When Marie’s grandfather used to tell her stories through songs, Marie wondered if one day she could create the same kind of magic for other children. She has been pursuing her passion to write and share stories for much of her life. “It’s a dream,” says Marie, “you put a dream in your head and you feed it.”
Marie has worked hard to achieve this dream. She has recently finished her first children’s novel The Royal Elf Princess, a story about the rebellious princess Cynthia, navigating through a world full of witches, faeries and flying ships. The book is a collaboration between Marie and her co-writer Paige. Marie’s imagination is the heart and driving force of the characters, themes, and story, while Paige takes care of the technical and structural aspects of writing.
This isn’t Marie’s first book. She’s an experienced author, having produced two works over the past thirty years. Both Stories, Poems and Reflections, and Mentely Handicapped Love were published on a self-publishing website, and Marie sold print copies of the books as well.
DDA has encouraged Marie’s aspirations by supporting her through various services throughout her life. She’s been a DDA client for almost forty years and been a part of the Community Apartment Program (CAP) for over twenty years. CAP has helped Marie to live independently, with the support of life skills workers who visit her home a few times a week and assist with tasks like grocery shopping, banking, and keeping track of appointments.
She also attends DDA’s Main Street drop-in, where she is often working on an online course called How to Write Children’s Books. Marie is a driven student and studies diligently. Sometimes, she works with the help of a life skills worker, but she passes all of her tests by herself as a result of her own efforts. The drop-in also recently hosted a public reading of The Royal Elf Princess, where the audience was reportedly captivated by Marie’s story.
Next, Marie is seeking publication for her novel. With the help of CAP staff, Marie plans to send her manuscript to publishing houses with the hope it will eventually be sold in bookstores like Indigo. She’s excited by the idea of her books appearing on the shelves, but this goal has deeper roots than the appeal of seeing her name in print. With the publication of a book, Marie hopes that her story can reach children in need. When hearing about tragic events in the news, Marie has worried about the affected children and wondered how to help them. She explains her solution was to “write a book, put it in stores, and they can relax and read a book.” This escapist outlook is clear when reading The Royal Elf Princess. The story transports the reader to the magical world Marie has created, where good always triumphs and wishes come true.
