Bekky Crandlemire is a young, vivacious woman, photographer and married mother of three from Grindrod, who has found her own way of writing and publishing the teen/young adult fantasy, science fiction book Raine. And she has done it well.
At first, Crandlemire was plagued by insecurities on how her work would come out but, after letting go of her inhibitions, she found that the writing came a lot easier. We had a very lively discussion about her book.
I asked Crandlemire about the title of the book and how she came up with the idea?
“I really wanted to write a book for a while,” says Crandlemire. “And fantasy, science fiction is what I like. I’d been trying for months and months and nothing was working, and all of a sudden I came up with this character Raine and I started to write.”
The book is a bit of the supernatural genre that is so popular these days. The story is about the dark realm and the light realm and then our world which is the real world, the ordinary. The protagonist, Raine, thinks she is insane. Her family has disowned her, she lives on her own and thinks that maybe she should be committed. But then she meets Jack. He is from the light realm. She herself is in between worlds and sees what is happening in both worlds, the dark and light.
The book is from the two characters’ points of view, both from different worlds meeting in the ordinary world. Jack knows he is a knight of the light realm, and he is there to protect and be a guardian. She is altogether different.
There are actually two books in Raine. The first one is called Unaware and the second is Unveiled, in which we find out who Raine truly is.
Below are excerpts from each:
Book One – Unaware
“Sleep pulls at me from the corners of my mind. So tired that delirium has almost set in. I keep telling myself to not let go, don’t let the darkness take me in…”
Book Two – Unveiled
“I have no idea where I am and even scarier I have no idea who I am. I remember nothing…”
Not only is the book intriguing, it also flows well and is easy to read. After a few paragraphs you are hooked. It does not dwell on long descriptive issues, but rather leaves it up to the reader to create in their own mind the scenes from the brief description.
Young adult readers especially will find this book about the supernatural, parallel worlds very fascinating and exciting, while older readers may find a deeper meaning in it. Especially about the dark and light realms.
The way the book ends leaves a possibility open for a second book, but it does not leave you hanging.
The book stands on its own and Crandlemire has every intention of continuing on her path as a writer. And so she should. The talent is there.
What is important to me as a reader, is not only the writing but the book itself. The font, the paragraphs, indents, etc. – this book is very easy to read. The cover picture is a beautiful black and white picture taken by Crandlemire herself. She is also a very accomplished photographer.
There will be a book launch party at the Grindrod Hall on Nov. 19 from 6 to 9 p.m. (RSVP bekkeeldon@yahoo.com), and on Dec. 10 from 10 to 2 p.m. there will be a book signing at Hair Affairs in Sicamous.
Of course, you can order the book from Amazon.ca where it sells for about $15. So please mark your calendar for Dec.10 and make sure you drop in at Hair Affairs.
It was such a pleasure talking to Bekky. I know she is going to enjoy her newfound career as an author.