Saturday afternoon WIBA and Canadian Authors -- Metro Vancouver hosted a reading by Edmonton author
Laurel Deedrick-Mayne at the Surrey City Centre Library. Set in Edmonton,
A Wake for the Dreamland portrays the lives of three friends before, during and after WWII. As well as reading from her novel, the author shared some milestones on her publishing journey. The decision to go indy was a response to the realization that trade publishing would take so long. The people she was writing for were aging, and she felt pressed to get her work in print.
This debut won the
Alberta Readers' Choice Award and the
Whistler Independent Book Award for fiction. Writers can be hermits, says Deedrick-Mayne, "but authors must be gregarious hermits" in order to promote their books. She's helped hers find its way onto bestseller lists and radio shows, and connect with readers as far away as Denmark.
Attending Laurel's book reading opened my eyes to the Indy publishing world. She spoke with such enthusiasm and joy, it rekindled my passion for the craft of writing. She brought so much more than just a beautiful recitation of her work though. Laurel changed many misconceptions I'd been holding onto with regards to Indy publishing. I'm looking forward to shifting direction and forging into the realm of becoming an independently published Author. Thanks Carol for your invitation.
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