Who likes a good book?

We met many fascinating, avid readers this past week at our Canadian Western Agribition trade show booth.

Here's a small sample of the comments we received:
- "There's nothing better than books."
- "I got a good recommendation of your work from the used bookstore in the Value Village Mall. She said they can't keep them in there." (It's great that people are enjoying our books - new or used.)
- "I've read Never Leave Your Wingman, Never Give Up, Just a Bunch of Farmers, My Zayde, The Little Coat and Prairie Pilot. I only read true stories. I see there are a couple of books here on your leaflet that I haven't read. I'm going to go sit down and read this and see what they are about."
- "I'm writing a book right now. Can I contact you to get some advice and talk about publishing it?" (Yes, of course!)
- "I bought Running of the Buffalo and my 13-year-old read it cover to cover. He laughed his pants off!"

(Left to right) Al and Deana Driver, Ron Petrie, Dionne Warner, Alan Buick.

Winter! Time for a good book!

With the first major snowfall of this winter, many Prairie people wonder about driving conditions and getting safely from Point A to Point B. Having been born and raised on the Prairies - I on a farm north of Edmonton AB and Al in the city of Regina SK - we know it's been done before and will continue to get done, so we aren't that worried about it. The thoughts we are interested in are the happy ones that revolve around beautiful snow-covered trees, frost-tinted windows, sparkling colourful Christmas lights and what to buy for friends and family this Christmas. May we suggest some books?
Our most popular titles this fall (available from www.driverworks.ca) are:

Never Leave Your Wingman: Dionne and Graham Warner's Story of Hope by Deana J. Driver - The true story of Dionne Warner, a fun-loving seven-time cancer survivor, and her devoted humour-filled husband Graham, who dance their way into Dionne's weekly chemo treatments in Regina, Saskatchewan – in costume – bringing laughter and hope to everyone they meet. This is an inspiring unforgettable story and a lesson in love. ($24.95 )

The Little Coat: The Bob and Sue Elliott Story by Alan J. Buick - The true story of 19-year-old Bob Elliott, an Alberta soldier who fought the Nazis during the Second World War, and Sussie Elliott, a feisty 10-year-old Dutch girl who became a good-luck charm to the Canadian soldiers fighting at the Maas River. An army-style coat the soldiers gave to little Sussie for Christmas 1944 was the start of a lifelong love between Bob and Sue. This story will melt your heart this Christmas. ($19.95)

Letters to Jennifer: From Maudie & Oliver by Sharon Gray - The daily antics of two precocious but worldly Siamese cats are captured in 56 amusing and clever letters written by Winnipeg author Sharon Gray as a way to keep in touch with Jennifer, a friend undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Whether basking in the sunlight on the kitchen windowsill, falling off the TV set during a nap, or having a 'family meeting' to set their LIP (Live-In Person) straight on the rules of the house, Maudie and Oliver's unique cat's-eye view of the world with entertain and delight readers. ($16.95)

Running of the Buffalo by Ron Petrie - As a humour columnist for the Regina Leader-Post, Ron Petrie has pondered many topics including: Can one actually lose weight on the mini Oh Henry chocolate bar diet? Is it gotch or gitch? Can a man actually change the diapers of three squirming babies on the same night? And why is it that some farm boys never learn French? A 'bathroom' reader that will add some giggles and guffaws to your Christmas season. ($19.95)

Prairie Pilot: Lady Luck was on My Side; The Stories of Walter D. Williams; Compiled and Edited by Deana J. Driver - Walter Williams was an unofficial air ambulance pilot and a flying taxi service to dozens of families and individuals in west central Saskatchewan and east central Alberta in the 1950s. A welder by trade, Walter began answering calls of distress as soon as he got his little two-seater Aeronca plane. Taking chances and ignoring common sense, Walter flew in snowstorms and landed in farmers' fields to transport pregnant women, injured children, RCMP, teachers, doctors, criminals and thrill-seekers. ($21.95)

Happy Winter Reading!

