the first time I've co-authored an entire book, although I've written five nonfiction books as the sole author and contributed pieces to more than a dozen other Canadian books. So that's been fun!

Dorrin's anecdotes about his 40 years as a bush pilot taught me a lot about what it takes to safely fly airplanes through inclement weather, landing on windy or frozen lakes or small airfields while avoiding trees, rocks, and the occasional animal that crosses the runway while the plane is landing! I've published four other books about aviation adventures (Flight: Stories of Canadian Aviation, Volumes 1 to 3, plus Crash Harrison: Tales of a Bomber Pilot Who Defied Death), but this detailed look at being a pilot and aircraft maintenance engineer has given me a first-person look at being a solo pilot. 

Evan Bray with Dorrin Wallace and Deana J Driver
Oct. 1, 2025

Dorrin and I were invited to talk about our book launch on the Evan Bray Show on CJME/ CKOM radio. I've been interviewed several times on the John Gormley Show, the predecessor to this talk show, but this was my first time as a guest on Evan Bray's show. What fun! Listen to the October 1st audio clip.

To get from his home in Saskatoon to the radio studio in Regina for the interview, Dorrin asked his friend Murray Louden to fly him south to Regina in Murray's Cessna 180. That's the second time an author of mine has come to Regina on an aircraft to promote their book. In November 2023, Romie Christie flew to Regina from Calgary, Alberta, to launch her inspiring book about her parents' war story/love story, See You in Le Touquet: A Memoir of War and Destiny. But this was the first time a small aircraft was "chartered" for a radio show interview promoting one of the books I've published! So cool. 

I picked up Dorrin at the Regina airport, and away we went to the CJME studio. After the radio show, we returned to the Regina Flying Club, where we signed boxes of books to send to retailers. That was a first-time experience at that location! Thanks to Murray for arranging the space with the accommodating staff of the Flying Club. 

Dorrin Wallace with Deana J Driver
at the Regina Flying Club

As Dorrin and Murray prepared to go back to Saskatoon, I asked if I could walk out to the airplane with them, which I did. I took their photos in front of Murray's Cessna, to be used specifically in this blog post. Another first!

Murray Louden with his Cessna and author Dorrin Wallace

Dorrin Wallace with the Cessna C-FPXT

As we walked to the Cessna, Dorrin told me a great story about Murray's Cessna, which Dorrin flew as a bush pilot in northern Saskatchewan!

"When Murray told me he bought C-FPXT, I said, 'I know that plane. The last time I flew it, it was loaded with 1,000 pounds of moose meat." On that trip in 1974, Dorrin was flying from Uranium City to Prince Albert with the aircraft overloaded.

Dorrin smiled as he told me, 'Some guys on the dock wanted to make me a bet that I couldn't get airborne, because of the weight of the moose meat and the full tanks of gas. I told them to save their money, I would get airborne, and I did." But it wasn't an easy task, explained Dorrin. "I climbed for 150 miles to get up to altitude. I should have been at altitude at 10 miles. I was about 700 pounds overloaded for that airplane." Oh, my.

Dorrin Wallace, about to board Murray's plane

Flying a Gooney Bird in Canada's North - A Bush Pilot's Adventures
by Dorrin Wallace with Deana J Driver
published by DriverWorks Ink, DRIVERWORKS.CA

A few days after the radio interview, my beau, Marlowe, became my chauffeur and assistant for the book launch at the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum in Saskatoon, about 270 km northwest of Regina. This was the first time that I had Marlowe's presence and support at a book launch! I am grateful that he took photos and videos of the event so I could focus on the proceedings. I am also grateful to the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild for author reading assistance for this event and to Creative Saskatchewan for book publishing production assistance of Flying a Gooney Bird in Canada's North!

The Saskatchewan Aviation Museum and Learning Centre, Saskatoon, SK

Surprisingly, this was the first time someone took photos (or perhaps the first time someone showed me photos) of me as I was deep in conversation with the author before an event! Thanks, Marlowe, for that reminder of some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into launching a book.

