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Hope is an Important Thing to Have


I love being a teacher and school counsellor. I can’t imagine myself in another career. But I also enjoyed writing my book and hope to write more. Now that I have a real copy in my hands, I wonder how I ever found the time to make it happen. I guess when you feel so passionately about something, you want to share your thoughts and ideas. And that’s what my debut novel, A Soft Place to Fall, is all about — a story I really needed to tell.


Although it’s a work of fiction, and the characters were created in my mind, they became very real to me. So real, that when I finished writing, I missed them. When my box of books arrived last week and I got to read my actual novel (after many months of waiting), it was like being reunited with family. They were such a part of my life for so many years, always on my mind, and at the end of a busy day, they were there…waiting…


This next phase — promoting my book — is not something I look forward to, yet I want people to hear my story. The book is about a troubled group of teens trying to find their way in the world, despite the many traumas that seem to follow them. I hope readers will see the bigger picture, have greater empathy, and recognize the importance of connection and relationship when challenging youth shake their world.


I survived the daunting task of writing a novel— years of early mornings and late nights while working fulltime, a lot of tea and coffee, believing in a dream despite many rejection letters, waiting and more waiting, a thousand drafts, re-writes, and edits. So, I know I will survive this next phase too, selling the book, even though I prefer to avoid being a spectacle at all costs.


I’ve always believed that if you want something badly enough, you can make it happen with effort. Hope is an important thing to have. I taught my own children and students this too. It’s been a journey, one I had to keep believing in, the greatest test of perseverance I’ve experienced. In the end, I hope my story will make a small difference in the world and help some lost youth find resilience.


Tanya will be selling autographed copies of her novel at the Christmas Craft Fair, November 20th at the Creston Rec Centre



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Margaret Miller
Nov 08, 2021

Congratulations Tanya! You did it!

Your talent, insight and hard work have paid off. As a retired teacher, I know the value of good writing that teaches youth about hope and resilience. A Soft Place to Fall will have a positive impact and I look forward to reading it.

Enjoy the next step in your writer's journey.

Margaret Miller

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