Warm Welcome to Carlyle Homespun Craft Show

Each fall since 2009, I've showcased and sold my books at craft shows and trade shows in Saskatchewan and other Prairie communities. That's 15 years of setting up tables, chairs, books, brochures, and posters in exhibition halls, schools, museums, hockey rinks, and more to sell the books I edit, publish, and sometimes write. And it's been great!

These venues enable me to meet customers and learn what they like about the books I create and what they want to see more of in future publications. I hear accolades about my writing and that of my authors, and it's heartwarming to talk to people who have bought our books and come back for more.

The organizers of these shows are awesome humans too, and a recent event in Carlyle, SK proved it once again.

Upon arrival, I was met by Nicole Currie, one of the organizers of the 38th annual Carlyle Homespun Craft & Quilt Show. Alongside Nicole was her young grandson, Kitt, who quickly endeared himself to me with his choice of T-shirt.

Nicole Currie, an organizer of Carlyle Homespun 2024

Nicole's grandson Kitt with his "red wings" T-shirt

       

(The Detroit Red Wings was my late husband Al's favorite team, so any red wings that pop up since Al's death is a gentle sign of Al's spirit visiting us.)

Young Kitt then went on to endear himself to all the vendors by running from booth to booth as we were setting up our tables. Carrying a stack of sticky notes, Kitt enthusiastically told me, "You're working really hardly, so I want to give you three checkmarks. If you work really hard, you get 10."

That cracked me up!

Kitt handing out checkmarks to vendor Deana Driver of DriverWorks Ink, at Carlyle Homespun 2024
(Photo by Nicole Currie)

He then went to another booth down the aisle, where the vendor asked for a star on his note as well.

"If he gets a star, I want a star!" I called out to Kitt, who immediately came running back to my booth. He carefully added a star - which is "really hard to draw" - to my sticky note. I asked him to write his name too. He complied.

3 checkmarks and a star from Kitt

How much fun is that?

Nicole informed her grandson, "When your dad was little, I bought some books from this lady and her husband. I asked your dad, 'Will you read them?' I said, 'If you read them, I will buy them."

So that adds another wonderful memory for me of why I do what I do with our Prairie stories.

Thanks, Nicole and Kitt for putting a smile on my face at my first craft show of the 2024 fall season!

DriverWorks Ink books booth at Carlyle Homespun 2024

Prairie Veterinarian Tells Entertaining Stories of his Work with Animals and Their Humans

In April 2021, I received an email from Dr. Gary Hoium, a veterinarian in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Gary had begun writing amusing, intriguing, and insightful stories about his decades of experiences as a mixed-animal veterinarian. He asked me about the possibility of publishing those stories.

We met a couple months later in my backyard in Regina. 

 

We immediately felt a connection. Aside from the fact that Prairie people are generally friendly folks who are community oriented and have great stories, people from the Weyburn area have occupied a special spot in my heart for decades.

The first book I ever wrote was Just a Bunch of Farmers: The Story of Weyburn Inland Terminal, 1976-2001. That book project was so much fun and the people I interviewed for that book so terrific that it encouraged me to seek out more Prairie stories that should be made into book form. Since then, I have jokingly blamed the Weyburn Inland Terminal folks for the more than 70 books I've since published (written by myself and other Prairie authors) which cover my work and living spaces.😄 

So, yes, Weyburn people and their stories will always be of particular interest to me.

But back to that day last June...

While in my backyard, Dr. Gary Hoium and I discussed his numerous stories and the ways we visualized his book taking shape. We went to work immediately and planned to have a book in our hands by that fall for pre-Christmas gift buying. The timeline was tight, but we did it.

With the help of a co-editor (Gary's niece Courtney Hinz), a cover designer, and several publisher colleagues and consultants, we released Don't They Kick When You Do That? Stories of a Prairie Veterinarian in October 2021. The book has already been so popular that we are considering reprinting this fall.

What's in the book and why is it so wonderful? Let's hear from the author himself.

