THE BATTLEFORDS - Tiare Aubryn Fenrich almost gave up completing her book, Alex and Lank's Ghost Flower Adventure. She even doubted her writing skills, thinking that she was not good enough after receiving negative feedback about some of her works. Turns out, all that she needed was to join a personality development seminar that helped her find the courage to push through.
“When I started the book, it felt like the ideas were just pouring out of me. Earnest Hemmingway describes it as bleeding through his typewriter. That's exactly how I felt. I was so excited; I joined a writing group in Calgary [and] was randomly selected to attend an event to meet a successful literary agent and submit some of my work, in order to gain feedback from him and other up and coming authors. I got a lot of negative feedback and I felt like my dreams were crushed. The agent didn't understand my vision and I left feeling like I had to change the whole story,” Fenrich told SaskToday.
“I thought that people who write books are much smarter than me. I went to a confidence building workshop and they told me to talk as though I already have what I want and say: ‘I'm so glad I'm a successful author!’ So, I forced myself to say it out loud, until I believed it. I even put a note up on my mirror proclaiming it — slightly embarrassing when friends came over. I thought to myself, ‘Why not me?’ I thought about how other people may not even know how to read or write. I realized I really had no barriers. I didn't have a boyfriend or kids, so I had the time and opportunity to devote to writing this book. I realized I could use my privilege for the greater good, so why not me?”
She even thought her book idea was stupid and decided to take a break in writing it. However, she again read the negative comments and that’s when she got her second wind.
“Once I got the guts to read through their feedback, I realized I knew what I was talking about and not all of them fully understood my vision. Some of the feedback were great so I hung on to that. I picked it up again and finished writing it. I worked on it every Saturday until it was completed. I had to continue to believe in my vision.”
And after six years of working on her project, her book was picked up by UK-based independent publishing house Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Publishers.
“I felt a sense of relief. I was carrying so much inside of me throughout the six years of working on this project. Many people didn't understand my vision, so I had to travel that road alone. Now that my vision has come to fruition, I feel like I can finally relax and let the magic happen. I feel very proud of my hard work, no matter what the outcome is. I'm so grateful for the opportunity that was given to me.”
Fenrich, who grew up on a farm near the town of Wilkie, said she used her motivation to make a difference in the world as inspiration to push through and finish her book.
“I have always prayed to the universe that I would make a difference in this world. That maybe, I could change the world. I have so much hope to share and needed a platform; an opportunity to share my thoughts, because my hard experiences had to account for something. I wanted to do this for my brother, for kids that feel hopeless and for our indigenous people. Once I have a vision for something, there is nothing that can stop me.”
Fenrich has Fiji, New Zealand, German and Irish ancestry. She lived in New Zealand for eight years where she finished her degree in occupational therapy with emphasis on mental health. She was in New Zealand when she received the news that her brother, who suffered from schizophrenia, died at the age of 19 due to an accidental overdose.
She said that her parents, Marvin and DeeDee, were skeptical at first and found it hard believe that they have a daughter who is now a published author.
"It was unclear at that time if it was legit. Once their questions were answered and they realized it wasn't a scam, they were excited. I don't think any of them imagined that what I was talking about for the past several years was going to happen.”
“My parents were super supportive once I got the offer, and it was a go. My mom was involved in the very early stages of creation and she listened to me read my chapters out loud. Bless her heart. My dad, as always helped me make it happen. He has never wavered in his belief in me. They still haven't read the book, so once they do, and it all makes sense — that will be the most rewarding day of all.”
She got the idea for the story in her book when she visited her parents while they were living in Nelson, British Columbia.
“I went exploring … I was walking on a path through the forest, and I found these strange looking flowers that looked sort of like a mushroom, growing under an evergreen tree. They were very intriguing, and I had never seen anything like them before. So, I picked a few and looked up what they were. Sure enough, they were Ghost Flowers and I discovered there was a Cherokee legend about them. That was when I got the inspiration to write this story.”
Fenrich said she plans to have her first book launch and signing in Wilkie.
“Maybe I will get the opportunity to go to the schools and or the local library, once I have some hard copies ordered. I would love to get some kids excited about reading and inspire them to write."
Writing a sequel is also one of her plans.
"But I'm not sure if that will be my next project. I have some ideas about what I can do with the journals and poetry I have. I also have some ideas about writing an adventure book that is based in Saskatchewan and is a real treasure hunt. I'm hoping I get another offer from Pegasus but if not, I'm sure I will find another avenue. All I know is I am never going to quit writing.”
In the book, 10-year-old Alex is spending the summer in Nelson where, for one night while star gazing, she meets a strange-looking creature she named Lank, who it turns out isfrom a planet in the Seven Sisters Star Galaxy. Alex sees Lank eating ghost flowers, which leads to an adventure through the woods while seeing and experiencing things she has never seen or done before.
Alex and Lank's Ghost Flower Adventure, which is 71 pages long, is available at the Pegasus Publishers website at www.pegasuspublishers.com or you can order at Amazon. It is also being sold in UK bookstores.
