Always something to write or publish

The greatest thing about being a writer who is also a small publisher is that there is always something new to explore and consider writing about or publishing. About a month ago, we (the Mom and Pop of this mom-and-pop business) made plans to spend a few days in Manitoba, our neighbouring province. We just came back from that trip, and it was a blast!

We intended to visit and do a book signing with one of our authors - and we did that on Saturday with Sharon Gray, author of the funny Letters To Jennifer From Maudie & Oliver.

It was a chuckle once again to watch the reactions of bookstore patrons as we told them the book is a series of letters written by two Siamese cats. Yes - cats wrote the book! (With a little help from their LIP - Live-In Person Sharon - who turned on the computer for them, she claims!)

We also brought my Never Leave Your Wingman book to the attention of Winnipeggers again. Everybody loves the concept of seven-time cancer survivor Dionne Warner and her wingman husband Graham dancing into Dionne's chemo treatments dressed in costume. "Seven times?" and "Wow! That's amazing!" are the most often-heard comments.

We had a couple signings in Winnipeg last year, and it's always great to remind people of the great Prairie books we produce. We talked to at least 80 people (and handed out at least 100 leaflets that show details of all our books) in the two hours we were in the bookstore this weekend, so we are watching southern Manitoba sales in the next few weeks to see the ripple effect from that effort! Come on, Manitoba! It's time to be inspired by our great Prairie stories!

Two other items were on our agenda for the weekend trip to Manitoba.
# 1 - Meet with a person writing a book about a 100-year-old marvel of engineering. We visited the site and met the author and his collaborator and were in awe and appreciation of all three of them.
#2 - We also stopped on our way back to Regina to meet a 90-year-old war veteran in Brandon, Manitoba. He has a unique, heartwarming Christmas story to tell, and I am honoured that he and his wife are allowing me to tell that story in the form of a children's book - which we hope will be published this fall.

So here's to a great weekend full of new ideas and options ... and many more wonderful experiences on these great Canadian Prairies!

Australia wants our cancer book

I've joined Twitter! Now you can follow the events of our little publishing house on a bite-size basis.... @driverworks.

In the latest inspiring story update, we received an email from a Christian bookstore in Australia. A customer came into their store and asked how to purchase a copy of our inspiring book Never Leave Your Wingman: Dionne and Graham Warner's Story of Hope (written by me, Deana Driver). Proof once more that our true story about a seven-time cancer survivor is reaching much farther afield than little old Canada! We have sold copies to people in numerous other countries including the U.S., Mexico, Phillipines, England, New Zealand, Denmark and Netherlands.

We've talked with a couple of U.S. distributors and publishers as well as distributors here in Canada to consider selling our wonderful non-fiction books. Cross your fingers for a positive response soon!

Changing the world around me

As a writer of non-fiction - a journalist and an author of inspiring true stories - I have often thought of myself as a bit of a teacher, sharing information with others and hoping that I can in some way improve their lives or those of people they love.

There have been some opportunities to do that in my 28-year (so far) journalism career, writing about fascinating Prairie people and programs or innovations they've created. I've beee told that Prairie grain growers and various organizations considering building an inland terminal learned something from my first book Just A Bunch Of Farmers: The Story of Weyburn Inland Terminal 1976-2001.

My second book Never Give Up: Ted Jaleta's Inspiring Story - Running For His Life received awards and many positive feedback from readers who said they learned so much from Ted Jaleta's strong positive attitude and wisdom and they enjoyed the way in which I told his story. Ted was born in Ethiopia and survived a brutal civil war to make a new life for himself in Canada and become a world-class masters long distance runner, despite the challenges he faced in Africa and Canada.

Just A Bunch Of Farmers (far right) tells how the Weyburn Inland Terminal changed the way all Canadian farmers are paid for their grain. You can purchase it from our web site

Never Give Up (second from right) is now out of print but we still hear from readers who loved it and learned from it

(The other two books are great, too. Check them out on our web site)

With my latest book, Never Leave Your Wingman: Dionne and Graham Warner's Story of Hope, my opportunities to help change the world have taken a phenomenal leap forward. Dionne is a beautiful seven-time cancer survivor who lives her life with courage, love, laughter and - above all - hope. Her wingman, her husband Graham, is beside her all the way. The two of them together dressed in costume and literally danced into Dionne's chemotherapy sessions for two years since December 2009 as she battled Stage IV liver, lung and bone cancer. In January 2012, Dionne was told she is in total remission! Amazing!

