My Novel In The Great Outdoors

Initially, I was a little disappointed that my novel was going to be published in the summer. I figured the target audience for the book was school children and their teachers, and so it would be ideal for Lost on the Prairie to be published in the fall when learning had just begun and the book had a chance to become popular in classrooms, be used as a teaching resource, and thus, earn itself a long life in the education sphere.

However, I have discovered to my surprise that Lost on the Prairie has a much wider audience than I had ever imagined among people of all ages and interests, AND I have realized that one of the wonderful things about having the book published in summer is that people are having a chance to enjoy it in the great outdoors.

My niece Grace published this beautiful photo on her Instagram page recently. Grace has her master’s degree in Social Work from Wilfred Laurier University and uses yoga as an integral part of the services she offers her clients. Grace holds positions with two different professional teams that provide psychotherapy and counseling.

With my niece Grace

Grace used Lost on the Prairie in a post where she encourages people to make time in their life to recharge, reconnect and rejuvenate. She says we all need to balance the generally fast pace of our lives with times when we slow down. She suggests we might do this by drinking coffee, spending time in nature, and reading a good book like the one her aunt MaryLou Driedger just wrote. I just LOVE the fact that my niece is using my book as a part of the very important work she does. I am so proud of her.

Many people have told me they are reading my book with nature as their background. They are reading Lost on the Prairie on their balconies, at their cottages at the lake, looking out over their gardens, on canoe trips, and on park benches. Here are just a few of the photos they have sent.

My niece Olivia with my book in Canmore, Alberta. So proud of my niece who has worked as a professional chef in some of the area’s finest restaurants and is an avid and successful tri-athlete competitor.

Our niece Olivia with my husband Dave.

My friend Randy read Lost on the Prairie on a canoe trip.

My friend Perry posed the book among the plants in his backyard.

My brother Ken outdoors delivering copies of Lost on the Prairie to Little Free Libraries in Victoria

My friend Mitch posed my book along with his other summer reading choices outdoors on the deck of his home on the shores of Jessica Lake in Manitoba.

My niece Hannah posing with her son in their home right on the shores of Lake Erie. Hannah is a first responder and I am so proud of the vital work she has been doing during the pandemic.

Having coffee with Hannah on the deck of her lakeside home.

My friend Pearl with Lost on the Prairie under the trees in her backyard.

My friend Erin told me she was reading Lost on the Prairie on her balcony

A friend putting Lost on the Prairie in The Little Free Library at Strathmillan School in Winnipeg

My niece Amanda lives in rural Manitoba and here she creates the perfect prairie picture for my book. Amanda is an elementary school teacher and Reading Recovery specialist and we are already discussing a possible visit to her classroom this coming year so I can talk about Lost on the Prairie with her students.

With my niece Amanda celebrating her university graduation. I am so proud of the important work Amanda does to promote reading and literacy.

I was glad photographer and reporter Jordan Ross decided to do our interview and photo outdoors in Steve Juba Park near my home when he wrote an article about me in The Carillon.

I really like this outdoor image the team at my publisher Heritage House created to promote Lost on the Prairie.

I have realized there are advantages to having my book published in summer and one of them is that people get to read my novel in the great outdoors and that is fitting because the majority of the novel takes place outdoors. If you have read Lost on the Prairie outside I’d love to hear about it.

You can read more about my book at my website maryloudriedger.com

Other posts………

Wild Grasses – A Love Story

For the Beauty of the Earth

A Bird on the Hand