Into Boreal Wild

November 2, 2020

Almost three years ago, I saw an ad in the Winnipeg Free Press. A small Manitoba press, Schreyer Ink Publishing, based near Steinbach, put a call out for stories featuring uniquely Canadian creatures in a Canadian landscape. I was immediately interested.

I’d been in the submission game for years by this point and each story was returned with a form rejection letter. I was starting to wonder why I bothered putting in the effort, but wasn’t ready to give up completely.

At first, I had dismissed the idea of submitting to this Canadian Creatures anthology, thinking it had to be more horror than reality. But I read the guidelines again before deciding to take a chance on the kind of story I wanted to write.

I started pulling inspiration from my own memories and interests. This was the result: while camping on the shores of a remote backcountry lake, Heather encounters the Memegwesi from Ojibwa legends who just wants to have a little fun.

After a couple months of drafting, Into Boreal Wild was finally submitted. It was the most honest story I’d written in a long time. My hopes were high, but I knew to expect disappointment until I heard otherwise. (Not the best mindset, but it got me through…)

Two weeks later, my story was accepted. From the twenty or so entries, mine was among the eight chosen for this collection. I was surprised, excited and suddenly hopeful for the future of my writing career.

Years later, I am still proud of this story. It reminds me that I had to start somewhere.

The Canadian Creature anthology was released on June 1, 2018. Only a few short months later, Schreyer Ink Publishing went out of business. All their story collections remain out of print.

If you are interested in reading Into Boreal Wild, find a copy within the Books section of this website.