Waterton setting for local author’s latest novel
Danger might not be far away when you’re visiting Waterton Lakes National Park. It’s home to wolves, grizzlies cougars and more.
But two two-legged visitors may pose greater threats. A Lethbridge author captures those dangers in her latest book, “Edge of Wild.”
Danika Stone has already made her mark as a U.S.-published creator of “young adult” novels. But in an interview, she says this is her first mystery thriller.
And it’s set in her favourite locale, where her grandfather was a trapper and later her father studied the land as a geologist.
“As a child, I lived there in the summers,” and heard some of the tall tales and true.
Her book — released on May 1 and available from Chapters and Amazon — includes references to some historical events there over the years. Local readers may also be reminded of some of the park’s residents, she adds, though they’re fictionalized.
“There’s plenty of unique local characters,” Stone says. “I think it has a really Alberta voice.”
Happily, it’s remained an Alberta production. American literary agent Morty Mint, now semiretired and living in laid-back Nelson, B.C., was able to link her with an Alberta publishing company. Newly formed Stonehouse Publishing in Edmonton took on “Edge of Wild” as one of its first projects.
Stone says her earlier works, like “All the Feels,” have been aimed at younger readers. They’ve been published by Macmillan in New York.
Writing a mystery is quite different, Stone found.
The idea for this one came five years ago, and it’s been extensively edited and re-written several times. Now, she says, there’s a sequel in the works. That should please readers and reviewers.
“A well-plotted thriller,” said A.F. Linley, editorin-chief at the Kisareth Studio. She “makes the locations of Waterton and the national park into living, pulsing characters in their own right.”
Not content to rely on the reviews, Stone will be taking part in book-signing events in Calgary, and she’s also been interviewed for the province-wide Daybreak Alberta morning snow on CBC Radio 1 this weekend.
Later, Stone plans to take part in promotional events in the U.S. and then in the Word on the Street festival in Lethbridge. A high school teacher, she also finds time over the summer for more writing.
But she’s not about to give up her day job, she adds. “I really like teaching.” Follow @DMabellHerald on Twitter