Dorrin Wallace with Deana J Driver

Dorrin Wallace with Deana J Driver

Dorrin Wallace with Deana J Driver
at the launch of their book
Flying a Gooney Bird in Canada's North: A Bush Pilot's Adventures

Thank you to everyone who came to our
Saskatchewan Aviation Museum book launch of
Flying a Gooney Bird in Canada's North!

Author Dorrin Wallace with book cover photographer Roberta Wells
and co-author/publisher Deana J Driver of DriverWorks Ink

It was nice to meet Roberta Wells, the woman who took the photo of Dorrin and the DC-3 (also known as a Gooney Bird) that we used on the cover of our book, but this was the first time I've been in a photo as a photographer pretended to kiss the book's author just for a laugh! So silly.

Book cover photographer Roberta Wells pretends to get fresh with author Dorrin Wallace
while co-author/publisher Deana J Driver of DriverWorks Ink just sits back and smiles

To end this terrific day, Marlowe added more firsts by suggesting that he could take a video (1) of Dorrin and me chatting in front of the DC-3 (2) that is a prized exhibit at the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum. Enjoy the video!

 

101-year-old bomber pilot shares wartime adventure stories with Canadian Aviation Historical Society

At age 19, Reginald Harrison enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was looking for adventure away from the Saskatchewan farm where he grew up and he wanted to serve his country in the Second World War, just like most of the young men around him. By age 21, Reg was flying a Halifax aircraft out of the Croft air base in England, dropping bombs on the enemy forces in Germany and France. 

Weighing only 118 pounds, Reg chose to sit on top of his parachute pack inside the aircraft to give himself a better view out the windows of the huge Halifax bomber. During one of his flights, the parachute nearly killed him - during the third of what would eventually become four crashes Reg survived during the war. Reg served our country and the Allied Forces well and, upon returning to Canada from the war, met his future wife through a fellow bomber pilot. 

At almost 102 years old, Reg "Crash" Harrison recently shared some of the stories of his wartime experiences with members of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society at their national convention held at the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Almost 102-year-old Reginald "Crash" Harrison and author Deana J. Driver at the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum for the national convention of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society, June 22, 2024

As the author of the new book about Reg's life (Crash Harrison: Tales of a Bomber Pilot Who Defied Death), I was pleased to have been invited to speak to the group alongside Reg and to again listen to him tell some of his incredible wartime stories.

It was an honour to address this group, which is the oldest and largest organization in the world dedicated to the celebration and documentation of Canada's flying heritage. And it is always a huge honour to sit beside Reg Harrison as he tells stories about his time in the RCAF.

It is always heartwarming to watch the reverence that people rightly have for this man who served in the war and survived four crashes and significant traumatic events. They, like me, have come to appreciate his remarkably clear memory of those events and how he can - at almost 102 years old - still share them with avid listeners.

I watch with gratitude as people line up to shake Reg's hand and have him autograph their copy of the Crash Harrison book. (I get to sign the books too, which is always nice. And Reg usually says something nice about me to whoever asks about how the book came to be. He and I mutually admire each other.)

101-year-old Reg "Crash" Harrison and author Deana J Driver signing Crash Harrison books at the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum, June 22, 2024  
 - photo by John Chalmers, CAHS member

CAHS delegate has Reg Harrison autograph the book, June 22, 2024

Another CAHS delegate chats with Reg "Crash" Harrison, June 22, 2024

This delegate to the CAHS convention and I were pleased to realize that she and I sing in the same community choir in Regina!

During our presentation at the CAHS convention in the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum in June, I recorded these videos of Reg telling his stories:

WW2 bomber pilot tells how his parachute got caught as he bailed out in 1944

101-year-old WW2 bomber pilot had dangerous flights & landings in a Lancaster in 1944

101-year-old WW2 bomber pilot talks about his aircraft bailout in 1944 & being ever-grateful

After the presentation, an elderly man came up to our table and introduced himself. Dr. Robert Galway had a special story he wanted to tell me and Reg about how he also knew the doctor who performed the reconstructive surgery on Reg's arm during the war. What a wonderful serendipity!

Dr. Robert Galway meets Reg "Crash" Harrison in Saskatoon, June 22, 2024

I asked Dr. Galway if he would tell me the whole story so I could record it and share it. He was pleased to do that. Enjoy this remarkable interview...

