The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Alex McGilvery likes to write fantasies, but when it comes to his career prospects as an author, he is firmly grounded in reality. 'I have more chance of winning a lottery than of getting rich writing books,' says the avid Flin Flon writer. 'I do it because I love to tell stories.' That much is obvious in McGilvery's new self-published novel, Playing on Yggdrasil, due for release later this year. 'I describe the book as sort of Christian sort of fantasy,' says McGilvery, the pastor at Northminster Memorial United Church. 'It doesn't fit into an niche easily.' Playing on Yggdrasil weaves the tale of Justine, a lonely 10-year-old girl who befriends a tree to escape bullying and the pain of losing her mother. Justine tells her dad marvelous stories of visiting a land of perfect harmony, but before long this father and daughter are caught up in a struggle between those who trust in peace and those who trust in war. McGilvery says the book is appropriate for all ages but may be particularly suited to young adults. 'I wanted to explore themes of grief and grace as well as looking at the relationship between a father and his daughter,' McGilvery says. 'The challenge was staying away from traditional portrayals of faith as the solution to everything. Faith will lead us to the solutions, but all by itself it doesn't remove the problems in our lives.' McGilvery hatched the idea for the book after his wife told him that at one time her best friend was a tree. See 'Idea' on pg. Continued from pg. 'That idea sat in my head and grew,' he says. ' I would say that I didn't choose the theme as much as it chose me.' Remarkably, McGilvery hammered out the short novel in just 11 days, with the story 'clawing its way out of my head.' This is McGilvery's second self-published novel following 2010's The Unenchanted Princess, a coming-of-age tale revolving around princesses and magic. That book sold 100 hard copies and about 200 electronic versions, but like many self-published authors before him, McGilvery was unable to break even. He hopes to lose less money, or perhaps make a few dollars, this time around, but either way the endeavour has been worth it for the 50-something author. McGilvery has been a writer since his school days, even penning novels in middle school (though he has no intention of rereading them today). 'I have always loved books and found escape in reading,' he says. 'The last 20 years I have been reviewing books for different magazines and websites and now have my own review site. A spiritual director some years ago told me that my writing was part of my spiritual discipline.' Playing on Yggdrasil is due for release on Dec. 15. It will be available through McGilvery, the Flin Flon Public Library and Lulu.com. It will also be available in ebook format at Amazon.com.