Mourning the death of a Prairie pioneer

Art Mainil, a feisty, determined southeast Saskatchewan farmer, has passed away after a battle with cancer . Mainil was the main man behind the creation of the Weyburn Inland Terminal, the first independent farmer-owned-and-operated inland grain terminal in Canada in 1976.

I had the pleasure of interviewing him in 2001 when WIT commissioned me to write a book about their first 25 years as an organization. Just A Bunch of Farmers: The Story of Weyburn Inland Terminal 1976-2001 was my first book and it was a wonderful process interviewing and working with these men who changed the way that all Canadian farmers are paid for their grain.

WIT started in 1974 as an idea to improve the country's grain-handling system. By 2001, "just a bunch of farmers" (as they called themselves when they got in trouble with the bank or needed an out - "What do we know? We're just a bunch of farmers?") had worked through tough and prosperous times and become very successful. WIT had racked up an impressive list of 14 'firsts' including being the first grain elevator to do protein testing on grain and pay farmers for the protein content of their grain, the first to offer custom drying, and the first to pay farmers for the foreign material and refuse in grain.

By 2001, Art Mainil had long been away from WIT operations, but he was still committed to the terminal and graciously agreed to talk with me about the start of WIT. I arrived at his farm and was greeted by a man of my height who appeared tough and a little gruff but hard-working, principled and certain of what should be happening in Canadian agriculture and how he could make that happen. Art reminded me very much of my father, a tough little Ukrainian farmer, and we shared a laugh when I told him that.

Art was quick to not accept credit for being the instigator of the creation of WIT. He and other farmers had long been talking about how to improve the system and Art had wondered, after doing some custom-combining in the U.S. and seeing inland terminals there, why there couldn't be such a thing in Saskatchewan. Clarence (Clare) Taylor and Glen McEwen, other farmers who became WIT directors, were two of many men I interviewed who gave Mainil credit where credit was due.

"We would have never had the terminal if it hadn't been for Art," said Taylor.

"You couldn't help but catch his fever," said McEwen. "It was something that needed to be done because nobody else was doing it."

WIT is in its 35th year of operation and will be inducted into the Saskatchewan Business Hall of Fame later this month.

Rest in peace, Art Mainil. You were a man ahead of your time. You will be missed.


http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Grain+marketing+advocate+Mainil+mourned/5678400/story.html

So ... what about e-books?

We've been asked from time to time (probably one out of every 60 or so people that we meet), whether our books are available as e-books. Our response is, "Not yet, but we're looking into it." 

The world of book publishing is changing daily, especially that of e-book publishing - as evidenced by today's big announcement that (Chapters) Indigo Books & Music Inc. has sold its Kobo e-reader business to Rakuten Inc, one of the world's largest e-commerce companies, for $315 million.

For the past year, we've been considering taking a few of our book titles and creating digital files for e-readers. We were waiting for the industry standards to settle down a bit. This spring, we thought that epub was chosen as the standard format to use, then we found out it isn't necessarily so. The costs of translating a manuscript into one that is available via an electronic reader device is not as costly as it once was, but it takes time and skill and money that could be used for other things - like producing more physical books. The problems relate more to informing readers of your e-book, marketing and selling online, making sure the information is accurately translated to the new format, and keeping up with the latest technology. Whew! It sounds exhausting and a little overwhelming for a small publishing house like ours - but we aren't dismissing it altogether.

At a recent meeting of the Saskatchewan Publishers Group, we were given advice by a fellow publisher who told us not to worry about the swarm of new e-technology - which can feel like an army of soldiers on horseback coming at us. He suggested, "Just pick a horse and get on it."

So we're carefully wandering around the horse barns now, looking for the most sturdy, reliable animal. Once we've found the right one, we'll carefully jump onto its back and see where it leads us.

On to Assiniboia!

We're on our way to Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, for the Mistletoe craft and trade show tonight and tomorrow! These shows provide us with great opportunities to meet the people who buy our books and to chat with folks who don't yet know about our Saskatchewan and Prairie stories. We always come back wtih some fun comments and compliments, and we add more stories to our collection of memories about the people of this province. Have a fun weekend, everyone! It might be the last one before it snows!