Dionne and Graham Warner dancing into one of her chemo treatments in 2010 to the Arrogant Worms' song The Last Saskatchewan Pirate

The Never Leave Your Wingman book chronicling the Warners' story of hope, love and courage was released in June 2011. (You can buy it from our web site or check a local bookstore.) Since then, it has been a whirlwind of book signings, attending speaking engagements with Dionne, and talking with the media - whose members have been wonderful in helping us share this fabulous positive story of living with cancer without letting cancer run one's life.

The book signings are emotional events. Dionne and I hear a personal cancer story from almost every individual who comes up to us to get a book signed. It is gut-wrenching at times. At recent book signings, we heard about two young mothers who were diagnosed with cancer while they were pregnant. One lost her life, choosing her child's life over her own, and the other is still ill but has her infant and husband to keep her hope alive. We met a woman who is devastated by her diagnosis but her siblings are doing what they can to lift her spirits, including bringing her by to talk with Dionne. Two young men came to us, scared and wondering how they will get through radiation and chemotherapy. It was heartening to share Dionne's experiences and knowledge with them and to laugh and joke together, lessening their fear and giving them a release from the stress.

Most of these patients or caregivers are recipients of a Dionne hug. It always brings a smile to their faces and a warm memory into their future.

These kinds of interactions are not new to Dionne Warner. She has spent many years listening to other cancer patients - not only as a volunteer at the Allan Blair Cancer Centre in Regina SK for seven years (and again now that she is in remission - go figure!), but as the beautiful person that she is, sharing her own cancer journey with others and encouraging everyone to live each day to the fullest whether sick or not.

For me, this type of interaction with readers or potential readers is new. It is difficult, sometimes draining, often rewarding ... and always an honour.

Strangers stand there in front of us, telling me and my friend Dionne their deeply personal stories. I am blessed to have the opportunity to possibly help them through one of the most difficult periods of their lives. What more could any writer who fancies herself as a bit of a teacher ask?

By the way .... Dionne's coming to Toronto to promote the book from June 10 to 16th.

Look out, Toronto and area! Your world is about to change!!

Liberation Day will soon be here!

May 5th is a national holiday in the Netherlands, celebrating the end of the Nazi occupation of Holland during the Second World War.

Our book The Little Coat: The Bob and Sue Elliott Story, written by Alan J. Buick, tells the true story of one brave Canadian soldier (Bob Elliott) and the little Dutch girl (Sussie Cretier) who met under the most dire of wartime circumstances and made a connection lasting a lifetime. In December 1945, Bob and his troop gave 10-year-old Sue a coat made from a wool Army blanket. Sue cherished that gift and 35 years later, she and Bob reconnected and fell in love. Sue still had her little coat! She brought it to Canada with her and married Bob. Their story is captured in this National Bestseller.

A reader said it best in this email:

"I purchased The Little Coat last fall. I completly LOVED it. We were away at a hockey tournament when I read it, and my daughter Katie frequently looked over at me and saw tears streaming down my face in the hotel room. When I finished the book, I told Katie that she HAD to read it. Coincidentally, Katie had to complete a book report on a Biography, so the timing was perfect. She read the book, and I got to watch her tears. She loved it! She loved it so much that she told her friends about it at school, while they were all complaining about the boring biographies they were reading. She shared it around and two other girls also wrote book reports on it, and completely fell in love with the characters. It is so fabulous. We will definitely be remembering on May 5th."

We are very proud to share Bob and Sue's story for another marvellous Liberation Day celebration!

Cheers, Bob and Sue Elliott! You are our heroes!

Bob and Sue Elliott in the Netherlands, May 2010

The Beauty Around Us

Trade shows are always fascinating experiences for us.

We meet future hopeful authors:  three people came up to us at a recent trade show and asked about how to get published. (One or two of those works might become DriverWorks Ink titles in the future and the third would-be author was pointed in the direction of another great Saskatchewan publisher.)

We meet avid readers who have never seen our titles before: the most common reaction is appreciation for true stories of Prairie people.

We meet readers who have purchased some of our books and want to see what new titles are on our table: Example - A young man pointed at Just a Bunch of Farmers and said, "I've got that book! I like it!" So we responded with - "Then you'll probably like Prairie Pilot." And he quickly replied: "My mom's got that one!"

