The Ferryland Visitor
In the 1970s,
artist Gerald Squires moved, with his wife and two young daughters, into the
abandoned lighthouse keeper's house in Ferryland, NL. Shortly after
their arrival, they had a visitor - one who claimed to be the former constable
of the area and who regaled them with stories of the place and its previous
occupants. A visitor, they soon learned, who was more than he appeared to be. Acclaimed
children's writer Charis Cotter tells the tale of this mysterious visitor from
the perspective of Esther, the youngest daughter. In beautifully crafted
language, Cotter captures the delight of a curious young girl discovering her
new landscape, the excitement of living in a lighthouse at the edge of the
ocean, and the haunting mystery of the visitor himself. Renowned artist Gerald Squires has contributed
paintings and drawings of the lighthouse and its surrounding landscape, as well
as family photographs taken during the lighthouse years. The result is a book
of striking beauty - part family album, part art book, all mystery. Recently we
spoke with the author about the work.
When and why did you want to be a
writer/storyteller?
I think ever
since I was in about Grade 4, when I really started to get into reading books,
I had a hankering to enter that world as a writer as well as a reader. I loved
escaping into my imagination and reading and writing both provided a framework
for that. I was always making up stories in my head, and writing brought them
one step closer to reality. But I also loved acting, and I pursued a career in
acting for a while, going to drama school in Toronto and London, England. When
that didn’t work out, I turned back to writing, and then I got into
storytelling and doing dramatic presentations of my books in schools, so I was
able to do two of things I loved best. Writing and performing.
Are they the same reasons you do it
today?
Pretty well,
yes. I still love escaping into my imagination. As I develop as a writer, I
find it more and more deeply satisfying on a creative level.
What inspired you to put
The Ferryland Visitor together?
A few years
ago, Esther Squires and I spent some time drinking tea and talking about what
it was like for her to grow up in a lighthouse. I was doing research for
another book (The Painting: to be
published by Tundra Books in 2017). Esther cast a bit of a spell on me as she
talked about her magical childhood at Ferryland. We had a strong connection and
I felt like I could see it all through her eyes. She had a lot of ghost stories
and this was my favourite. I asked Gerry Squires for his version of the story
before I wrote it, and then I showed it to the family. They all liked it and a
couple of years later I approached Marnie Parsons from Running the Goat Books
& Broadsides, and she was immediately enthusiastic about making it into a
picture book. It was her idea to approach Gerry for the artwork, and then
everything just fell together pretty quickly. Veselina Tomova did a very
interesting design, using text, paintings, sketches and family photographs.
What was the most challenging aspect of
the process?
I think that
finding a happy balance of artwork and text was the most difficult thing about
this book. My story has a dreamy, otherworldly tone to it, and so does Gerry’s
artwork, and it was a challenge for Veselina to weave it all together with the
old photographs.
What was the most rewarding part of the
experience?
I think
seeing Gerry’s artwork with my text was the most rewarding thing for me. His
work is so evocative and beautiful. I am in awe of the way he can capture the
spiritual beauty of Newfoundland. It was a real honour for me to have his work
illustrating my text. Seeing it all come together made me very happy.
What did you learn during the process?
I think I
learned that certain books have an inevitability about them. This book seemed
meant to happen, and once the process started, everything fell into place. I
also learned (once again! this happens at some stage in every book I do), that
at some point you just have to let go and let it take on a life of its own.
How did you feel when
the book was completed?
Pretty darn
good! And excited. This was my first book to be published in Newfoundland, so
it was a landmark for me. And it’s just such a fine, beautiful book, with a
gentle story and a strong sense of place, so it feels very special to me.
What has the response been like so far
from those that have read it?
Everyone
seems to love it. First they are struck by the artwork, but then when they read
the story they like that too. There were many people at the book launch who had
visited Gerry and Gail at Ferryland in the old days, and I could tell it meant
a lot to them to have this visual reminder of what it was like then.
What makes a good book?
I think a
good book is one that captures something real about life and makes some kind of
music with it. It makes a connection between writer and reader, so that for a
while the writer is inside the reader’s head and the reader is inside the
writer’s. A good book involves both writer and reader to give over to the
experience and share it. A good book makes me happy to read it. And a good book
is a kind of friend – somebody comfortable and sympathetic who you’d like to
spend a lot of time with.
Is your creative process more
'inspirational' or 'perspirational'?
Oh, I’d have
to say a strong measure of both! Inspiration comes to me but it’s the hard work
that makes something of it. Sometimes I find the creative process pure torture
(although not with this book), and suddenly everything else seems like more fun
to do, from mowing the lawn to washing the dishes. But then there’s the times
when I lose all sense of time and I’m completely in that other world and then
it’s pure joy.
What are your thoughts on Newfoundland's
literary scene?
I don’t really
have any. I don’t have much experience with it, except for waving to Michael Crummey as he walks his dog past my
house sometimes, or saying hi to Michael Winter before he sets
off in his dory to go fishing at the beach below my place. They both have houses
on my road.
What's next on your creative agenda?
My first
novel, The Swallow: A Ghost Story,
has done really well. Now I’m doing the final edits on my next novel, The Painting, which is set in both
Toronto and Newfoundland. Gerry’s painting was an inspiration for this book, as
well as Esther’s stories. And I’m working on my third novel, Ghost Road, which is set in a small
Newfoundland community. I’m also doing some ghostly storytelling this summer
and fall: I have a one-woman show of Newfoundland ghost stories.