Laughing with chemo patients

I will never tire of sitting beside Dionne Warner as she carefully listens and talks to people about their cancer stories. On Tuesday, at the Pasqua Hospital's gift shop in Regina, we were privileged to chat with some of the nicest people, who shared their struggles and successes, laughs, tears and hugs with us.

It was a very special day and I have no doubt that Dionne has given a whole new group of people - the Tuesday chemo patients and their families - another spark of hope to take with them on their journey.

Moose Jaw miracles

The people of Moose Jaw and area were wonderful hosts to Dionne and Graham Warner and Al and I as we joined them for their 12th annual Canadian Cancer Society Living and Learning fundraising luncheon on Tuesday. The event was held at the beautiful Timothy Eaton Gardens and we were treated to a tasty lunch of soup, salad, sandwiches and desserts. Dionne was the guest speaker for the luncheon and every eye was on her as she told her story of battling cancer seven times.

The people at one table were even heard to yell out, "No!" when she stated that in December 2009, she was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer of the liver, lungs ("And I've never smoked a day in my life,") and bone cancer in her rib, spine and pelvis. Most people in the room could not believe that she was there the day before she was due for her weekly chemo treatment. There were tears of sadness and empathy but also much laughter throughout her address.
A very touching moment for Dionne and me came while we were signing books for customers after the luncheon. An older gentleman and his wife came through the line-up and, as is our habit, I signed the book and then handed it to Dionne so she could sign next and then hand it to Graham to add his signature and hand the book back to the happy customer. When this gentleman got to the spot in front of Dionne, he said to her, "You saw me six weeks ago at chemo ... You gave me a hug." Then he placed his hand over his heart and patted his chest twice ... and slowly said to Dionne, "You made me feel special."

Dionne and I were both temporarily speechless, moved by his profound gratitude for what Dionne would consider such a simple act. I said to the gentleman, "She has a way of doing that, doesn't she? She makes everyone feel like they are the most important person she has spoken to that day." The gentleman smiled and agreed. He then grabbed Dionne's outstretched hand and thanked her again before he went on his way. He turned around one more time with another smile and nod to the woman who had given him a small boost six weeks earlier - in the form of a hug.

As he walked away, he turned to me and said, "You wrote a good book."

All I could say was, "Thank you."

This little Piggy...

When I was younger, I wrote poems for school projects, for fun and to express myself. Since I became a journalist 30-some years ago, poetry took a back seat to true stories. A recent contest by the Saskatchewan Writers Guild peaked my interest, challenging us to write a poem about Hogs for an upcoming promotion. I fully intended to submit the poem, but Al and I were on the road and I missed the deadline. We did have fun creating our rather simple, but funny poem.... so here it is - to brighten your day....

Our Hog Poem
By Al and Deana Driver

I wanted a dog
Mom got me a pig
It started to eat and then it got big
And now it's a hog.
Soon it will be bacon.


HA HA HA! Have a great day, everyone!

Speaking to students always a blast

Going into a school and talking with students about my writing and publishing is one of my favourite adventures. You never know who will be listening (or not), who will ask questions (or completely ignore you) and who will actually be paying such close attention that they later come up to you with compliments and many more questions relating to their own writing future!
I spoke to an Entrepreneurship 30 class today at O'Neill High School in Regina SK and was pleased with their attention and their questions afterward - about my business, my writing, the cost of publishing a book, and the timeframe in creating and growing our business to the point it is at right now. A young lady came up to me afterwards and talked about her goals of becoming a writer. Those one-on-one chats are always special and make me feel proud to do what I do and share the little bits of knowledge that I have.

At St. Augustine School in Humboldt SK last week, I was greeted by enthusiastic, polite students who seemed to enjoy the stories of my writing and our many DriverWorks Ink books. While we ran out of time for the Grades 5-8 students to chat with me afterwards, the younger students (Grades 1-4) in my first presentation asked at least 30 questions and made me grin all the way home with their inquisitive honest queries:

How long is your longest book? (That I wrote? Longest in the number of words? Never Leave Your Wingman is about 90,000 words.)