A 101-year-old WW2 bomber pilot & a Canadian doctor share connections to the Guinea Pig Club

Reg and I say thank you to the Canadian Aviation Historical Society for the invitation to speak to the convention delegates. Thank you to the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum for hosting the event. Thank you to all those who attended, enjoyed the presentations, and purchased books.

As Reg says every time he talks about his stories, we must remember those who served and especially those who did not make it home from the war.

We must not forget.

Honouring Those Who Served - 80th Anniversary of D-Day

Thursday, June 6, 2024, will mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings along the Normandy coast during the Second World War. This event by Allied forces, which ultimately led to the liberation of Europe, will be commemorated at various places, including Juno Beach Centre in France.

In 2013, my late husband Al and I visited Juno Beach and carried a copy of Alan J. Buick's award-winning book The Little Coat: The Bob and Sue Elliott Story with us onto the beach. It was eerie and emotional to walk on those grounds where so much occurred.

The late Bob Elliott was a Canadian tank commander who arrived in France at Juno Beach - an overwhelming experience he was able to survive while many others perished in battle. The little coat he and his troop commissioned to be sewn out of a Canadian army blanket as a gift for a sympathetic Dutch girl is now an artifact in the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa because of Alan Buick's fantastic book.

The Little Coat is one of several books published by DriverWorks Ink that share stories of those who served in the Second World War and other conflicts in the name of world peace.

We recommend that you read:

- Crash Harrison: Tales of a Bomber Pilot Who Defied Death, written by Deana J. Driver (that's me), about a Saskatchewan farmboy who grew up during the Great Depression and survived four airplane crashes in England during World War II;

- See You in Le Touquet, written by Romie Christie about her lawyer father's work as an Army officer during World War II and how he liberated his future wife (Romie's mother) and her town of Le Touquet, France as the war was ending;

- all three of the books in the series Flight: Stories of Canadian Aviation, which share vignettes and memories of brave military personnel serving around the world; and

- The Sailor and the Christmas Trees, written by Deana Driver, about a Manitoba man's kindness to shipmates and others in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on Christmas Day 1944.

All these books are available from https://driverworks.ca/

We share the sentiment of Sussie Cretier, the Dutch girl in The Little Coat story, who said as an adult, "My gratitude for the young men who gave up their youth and their lives for the freedom of our country. I never, ever will forget."

Sure Signs of Spring in Saskatchewan

The sight of a robin is always my first sign of Spring. 

Except this year.

On April 5th, my young granddaughters and I were looking out my front window when a large, solid black butterfly flew by us, flittering away just under the roof overhang at the top of the window.

We couldn't believe our eyes. A butterfly in April in Regina? I've never seen that, and I've lived here for almost 50 years.

I looked online for information about butterflies that live in Saskatchewan in winter and the closest butterfly I could find that resembles the large all-black butterfly we saw would be a Mourning Cloak. Although their black wings turn brown when they are older, Mourning Cloaks are one of only three varieties of butterflies that hibernate in Saskatchewan in winter and come out early in springtime. 

A Saskatoon Zoo Society page states: "Mourning Cloaks, anglewings, and tortoiseshells are the only Saskatchewan butterflies that hibernate as adults. (Other butterflies and moths usually survive the winter in the egg stage, although some will overwinter in the caterpillar or pupae/ chrysalis stages). The amazing part is they freeze completely solid in the winter and come back to life when they thaw out."

Another interesting paragraph about the Mourning Cloak butterfly is from a Canadian Entomology Cool Insects blog: "How long do butterflies live? For most, the answer is “not very long,” after what may have been many months as an egg, caterpillar, and chrysalis. For the Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa), however, life as a butterfly can stretch over an entire year. Mourning Cloaks spend the winter in hibernation, under bark for example, and they are often the “first butterfly of spring,” along with their close relatives, the tortoiseshells and commas. Since Mourning Cloaks are widespread in North America and Eurasia, they are probably the most oft-encountered spring butterflies in the north temperate world. After feeding on various trees (elm, willow, and poplar are all acceptable fare) as caterpillars, Mourning Cloak butterflies emerge from their pupae in mid to late summer. They sometimes live as long as twelve months as adults. In springtime, they typically emerge from hibernation before the first flowers are in bloom, and they feed on everything from sap flows to dung to mud, in order to obtain the nutrients necessary for such a long life."

