Oh snap! There’s a snap provincial election and a municipal election happening in BC next month, and that means I’m spending the start of fall getting busy with some freelance journalism. But I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the great book-related work I got to do over the summer, and a few things I have planned for the future.
Signings
Summer kicked off with the launch of Canada’s Endangered Animals, which you can read more about here. I’m still so grateful to have had such a good start for my book.
A few days later, on July 4, I headed out to Vancouver to visit Vancouver Kidsbooks and sign all the copies of Canada’s Endangered Animals in the store. The folks there are super nice, and it was great to see that little “autographed” sticker get placed on the front cover.
As you can see by the edge of a pink dress beside me, my kids tagged along for the ride. Thank you to them for being such good sports about being dragged to mom’s work stuff—and to my dad for watching the kids so I could actually sit down and sign my name.
Later in the summer, I found myself in Sidney and stopped in the Children’s Bookstore, attached to Tanner’s Books. They had two copies of Canada’s Endangered Animals there, and let me add my signature to those when I was there. Apparently, you don’t actually need to prove you are the author? Who knew!
I also discovered my book has a book buddy: the Butt or Face series by Kari Lavelle. They have been neighbours at nearly every bookstore I have visited.
Sturgeon
Over the summer, I realized that the due date for my next book, Canada’s Endangered Waters, was looming at lot faster than I had expected. I spent some time hunkering down at the computer researching the next crop of animals—and I even got to see one in person.
During our trip to Northern BC in August, I stopped in at the Nechako White Sturgeon Conservation Centre to learn more about the endangered sturgeon they are working to protect. I toured the hatchery with senior research technician and outreach coordinator Kara Geary, and got to meet some extremely adorable baby fish.
I rotated the video for Instagram, but these fish are actually swimming up the side of the hatchery tank and sticking their little snouts out of the water. According to Geary, that is not good sturgeon behaviour, as they are supposed to be spending their time on the tank floor, like they would in their natural habitat.
As you can see, these tanks are anything but natural. But they are necessary to keep the species alive. The sturgeon haven’t been able to successfully breed in the Nechako for years, and the conservation centre basically works as a sturgeon matchmaking clinic and nursery to keep the species going.
I won’t spoil any more of the story. I have an article coming out in The Tyee about the sturgeon and the work that goes into creating a genetically diverse population soon. It was a lot of fun to write, and a great way to get three birds with one stone: a freelance article, research for my book, and a chance to visit a really cool science facility.
Festivals
The plural in the title of this section is a bit misleading, since I was only part of one book-related festival this summer. (The Chilliwack Fair and the Mission Ren Faire, although delightful, do not count.)
I had the opportunity to head out to Word Vancouver on Saturday, Sept. 19 for the one-day writing fest. I was one of the volunteers manning The Writers’ Union of Canada booth, and helped explain what TWUC is all about. (It’s a union! For writers! Professional support galore!) I also had the opportunity to check out some of the other exhibitors and utilize the festival’s quiet writing room.
Since I am a writer first, and not a content manager, I forgot to get any photos of the event. But it was great to see so many writers coming together, and to see the variety of organizations and publishers supporting local authors. I also sold one book, and gave away a lot of stickers and bookmarks, so I hope I’m able to get myself out to more festivals in the future.
What’s next
As I mentioned at the start, the two BC elections are filling up my fall with journalism rather than book events. But I still have a few things planned for the coming months.
At a to-be-determined time in October, I’ll be at the Chilliwack Library doing a reading from Canada’s Endangered Animals and getting kids to do some fun crafts. (Bat Packs and other library equipment will be available to borrow at the event.) I plan to organize a few other library outings over the next little while as well.
I’m also hunkering down to finish the last few sections of Canada’s Endangered Waters before January. Although initially set to be released in Spring 2028, the book’s publication has been bumped to the fall.
This is great news, and not only because I was falling behind in my writing schedule. A fall release means a better chance for teachers to get their hands on the books and the associated teacher’s guide, and I’ll be making time for classroom visits across the Lower Mainland. (If you want a visit for your school this year, you can shoot me an email. You can also find the teacher’s guide for Canada’s Endangered Animals here.)
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