Hi Friends,
I’m over-the-top thrilled at some news I got this week and want to share it with you.
My novel, “f-Holes of Melancholia,” is shortlisted for The Whistler Independent Book Awards for 2020—one of six books in the Fiction category. In mid-July, they’ll whittle that down to three finalists. They announce the winner at the Whistler Writers Festival in October. Check out the following website for further information on the contest.
https://independentbookawards.ca
We writers labour away with minimal feedback over interminable stretches of time, so recognition like this is truly exciting.
And phew—what a lengthy project this book was. I began it in the early nineties at Booming Ground, UBCs creative writing program. I worked on the first draft for several years. That original version ended up in the bottom drawer, undisturbed, for over a decade. Then I had another go at it, starting in 2017. I published the novel last fall.
It’s the story of Katya Sadilov, a new immigrant to Canada in the 1920s. She and her parents escaped Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution. But her station as a violin virtuoso in St. Petersburg did not prepare her for the hardship she endures on the Saskatchewan prairie. She’s a failure as a farm wife, and manic depressive disorder complicates her life. Despite the wretched situation, musical talent uplifts her spirit and enriches her world. For more info on my book and where to buy it, please visit the front page of my website.