Long time no talk, Langley!
I hope you are all doing well.
Ryan Uytdewilligen here. How could you forget that last name, right? In case you forgot or were not a reader, I was a reporter with the Langley Advance Times in 2019 and 2020 and the Aldergrove Star editor throughout 2021.
I headed east to follow a passion for writing. I live in Toronto now, which is, well, for one thing, far busier.
I used to complain about the traffic on 200th Street. Never again!
I do miss friendly familiar faces and beautiful blooming spring around Derby Reach. I could also really go for a Krause berry pie.
I’ve been working on many new projects, but I thought you might like to know that my latest publication, a children’s picture book called This is Not My Story, was written entirely in and inspired by Langley.
Before I became an award-winning journalist for the best darn newspaper in town, I sold many Langley folks books. I was a clerk at Indigo for about a year.
For much of that time, they stuck me in the kids’ section, where I met a steady stream of parents coming in to buy picture books. I became very familiar with popular titles and could see what made the good ones work.
I wanted to take a crack at writing my own kids’ book but had been overwhelmed. I didn’t know what story to tell or what genre to write in.
And then it hit me. What if that’s the story? The author and the main character work together to find the perfect story to tell.
Breaking the fourth wall, what my book does is go through different types of stories from sci-fi to western (Milner definitely informed that section’s landscape). Ultimately, it introduces the concept of genre to kids.
I wrote the book way back in 2018 and sent it around to different publishers. KidsCan Press, the largest Canadian-owned children’s publisher, found it on their submission pile. It managed to strike a chord, and they agreed to publish it.
I worked with the editors, helped pick out the wonderful illustrator (who included an illustrated picture of me in the book), and finally held the physical copy in my hand almost five years later.
Unforeseen circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the process, otherwise I would have celebrated its publication in Langley.
I have other children’s books in the works, but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone, from my friends at Indigo to all the great, encouraging people I had the privilege of meeting over the years, for making this book possible.
This is Not My Story is available wherever books are sold. I can promise that you’ll be seeing stories inspired by The Twilight Drive-In and the Hilltop Diner someday soon!
Until next time.
– Ryan Uytdewilligen is also the author of Killing John Wayne, Tractor, Akela, The Cattle Driver, 101 Most Influential Coming of Age Movies, and The History of Lethbridge.