This is what Dr. Gary Hoium wrote for a "Read My Book" piece in the Regina Leader-Post's QC Magazine:

“How long did it take you to write this book?” a young lady asked at a recent book signing.

Looking up, I smiled. “About 40 years,” I replied.

She laughed.

Ride along and accompany me on my journey as a mixed-animal, rural Saskatchewan veterinarian.

My book has been called “an enlightening, humorous, intriguing, educational compilation of true adventures, experiences, mishaps and rousing successes that are sure to captivate and entertain.”

If you love animals… this book is for you. If you ever owned a pet or owned, managed or cared for livestock of any kind… this book is for you. If you ever had any thoughts or wonderment as to what a life (possibly even your own life) might have been like as a rural Prairie veterinarian… this book is for you. Your farmer/rancher dad or husband doesn’t read books? Based on many testimonials, he will read this one, laugh a lot, and love it!

As veterinarians, we are tasked with serving all the medical, surgical and welfare needs of a very diverse animal kingdom. Our motto: “If you do no good… do no harm.”

Learn how one evening, a clump of four grey fox squirrels, entangled and stuck tightly together by their tails, taught me the importance of compassion. The story went viral across our nation in days.

Extracting porcupine quills from a German shepherd resulted in my painted portrait, me in my green scrub suit, being distributed in a book worldwide.

You can live in my boots through the most fearful, dangerous, and stressful noon hour of my career when an 1800-pound, wild-eyed, aggressive bull escaped my inner-city clinic and landed in a resident’s backyard. Flanked by an elementary school on one side and a comprehensive high school on another, students (targets) aplenty, this had the very real potential to turn out REAL BAD!

You will be introduced to a couple of compelling real-life characters. Terrible Terry … or was he? As an experienced “jailbird” fighting personal demons, he frequented our clinic and befriended me, and ultimately, me him despite many crazy encounters.

Cousin Jimmy will leave you laughing and craving more.

From cattle to hogs, cats to dogs, the creatures and the men and women who love them have wormed their way into my heart and my stories.

And do they kick when I do that? The surprising answer is .....?

Don’t They Kick When You Do That by Dr. Gary Hoium is available from www.driverworks.ca, McNally Robinson Booksellers, Chapters/ Indigo/ Coles, Handmade Saskatchewan gift shops, SaskBooks, Amazon, and other select stores.

Fun On The Farm 3 book the last in the series

 A couple years ago, I was selling my DriverWorks Ink-published books at a craft show in Swift Current when a man walked by and yelled at me: “When are you doing another Fun On The Farm book? I really enjoy those!”

Fast forward almost three years, in the midst of a global pandemic, and here it is. Bring on the laughter!

Fun On The Farm 3: True Tales of Farm Life adds another 32 short stories and six poems to those of the first two volumes of the series, with more amusing antics, accidents, surprises, and laughs about growing up, living, or working on Western Canadian farms. Twenty writers, including me, have contributed to this volume.

Author /editor/ publisher Deana J. Driver with Fun On The Farm 3

The stories include how I learned to drive a car in a grain field in Alberta at age 12, played in a culvert on our farm as a kid, and watched high school friends of my husband go a little goofy during our rural wedding a few decades ago. My sister Leanne Pacholok and brother Alan Pacholok talk about their adventures too, including Leanne’s Poohsticks games through that same culvert, and Alan’s numerous antics and accidents that ended with minimal damage to him, but not to our mom’s prized plate from Poland.

Shellbrook author Laurie Lynn Muirhead shares stories of how her brother showed off his “flying” skills and how she nurtured a runt piglet to its full size. Saskatoon writer Marilyn Frey contributed five stories to Fun On The Farm 3, telling of riding a pig, Sunday ball games, crop circles, and more. Brad Hauber of Lloydminster recalls picking rocks, winter sports, and the benefits of having younger brothers. The contributing writers include three authors whose work I’ve published: Mary Harelkin Bishop has stories of garden gumbo and a friend’s rocky awakening, Janice Howden explains her dad’s “crash” nickname, and Bryce Burnett’s poetry gives glimpses of farm life. Other contributors are Cheryl Crashley, Elias Entz, Jean Fahlman, Keith Foster, Becky Gamble, Ron Krenn, Theodore Mikolayenko, Karen Ollinger and Eldon McDougald, Rev. Dr. Joyce Sasse, and Jean Tiefenbach.