We meet readers who are looking for Saskatchewan books that were not published by us: we send them to the Saskatchewan Publishers Group's trade show booth if they are at the same show, or connect them as best we can with a place to purchase that book.

We meet genuinely great people who are simply fun to hang out with for part or all of the show (like Sweetpea the Clown below - she's the one in the middle!).

On the long drive home from the Nipawin Trade show, the sun was setting and it was too glorious a sight to let it slip without hauling out the camera and shooting some photos through the car window.

Enjoy!

Saskatchewan - We love it!

Pobody's Nerfect!

Here are some common mistakes made by inexperienced writers (and some professional ones, too)...
- They randomly change tenses. If you are telling a story that happened in the past, stay in the past. Don't shift to present tense and then shift back again - especially in the same paragraph.
- They put an apostrophe where it doesn't belong. Don't put one in '1970's' or any in 'they were in their '50's'. Use '1970s' and 'in their 50s'.
- They use that instead of which. 'The school which gave me a diploma.' It should be 'school that gave me'.

Read and critically re-read your work before sending it out. I know, I know - that's what editors are for...

Mistakes I commonly make...
- typing the word 'the' incorrectly. Thank you, spellcheck, for correcting my tehs.
- typing Manitoba and Saskathcewan incorrectly - See! there you go! It's always Mantioba in my documents. And Saskatchewan! Why couldn't I live somewhere with less letters - like Iowa or Ohio!
- placing single quotation marks on the wrong side of the punctuation. They belong inside the period, I've been told. Argh!

 Oh, well. Pobody's nerfect!

See Pobody's Nerfect #2.

Trust fund for author's 4 children

Friends at the Regina Leader-Post have graciously set up an education trust fund (accepting donations until May 15 at CIBC branches in Regina) to assist with the post-secondary education of the four children of Ron Petrie, humour columnist and author of Running of the Buffalo - or Ru as he called it (because all famous authors have abbreviated names for their many good works, he joked). Ron passed away in February after a year-long battle with colon cancer. Details of the trust fund are in this Leader-Post story.

We miss Ron every day, but the humour and goodness that he added to the world and the good that will come from this trust fund will live on.

Friend or Foe in Publishing?

One of the many things I enjoy about attending Saskatchewan Publishers Group professional development sessions and meetings is the opportunity to interact with other publishers of Saskatchewan and Prairie books. This morning, I was chatting with three other publishers about sales and distribution options for e-books and printed books, accounting software that works best for our industry, and what social media we all use or avoid. And that was just during the coffee break!

Later in the day, I found myself sitting with two other women who – like me – are both running successful or growing book publishing companies. What do we have in common besides our gender and love of books? We each spend part of our time helping authors self-publish their works. We had some pragmatic discussion, sharing our personal stories of how we approach certain issues, how we do certain tasks, and some of the things we would each like to do in our own respective businesses.

I don’t know about other industries, but this kind of honest sharing of secrets, advice and potential pitfalls is commonplace in the book publishing industry – and is actually actively encouraged at every gathering of Saskatchewan Publishers Group members. Instead of sitting back and watching others make the same old mistakes or flail around trying to figure out an increasingly complex industry, there is a willingness - almost an eagerness – to answer each other’s questions and share ideas on marketing, promotion, sales options and more. I know we came home with a ‘To Do’ list for some of the ideas we had which have now gained more focus and momentum because of what we learned from people who might, in other industries, be seen as competitors but who, in the publishing industry, are considered friends who will do what they can to help the industry thrive.

Thank you to our colleagues in the publishing industry in Saskatchewan and Canada. Once again – we’ve learned a lot and are anxious to put some of it into action.

Stay tuned!

Mourning a friend & author

It has been a week since our friend and author Ron Petrie passed away on February 19 after a year-long battle with cancer. It still seems unbelievable and extremely unfair. But we know that life is not fair. Ron was only 52 years old, with a wonderful wife and four teenage children who were the stars in his sky.

Al worked with Ron for about 30 years at the Regina Leader-Post and I knew Ron because of that relationship. I had left the L-P and was working as a freelance journalist by the time Ron came in from the Leader-Post’s Moose Jaw bureau to work in Regina. Al took early retirement from the paper in 2008, leaving his job as news editor, while Ron continued to write humour columns on all things Saskatchewan. Ron Petrie was a Prairie farm boy who never lost touch with that part of his being. He loved his rural roots and everything about Saskatchewan including its people. He was kind, caring, clever – and funny.

