FORGETTING THE PAST TO DISCOVER ONESELF
After a woman wakes up with no memory, she must find out who she is
The idea for her newest book came on a road trip. Sandra SG Wong was driving down a stretch of highway near Lake Louise in 2018 when inspiration struck.
“We came around the corner and I literally saw a patch of grassy, weedy greenery to the side of the highway,” says Wong.
“An idea popped into my head, ` What would it be like waking up there and not know how you got there?'”
That idea would turn into In the Dark We Forget, released this week from Harpercollins Canada. Her nameless protagonist wakes up on the side of the road with no memory. She learns her name is Cleo, but remembering her past only brings up more questions and mysteries; her parents are also in the mountains, but they are missing.
Cleo's blank state extends to herself; she knows nothing about her own personality and struggles with what she's told by family and colleagues.
“We have an idea of what we want to be like as adults. Middle-age crises are about taking stock of who you are,” says Wong. “Is this where I want to be in life? This was an extreme, fictionalized way to explore that question. (Cleo) has to discover who she was and take stock of that.”
Wong's book has been creating buzz ahead of its summer release. It's her first book with a major publisher, as well as the first time she's written a psychological thriller, a chance to dip her toe into a new sub-genre.
While she's known as a crime writer, Wong's next big project comes as a bit of a surprise. She worked through the pandemic on a manuscript for a romance novel, a chance to try something new in an uncertain time.
For more information about Wong or In the Dark We Forget, visit sgwong.com.
PORTRAIT OF A PRAIRIE ANIMAL
Building on 35 years of work with the massive plains animals, Wes Olson is publishing a new book about bison and their connection to the Prairies.
The Ecological Buffalo, coming July 9 from University of Regina Press, examines their significant role in the ecosystem and the people who depend on them.
Olson has dedicated his life to bison, working for years with Parks Canada and touring internationally to speak at conferences about bison.
The book is illustrated with more than 180 full-colour photographs by his wife, photographer Johane Janelle. The two now call home just outside of Elk Island National Park.
For more information about the book, visit uofrpress.ca.
MORE OF THE BEST OF EDMONTON AUTHORS
Some of the city's best authors are featured in the second edition of an anthology from the Edmonton Public Library.
Capital City Press Anthology Volume Two was released last month, a collection of 35 stories and poems from 29 Edmonton authors, including Rayanne Haines, Katherine Koller, Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike, Bruce Cinnamon, Ann Sutherland and Makda Mulatu.
“Volume One was launched in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Volume Two is being released as we grapple with how that has impacted our community and ourselves, for the better or worse,” says Katherine Gibson, the team lead of Capital City Press, in the introduction to the anthology.
The Capital City Press Anthology Volume Two is available free online at capitalcitypress.wordpress.com.
THE MAID AUTHOR COMING TO STARFEST EVENT
One of the region's premier literary conferences is hosting a June event with Nita Prose and has announced the festival's fall lineup.
STARFEST, the St. Albert Readers Festival, will be hosting the author of The Maid on June 27 in an online event. Prose's novel is one of the most anticipated books of the year, listed as a No. 1 New York Times bestseller and picked up to be adapted into a film before the book was even released. In the book, Molly is a hotel maid who finds herself under investigation after finding a wealthy client dead in a suite.
Prose will be joined in conversation by STARFEST alumni Amy Jones.
STARFEST organizers also released the full lineup for the Oct. 13 to Nov. 3 festival, which will feature Omar El Akkad, Heather O'neill and Zarqa Awaz.
Festival tickets go on sale Aug. 15, while tickets to the Prose event, and the full STARFEST lineup, can be found at starfest.ca.
A DETECTIVE STORY JUST IN TIME FOR PRIDE MONTH
A new “medium-boiled” mystery novel about an out detective set in Kananaskis arrives in time for Pride month.
From author Gayleen Froese, The Girl Whose Luck Ran Out was released by DSP Publications on June 14, the first in a series featuring snarky Calgary detective Ben Ames.
“I've always thought it was odd that the classic detective novels can have a romantic or established relationship as part of the story and still be very much considered detective fiction,” Froese shared in a press release. “Whereas, a book that includes the same kind of relationship is seen differently if the lead characters are gay. It doesn't have to be.”
For more information about the author, visit gayleenfroese.com.
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION AWARDS SHORTLIST
The awards season in the literary community continues as the Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA) announced the shortlist for the 2022 Alberta Book Publishing Awards.
The University of Alberta Press and Athabasca University Press are both up for numerous awards, as is Edmonton publisher Newest Press.
Nominees will be featured on the BPAA'S social media channels in the weeks leading up to the awards gala at the Hotel Arts in Calgary, Sept. 16, with tickets for the event on sale in July. More information can be found at bookpublishers. ab.ca.
THE LIVES OF UKRAINIANCANADIAN WOMEN
Waves of immigrants have made the journey from Ukraine to Canada throughout the last century. Now, a book from the Canadian Institute for Ukrainian Studies Press looks to shed light on the lives of the women who made that trip.
The Extraordinary Lives of Ukrainian-canadian Women, edited by Iroidia Wynnyckyj, tells the story of 10 women who survived the turbulent events of the 20th century en route to Canada. From the First World War to the revolutionary years that would follow, through the interwar years and experiences with Nazi invasions, each woman has a harrowing story to tell.
The Extraordinary Lives of Ukrainian-canadian Women was released earlier this month. The CIUS is based out of Edmonton and Toronto. Find the book at ciuspress.com.