This is the final book in the Fun On The Farm series celebrating the sense of humour that Western Canadian farmers often utilize to get through the hard times and cherish the good times.

Fun on the Farm 3 books are available at www.driverworks.ca, McNally Robinson Booksellers, Indigo, Chapters, Coles, Handmade Saskatchewan gift shops in Regina and Saskatoon, SaskBooks, Amazon, and other select stores.

Signed copies of Fun On The Farm, Fun On The Farm Too, and Fun On The Farm 3 are available at a Book Bundle sale price from www.driverworks.ca/shop.html

Remembrance - Bob and Sue Elliott and their Little Coat

Every year since November 2009, when I published Alan J. Buick’s book The Little Coat - The Bob and Sue Elliott Story, I can’t help but think of Bob and Sue Elliott on Remembrance Day.

They were unsung Canadian and Dutch heroes of a sort. Until Alan’s book, of course, which helped thousands of readers worldwide learn their names and something about the sacrifices made by them and people like them who served in and/or lived through the combat zones of the Second World War.

Bob enlisted in the Canadian Army in Calgary when he was only 15 years old. My oldest grandson is close to that age now and I can’t imagine the fear and worry of being unable to do anything but watch that young man go off to war as Bob did, having told recruiters that he was 20 years old and wanted to follow in the footsteps of his older brothers.

By age 19, Bob Elliott was a tank commander in the Canadian Army and was fighting the German army in the Netherlands. There, he met a feisty, 10-year-old Dutch girl named Everdina “Sussie” Cretier. Sussie had earlier saved her father from a German firing squad and their whole family had just escaped to the safety of the Canadian army after running across a field dotted with landmines.

Sussie - soon known as Sue - became a good-luck charm for the Canadian soldiers, especially those in Bob’s troop, who wanted to give her a Christmas gift. On Christmas Day 1944, Bob presented Sue with a child’s coat that the soldiers had asked a local seamstress to sew out of a wool Canadian Army blanket. The buttons on the coat came from the soldiers’ tunics.

Sue cherished that gift and kept it for decades, long after she and Bob reconnected and she moved to Canada to be with him. Alan Buick saw the coat on display at the Royal Canadian Legion in Olds, Alberta, and began asking questions about it - which led him to write his award-winning book, The Little Coat.

Bob Elliott passed away in February 2013.

We learned today that Sue Elliott passed away in May of this year. We express our heartfelt condolences to their families and all who loved them.

I was privileged to meet and talk with Sue and Bob during our launch of The Little Coat book from the Royal Canadian Legion hall in Olds, Alberta in November 2009. They connected with us by video, long before that became an everyday occurrence. Alan Buick and I were thrilled that the subjects of Alan's book could participate in our launch and visit with their family members and friends in the audience via video chat. 

In 2013, I was thrilled to meet Sue in person in the Netherlands, when I travelled there on a vacation with my late husband, Al. I wrote a blog about that adventure, from the perspective of the book talking to us. It was great fun and Sue was, as always, energetic and full of laughter.

Bob and Sue’s story and sacrifices will never be forgotten. Nor will those of thousands of others who served and placed themselves in danger in the name of freedom.

We will remember them. Rest in peace, dear friends.

