Elaine Cougler

We’ve set the date for my first in-person book launch since Covid started about two years ago!

That’s a huge thrill, obviously, but there are many rewarding and exciting times during the writing of a book. Here are a few of mine:

1. Setting up my Word for the new book for the first time with proper margins, headers, title page, pagination. I love the feeling of putting the book title and my name as the author in here.
2. Typing the first sentence. Of course I’ll do this over and over until I’m delighted with it but putting those first words on paper says I’m really doing it. “I had new jammies. Mommy finished them just in time for Christmas.” This one says so much about voice, setting, tone, point of view and overall story.

    

3. Finding the perfect resource and building the story around it. I found the picture on the cover in an album Mom had made specially for me with loads of family pictures that were of my growing up years. She did the same for all of my siblings. I have thirteen. That photo reminds me of how Mom could sew, how she braided my hair for the first eleven years of my life and how she always made sure all of her kids were dressed well.
4. Telling the story of my brother Ross riding wild-eyed Maudie around our large farm garden, over and over, until she was used to him on her bare back. That brought Ross back to me. I had the same feelings for many of the stories I tell in this new book. I finally realize that growing up in the fifties and sixties as part of a burgeoning farming community has made me who I am. [wiping off a little tear]
5. Figuring out the form the book would ultimately take. I did use a framing device at first but half way through the writing just decided to let that little girl tell the story throughout. Of course I let her grow up! That rewrite was really fun because I knew where I was going and how it would all play out.
6. Deciding to include not only photos of the times but also family recipes and the story of how I wrote one of my songs, Doin’ the Christmas Thing. They really helped me put the heart in the book.
7. Putting the final title on the document. At the first book launch, I’ll be telling the story of how a lovely friend who cleans my house helped me here. That was one of the biggest thrills of this whole journey.

The launch will be April 24, 2022. More news and full details will be in next week’s newsletter. (sign up box at left)

For More of Elaine’s Writing, Try These…

On a wintry night a year ago I took this unique photo and it’s one of my favourites. The white snow hugging the black branches lit by the streetlight in the distance shows that there’s more than one way for a tree to be gorgeous. It’s one of the reasons Canada’s seasons are such a joy.

Just as it is, with no changes brought about by those changing seasons, this tree would be spectacular but, as we all know, it can be so much more. It can stand against a beautiful blue sky lit by shafts of sunlight streaming through the clouds, its black branches tipped by little red seed pods just waiting to burst. It can be dressed in gorgeous green garb that almost hides its limbs completely. Or later that green can morph into orange or red or even yellow as autumn falls over the land. And then the leaves will skitter down and the skeleton will face winter once more.

This is a little like the writer’s job.

We look at the bare facts and see there is something intriguing there. The boy ran across the street after his dog. Why is he chasing his dog? How fast are they going? Is there any sound? From the boy or the dog? What is ahead of the dog? Or behind the boy? Can the writer smell anything? Hear anything?

In my novel The Loyalist Legacy, I used a story my father had told my cousin about some family history. He said his ancestor had invited a native woman inside her cabin and they left the papoose on the veranda outside and he met a bad end. Here is what I did with that story:

Catherine was just about to answer when a terrible cry broke their peace. She and Kiwidinok raced to the porch. A huge yellow cat of an animal crouched beside the wailing baby. It rested a giant paw on the tiny laced-in infant as though not at all sure what it had discovered. Kiwidinok howled and threw herself toward her wailing child but Catherine grabbed her and together they stared at the spiked ears with the telltale black tufts pointing straight up and the long mustard fur darkly spotted. The lynx looked toward the women but didn’t move its paw.

She thought of her rifle, as the animal’s eyes bore into her own in a staring contest the like of which she’d never before experienced. Her fingers tightened on Kiwidinok’s arm, pulling her back ever so slowly. “Shh,” she whispered, thinking to remove the threat and mollify the big cat.

