Dear friends, You might know about the sad situation with homelessness and addiction in downtown Duncan. I feel deeply for those affected. At the same time, I’m grateful for the help my friends at Life on Wheels provide in supporting the addicts on their path to recovery.
Homelessness isn’t a recent issue; when I wrote my novel Hitchhiker seven years ago, there was a significant situation in Victoria with homeless individuals living in a tent city on the courthouse lawn. I researched the issue extensively, and while I wasn’t aware of the tent city when I started writing, the more I wrote, the more I discovered about the situation in Victoria.
Someone who lived in that tent city as a volunteer missionary is now part of the Life on Wheels volunteer group. Maybe you’ve seen the group operating from the sea container on Canada Ave, opposite the Service BC Centre.
I describe my book Hitchhiker as a young adult novel because the main character is a young woman, but I’m thrilled to see that enthusiastic responses come from people who have the age of the parents and grandparents of the main character. They tell me they can’t put the book down. That’s such an amazing compliment—it truly makes me happy! I would like to thank the lovely teenagers in the Netherlands who write me emails through my website, www.nettieleeflang.com, to share how much they enjoyed reading the book for their Dutch literature list in high school. I feel so honoured to have Hitchhiker included on that list! Also, many people have been reading the book through the Dutch libraries. I hope it will soon be available in the Canadian libraries as well. If you’re interested in reading a review, please go to www.OnlinebookClub.org.
I also would like to tell you some other exciting news! My new novel, which has been published in bookstores in the Netherlands, will soon be available in Canada! The translation from Dutch into English of my new book ‘Elsa’ is making good progress. I’m aiming to publish this novel at the end of this year or the beginning of the next year. Elsa is a historical novel about love, survival, and making choices in a Canadian mining village. Spoiler alert: the village was located in the Cowichan Valley.
But, in the meantime, my novel Hitchhiker is on display at The Glow Effect, the healthy food restaurant between Buckerfield’s and the Community Farm Store. I’m usually at Glow from Tuesday to Saturday, so feel free to drop by for a paperback copy —I’d be happy to sign it for you! And while you’re there, check out the delicious, always healthy treats we make! Hope to talk to you soon!
To see Life on Wheels in action and to support them, feel free to visit on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM. They can always use donations like blankets, gloves, shoes, etc. You might ask at the sea container what they need most at the moment. It’s a great way to find out how you can help directly! Big Thank you to GFL for placing the container.
Nettie Leeflang