In the spring of 2010, Al and I decided to approach Ron about the possibility of publishing a selection of his humour columns in a book. Ron was delighted. He had been approached before about getting his work into a book, but it never quite seemed right, he told us. He was looking forward to working with us, and we definitely were happy to be working with him. When the Leader-Post gave us permission to reprint 70 of the columns Ron had written over the past couple of decades, we were all pleased.

We started the project laughing and never really stopped. Al and I guffawed while reading through the stacks of Ron’s columns – often reading aloud a particularly funny line or paragraph, or even an entire column that we knew the other person would appreciate. Al went through the piles of printed columns first – skim-reading the more than 3,000 columns to see which ones caught his attention. He narrowed it down to about 200 and we each read those columns and gave them our own rating of 1 to 5 – with 5 being the best. There were a lot of 5s. The top 70 made it into the book Running of the Buffalo, named after a column in which Ron pondered the concept of having a brand new major event at the Regina Buffalo Days summer fair. Problem was, the buffalo failed to show up. Darn buffalo!

Ron worked very hard at writing his columns. He often paced the halls and parking lot of the Regina Leader-Post to come up with topics and story lines. Being funny was sometimes very strenuous work. Other times, the columns came to him easily – and he told us later that those were among the columns which garnered the most feedback from readers … when he wrote of his frustration in replacing the kitchen cupboards at home or recalled his failed attempts at learning French in high school. Many readers related to Ron’s antics and self-deprecating humour. The columns about the birth and growing up of his four children – the triplets and ‘one more on the bonus round’ – were among his finest.

After the book was published in October 2010, we enjoyed watching readers pick up the book and skim through it while standing in front of us. They would invariably burst out laughing or, before they even picked up the book, tell Ron how they read his column all the time. Ron would quickly respond with: “You’re the one!” He never took himself too seriously, but he did look at his responsibility as a humour columnist and journalist in that way.

We will miss Ron's wit and humour, his compassion and caring. I will always remember how his face lit up when his wife Joan and their four children arrrived at the location where we were signing. We teased them that they were Ron’s groupies … but that was the wonderful truth ... and we were blessed to share in those moments.

Ron may be gone, but his spirit lives on in his children, in the memories of his family and friends, and in Running of the Buffalo. As someone recently told us, that is how Ron should be remembered – for the good work he did and the compassion and humour he shared with the world.

We will leave the final words to Ron himself. His friends at the Vancouver Province recently ran one of Ron’s columns that was read at his funeral … in which Ron gives thanks. And we all say ‘Amen.’

 Lots to be thankful for

Ron Petrie got a chuckle out of his Running of the Buffalo book being on the
'Hottest Titles' table along with Stephen King's new book! 

Authors Alan Buick (left) and Ron Petrie (right) were thrilled to find their books
The Little Coat and Running of the Buffalo among Chapters Regina's bestsellers!

Inspiring Stories shared

We are very thankful that the Canadian media have been so kind in sharing the inspiring stories that we publish in our books about unsung Canadian heroes. Here are a few of the most recent media articles:

Calgary Herald - Valentines Day column tells a bit about Bob and Sue Elliott, the subject of Alan J. Buick's best-selling book The Little Coat: The Bob and Sue Elliott Story:
Love stories make the world go around

Bob and Sue Elliott (centre and right) with a friend's daughter during VE Day 2009 in the Netherlands

Dionne and Graham Warner dance into chemo
to the tune of 'The Last Saskatchewan Pirate'

Pink Magazine For Saskatchewan Women - Excellent article on seven-time cancer survivor Dionne Warner - in the Feb. 12 issue, page 36-37:
Everyday Heroes - Dionne Warner

Saskatoon Star-Phoenix - Seven-time cancer survivor Dionne Warner will be in Saskatoon SK for some book signings (Never Leave Your Wingman: Dionne and Graham Warner's Story of Hope by Deana J. Driver) on Feb. 16-18 and wants to meet and help as many cancer patients as she can in that city:
Cancer survivor makes chemotherapy fun

Thank you, Canadian media, for helping us share these stories of fascinating Prairie people!

Seven-time cancer survivor is in remission!!!

In December 2009, Saskatchewan resident Dionne Warner was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer in her liver, lungs and bones. These were her fifth, sixth and seventh cancer diagnoses since 1995. She'd already overcome breast, brain and two bouts of liver cancer. But strong, beautiful, fun-loving Dionne did not let this news destroy her sense of humour or her incredible will to live.

