You are invited to a reading of my memoir at Lynden’s Village Books by the author, Nancy Canyon. Please come!
“The launch in September 2024 at Village Books was well attended, and so much fun. I have read at the Lynden store a couple of times before. It is a nice venue and the inventory there, gifts and books, is great. If you want, get tea or coffee at Avenue Bread next door. And there are lots of lovely places to eat dinner afterwards. Make an event of it. You’ll be happy you did, and so will I. Hope to see you soon!” Nancy Canyon.
Join me at Village Books in Lynden, Feb. 8 at 2PM for a reading from my memoir. ‘
Tickets are on sale at Lynden Villagebooks website.
Here is an excerpt from my memoir, STRUCK: A Season on a Fire Lookout.
“A loaded logging truck careens past me on the highway, heading in the opposite direction. In the rearview mirror I watch it disappear into waves of heat rising off the landscape, silhouettes of flying tree debris swirling through the orange light. In the distance I hear a long, low rumble of thunder. Bummer, I think.
I’ve heard thunder called many things: brontide, peal, crack and clap. My mother described it as God bowling in heaven. Any way you say it, thunder spells lightning. Nervously, I note that the sky above the glow of sunset is thickening with storm clouds. I shift down, slowing at the turnoff onto Lightning Creek Road.
Dick (my stepfather) taught me to drive. I can still hear him now, saying that it’s safer to stay in first gear while driving up a steep hill. And easier on the transmission too. I argue with him in my mind: Yes, but it takes too long to get up the mountain in first gear. Anyway, a slower speed won’t keep me from a head-on, as the hairpin corners are blind no matter what. As far as I’m concerned, the only problem with speeding up a narrow logging road in second gear is sliding around a dusty curve into a ditch.
Gunning it, I shift into second. And then, without thinking, I pull off the road and roll up my window. Seconds later, a loaded logging truck barrels around the corner, tearing past me. Jake Brakes pop and a cloud of dust engulfs me. I hold my breath, noticing the surprised look on the driver’s face. Perhaps mine looks equally surprised. I press my hand against my beathing heart and wait until the cloud settles before I pull out and continue up the mountin in first gear. I know I’ll arrive at the tower in about an hour, just in time to batten down for the storm.”
Nancy reading to her dog, Lucy.
Nancy Canyon, MFA, is a widely published artist and author. Her work can be read in The Madrona Project, I Sing the Salmon Home, Spring and All, Raven Chronicles, and more.She coaches for The Narrative Project and teaches through Chuckanut Writers. Her memoir, Struck: A Season on a Fire Lookout, as well as Celia’s Heaven (novel) & Saltwater (poetry), are available at Village Books.
