Not very often that a community in the Valley becomes part of a book series or setting for a novel, but Minitonas has become the centre of a new book series written by Sandra V. Konechny.
Konechny was a former resident of the Valley, who has since moved away but has reconnected with her time living here, through her new book series.
“My family moved to Swan River when I was six years old, to help my grandmother with her farm responsibilities as a widow and to overcome her acute grief,” said Konechny.
“We lived at 530 River Park Drive, where I claim to have had the best childhood ever, with a triangular playground park in front of the house and the river behind to play in as part of my backyard. I went to Taylor School and Duncan School back then.”
Konechny considered herself to be a little girl with a vast imagination, one that led her to be interested in writing.
“I had a penchant for dialogue when I was small playing with paper dolls, which I played with for hours, giving my dolls lines to say to each other,” said Konechny. “Similarly, when playing games like house, I’d give all my playmates their lines to say as we acted out a spontaneous story.
“My first attempt at writing a book came in Grade 5 when the teacher assigned the class to write a short story. My story morphed into a book with several chapters. I still remember it was about a gang of thieves who were using an abandoned house on my grandmother’s farm as their hideout. I recall the teacher being very encouraging. I wish that scribbler had been saved, but it was thrown out at the end of the school year along with all other used school supplies.
“I’ve been an avid reader all my life, and also enjoyed words all my life,” said Konechny. “My first writings were short stories, which occurred during my 20s to 40s. Often, they reflected a spiritual theme and I had invitations to read or recite them at special occasions such as a Christmas banquet or other event. In those days, I was also raising a family of two boys and two girls with my husband. Those were busy days, and if and when I wrote something, it was to get rid of the bee in my bonnet.”
Konechny soon embarked on the journey of writing her first book as an adult after being inspired by her faith and the Bible.
“We moved as a family to Dalmeny, Sask. on July 1, 1999, and I got involved in a Saskatoon-wide BSF class,” said Konechny. “I noticed during the years Old Testament books were studied that God asked very profound questions of people. I would tell my friends that if I ever wrote a book, it would be about the questions God asks in the Bible because they are fascinating.
“One day in Spring 2006, a friend came to me and said she’d found a book writing contest on the Internet. She wanted me to write that book and submit it to the contest. I thought about it for a moment and then agreed to. I didn’t win the contest, but I did make the shortlist and in 2007, my first book, When God Asks You, was published.
This sparked a level of excitement in writing for Konechny, however, it took a backburner to life and other hobbies. She found herself looking for a new challenge and was drawn back into the world of writing.
“I was pumped to continue writing after that, but the busyness of life and my interest in crafting quilts intercepted,” said Konechny. “About 2017, I was tired of everything I had put my hand to thus far, and I mean everything. I wanted to do something completely new. I ruled out things like woodworking, motor vehicle mechanics, bungee jumping, and sky diving and eventually challenged myself to write a novel.
“It took me around a year. I submitted it to another contest. This time I did not make the shortlist, but the judge gave me very encouraging feedback. I didn’t pursue going forward with it then, but kept writing.
“I hadn’t resolved all the mysteries I had set up in book one, so kept writing until they were, which resulted in three volumes, hence a series,” said Konechny. “I was going to end the story as a trilogy and write out an epilogue, as to the general futures of the most prominent characters.
“That’s when I realized I had inadvertently set the groundwork for another story that would bring a pair of minor characters into the spotlight, so now I’m on the home stretch with Book 4 of The Minitonas Diaries. It’s been the most fun to write so far.
“I’ve also written a children’s novel,” said Konechny. “It is an upcoming project with my publisher and my talented son-in-law has drawn an illustration for each of the twelve chapters. Its working title is An Improbable Adventure at Grandma’s House. So far, I’ve written six books and might write some more.”
The inspiration for the series The Minitonas Diaries was a combination of Konechny’s memories and a cliffhanger ending from an old movie.
“I didn’t start out planning to write a series,” said Konechny. “I had one main idea, the telling of it stretched into three volumes, now four and perhaps more. My project manager with the publisher suggested I come up with a series name too, not merely titles for each book. Eventually, I thought of The Minitonas Diaries as the title to link the volumes together.
“As for the story, it had to happen somewhere. In the summer of 2017, I had talked my husband into making a visit to Swan River and Minitonas, so I could satisfy my craving for a little nostalgia down memory lane. As we drove around the streets and country roads, reviewing the places where my family and relatives lived, I thought of the novel I was planning to write and decided this could be the setting. I was well enough acquainted with the lay of the land from personal memory as well as current-day realism to make it work.
“When I was approximately ten years old, I watched a black and white movie where a particular image stuck in my memory,” said Konechny. “A man had returned to his home roots, which was now the scene of derelict buildings, to make a new start with his life. The memory often returned to me and I would wonder what his new start would look like. Rock Bottom is the story that came to my mind and heart for a guy who had come home after a long break to make a fresh start in his life.
“Other than that, story fodder comes from my lifetime experiences, people and places I have known, things I’ve read about or have been shared with me.”
Just like any other endeavour, there are parts that are enjoyable and others that are challenging. Writing a book posed both for Konechny.
“I enjoyed writing the funny parts,” said Konechny. “When I know for sure what happens in the scene, it’s fairly easy to write it out. I strive, with each book, I write to evoke the reader to laugh, cry and be provoked to personal reflection over the issues that get raised.
“Some of the readers of Rock Bottom have already reached out to me with their feedback. They tell me how much the story has resonated with them and their own personal histories. This makes me feel fulfilled as a writer.
“I find that writing a novel isn’t terribly hard, if I know the starting point and the end point,” said Konechny. “However, I don’t always know what the middle steps are, that’s when I stop trying to force the issue. Instead, I stop, hang over a jigsaw puzzle, and listen to what my characters are saying or trying to say. Eventually, insight comes and I can carry on.
“Another challenge is getting the words exactly right so they accurately evoke and convey the intended emotions or message.”
If you missed Konechny’s book signing last weekend, you can get your copy of The Minitonas Diaries Book 1 Rock Bottom in bookstores and online.
“It can be ordered from any bookstore such as McNally Robinson, Indigo, Chapters, including any Christian bookstores, as well as Amazon,” said Konechny. “It is also available as an e-book. Word Alive Press, has an online bookstore where it can be ordered directly from the publisher.”
Konechny is working on the next book in The Minitonas Diaries series as well as possibly some other books.
“I’m still working on Book 4 titled No Turning Back, and barring unforeseen circumstances, should be completed by the end of December,” said Konechny. “I guesstimate its turn for publishing will be in early 2025. Currently, Book 2 titled And Then There’s Life, is in the editing process and will likely be available as of Spring 2024.
“After that, Book 3 with the working title Love and Life are Winding Trails,” said Konechny.
“Will there be a Book 5? Perhaps. I have an idea of which characters could take center stage, but so far, I don’t know what the drama in their lives would be.
“My grandkids are begging me to tell another Improbable Adventure story about them,” said Konechny. “As soon as I can figure out what kind of problem they could solve, I’ll get right on that.”