The first book I ever wrote and published on my own was a satire on the Montreal Clothing Industry the ‘Shmata’ (slang for ‘rags’) business called ‘Damaged Goods Re-Stitched’. It was when I was working in the hat business.
And then my true calling resonated within me when I finally got to work on a fantasy/adventure book which had been slowly coming together in my mind. One filled with magic and magical creatures such us Unicorns, What-What Owls other mystical creatures and ancient magic survives. The title of the book is ‘Surah’s Forest’ (Surah being the Hebrew name of my dear sister Sharon. She unfortunately ‘left this realm’ in 2021 after a courageous battle with cancer. However, she got to at least read the first draft and made me promise to finish it and get it published).
It is now published and available to purchase on the Amazon Canada book store. I believe that everyone has a ‘book’ inside them waiting to come out. No matter what genre or format. Writing a good book, especially fiction and/or fantasy takes a lot of discipline and creativity.
Each writer has their own way of approaching their work. For myself, the story first comes to me in my mind and if inspired enough I allow the thoughts and ideas grow until I see a ‘picture’ of it. I started Surah’s Forest with an outline of the ideas I had of where I wanted to go with it.
Writing your ideas down and starting a first draft is the right direction to take. Once done, writing down notes of other plot ideas or changes is important. It was written for ages 8–16, but what’s been amazing is that younger kids are enjoying it too — and even adults have been getting drawn into the story. Surah’s Forest has turned out to be one of those books that speaks to anyone who loves friendship, courage, and a touch of magic.”
Basically, I have been a ‘writer’ since the day I could hold a pencil or crayon. Albeit, those first words were mostly scribbles or random letters – with many written upside down in my coloring book. Yet they meant something special to me. Those scribbles became a story, coming to life within the realm of my imagination. My first real inspiration came from the Dr. Seuss books – from Green Eggs and Ham, Wacky Wednesday, Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, Ten Apples, Up On Top Hop on Pop, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, How the Grinch Stole Christmas – and my most favourite being The Cat in the Hat!
As time went on those books were put away in a box and donated to a library. However, little did I know that the first editions of Dr. Suess books grew in value and had I kept them and sold them, my bank account today could have been in better shape! As I grew older, books like the Nancy Drew stories filled my shelves until I reached High School and discovered the J.R.R Tolkien books. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit then took precedent. Fantasy/fiction was where my heart went.
I also wrote some news stories for the Montreal/West End Times Newspaper for a few years. But my true calling resonated within me when I finally got to work on a fantasy/adventure book which had been slowly coming together in my mind.
I believe that everyone has a ‘book’ inside them waiting to come out. No matter what genre or format. Writing a good book, especially fiction and/or fantasy takes a lot of discipline and creativity.
Each writer has their own way of approaching their work.
For myself, the story first comes to me in my mind and if inspired enough I allow the thoughts and ideas grow until I see a ‘picture’ of it. I started Surah’s Forest with an outline of the ideas I had of where I wanted to go with it. Writing your ideas down and starting a first draft is the right direction to take. Once done, writing down notes of other plot ideas or changes is important. It was written for ages 8–16, but what’s been amazing is that younger kids are enjoying it too — and even adults have been getting drawn into the story.
Surah’s Forest has turned out to be one of those books that speaks to anyone who loves friendship, courage, and a touch of magic.”
by Bonnie Wurst
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