 

Bob and Sue Elliott in 2010 with a tank
resembling the one Bob used in the war

Alan Buick, author, views The Little Coat ("child's coat")
on display in the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, 2010

-----------------------------------

More of my blog posts about Bob and Sue Elliott:

Seeing this "Little Coat" inspired a country singer to write an award-winning book, Dec 2017

Viewing The Little Coat at the Military Museums, Calgary, Alberta, August 2015

Liberation Day Netherlands 70th Anniversary and The Little Coat book, May 2015

Remembrance - Bob Elliott and The Little Coat book, Nov 2014

From Blanket to Coat to Book to Painting, June 2013

The little coat is 67 years old! Dec 2011

Students learn about Reconciliation from Mistasiniy: Buffalo Rubbing Stone book by Mary Harelkin Bishop

Saskatoon author and educator Mary Harelkin Bishop wrote Mistasiniy: Buffalo Rubbing Stone with the hope that it would give readers of all ages a better idea of the concept of reconciliation - a path of respectfulness between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada.

It has been gratifying to see the book receive awards at the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards and Hollywood Book Awards, but the greatest gifts have come when students and teachers send messages about what they learned from reading this book.

Mistasiniy: Buffalo Rubbing Stone tells the story of Danny, who lives on a family farm homesteaded by his great-great-grandparents, and Zach, a Cree boy who lives in the nearby town. When their Grade 6 teacher assigns a Canadian heritage project in which students must write about their family histories, Danny is paired with Zach, the only Indigenous boy in the class. At first, Danny and Zach can’t seem to get along. Then Danny finds out that his great-great-grandmother’s journal talks of breaking the land and building and living in a sod house. She also tells of how the First Nations people in the area helped her save her infant son’s life by using traditional medicines when he was very sick. The more Danny digs into his family’s history, the more he realizes that his and Zach’s pasts are complicated and connected.

A Grade 5/6 classroom in Saskatoon recently read Mistasiniy: Buffalo Rubbing Stone and used a Literature Circles learning format. In images sent via a PowerPoint slideshow, the teacher shared with us what the class learned from this important book:

Students learned about Reconciliation from Mistasiniy: Buffalo Rubbing Stone book

Some of the valuable lessons the students learned from Mistasiniy: Buffalo Rubbing Stone by Mary Harelkin Bishop are:

•        People can change.
•          You should give everyone a second chance.
•          Every child is different and has unique experiences.
•          Everyone’s culture, race, and religion is valuable.
•          Don’t judge someone based on their past.
•          Everyone makes mistakes.
•          We learned about marginalization and how it harmed Indigenous Peoples.
•          It is important to learn about the true history of Canada, which has not always happened in Canadian schools.
•          It is never too late to do the right thing.
•          Reconciliation is learning to heal, learn and move forward together.

-

Thank you to the teacher and Grade 5/6 class for sending us their work and responses to this book. 

Mistasiniy: Buffalo Rubbing Stone has been called “a must-read book for all youth” and a book that will help teachers become better teachers, kids become better friends, parents become better parents, and neighbours become better neighbours.

The author, Mary Harelkin Bishop, is a retired teacher who spent much of her career working in core neighbourhood schools. She has also been a teacher-librarian. Most recently, she was an educational consultant with Saskatoon Tribal Council, with a focus on helping students research and write the history of their families and reserves, and their hopes for the future.

Mistasiniy: Buffalo Rubbing Stone is available from www.driverworks.ca. 
(ISBN 978-1-927570-32-6, Juvenile fiction, Ages 10 and up)  
Schools and libraries should contact DriverWorks Ink directly for discounts on orders.

A Cat’s View of COVID-19

In 2011, I published Letters to Jennifer from Maudie & Oliver, a wonderful book of humorous letters for children and adult readers. It was written by Winnipeg author Sharon Gray, aka LIP (Live-In Person), from the point of view of her two precocious Siamese cats Maudie, the prima donna, and her brother Oliver, who doesn't get enough love because he lives with the prima donna.

Letters to Jennifer from Maudie & Oliver by Sharon Gray,
published by DriverWorks Ink

The cats share their day-to-day adventures, however maudlin or amusing, with their dear Auntie Jennifer – to lift her spirits while she battles cancer. Whether they are watching friends in the garden, jostling for space on their favourite wingback chair, or vying for the attention of humans, the compassion and silliness of Maudie and Oliver make for some terrific, light reading. And we all need more of that in our lives.