But even though Kiwidinok retreated with her, the screaming went on, both hers and the child’s. Catherine willed calm into those cream and black eyes and forced deep breaths up from her own churning insides. That cat could be on them in the blink of an eye and then how could they help the child? She forced a smile.

And slipped inside. She grabbed the rifle, jerked it down, and shoved Kiwidinok aside. As she sighted along the barrel, the lynx’s eyes narrowed; it turned back to the whimpering baby. Her finger pulled the cold metal trigger but just as the shot fired a crushing blow smashed her left shoulder. She missed. Kiwidinok’s hand rested in mid air. “I thought…the baby.” The woman had destroyed her aim.

The lynx tore the child off its board and leaped off the end of the porch into the long grass around the corner of the cabin. Catherine grabbed up her rifle that had fallen and again pushed past Kiwidinok as she darted inside for bullets, knowing full well she couldn’t stop the lynx now. Outside, she raced after Kiwidinok who was already staggering around the corner.

At the front of the house they stopped and listened. Silence. They crept to the roadway. Nothing. Across the dusty strip. Still listening. Still nothing. Kiwidinok straggled along beside her, quiet at last, as she edged into the woods across the road. An eerie feeling gnawed at her innards. Was someone watching her? Or something?

Kiwidinok caught up to her. Gone was the calm and composed person who had sat across from her sipping tea just moments ago. Her hair tumbled about her face, frowsy and frazzled, her arms criss-crossed her breast, and her hands beat a soft tattoo on her arms. The worst was her eyes. Always beautiful, black, and brimming with joy, they exuded terror. Catherine pushed ahead.

She could see where the animal had dragged its find in the long grass. She dropped to study the ground. Was that blood? She stepped over it quickly, blocking Kiwidinok’s view. Not much farther along, she raised her arm and stopped. A soft crunching sound came from just up ahead in the trees. Her companion heard it, too, but this time kept quiet. They stepped closer, listening and looking.

Catherine checked the rifle but looked up when Kiwidinok strangled a sound. Ahead, partially hidden by the dead bottom branches of a tall pine, the lynx lay on the ground eating. She moved closer. The animal’s wide jaws opened to reveal for a second its terrible bloodied teeth before red paws stuffed the gaping maw once more. Kiwidinok slumped against her and she eased her to the ground.

The gun on her shoulder, she sighted once more, forced concentration, thought of Lucy’s instructive words, didn’t even breathe. This time she’d kill the beast. The trigger moved with a deadly silence until the sound erupted and the head of the lynx split into red bits flying up and floating down to the ground to settle on the already bloodied blanket of the tiny baby.

Kiwidinok groaned. Catherine knelt down and sat on the ground, cushioned by the coppery pine needles, and cradled the woman in her arms. She heard shouts from afar and knew that Migisi and the children had returned. She did not move.

Migisi crashed toward them through the woods, thankfully without the children, and when he reached them, she saw realization flood his features until he knelt over his wife and Catherine was no longer witness to his absolute despair. She pulled away, stood, walked a few steps closer to her kill. Her feet stopped, though, and she turned away. With the rifle lifeless in her hand, she limped home. 

From The Loyalist Legacy by Elaine Cougler

That story of my father’s was the seed for this upsetting scene and I think it did its work in this part of the book. I stripped away all else and showed the tragedy. The reader is totally on the native mother’s side. I will never again look at a picture of a lynx or the real thing without thinking of this story and the writer in me hopes you won’t either.

For More of Elaine’s Writing, Try These!

One of the interesting parts of being a writer is that I come in contact with loads of others who are following the same path. Purabi Sinha Das is a lovely, interesting writer I met during my time as a member of the Writers’ Community of Durham Region and I am so glad I did.

Purabi, originally from India and now settled in Canada, writes literary fiction, poetry and personal essays. Her short stories and poems published in literary journals and community newspapers are inspired by her travels, life in general and growing years in a small town in Bihar, now in Jharkhand.