How long did it take you to write the longest book? (I wrote for two months straight - from start to finish because I had a tight deadline. I write more quickly than some writers I've met.)

What's your favourite book? (Of the ones I wrote or published? They're all kind of like my babies and it's hard to choose a favourite one, so I won't.)

How do you get the words so small? (Ah... the type size in the finished book ... It can be adjusted with different computer programs.)

Is the lady who has cancer - she's dead, right? (Nope. Not at all. Dionne Warner, subject of Never Leave Your Wingman, is on vacation right now, enjoying her week off of chemo with some friends  - she's doing very well!)

Are the cats still alive? (Yes, the cats in Letters to Jennifer are still alive and well, ordering around their Live-In Person - author Sharon Gray.)

Do you ever take a vacation? (Hmmm... do I look that tired? Or did I baffle them by listing all the books and projects we've worked on lately?... We just had a short vacation, but maybe I need another one.)

How long have you been writing? (Since I was a little girl... but I've been getting paid to write for the last 30 years. Cool, huh?)

Compliments & a Book Reading Party!

          We had several wonderful interactions with customers at the Yorkton Sunflower craft show this past weekend. While I was introducing our various books to a woman and her friend, another woman came up to the table, pointed to the Never Leave Your Wingman: Dionne and Graham Warner's Story of Hope book and said to the complete stranger I was talking to, “If you buy any book on this table, buy this one! It’s so good! I loved it!” I thanked her very much for her wonderful compliment. She made my day.

            Several people said they had seen Dionne and Graham Warner and I being interviewed on CTV News At Noon, some had heard Dionne or all three of us interviewed on the radio and several more read the article about D & G in the Regina Leader-Post.

            A few people came by and said they had read Alan Buick’s The Little Coat: The Bob and Sue Elliott Story and they really enjoyed it. “That’s a great book!” A woman, typical of many we meet at these shows and book signings, told us she was getting goose bumps on her arms as we outlined the story of Bob and Sue (the soldier and the little Dutch girl) and the child's coat that drew them together forever.

            We heard compliments as well about Prairie Pilot: Lady Luck Was On My Side by Walter D. Williams. Women said their husbands loved the book and many readers have marvelled at the lives that Walter saved and the daring antics of this adventurous 1950s pilot.

            Ron Petrie’s Running of the Buffalo book also attracted some comments. One lady said she loved reading his humour columns in the Regina Leader-Post. “Tell him he’s appreciated because he’s very, very good,” she said. Another woman told us how she and her husband bought the book for her elderly mother last fall and her husband didn’t want to give it away at first. “Do we really have to give it to her?” he asked. Then he told his mother-in-law, “When you go, I want that book.” It turned out that the elderly mother-in-law died a few months later and her husband got the Buffalo book back, and he is apparently very happy with this bequest!

            The best story came from a woman who said she was a neighbour of Graham and Dionne Warner when they lived in White City, SK. She and some friends had a Book Reading Party with the Never Leave Your Wingman book. She bought the book and a number of her friends wanted to borrow it, but she wouldn’t let them because she was still reading it. So they decided to all read it at one party. So 20 people got together and passed the book from person to person, for five hours, reading it aloud to each other. “When one person started to cry and couldn’t read any more, we’d pass the book to the next person and they’d read. We had so much fun and a lot of wine!” she said. And, in honour of Dionne’s battle with cancer, each guest brought $5 to the Book Reading Party, which was donated to cancer.

            So we say a huge, HUGE THANK YOU to all of these wonderful people for sharing these stories and compliments with us. It makes our efforts as authors and publishers all that much more worthwhile and fulfilling.

             I can’t wait to hear what the people of Carlyle and area will tell us at their Homespun Craft Show & Sale this weekend!

Swim For Life a great event!

Well done, town of Wynyard, Saskatchewan - and especially well done to the two 20-year-old women who organized the first Swim For Life event in that town on Friday evening!!! Swim For Life was like Relay For Life, raising money for the Canadian Cancer Society, but teams instead must have a team member in the swimming pool at all times during the 12-hour event rather than a team member walking the relay track. This beautiful community raised more than $11,500 for cancer with their event!! YIPPEE for them!!

