It may not make Oprah's Book Club

I've always dreamed of writing the Great Canadian Novel, not necessarily an award-winner, but at least getting one published. I'm not sure whether it was life's interventions or fear of failure or a combination of both that I never tried. In my mind, the subject of the phantom novel is my grandmother - Eve Manzer. I cannot describe how unique and way-ahead-of-her-time she was. She is the perfect character for a good and entertaining read.

Then one day a number of years ago, I was reading an excerpt from Herb Curtis' book about the Scholten family. I called my cousin Iris, his wife, to express my congratulations on his latest literary achievement, and suggested that our family history was equally worthy of noting. She agreed and we planned to research and write the book together. That never happened as Iris died soon after of complications from a disease that she was battling. I didn't have the heart to go on alone. So my aspirations sat dormant for years.

Then an old buddy of mine came back into my life. He is a great writer himself. And he told me that if there is a book in there then get it out. So I thought okay, maybe not a fictional novel based on a real character, but what about compiling the family stories of my grandmother in their own words. That ignited the fire folks. While I have only interviewed my father and recorded his memories, it's a beginning and I think the family will enjoy it. I know she would be laughing now, wondering what the heck I was doing writing about her. It's okay Eve, I know what I'm doing.