Purabi has a BA with Honours in English literature from Ranchi university, India. She has been a Marketing Specialist, Human Resources Manager, mentor to high school and university students, travelled around the world and survived an earthquake. Purabi’s great passion is to bring joy to people through her stories, poems and articles in which sometimes you may even find a glimmer of magical realism.

In her debut collection of essays – What will it be this time – Purabi takes the reader on a journey through her growing years in India and confirms an immigrant’s life in a new country while daunting can also be exhilarating. Moonlight – The Journey Begins is Purabi’s first novel and I caught up with her for an interview about her journeys, both in writing and in life.

Purabi Sinha Das Author Interview

1. Why did you choose Chandni’s story for your novel? Does it have any personal links to your own history?

Moonlight – The Journey Begins is fiction. All characters and places are products of my imagination. However, as we know every fiction is inspired by something, my book was inspired by my great-grandmother’s purple wedding sari that had been specially made for a nine-year-old girl. Yes, she was a child-bride. I remember, when I was young, I used to try to wrap it around me because I loved the colour and gold motifs on it. My mother must have known about my feelings although I did not articulate them and gave it to me to keep. My paternal grandparents passed away before I was born so to possess this link with one of them is beyond magical.

2. How old were you when you came to Canada? Tell us some of the struggles you experienced. Did those struggles affect your writing?

I was in my early twenties when my husband and I immigrated to Canada. Those early years, when I look back, seemed to be filled with an equal measure of excitement and homesickness. Somehow, my upbringing – protective as it was – could not deter me from embracing life in a strange country with arms wide open.

There were moments of frustration, I must admit. I can’t call this struggle; rather, shock and disappointment to learn that Canadians knew very little about India. In the Indian school syllabus world geography plays an important role which gave me an advantage – I had a fairly good knowledge about the various provinces of Canada, their natural resources, fruits and vegetables, and the names of major cities.

The sub-continent of India is diverse, divided into twenty-eight states with as many dialects, food, clothing, mannerisms, customs and traditions. Even facial features of people differ from state to state. When I was asked where I was from it was easy to respond. But when my child, born and brought up in Canada, was asked the same question it made me think. Children of immigrant parents from the Indian diaspora face this dilemma; the more I saw it happening the greater grew my resolve to tell stories from the Indian point of view to the people of Canada. My hope is that my writings will open a window for children of immigrant parents from India into their heritage and roots; and, they will feel proud to belong to two great nations of the world.

3. Compare your life in India to your life in Canada. What have you lost and what have you gained?

I was raised in a culture where girls were not supposed to work (it’s changing now) for a living although education was a must. This influenced my decision to get a job as soon as it was possible upon arriving in Canada.

In India, a family lives under the same roof until children marry and move away. We were four siblings living with our parents in a sprawling house with a number of gardens that had shady trees, rose bushes and other flowering shrubs, a deep well and vegetables patches. I miss the togetherness of family here.

Life in India was certainly different. Let me elaborate. I did not know how to cook, clean a house, wash clothes having never done them growing up. Yet, my husband and I adapted to a new lifestyle quickly in Canada taking each day as it came. How was that possible? I have a sneaking feeling that building life in a new country and making our own decisions, even with the knowledge they may not always be right, made us feel grown-up. The first time I cashed a cheque in a Toronto bank was a red-letter day for me. I had never even entered a bank in my life, never signed a cheque. Our parents did everything. My husband, who with a similar background but being male enjoyed far greater privileges – something which I craved for – and I, raised a family in Canada without the comforting presence of parents.

During those early years while building a home for us and our family – as if for the first time – I noticed how men and women in Canada worked at all kinds of jobs. It felt liberating. Now, here’s dignity of labour, I told myself.

4. What is your writing regimen? How did you organize yourself to complete this book?

My day starts quite early in order to fit in a walk, run, meditation followed by emails, social media, telephone calls. Afternoons are best for writing.

