Watchtower-Free
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Watchtower-Free
http://haliburtonecho.ca/?p=10487
Haliburton cottager finds debut novel on Giller prize long-list
October 7, 2014
By Angelica Blenich
Jennifer LoveGrove always knew she wanted to be a writer.
As a child growing up in Dunnville, near Lake Erie, LoveGrove was always writing stories and making little magazines, her creativity pulsing through her personality.Now a Haliburton cottager who splits her time between Toronto and her place near Wenona Lake, LoveGrove is a full-time writer who recently published her debut novel, Watch How We Walk.
In September the book was announced as a selection for the long-list of the Scotiabank Giller prize.
A fictional story about a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses who encounter a tragedy, the novel centres on the main character of Emily.
For LoveGrove, Emily’s voice was a constant presence in her mind, one that wouldn’t go away and eventually became the inspiration for the novel.
“I wasn’t intending to write a novel, but every time I sat down to write fiction, regardless of the story, it was her,” LoveGrove told the paper. “I decided to see where it went, and soon realized that her story, the story of this Jehovah’s Witness family, would have to be a novel. It was too big and too much for a short story.”
A published poet and short story writer, LoveGrove grew up in a Jehovah’s Witness family before breaking away from the religion when she was in her teens.
Throughout the pages of Watch How We Walk difficult issues are tackled, including isolation, suicide and sexual violence.
“Part of my motivation for writing the book was my knowledge of how deeply damaging the Jehovah’s Witnesses sect is,” said LoveGrove. “I did grow up in this religion, but fortunately was able to leave in my early teens, but I know the damage it can do … I wanted to give voice to the experiences of so many who fled or were forced out of their communities and I really wanted to explore what can happen where this religion and sexuality intersects. The results are often catastrophic.”Not new to the experience of writing, LoveGrove admits creating her first novel was challenging and a long process.
“I think that the adage that says part of writing your first novel is learning how to write a novel is true,” she said.Although it was a learning process, one that took about six years from start to finish, the challenges were worth the reward.
“Pacing was challenging for me, which by extension includes plotting, and I worked really hard at that, so I’m gratified when so many people have said they couldn’t put it down,” said LoveGrove.Other challenges included many re-writes, edits, drafts, tense changes, cuts, additions, reordering and revising before it became a version the writer felt like she could live with.
“It was a complicated love-hate relationship,” said LoveGrove. “Now I’m happy it has left home and gotten a job, as it were.”
Already at work on her second novel, LoveGrove was shocked when she found out her debut was on the long-list for the Giller prize.“My reaction was to wonder if I was imagining it,” shesaid. “And then to wonder if there was a defibrillator nearby. I was shocked, I really didn’t expect it.”
The announcement has resulted in a confidence boost for the writer, especially going into her second book, and she hopes the prestige of the long-list will create a wider readership for the story she is telling.
A Haliburton Highlands resident since 2010, LoveGrove gets much of her writing inspiration from her year round place in cottage country, where she enjoys hiking, mountain biking and swimming. It was also where she did her final edits for Watch How We Walk.
Apart from the natural environment, LoveGrove loves Haliburton because of aspects such as its support of the arts, the farmers’ markets and the new craft breweries, she said. She even adopted her beloved dog Edgar from the Haliburton Feed Store.
“I started a new manuscript of poetry in Haliburton, the first piece I wrote for it came out of watching the vicious November wind bend the trees, though the poem is about more than that,” said LoveGrove. “We [LoveGrove and partner Erik] spend a lot of our time in the Haliburton area, we’re not just weekenders.”
The finalists on the Giller prize long-list were selected amongst 161 books, submitted by 63 publishers from across Canada.
Watch How We Walk joins 11 other books on the long-list. The short-list was announced on Oct. 7, however LoveGrove’s novel was not selected.A three-member jury will select the winner from the short-list of finalists in November.
The winner will receive $100,000, with each finalist taking home $10,000. -
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Vermont Sisters Sue Jehovah's Witnesses For Child Sex Abuse
by Watchtower-Free inhttp://digital.vpr.net/post/vermont-sisters-sue-jehovahs-witnesses-child-sex-abuse.
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Elders Skull ....Ex Cult Memes and Videos
by Watchtower-Free inex cult memes and videos.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1447453542181602/1459674597626163/?notif_t=like.
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Elder's School: 2015 KMS Program
by pixel ingood morning.
want to attend?.
kingdom ministry school.
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Watchtower-Free
Thanks
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Associated Jehovah's Witnesses for Reform on Blood (AJWRB)
by Lady Lee inthere have been so many new people here and people confused about the blood issue that i thought it might be good to post this link.
you might also want to save the link in your favorites or bookmarks .
http://www.ajwrb.org/.
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