CANORA – Canora Public Library was the place to be on July 16 for anyone interested in finding out what it takes to write a book. Canora and area authors on hand to answer questions and share their thoughts were: Helen Price of Canora, Lynne Harley and Millie Zeiler of Buchanan, and Marilyn Pond of Esterhazy (Helen’s grandmother).
Millie Zeiler said the idea for her children’s book Nora From Canora (Graceful Guardian of the Canadian Prairies) was inspired while she was making T-shirts for the graduates of Canora Composite School, also known as the Cougars.
“My story is about a tiny orphaned cougar cub that is rescued from the wild near Rocky Mountain House, Alta. and the Reaney family's lives change forever,” said Zeiler. “Aaron, a conservation officer, his wife Amanda and their young twins, Ashley and Carter, name the fragile cub Nora and welcome her into their home with open hearts. Raised with love, bottle feedings and Roughrider football games, Nora grows into a gentle spotted member of the family, completely devoted to her people and uninterested in the wild.
“Then a family emergency strikes. Aaron's mother Cheri suffers a serious stroke on her acreage near Canara. The Reaneys make the difficult decision to move across two provinces, determined to care for Cheri while bringing Nora with them. Navigating mountains of permits, a specially fitted trailer, and the vast prairie landscape, the family arrives at the old farmhouse ready for a fresh start.”
Nora From Canora is available on Kobo, or email Zeiler directly at pioneerkittykitchen@gmail.com.
Lynne Harley’s work as a life coach and author as a promoter of mental health began with her brother Craig’s struggle with mental illness, leading to his death a number of years ago. Her book What If You Could was featured in the Canora Courier in 2023, and tells the story of a caterpillar who overcomes the negative voices in his head to complete the amazing transformation into a butterfly.
Harley’s latest work is I Can Do It Afraid and tells the story of a monarch butterfly’s treacherous and thrilling migration all the way from Canada to Mexico, a trip of some 3,000 miles while flying as high as 12,00 feet. While reading the book to children in attendance Harley pointed out that the butterfly had to overcome all kinds of fears to complete the journey and encouraged her audience, saying “Don’t allow your fears to keep you from living a full and happy life.”
Harley’s book is available at Indigo and Coles book stores.
After years of hearing her father, John Goertzen, tell stories about his many adventures over the years, Marilyn Pond took it upon herself to write a book called Never Say Whoa in a Bad Place (one of his favourite sayings) so others could read these stories. Pond says her father’s adventures took place from approximately 1914 to 2000.
“Dad was born near Waldheim, and his family moved to Flat Valley, which is northwest of Meadow Lake, to homestead there when he was 13 years old,” said Pond. “Later on, after he was married, he moved to B.C.”
The many stories of Goertzen’s adventures in the book includes when a Flat Valley neighbour lost five fat heifers in the 1920s. He asked John and his brother Frank for their help, telling them they could keep one as a reward if they were successful.
“The yearlings were somewhere in the brush and swamps on the south side of the Beaver River, so we got an early start with our horses the next morning. It took a while to find them, and then the fun began. Five wild yearlings trying to streak off through the brush was a lot more challenging than a single horse in a marsh, but we persevered and were eventually able to wear them down till they were glad to be herded to the road and taken home.
“Frank chose a muley, a naturally hornless cow. She turned out to be a good choice and gave us several fine calves.”
Never Say Whoa in a Bad Place is available by emailing Marilyn Pond at dropin2cs@msn.com.
The fourth author featured at “Meet Local Authors” was Helen Price, Pond’s granddaughter.
Price’s book, Threads of Freedom and Home, is described by some as Little House on the Prairie meets Little Women, and was featured in the July 2 edition of Canora Courier.
The book is available online through Amazon or from Price directly: helens.sound.ideas@gmail.com.
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