We were lucky to catch up with Anne Smith-Nochasak recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Anne thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

I always planned to write, but I kept setting it aside. Finally, one stormy summer afternoon at my cabin on the lakeshore, I put pen to paper and began to outline a fictional journal telling the story of a family haunting. Over the course of several summers, a warm and sentimental story of self-realization developed instead. During the next few summers, a second story emerged, the story of the person who arrived in the journal setting in the present.

Later, I began to work the stories together, with Rachel’s voice in the past echoed in Julie’s story in the present. I flooded the Canadian postal system with agent inquiries and received one positive response: It was a good story – with limited sales potential. I began to consider self-publishing and eventually signed with FriesenPress. With them, I received expert editing, layout, and promotional advice, while retaining creative control. A CANOER OF SHORELINES emerged as a good story beautifully presented. The sales potential is still a work in progress.

During this time, I was inspired by a chance typing error in a text from a friend who was building a snow house with an ice window. I began to retreat from marketing my first novel into the world of THE ICE WIDOW. I was now more aware of the technical side of writing, and took care to have a detailed timeline, better attention to audience, and projections on length and cost. I still descended into my writing world for hours at a time, but when I surfaced, I focused on the business aspects.

My first novel fitted a niche market, but my second, I believe, suits a broader range and is a tighter, more impactful story. A new project is in its embryonic phase right now, and is taking shape as a collection of short stories and poems celebrating our bond with the earth. Although I will not be grinding out page-turners, I hope to produce quality writing to celebrate the quiet ones who canoe the shorelines of our world.

Anne, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My experiences as a teacher in isolated settings in Northern Canada provided some background for CANOER and yielded the framing for THE ICE WIDOW.

As a teacher, one of my favourite activities with my students was creative writing. I enjoyed working through the writing process with them — generating ideas, planning, working over the drafts together, and witnessing their satisfaction when the finished product was mounted on the wall. One of the greatest challenges was teaching them that change was part of the process, that the finished product could be quite different from their first idea – and that their project deserved to be shared and celebrated.

Taking my own advice has been a learning curve, for marketing does not come naturally to an introvert. It is, however, a skill that can be learned. I was new to social media and needed much guidance to even compose a post or comment on a post. Recognizing that social media is an interactive platform of mutual support was important. I am grateful for the patience and support I have received from the online community — encouraging, offering technical advice, and making recommendations. I was not comfortable with advertising, but learned to reach out to the smaller regional bookstores and attend craft shows and markets. At times, I felt invisible, but I persisted. At the end of my first year of publication, I was honoured to place as one of The Miramichi Reader’s Best Books of 2021. And humbled to receive the support and encouragement of authors like P. L. Stuart, author of THE DROWNED KINGDOM series, author and blogger Allan Hudson, and author A-M Mawhiney, who encouraged marketing collaboration on our first novels.

By the time I began serious work on THE ICE WIDOW, I had a small (by some standards!) but very supportive social media network. At markets and fairs, I received positive feedback on the concept. Initial response to publication in November 2022 was not overwhelming, but being on FriesenPress Bookstore’s best seller list for a week was exciting. Most wonderful, at markets people would chat about CANOER and seek it out for Christmas gifts. CANOER would never be famous but awareness was growing.

This is a business, but a literary business. I want my books to sell, but most of all I want my books to be remembered. I have retired from teaching, and as much of my teaching was private contract work, I now work part-time to support start-up costs and veterinary bills. My focus for 2023 is to travel regionally to do readings, book signings, and seasonal markets.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is to create a work that resonates with someone, to meet others who feel the same way, and to share the journey with these like-minded individuals. As a craft producer told me at a Christmas market, “You have your stories, but make sure you listen to the stories people tell you. Their stories are important.” That is so true; there is joy in sharing, and special joy in listening.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The online writing community has been very supportive, encouraging, and inspiring. I would say, though, that the best source of clients has come through face-to-face encounters, particularly with A CANOER OF SHORELINES. For this audience, their affinity for natural detail is perhaps best realized through visual and kinesthetic experiences. However, with time, I am learning to use social media more meaningfully to address their interests.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.acanoerofshorelines.com/
• Instagram: @smithnochasak
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmithNochasak
• Twitter: @SmithNochasak

Image Credits
Author photo using time delay , April 21. 2021 This and all photos were taken by Anne Smith-Nochasak, using Samsung SM-G960W