Along with books sometimes libraries are lucky enough to welcome an author.
Last week Myrtle Conacher of Mervin stopped in at the Maidstone Library. Conacher talked a little about writing and mentioned the aims of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild. She offered advice to others who may wish to write a novel, encouraging them to take the task as seriously as a job.
She said it is good to write about what a person is familiar with, but also touched on the names of several famous authors with vivid imaginations who make up whole new worlds.
Conacher was at the library to read from her new book, Jonah's Daughter. It was the first book she wrote but the third to be published. She said it went through many challenges on the road to publishing.
The book was written out twice in longhand andtwice on a typewriter before she started sending sample chapters to publishers. After a few rejection slips she set it aside and began work on her other books. As storage technology changed from floppy disc to CDs and computers changed she faced other challenges with the format of the book.
With Jonah's Daughter finally in print, Conacher was delighted to read several sections to those in attendance. She said it can be difficult to chose what to read to people, but the audience appreciated the bits she shared and are looking forward to reading more of it.
Conacher writes in a journal every night and has filled dozens of them but she doesn't have any big plans to start another big project just yet, hoping to take a bit of time to read and garden.