I had been working on this book for several years; starting with hastily scribbled notes on pieces of paper and when the pages became increasingly difficult to file, writing in a spiral notebook. I wrote short segments like vignettes, workshopped them among my peers and noted the interest the story generated which convinced me that I was on to something. But life happened and it was shelved.

Then I quit my job in 2015 chief reason being this book was calling me and I had to follow the path wherever it led. In the meantime, I wrote short stories, poems and personal essays always returning to the 10^th. or was it 15^th. draft of Moonlight – the Journey Begins. It wasn’t until the summer of 2020 during the height of the pandemic that I felt the story was ready for the world.

5. I noticed the rather seamless movement from Chandni’s point of view to her husband’s point of view. Was that done intentionally, with no break between paragraphs to indicate the POV change?

One reason is I wanted to get more than one reaction to what is being done and what is being said. Also, to show the contrast in their personality, culture and ideology this had to be done right away.  I wanted the reader to get to know them through Chandni and her husband’s interactions with each other. However, since Chandni is the main protagonist, I have allowed a scene to end with her thoughts or observation ensuring she is central to each scene.

6. As I read this book, I was reminded of other books about India, but they are mostly about other nationalities. How do you think Britain’s colonization of India for so many years affected India’s stories? Can you envision what might have been without that outside influence?

Stories influenced by Britain’s colonization of India were written by writers like Rudyard Kipling, E.M. Forester, M.M. Kaye to name a few. India has had her own writers, novelists and poets from time immemorial and too many to name here. The one name I will focus on is Rabindranath Tagore: poet, novelist, essayist, playwright, painter, traveller, and a Bengali. Tagore’s Gitanjali, a collection of poems he translated into English with an introduction by William Butler Yeats, won the Nobel prize in literature in 1913. Tagore was awarded a knighthood which he returned in 1919 in protest against the Amritsar Jallianwallah Bagh massacre in which British troops fired on a large gathering of unarmed Indian men, women and children. Tagore travelled extensively through Europe, America and Asia to lecture and during his lectures he spoke eloquently for his homeland’s struggle for freedom from British rule. Unfortunately, Tagore did not live to see India’s independence passing away in 1941. India became a free country on August 15, 1947.

Tagore’s stories tell us that human relationship – whether between husband and wife, mother and child, master and servant – is the cornerstone of life. Take it away and you are left with nothing. These stories are written in simple Bengali, some with a rural setting while others have a city as a backdrop.

European influence in India is obvious in the use of the English language throughout the country and in the practise of the Christian religion; some French and Dutch language in Pondicherry in the southeast and in Goa.

7. What else have you published?

What Will It Be This Time, a book of personal essays was published in April 2020. I am currently working on a collection of short stories, poems and travel vignettes with a glimmer of magical realism and hope to have it published in the Spring of 2022.

8. How has your history affected your writing?

In the past, India has been ruled by the Mughals, Portuguese, British and French. As we have seen in history, religion practiced by the rulers influenced local communities leading to conversion which was sometimes forced and sometimes not. So, we have a robust community of Christians living alongside Hindus, Muslims, Parsis, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists. I grew up in a neighbourhood where ours was the only Christian (Anglican)family.  My parents kept open house during Christmas and friends and acquaintances dropped in from far and near. In the same way, we celebrated other festivals with great joy. This openness, a sense of belonging, having the knowledge that our neighbours had our back formed the fabric of my upbringing. I think the fact that we have been ruled by different nationalities has, in fact, made us resilient, with a healthy appetite for knowledge about different cultures. Outside of India, I find not too many really know about Indian culture which is, of course, not just one but many comprising every Indian state. Being Bengali, my stories have a natural bend towards this particular culture and language.

9. What is your favourite thing to read? Genre? Format? Culture?

I read almost anything – literary romance and mystery, historical fiction, non-fiction as in biography and autobiography, poetry and essays. Sometimes I read to research and sometimes simply for the joy of reading. My parents encouraged any form of reading and our house had many, many books, from classics to comic books, to the Book of Knowledge which was a beautifully illustrated 12 volume set. Our school library was a reader’s paradise but even with its vast numbers of books, it was soon evident that I had devoured them all and must needs turn to other means. And this was taken care of by my father who bought us books during his frequent business travels.

