Sidney artist Wendy PickenB次元官网网址檚 latest book stems from a camping misadventure where she nearly took off her thumb.

Her second book, which took more than a decade to complete, is among the Emerging Authors Collection at the Greater Victoria Public Library.

It started as a poem, written for a friend to ensure she understood the camping trip B次元官网网址� her first visit to Fairy Lake B次元官网网址� wasnB次元官网网址檛 a bust despite the injury. Due to the thumb, that technically needed stitches but instead kept her immobilized for the entirety of the trip, she sat around, sketched and wrote impressions.

The friend was worried she hadnB次元官网网址檛 had a good time. So the artist wrote the poem about all the things she loved about the place.

B次元官网网址淭hat poem kept growing into a much larger, larger piece about everything I loved about the coast,B次元官网网址� she said.

That 2011 poem was titled after an artwork sheB次元官网网址檇 done called Honeybees and Rainbows and was heavily inspired by Edward LearB次元官网网址檚 The Scroobious Pip (1969).

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B次元官网网址淚 took it from an approximately 4,000-word poem and I set a word count deadline. I wanted it close to, or under, 1,000 words,B次元官网网址� Picken said. B次元官网网址淭hat was a journey to just erase and erase and erase and edit and edit. It was a fun journey to be on and it wasnB次元官网网址檛 a journey I wanted to rush. The longer I took the more I understood the story and what I wanted to express. I wanted the book to be a celebration of the west coast and all of the things I love about living in Sidney, Victoria, the southern part of Vancouver Island and even beyond.B次元官网网址�

Over the next decade, it became the beautifully illustrated book Rainbees and Honeybows: A Vancouver Island Fairy Tale.

It is the story of tiny heroine Angelina Carolina Wilhelmina Figs B次元官网网址� a damselfly-mouse-bird-moth-frog-beetle B次元官网网址� rhyming and singing her way through adventure.

The artist also created her own bright illustrations and it all culminated in the book completed by October 2022. When she went to donate a copy to the Greater Victoria Public Library at the Central Branch, the staffer there reminded her of the Emerging Authors Collection and offered an application. While she did write and self-publish a book in 2007, Picken qualified and Rainbees and Honeybows: A Vancouver Island Fairy Tale became part of the 2023 collection.

B次元官网网址淚 was thrilled to find out that even existed. You need all the support you can get as an emerging author or even as any author,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淎ny little bit helps.B次元官网网址�

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The collection includes self-published, independent, and small-press books by local authors and covers all genres and types of books, from poetry to picture books, fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, and more. To date, 1,300 unique titles and more than 900 authors ranging in age from six to 90-plus have been showcased.

B次元官网网址淲e are excited to provide a platform for the tremendous literary talent in our community. The Emerging Local Authors Collection is a testament to our local authorsB次元官网网址� creativity and storytelling abilities,B次元官网网址� said Cheryl Landry, public services librarian. B次元官网网址淯ltimately, this is about connecting readers and writers. ItB次元官网网址檚 an opportunity for authors to boost their bookB次元官网网址檚 visibility and reach a broader audience. ItB次元官网网址檚 also an opportunity for our community to discover new voices and stories.B次元官网网址�

ThatB次元官网网址檚 the case for Picken, who says a new audience is finding her book. More families in particular reaching out to say they enjoy the local setting and that thereB次元官网网址檚 something for everyone in the book.

B次元官网网址淪ince the intake for the 2024 collection opened last month, weB次元官网网址檝e had dozens of applications,B次元官网网址� said Stephanie Marston, a GVPL public services librarian. B次元官网网址淲hether youB次元官网网址檙e an aspiring poet who has printed a handful of copies of your chapbook, or you think you have written the next bestselling cookbook, we invite you to submit your published work.B次元官网网址�

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Print books from this yearB次元官网网址檚 collection are on display at the Central Branch on Broughton Street in Victoria and can be placed on hold for pickup at any GVPL branch. Ebooks are available through BiblioBoard.

Authors and illustrators from southern Vancouver Island can apply to be part of the 2024 Emerging Local Authors Collection now through Jan. 15, 2024. Find the forms online at .

PickenB次元官网网址檚 advice to first-time authors is to stick to it, even if theyB次元官网网址檙e not ready for the 2024 collection.

B次元官网网址淚f theyB次元官网网址檙e not ready this year, just keep working on it and hopefully the library can keep having the emerging authors program,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淪ometimes the work takes longer than one might thinkB次元官网网址� you have to honour the creative process and just keep doing it.B次元官网网址