Kathleen Moore is looking forward to sharing her new novel The Jewelled Kingdom at a book launch and signing Friday, Jan. 20, in Bella Coola.
A multigenerational tale with characters travelling between different worlds, the book is a story about three women, Moore said.
“The grandmother and her daughter flee to a farm in a valley very similar to Bella Coola from another dimension. They fled a man they called a magician because he had taken control over the daughter’s husband.”
Characters in the story are capable of using gemstones to do good things. They can direct their power through different gemstones to work what some people would call miracles or magic.
Before fleeing, the grandmother was the queen of one country and the daughter was married the crown prince of another.
Upon arriving at the farm, the daughter realizes she is going to have a baby.
Eventually the grandmother and mother realize the child has a lot of power and is going to be the one to save everything.
Moore began working on the book about 11 years ago, although it did not take all that time to write it.
In the last five or so years she has been trying to find a publisher and decided recently to take the self-publishing route.
When asked about her writing process, she said normally something suddenly catches her interest and she will write about it.
“I do that with my poetry too.”
Moore grew up in Ontario. She and her husband Tom moved to the Bella Coola Valley in 1974 with three children under the age of four. They have six grandchildren.
Since 1995 they have run a small greenhouse business.
Growing up she enjoyed writing and has created prose and poetry for many years, with some of her poety used for various celebrations. In 1967 she won the Birks Award for English.
“My approach to writing is also very visual as the stories play out like a movie in my mind.”
A visual artist in pen and ink and watercolour, she has shown her work in several exhibitions, and created the cover art for The Jewelled Kingdom.
“We live in a beautiful place,” she added. “People are so friendly - you can’t beat it.”
The Bella Coola Valley has been known over the years for being creative, she added.
“There are so many artists here and so many musicians here. It’s impressive.”
Recently several books werepublished that were written by local authors including a historical book, a sci-fi romance, a mystery, a children’s book and her young adult fantasy.
She is half-way through writing a sequel.
The book launch and signing will take place a the The Art House Gallery run by the Bella Coola Valley Arts Council.
It begins at 7 p.m.
With files from Kathleen Moore
monica.lamb-yorski@wltribune.com
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