Isle of Thetis author documents climate crisis in new book for children’s series – Chemainus Valley Courier

Thetis Island resident Ann Eriksson has always had her sights set on writing books one day, but her dream has only come to fruition in the past two decades.

Since the dawn of the 2000s, it’s been mission accomplished for Eriksson, now 65, with five adult fiction novels and three nonfiction books for teens and young adults in circulation, including a newly published one. this week which is particularly relevant – Urgent Message From a Hot Planet: Navigating the Climate Crisis.

“I was just a bookworm when I was a kid,” Eriksson said. “I’ve always dreamed of writing fiction.

“In my 40’s he grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. I would have this story in my head. It kept nagging me. By chance a friend asked me if I would be interested in join a group of writers.

The support of an occasional group of friends in Victoria started her on this path.

Eriksson was born in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, and lived in three other communities in the province until he was 10 years old.

“My dad was a Lutheran minister who loved all kinds of challenges,” she laughed.

The family moved to the Icelandic town of Riverton, Manitoba, and then to Edmonton, where Eriksson graduated from high school.

His nomadic ways were far from over by then. “From there, as a young adult, I traveled a lot,” Eriksson said.

She then spent a year at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia and a few years working in the Yukon, in Whitehorse. “I worked for the territorial government, managing their pool program,” Eriksson noted.

Eventually she was lured to British Columbia, living in Victoria and Galiano Island before moving to Thetis Island temporarily in 2008 and then permanently in 2010.

Along the way, Eriksson earned a degree in biology at UVic, with a minor in environmental studies reflected in some of the books she wrote.

His experiences and expertise in these areas include five years with the SeaChange Marine Conservation Society in eelgrass restoration with volunteer community groups around the Gulf Islands. Eriksson also volunteers with the Cowichan Land Trust and Thetis Island Nature Conservancy.

“Conservation work is very compatible with my climate writing,” she added.

Eriksson’s non-fiction ecological literacy books came under the umbrella of Orca Book Publishers. “It’s a lot of work, non-fiction, different from writing fiction where you have this creative freedom,” she explained.

The first, Dive in! Exploring Our Connection With The Ocean, was released in 2018 as part of Orcas’ Footprints series. Bird’s-Eye View, Keeping Wild Birds in Flight, was next in 2020 in the Wild series and now Urgent Message From A Hot Planet in the Issues series.

Urgent Message has 205 pages. Eriksson interviewed many people in all sorts of scientific fields, and preparations for printing included a 12-year-old reading the draft in addition to the normal editing process.

“It’s a much longer, much more in-depth book,” Eriksson explained. “It took a few years of groundwork to get here and of course COVID slowed things down a bit.”

She is happy to have her book included in the series which takes a hard line on important material for young people.

“It’s a really impressive series,” Eriksson said. “Orca Issues doesn’t shy away from tackling difficult topics.”

Pre-reviews of the copies were very favorable, including a strong endorsement from Saanich-Gulf Islands MP Elizabeth May, former leader of the Green Party of Canada.

“I encourage all interested young people – and their parents – to read this book,” writes May. “It’s an incredible achievement – ​​comprehensive and informative, spanning from climate science to the intersecting issues of inequality and racism. Ultimately, it’s a toolkit for hope.

Other early reviews called it a book that was both chilling in content, yet hopeful about action on the climate crisis to prevent further damage.

The book is accented by numerous photographs and framing, with the unique addition of a dozen submissions of writing, art and poetry from youth.

“They added a nice element to the book,” Eriksson said. “I’ve also included what I call ‘Burning Questions’ which look at questions many young people are asking in light of the future uncertainty the climate crisis brings.”

The book is available at regular online outlets such as Orca and Amazon, as well as Volume One Bookstore in Duncan and other bookstores.

Eriksson is now in the preliminary stages of what will become his sixth adult novel.

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