The book is no longer in print, but author Sharon Gray is still writing. She recently wrote a new letter from the cats to a friend who has survived two years of breast cancer treatments which, thankfully, led to remission but caused some serious, painful side effects. Sharon graciously allowed me to share her letter with you. She hopes it will lift everyone's spirits as we all go through COVID-19 together.  

9-time Cancer Survivor Gets Good News

In 2011, I wrote (and published) the book Never Leave Your Wingman: Dionne and Graham Warner's Story of Hope. Dionne is one of the most remarkable, inspiring, fun-loving, hope-filled people I know.

Author/publisher Deana J. Driver with Dionne and Graham Warner, June 2011 

When I met Dionne in June 2010 to begin interviewing her and Graham for the book, Dionne was battling Stage IV liver, lung, and bone cancers - her fifth, sixth and seventh cancer diagnoses. She'd already beat breast cancer, brain cancer, and two bouts of liver cancer. With these latest cancers, she had been dressing in different costumes each week and dancing into her chemotherapy treatments, with her wingman (her husband Graham) similarly attired and dancing beside her. They brought hope and laughter - and occasional looks of confusion - to everyone they met during the 77 treatments and themes that occurred by the time the book was published in June 2011.

Some of the "themes" Dionne created for her chemotherapy treatments in 2009 to 2011

Dionne's story has inspired and helped thousands of people around the world and it has been my honour to write and publish book to share our mutual goal of spreading that hope.

And her story continues.

A few months after the book was published, Dionne went into remission. No more Stage IV cancer in any part of her body. To say that everyone was astounded and thrilled is an understatement.

How could this be, you might wonder. For starters, Dionne has a remarkably positive attitude - before, during and after cancer. She lives her life to the fullest in every moment of every day and encourages all of us to do the same - whether we are ill or not. Dionne also has a body that responds well to therapy treatments. She jokes that Heaven is not ready for her yet, but when it is her time, she will be bringing her own radiation-lit, disco-ball body with her! Dionne also received some unique treatment therapies in a hospital in Tijuana in 2010 and she changed her diet as part of that treatment too. (You'll have to read the book for more details.)

Unfortunately, in April 2012, cancer returned to Dionne's liver and she began treatment again. 

A few years later, Graham was diagnosed with cancer in his abdominal area. He successfully underwent surgery to remove the tumour and was cancer-free at his one-year checkup. As Dionne would say, "Woo Hoo!'

Still, how much more can a couple take? Well, these are the Warners ... so the answer - even though no one wants it to be this way - is "a lot".

Dionne had been taking various treatments since her Spring 2012 liver cancer diagnosis, but about two years ago, tumours appeared in her hips and other parts of her body. She has since had several different treatment regimens for these tumours, with differing amounts of success. Hundreds and hundreds of people - whom she calls her Earth Angels - continue to send best wishes, prayers and love to help her fight this evil disease.

And now for the latest news of her cancer journey...

Earlier this week, Dionne received a phone call from her oncologist to come in to his office to hear the results of the latest CT scan. She had not expected a call so soon after the test, so she was nervous. Not to mention having to take her immune-compromised body to the hospital again during these COVID-19 times.

"My oncologist wanted to share the news he had for me sooner rather than later," Dionne reported. "He shared with me that all of my tumours have shrunk.   I had him repeat it more than once as I was in complete and utter shock. Not just one tumour but all and trust me, ,there are a lot. The new chemo regime along with your love, support and continued prayers, Earth Angels, are working. Woo Hoo! "

When I asked Dionne if I could share her amazing, fantastic news, she replied in the affirmative.

"Let's continue to give others H💜PE, I say."

Absolutely, Dionne. And Woo Hoo a thousand times over!

Dionne and Graham Warner in April 2020. Bottom left, she's wearing a handmade mask to go to the hospital to hear from her oncologist.

And just in case you need another dose of happiness and laughter during these uncertain times, here's a video I took in 2011 of their amazing "flappers" theme. Enjoy.