They invited Dionne Warner, the inspiring seven-time cancer survivor and subject of the book Never Leave Your Wingman (along with her supportive husband Graham) to be the guest speaker for the event. Photos are below.

But first - can you vote? For Dionne, that is! Please!!! She is taking part in a contest called I Can Achieve, and we encourage you to cast a vote for her every day for the next 25 or so days (making you eligible to win a $100 gift card with each day's vote) but more importantly, gaining Dionne more votes so that she can further spread her courageous, inspiring story of living life with cancer to more and more people and bring them hope! Here's the link -  I Can Achieve contest - Vote for entrant Dionne Warner

The point of all this poolside fun in Wynyard was to raise HOPE!!!

Dionne Warner shares her story with the great people of the town.

Graham and Dionne Warner are placed front and centre (well, kind of - on the far left of the front row which is technically almost centre) in the group photo of the first-ever Swim For Life fundraiser, which was organized by two wonderful young ladies in Wynyard, SK. The event was prompted by the death of one of these women's aunts from cancer. The hope is to keep raising money so a cure is found - so no other family has to endure what this family and many other families encounter when  cancer strikes.

(left to right) Graham and Dionne Warner, Deana and Al Driver - poolside in Wynyard, selling and signing Never Leave Your Wingman books - as the delightful Mayor Sharon looks on. 

Never had this happen before

At today's Edmonton book signing for Never Leave Your Wingman and Prairie Pilot as well as promoting The Little Coat, we sold some books (always a good thing and the goal, of course), but had two other unique experiences:
An older woman came up and handed me and my sister (who had joined us for the afternoon) each a book that she had purchased for $2. She gave us an interesting explanation (which I will pass on to a journalist colleague for a possible story) but essentially, she buys books and donates them in memory of her son who passed away years ago. I guess we looked like we needed a book or would at least accept her gift.
Also, a young man from Great Britain who writes poetry asked me how to get published and then insisted on reading me one of his poems, seeking any advice I could give him. (I told him my thoughts on his poetry and directed him on to the Alberta Book Publishers Association to find poetry publishers. I also named a Saskatchewan publisher that does wonderful poetry books.)
Topping it off, I met a woman who wants to talk to me further about the Never Leave Your Wingman book and use an excerpt for a sociology paper she's writing on health and wellness.
So that was a fascinating afternoon.

Never Leave Your Wingman hits Edmonton!

Well, Al and I (of DriverWorks Ink) have made it through the first half of our summer Saskatchewan-Alberta book promotion trip and we're about to introduce Edmonton readers to the inspiring true story that is Never Leave Your Wingman: Dionne and Graham Warner's Story of Hope. We expect you'll hear a lot more about this amazing seven-time cancer survivor (the lovely 'Woo Hoo!'-filled Dionne Warner) and her fun-loving husband Graham in the near future as events unfold but, for now, I will just concentrate on sharing the book at three events in the next two days in Edmonton (see the agenda below). Then we're dropping off some books for Crandleberry's gift shop in North Battleford, and signing again in Saskatoon on Sunday. So if you or someone you know is in Edmonton or Saskatoon in the next few days, tell them to stop by to say hi or tune into CTV Edmonton's Noon News on Friday to catch a glimpse of me (the author) as I share the inspiring love story and hope-filled message of Dionne and Graham as they battle cancer with costumes, music, laughter and hope.

Thurs. July 28 - 1 p.m. - Deana Driver signing Never Leave Your Wingman & Prairie Pilot & selling The Little Coat, Chapters Southpoint, Edmonton AB
Fri. July 29 - CTV Noon News - CTV Edmonton - Deana Driver interviewed about Never Leave Your Wingman
Fri. July 29 - 3 p.m. - Deana Driver, signing Never Leave Your Wingman & Prairie Pilot & selling The Little Coat, Chapters Strathcona, Edmonton AB
Sun. July 31 - 1 p.m. - Deana Driver, signing Never Leave Your Wingman & Prairie Pilot & selling The Little Coat, McNally Robinson, Saskatoon SK