Dionne went into her first chemotherapy treatment in December 2009 with attitude! After volunteering for the Allan Blair Cancer Centre in Regina for the previous seven years, sharing her story of survival and hope with patients and their families, Dionne decided she had to continue to share that message even though she was now a patient again. She put on a 'Cancer Sucks' T-shirt, some white war paint and became the Pink Warrior, morphing into Warner Warrior 'D' as time when on.

Within a few treatments, she added costumes for Graham as well to her weekly chemo treatment 'themes' and the two of them began dancing into chemo to bring hope and laughter to everyone they met.
By December 2011, Dionne and Graham had presented 77 different themes and brought hope to hundreds of patients and supporters - through their volunteering in the community and with the help of our book Never Leave Your Wingman: Dionne and Graham Warner's Story of Hope by Deana J. Driver. Buy the Never Leave Your Wingman book!

   

   

Shortly after Graham wooed Dionne to Regina from Toronto in 2001, she was diagnosed with liver cancer. They were engaged to be married, but Dionne told Graham he did not have to marry her now that she was sick again - she would return to her family and oncologists in Ontario and he could carry on with his life. An experienced pilot, Graham quickly replied: "You never leave your wingman."

He has been by her side ever since and they have fought these cancer battles together, with all the courage and gusto befitting world-class champions!

Immediately after Dionne's Stage IV diagnosis in 2009, Graham began researching options for treatment besides the chemotherapy that Dionne would need. They visited a doctor of natural medicine in Regina and were given information about a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico where Dionne could receive complementary treatment that involved a special diet and heating her blood to kill cancer cells. They travelled to Mexico twice and kept Dionne on a special diet along with natural supplements and chemotherapy treatments throughout the past two years.

In December 2010, Dionne was taken off chemotherapy for eight weeks - to give her body a break and to be able to take a PET scan (positron emission tomography) which is more detailed than a CT scan in finding cancer cells.

On January 24, 2011, her oncologist told her the PET scan results. There are NO CANCER CELLS anywhere! She is in remission!!! Read the Regina Leader-Post.article on this walking miracle!

So, in the spirit of never-ending hope, we celebrate this wonderful news about this amazing, incredible woman and her never-failing wingman ....

Cancer can be beaten! Together, we can win this battle!  Woo Hoo!!!

  

  Along with Dionne, Graham and their friend Crystal - It's Time To Dance!!!

P.S. Dec. 2014 update - In April 2012, Dionne went back to her volunteering at the Allan Blair Cancer Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Unfortunately, in August 2012, cancer was detected in her liver. This was the fourth liver cancer diagnosis for her. Dionne was signing Never Leave Your Wingman books with me at the hospital gift shop the very next day. She had not even given herself a full 24 hours this time to let the diagnosis sink in. Her immediate reaction this time was: “It’s only one cancer this time, not four. They did not say ‘Stage 4’, and it’s not in my brain – so bring it on!” She has been in treatment since then. By August 2014, her tumours had shrunk by 35% and then a further 40%.` Way to go, Dionne!
You might also enjoy this November 2014 blog post about a recent cancer awareness campaign at which Dionne was centre stage.

 

Paralympian nominated for Sports Award

Saskatchewan Paralympian Colette Bourgonje, the inspiring subject of Mary Harelkin Bishop's book Moving Forward, is one of three women nominated for Female Athlete of the Year for the 2011 Saskatchewan Sports Award!

Congratulations, Colette!

Colette Bourgonje was Saskatchewan’s lone Paralympian in 2010 who, on March 14, won Canada’s first medal at the 2010 Paralympic Games in Whistler. She finished the Games with two medals - a silver and bronze in cross-country sit-ski events - and also received the prestigious Whang Young Dai award for the women who most embodies the spirit of the Paralympic Games.

In June 1980, Colette was in her final year of high school in Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan. Her family’s home was filled with medals and trophies that she had earned in track and field, basketball, volleyball and badminton and she was well on her way to becoming a world-class athlete. Her name was being mentioned for athletic scholarships to American universities and colleges, but Colette wanted to run on the University of Saskatchewan track team and become a Physical Education teacher in her home province.

Then a car accident just two months before her Grade 12 graduation changed everything. Her back was broken. Her spine was 98% severed. She would never be able to run again.

