The Haunting of British Columbia. Nature Beings, Ghosts, and Ancestor Spirits. The Earth is Sacred.
Items relating to Vancouver Island specifically.
“A wishing tree is an individual tree, usually distinguished by species, position or appearance, which is used as an object of wishes and offerings. Such trees are identified as possessing a special religious or spiritual value. By tradition, believers make votive offerings in order to gain from that nature spirit, saint or goddess fulfillment of a wish.” – Wikipedia Contributors
The Haunting of Vancouver Island has officially been sent to print — and honestly, I couldn’t be happier with the finished product. The book will be released on October 10.
TouchWood Editions has turned my manuscript into something truly beautiful. The font is darkly spellbinding, the images have been carefully inserted, and the cover boldly captures the otherworldy spirit of the book. My mouth literally fell open the first time I saw it.
Nanaimo has been hit with some pretty heavy snowstorms this week, which is okay, as I’ve been tucked inside writing like a madman. As the deadline approaches to submit the manuscript for The Haunting of Vancouver Island, my excitement to share it with you has been intensifying. Some of these stories have been years in the making. A comment on my blog. A conversation with a stranger. A chance discovery in an old newspaper. I would watch a tale manifest slowly before my eyes. Not contrived. Not embellished. But viewed the way that it was meant to be viewed: organically and without hubris. I am a researcher, a newswriter, a collector of unconventional stories from across Vancouver Island. Who am I to say whether these things happened or not? A balanced, fact-heavy approach will make — in my opinion — a much more frightening read than anything else I could hope to create. “Let Vancouver Island tell its own story,” that’s what I say.
Mushrooms of the West Coast was an introductory identification and foraging class taught by Andy MacKinnon and Erin Feldman out of the Tofino Botanical Garden Ecolodge. These annual workshops are hosted by Raincoast Education Society and have now been offered on Thanksgiving weekend for several years in a row.
This summer, I spent my time in Tofino on a social media fast working on the I Digher, a 1961 decommissioned gillnetter with a built-in living space. I purchased the old boat last summer, with the intention of using it primarily as a living space when in Tofino (writing and surfing), and secondarily as a vehicle for exploration, fishing, and adventure for next summer (2017) – a dream I have had for as long as I remember.