** You can purchase the Never Leave Your Wingman book from SaskBooks and pay no shipping in April 2020. All sales from this bookstore of our provincial publishing group organization will go directly to the publisher members - in this case, my DriverWorks Ink publishing company.

Look for the Good - in Publishing and in Life

Recently, I was privileged to attend the PubWest 2020 conference in Portland, Oregon along with other book publishers from Western United States and Canada. The conference was educational in focus and participatory, with many opportunities to connect with and hear other publishers' ideas, concerns, and successes. 

At an awards luncheon, Malcolm Margolin of California was honoured as the recipient of the Jack D. Rittenhouse Award for important contributions to publishing in the West.

Malcolm began his book publishing career in Berkeley in the 1970s, about 30 years before I wandered into this business. I found his speech inspiring.

Malcolm Margolin addressing PubWest 2020 

He told his fellow publishers that the goal of publishing should be "to serve the underserved."

I'm paraphrasing here, but he also said we should not find purpose and fulfilment from our inbox. That's an important reminder to people in all industries and lines of work. 

"Tell the stories of the people - the good people, the activists, and the world changers," he said. 

When a manuscript came in, Malcolm would tell his staff, "Don't look for the faults. Look for the strengths and build around the strengths. The faults will take care of themselves."

This last piece of advice is the way I always approach new manuscripts that come to my publishing house in Saskatchewan and I know other colleagues who do the same. Still, it's good to remember this concept, whether we're in publishing or some other industry. Or maybe even when we are just walking down the street. 

Look for the strengths. And help build on those.

Just a typical day in book publishing - or not

What’s happening in the world of DriverWorks Ink publishing?

I’ve been asked on occasion what it’s like to work in the book publishing industry. This seems as good a time as any to give you a peek into my work life as a small, sole-proprietor, book publisher in Canada. Hold on, 'cause there's a lot going on!

Since I went back to work this week after enjoying three almost-uninterrupted weeks of vacationing in Europe (with Saskatoon author and friend Janice Howden), the wheels of my publishing company – mentally and physically-speaking – have been constantly turning. (By the way, the vacation was amazing. You can view some photos and videos on the DriverWorks Ink Facebook page or YouTube channel, or my Instagram.) 

Deana Driver and Janice Howden enjoying their first view of tulip fields in the Netherlands, April 2018

Within the first two days of being back at work, I mailed and/or shipped some book orders to people who ordered from our website (thank you!) and to bookstores and other purchasers (thank you!). These orders were in addition to those my daughter Dani shipped while I was away. Thank you, Dani, for taking such good care of DriverWorks Ink while I was away!

In the pile of mail waiting for me, I found a beautiful magazine from the CanadianChildren’s Book Centre. They’ve named Skye Bird and the Eagle Feather, which is Saskatoon author Mary Harelkin Bishop’s latest children’s novel, as one of the 2018 Best Books for Kids and Teens, in Junior and Intermediate Fiction! Skye Bird is about a First Nations girl who is determined to make her new school a friendly, welcoming place for herself and her friends. This great kids’ story is one of only two Saskatchewan-published books included on the Best Books list – the other book is also from a small, hybrid publisher in Saskatchewan – so that’s quite an honour that we will gratefully cherish. 

To follow up on that honour, I was delighted to ship some boxes of Skye Bird and the Eagle Feather books to Chapters Indigo to be sold on a national scale. So look for it soon at a bookstore near you. Or you can always buy it from our website. (Schools and libraries should contact me directly for a discount.)

