It’s been a whirlwind of a year for Corinne Jeffery, but she’s been preparing for it for a decade.
The local author of Arriving, the first book in her Understanding Ursula series, has been going, going, going ever since it was launched last September. To her, it seems like it’s been an endless book tour, but she thrives on it. It’s been a passion project from the get-go, she says.
“What I have come to realize is that there is a huge difference,” she said. “In many ways, being a writer and being an author might be the antitheses of each other. Being a writer is such a solitary, reclusive, wonderfully creative process. Being an author is so out there, but you know, I love it!”
In 2002, she started doing her primary research, going to places like Lemberg and Neudorf in Saskatchewan, visiting farms that would form very resonant images for the story.
The Understanding Ursula trilogy follows the Werners, a family of German Lutheran pacifists, after they fled Russia to establish a new homestead in the dustbowl of the prairies, the heart of Saskatchewan. It’s also a chronicle of Canadian history over 80 years.
This isn’t some romanticized tale of travel and adventure. Life is full of ups and downs especially on the farm. It’s a rough existence and Jeffery gives every raw scene its due, and it’s all made more authentic for the plausibility of her characters and their voices. It’s a rare, immediately immersive experience in literature.
As part of her whirlwind experience on the promotional tour, she is making a special visit to the St. Albert Public Library in conjunction with Seniors’ Week. The fact that Jeffery was 65 at the time this – her first novel – was published is a compelling story unto itself.
The former nurse and educator retired not long before picking up this new career, one that definitely seems like it will carry on for quite a while.
“I love engaging my potential and my actual readers. In this day of incredible entertainment options, I think a serious author has to give her book a voice. I love going to readings … because then I get a chance to talk about my journey and also to interact more with the people who have come.”
Heather Dolman, public services manager at the library, knows that public response to Arriving has been strong. She expects that Jeffery’s appearance will please book lovers across the city, herself included.
“It’s a great book!” she remarked. “I read it and really enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to the next one. It’s the type of book that a lot of our seniors do ask for … pioneering stories, historical fiction, that kind of thing. She’s done very well with it.”
In addition to this appearance, Jeffery will also take part in a Covenant Health Craft Fair at the Youville Home, 9A St. Vital Avenue, on Sunday June 10. She will also have a booth set up for the first three farmers’ markets, on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting June 16.
Jeffery’s stop at the library next Thursday comes hot on the heels of another visit to the Spruce Grove Public Library. In mid-June, she starts another trek across the Prairies with several stops in Saskatchewan. A few visits to Manitoba have also been planned.
The St. Albert library has also booked her for the launch of Thriving, the second book in the series, for this fall.
The author’s website at www.corinnejeffery.ca has more information about her, her books and her itinerary.
PREVIEW
Corinne Jeffery<br />June 7 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.<br />Admission is free.<br />St. Albert Public Library<br />5 St. Anne Street<br />For more information or to register, visit the second floor information desk or call 780-459-1682. Drop-ins are also welcome.
