Nita Prose is an engaging speaker and had the audience hanging on her every word. Tinkess Photo

AVONMORE – Where ever you live in SDG, you aren’t that far away from a library. Across the three United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry there are 15 unique branches (including the maker lab in Finch), through each of which you can gain access to the full catalogue of resources, and at a price that anyone can afford (free!) The only requirement is that you live, work, own property or go to school in the counties.

And it isn’t only books that you can access, there are digital books, comic and graphic novels, magazines and newspapers, movies and much, much more.

A signature event that takes place on an annual basis is SDG Reads, which is a program that encourages residents across SDG to read the same book then come together for an evening with the author. In past years Canadian authors such as Craig Shreve, Maureen Jennings, Elizabeth Hay, Francis Itani, Lawrence Hill, Terry Fallis and Kelley Armstrong have been featured.

This year, the selected author  was Nita Prose, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Maid, The Mystery Guest, and The Mistletoe Mystery, a series of “who done it” novels that highlight Molly, the protagonist whose routine life seems to take surprising turns as she finds herself in unusual situations.

Prose, who’s real name is Nita Pronovost, appeared before an audience in which every seat was reserved at North Stormont Place in Avonmore on the evening of October 6th. She was obviously happy to be there, with so many of “her people”, and gave a high-spirited presentation that touched on many of the frequently asked questions that any successful author faces on a regular basis. Unlike some, she seemed to relish the opportunity to talk about her life, her work, and her future.

Prose explained in detail about “the truth of fiction” and how she takes bits and pieces of reality and weaves them into a story that many people can connect to. She also stated clearly the importance played by her audience.

“A book exists the moment it is set down on the page, but it really only comes into being when readers bring it to life,” said Prose. “So, I see this, the reader-author relationship as a kind of partnership. You know, I’m not the mighty creator on high whose job it is to, you know, deliver some grandiose vision to you on the page. I don’t see myself that way at all. I write the best story that I can, and then I leave space for you, my readers to amplify my vision, to fill in all the blanks that I leave, and oh, boy, I need a lot of blanks, and to bring in your experience, your wisdom, your memories, your creativity, and most of all, your imagination. And then by writing a novel, I invite you into a world.”

Only when the audience enters, does that world literally come to life.

She also spoke about what her daily writing routine is. She explained how she didn’t want to give up her career as an editor/publisher, so she had to find a way to create time for each.

“I used to wake up at 5:00 a.m. every day, and I used to write in the early, early morning, so that by the time 9:00 o’clock came around and I started my day job, I was done my writing for myself,” said Prose. “And that sort of stamina is how a lot of authors start because they can’t give up their day jobs. And it served me very well. I learned a few things. You know, I suffer from those voices, that a lot of women suffer: You can’t do that. Who do you think you are, you’ll never be able to do… why do you think you’re… all those negative voices, and they were dead asleep at five in the morning, because they’re lazy!

“So, I have a freedom at that hour. I feel closer to the dream world, and I can extract things from that essence more easily, and I can dance on the page. So that is my process. I still wake up very early, not exactly at five, but pretty, pretty, early, and I like working in that quiet, quiet hour when you know, there’s no emails, there’s nothing going on, no one’s going to bug you, no one else is up in the house, so I can get a lot done.”

Less than two hours from start to finish, but her audience would have gladly stayed for another two hours or more. It was that kind of evening.

Not every day at the library is like that, but it can be, if you let your imagination create the reality that rests on the printed page. As Prose explained, only when the audience enters does that fictional world come to life. And there are countless stories just waiting for an eager reader to breathe life into them.

Such is the magic of libraries, and in SDG, we have 15.

If you would like to have a light shined on your business, please contact us at: editor@etceterapublications.ca or call us at 613-448-2321.