10. Where can readers find your books?
    

There are direct links from my website purabisinhadas.com to my books and how to get a copy.

11. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers?
    

This interview came at the right time. Thank you, Elaine. With one hectic day melding into another – what with book promotion of Moonlight – The Journey Begins, putting the finishing touches to my third book, making sure to stay in touch with family and friends – this interview made me pause in my headlong rush and reflect. Mindfulness, a conscious awareness of oneself is so important.

The pandemic has changed our lives. And we have changed in our perception of life. In the early days of the pandemic during forced isolation, I wrote so vigorously it gave me a book of personal essays which was published. That was my way of taking care of “things” or making a conscious effort to remain positive.

I would like to know what was yours?

My escape, Purabi, was the same. Thank you for asking! I lost my hurting self and my worries by writing a prequel to my Loyalist trilogy, The Loyalist’s Daughter, and now I am putting the finishing touches on a kind of a memoir about growing up in rural Ontario in the fifties and sixties. I wonder how many other creative people found their solace in their creativity?

For More of Elaine’s Writing, Try These!

A Trip Back to the Launch of My First Book, The Loyalist’s Wife, and Some Notes on Author Interviews.

In 2013 I launched my first historical novel after spending 6 years writing, editing, rewriting, honing, conference-going and generally learning the writing business. It was a joyous time and I’ve had many such days since then with the exception of the quiet sendoff of my last book, The Loyalist’s Daughter, last December in the midst of the pandemic.

Here is what I wrote about part of that experience and the lessons still hold true today:

(First published December 16, 2015 on On Becoming a Wordsmith)

All writers want to know how to do a great interview and we’re delighted when someone asks us. Most of us love to get a chance to be treated like a writer.

Over the last three years since the first book in my Loyalist trilogy broke onto the vast market, I’ve been part of a lot of interviews, most of them online but a couple on radio and video for television. It’s an awesome ride for someone who found her new and most true life after retirement from a rewarding teaching career.

I’ve learned that interviews can vary all the way from being asked to write my own questions and answers to being given a huge list of questions to choose from. Many of the interviewers have tried to streamline their process in this and other ways because time is always a problem.

If the interviewer takes the writer’s answers and links them together in some way the whole piece can be very rewarding. If, however, the interviewer just strings the answers together with no preamble or linking words, the effect is just a little sterile.

Today I was reading the January 2016 issue of The Writer magazine and came across an article by Elfrieda Abbe complete with her interview of Julianna Baggott. The article began with a longish quote from Baggott’s YA novel, Pure, (“Pressia is lying in the cabinet….”) which absolutely hooked me. Talk about an opening! As I got to the actual interview questions–there are 14–I became more and more impressed with the work the interviewer put into this piece. She knew her subject intimately and linked her subsequent questions to things the author had revealed already. She asked Baggott to expand on such phrases as “undeniable truth” and “efficient creativity” showing that she was thoroughly enmeshed in the author’s work.

“What gave you the idea for Pressia’s disfigured hand?” she asked and my immediate reaction was that I must read this book. What power this interviewer had in her words and I’m convinced any author on the receiving end of such questions would be delighted.

The five-paragraph excerpt at the end of the interview revisits the quotation used in the opening but gives more information this time, expertly drawing the reader into the story. The last thing we are left to contemplate is where we might buy the book. Surely that must make the author smile. So, yes, this is a great writer interview showing both the writer’s absolute skill and the interviewer’s knowledge of just what her job is and her success at it. And I’m rewarded at this stage in my own career by having learned to dissect an article and see the process behind it.

Today my Loyalist books have grown to four and I’ve added a creative non-fiction to the mix. Just now I’m working on a memoir where I’ll disclose all the steamy parts of my life–NOT!