Kelley Armstrong in British Columbia (Lower Mainland)

When I learned that my application for Book Week had been accepted, I was thrilled. I didn’t care where I went — I was just excited at the prospect of spending a week talking to kids. While I enjoy sharing my love of reading with students, I always hope to find a few writers in the crowd. And over the course of my Book Week travels in lower mainland British Columbia that was the highlight of my week.

When I was young, I knew few people who shared my love of storytelling, and it wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I met someone who made his living as a novelist. I longed to make that connection when I was younger and I think back on what a difference it might have made.

During Book Week, I made that connection with so many young writers. While they were eager to hear about the process of publishing, they seemed even happier to meet someone who could answer their questions and reassure them that, whatever problems they were having, they weren’t alone.

At one library visit, though, a young writer couldn’t ask me questions — she was on a vow of silence. So she brought her father along to ask them for her. Afterward, she came up to me and broke her vow of silence to discuss her work and ask for advice. I couldn’t help thinking later how, as new writers, frustrated by the inability to share our dreams and fears with others, we often felt we’d taken a vow of silence when it came to our work. Book Week gives young writers the chance to break that vow, and I was so happy I could be there to help make it happen.