And then there is this – two new books arrived from the printer just before I went away on vacation, so that was fun! And hectic. Once a new book arrives at my door, the hard work of creating it is done and the process continues to get it out to market. That includes sending information to all the bookstores and other vendors, to media about launch and signing dates, getting the book up onto our web page and social media pages, as well as the sites we partner with, and working our tails off (I’m talking about myself and the authors) to let people know about these great new books. (That "people" includes you. I’m telling you now. 😊)

ISBN 978-1-92757043-2   $14.95

Dear Me: The Widow Letters is a compilation of letters collected by Dianne Young of Martensville. Dianne is a widow who asked other widows what they would say if they could write a letter back to their newly-widowed selves. Twenty widows, including Dianne and me, wrote letters to ourselves, which we’ve published in this book. The letters will help not only widows to see they are not alone and that they can survive their devastating losses, but the book will help others who are connected to widows but are not sure what to say or do. Personally, I learned something from every one of the letters and, sadly, I related to at least one thing that was said by each of the different widows in their individual letters. What a beautiful book.

ISBN 978-1-92757042-5   $19.95

Possessions: their role in anger, greed, envy, jealousy, and death is a fascinating new book by Saskatoon author Boris Kishchuk in which he considers why people do some of the negative things they do. Boris takes a sociological approach, using historical and modern-day examples to show how desire for possessions has led to some devastating consequences within North America and the world, including murder, corruption, and war. Religious beliefs, corporate greed, self-identity, and the desire for power are among the topics in this thought-provoking book.

Psst!  You can buy both of our new books, Dear Me: The Widow Letters and Possessions, with a specific link on our website's Shop page and save $5! Just saying.

Launches and signing dates for the two new books are:

Dear Me: The Widow Letters:

Launch - Thursday, May 31st, 7 pm (St. Martin's United Church, 2617 Clarence Ave. S., Saskatoon)

Signing - Saturday, June 2nd, 1-3 pm (McNally Robinson, 3130 - 8 St. E., Saskatoon)

Reading - Tuesday, June 5th, 7 pm (Martensville Library, 66 Main St., Martensville)

Reading - Wednesday, June 6th, 7 pm (John M. Cuelenaere Public Library, 125 - 12 St. E., Prince Albert)

Reading - Thursday, June 7th, 7 pm (Weyburn Public Library, 45 Bison Ave., Weyburn)

Regina Launch - Friday, June 8th, 7 pm (Chapters, Southland Mall, Regina)

Possessions:

Launch - Tuesday, May 29th at 7pm. (McNally Robinson, 3130 - 8 St. E., Saskatoon)

Dianne Young will also be interviewed by various media about Dear Me: The Widow Letters. Those details are on our News and Events page.

And, as if that isn’t enough going on, I’ve also been talking with Swift Current cowboy poet Bryce Burnett to continue working on the manuscript and images for his new book Horses, Dogs and Wives, which we’re releasing this summer. Bryce’s first book of poetry, Homegrown and other poems, won third place in the prestigious Will Rogers Medallion Awards in Texas, and we anticipate Bryce's new book will be a barn-burning (not literally) follow-up!

But wait - we’re not done talking about the new stuff yet!

One of our authors, Jim Hopson, is being inducted into the Saskatchewan Roughriders' Plaza of Honour in August. How cool is that! This well-deserved honour for Jim affects me, his publisher, in two ways. I’ve been asked to provide photos from Jim's book Running the Riders: My Decade as CEOof Canada’s Team, and I’m also working with the Riders on promotion and book sales possibilities for the book (which was co-authored by Regina sports writer Darrell Davis). 

Also in the past two days ... I contacted three authors about more promotion ideas for their books, made arrangements to be interviewed about publishing options for Saskatchewan writers, agreed to proofread and provide feedback on a manuscript, finished updating my website, picked up some office supplies, and obtained information for an e-book production company. Wowee! Welcome back from vacation! (I took breaks, of course, to eat, sleep, watch TV, visit and hug my children and grandchildren, and water and enjoy my flower garden - not necessarily in that order.)

Soon, I’ll be packing up some books for this Saturday’s booth (May 26/18) at the Cathedral Village Street Fair in Regina! My booth #235 will be on 13^th Avenue, just east of Rae Street, in front of Aware House Books (which happens to also sell Lisa Driver’s three angel-reader books)!

So that is fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, and FUN!

I can’t wait to see what the rest of this week brings.