So there you go.  

I've never looked into the wintering habits of insects in Saskatchewan before, choosing to just appreciate and accept them with gratitude when they show up. The early butterfly in my yard this year does not quite match the photos of any of the creatures on this Butterfly Identification page, and entomologists are welcome to correct me, but I'm guessing my new friend is a young black Mourning Cloak.

Usually, a ladybug is the first insect I see outdoors in springtime, and we saw at least a dozen of those in my yard on the weekend too. But that large black butterfly this year sure showed up its friendly flying neighbours. It even flew in front of me today as I drove into my back alley. How wonderful!

A black butterfly is said to be a sign of faith, hope, and new life, and a symbol of positive change.

Welcome, Springtime! And a special welcome back to our flying friends!

This robin was in my front yard yesterday.

My granddaughter gently holding a ladybug

A butterfly in my backyard in August 2023.

 

Starting the new year in Cuba

Varadero, Cuba was where I rang in the new year. Technically, I watched a movie in my room at our resort instead of partying, but that's beside the point. I was in a warm climate with people I love, taking a break after a busy year of work and other activities.

My youngest daughter, Dani, had invited me to travel to Cuba with her and her family (who don't share family photos on social media). I was delighted to accept the invitation. I've travelled a lot over the years, but I'd yet to go to Cuba. I had heard responses from other travellers who either loved Cuba or really disliked it, with not much in between. We, fortunately, chose a great resort and had a lovely time at the Iberostar Bella Costa. Our resort had friendly staff, comfortable and clean rooms, a great pool and beach, local musicians entertaining us at mealtime and in the evenings, and a variety of foods for every meal. The New Year's Eve buffet was exceptional!

Here's a glimpse at my Cuba vacation - in photos...

The beach in front of the Iberostar Bella Costa, Varadero - Deana J Driver photos

A wall of photos inside the Bella Costa resort, Cuba

Wall art

Cuban musicians entertained us at mealtime

More local music, including some Santana faves

Countryside on the way to Havana

Banyan (ficus) tree in Havana

I met a friend in Havana who loves books as much as I do! Too bad I didn't bring a sampling of my own books for him to read.

I did not understand this statue in Havana of the nude woman riding a chicken. Turns out I'm not alone in wondering. The artist has not talked about its meaning, but there are some interesting theories (see  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/viaje-fantastico).

A town square, Havana

Old cars in Havana are maintained with whatever parts can be found from washing machines, etc. that might work.

Revolution Square in Havana

This was American novelist Ernest Hemingway's favourite bar in Havana. Many famous people stop by, and some who are not as famous too.

They invented the Daiquiri here at El Floridita.

This pelican landed near us before taking off on another flight and dive for food.

Ocean swimming was not allowed on days when the tide brought Portuguese man o' war animals onto the beach. It's technically not a jellyfish, and its sting and tentacles will leave large welts and worse.

A full sand dollar washed up on the beach beside some coral.

We joked that this sand sculpture we saw on the beach was the Cuban version of our Saskatchewan snowmen.

Hibiscus flowers

A New Year's Eve tree made from wine bottles

The Royal Palm tree is Cuba's national tree and one of my faves.

The New Year's Eve buffet at the Bella Costa had many wonderful food sculptures.

The cold meats section alone went on and on.

The bread selection was amazing and I didn't even take a photo of the hot foods!

When the delicious chocolate cake clock strikes midnight... (in my belly!) This was only one of the many scrumptious desserts offered on New Year's Eve.

We walked on the beach at least twice a day, enjoying the sun and sand in Varadero, Cuba.

The sun setting on the last night of our great vacation.

If you choose to visit Cuba, I recommend that you book your trip through a travel agent (we booked through CAA and were pleased we did). Check the online reviews of the various resorts and locations, and pay a little extra, if you can afford it, for a higher-rated resort. Read about the country and its history and amenities, as you should for all of your travel destinations. Before you go to Cuba, pack some of your favourite Canadian snack foods in your suitcase along with crackers, peanut butter and jam (for those who have specific diets). We were glad we did. Happy travelling!