Colette Bourgonje had always been a spirited girl with boundless energy and a will to succeed. Within a short time, she was adjusting to her new circumstances as a paraplegic and pursuing different dreams. She enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan and in 1984, she became the first disabled student to graduate from the school’s College of Physical Education and the first female student in a wheelchair to graduate in Physical Education from any Canadian university. Not satisfied with just one degree, Colette pursued a Bachelor of Education and graduated as a teacher a short time later.

She discovered the world of wheelchair racing and quickly excelled at that sport. Cross-country sit-skiing was next on her list of challenges, and Colette was soon a world-class athlete in that sport as well. While working as an elementary school teacher in Saskatoon part-time, Colette continued to pursue her love of sports. In 1992, at age 30, she competed in her first Paralympic Games as a cross-country sit-skier. A few months later, she competed in her second Paralympic Games, as a wheelchair racer.

Since then, Colette Bourgonje has become one of Canada's most successful disabled athletes. As a teacher and world-class competitor, she is a role model and an inspiration. She put her teaching career on hold to work towards her ninth Paralympic Games in 2010. And as usual, Colette triumphed against the odds.

  Colette Bourgonje competing at the 2010 Paralympic Games in Whistler.

Mary Harelkin Bishop is a Saskatoon teacher who has been so inspired by Colette Bourgonje’s triumphs and struggles that she wrote Colette’s story to honour her perseverance, dedication and optimistic spirit.

Mary Harelkin Bishop signing books with Colette Bourgonje at the launch of Moving Forward, Sask Pavilion, 2010 Games.

Paralympian Colette Bourgonje (centre) happily shares her 2010 Games bronze and silver medals with Moving Forward publisher Deana Driver (left) and author Mary Harelkin Bishop (right).

Praise for the story

      Al and I were in Wynyard last Saturday night for the Prairie Women On Snowmobiles’ Shades of Pink fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society. We had a lot of fun and made some new friends. I was invited to be the guest speaker, sharing information on the Never Leave Your Wingman book I wrote about seven-time cancer survivor Dionne Warner and her supportive, fun-loving husband Graham. Dionne was away, sitting on a warm beach in Los Cabos, during a break from her chemo treatments or she would have been there to speak in person about her story of hope. So I was honoured to fill in for her.
      I received many compliments about my speech afterwards. One of the best compliments came when I told a woman, “I hope you enjoy the book,” and she replied: “I will enjoy it. If your writing is like your speaking, I am sure it will be very good.”


Other things that happened there:

-        As we walked in, a teenage girl asked me, “Would like a lei?” It made me smile, but I was a little puzzled when Al was not given the same offer. (He was one of only six men in a roomful of 200 women, so it kind of made sense but still...) Later in the evening, Sheila Doidge Campbell, (who had invited me based on meeting Dionne and Graham and Al and me at the town's Swim For Life fundraising event in July) asked Al why he didn’t have a lei. Al replied that he didn’t think a 13-year-old girl would be very comfortable asking him if he 'wanted a lei,' nor would he have been in accepting said offer. So Sheila gave Al one lei for himself and another for me... and joked about how she had lei'd him and all the other men there that night (Prairie humour - we thought it was very funny!) When Al told her that I already had a lei, she told him to keep the extra one… so here we are - after getting lei'd in Wynyard...

 I got lei’d once at the event and then that Al got lei’d twice.

At least I thought it was funny.

-         A woman came into the event happily holding up her copy of Never Leave Your Wingman, ready for me to sign it. Her 49-year-old brother had died of lung cancer in May only five months after diagnosis. He had never smoked a day in his life. It was sad. She said she was so glad when she found out I would be there so I could sign her copy. “It was an incredible book. I couldn’t put it down. I read it over and over, then picked it up and read parts of it again. Very inspiring. I’m so glad that the two of you (Dionne and I) got together. It’s so much inspiration for so many people.” She had also read the Never Give Up book I wrote about Ted Jaleta. “It’s very good.”

-         A woman who had purchased  a copy of Wingman at the Swim For Life there in July said she had read it in one day. “I don’t read very much but I couldn’t put it down.”

-        As we were leaving to head back to Regina that night, Sheila and I exchanged hugs and agreed to keep in touch. Then she added, “And you tell that Dionne girl to keep fighting!”

Absolutely. Dionne and all of her Angel Network of supporters wouldn't have it any other way.

Thank you, ladies of Wynyard and area! It was a great event and I'm sure we'll see you again.