Book reflects life in Kuroki

Gerald Sliva of Kuroki was in Yorkton recently to promote his first book ‘Barking From the Front Page’.

Sliva said he has long had an interest in the written word.

“From my early childhood I remember enjoying being read to, and reading - Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Treasure Island, The Bobbsey Twins and many others,” he said. “I devoured comic books on a daily basis.

“Then, while attending the University of Saskatchewan in the early 1960’s I majored in English Literature. I have no formal training in writing, but I have written poetry and prose informally for many years, with never a thought toward publishing.”

But that changed.

“For years I admired the work of good -- as opposed to vulgar -- satirists. I particularly enjoyed political satirists and attempted to emulate them,” he said. “In about 2010, being retired and having the urge to write more extensively, I began to write short satirical essays on the political issues of the time, with a view toward writing a book. However, as I wrote, my writing evolved. I was not satisfied with the quality of my political satire.”

But the bug to put his name to a book had bitten, and Sliva kept his fingers busy at the keyboard.

“I just kept on writing about any issue or topic which was entertaining to me and which I felt might be of interest to others,” he said. “My essays evolved from political satire to a memoir, a collection of humorous, nostalgic, entertaining and sometimes soulful incidents about growing up in a small town hotel in Kuroki, SK.”

From there feedback helped him forge ahead with an eventual book.

“The input and feedback from readers is extremely valuable,” he said. “As I wrote, I asked for comments from my wife, and also from our son. Their feedback was extremely positive. They liked my writing style, my sense of humour and the story I was telling.

“The one element my stories lacked is cohesion, a thread which linked them together. That breakthrough came after several discussions with my son. Readers who are interested may read about the breakthrough in the first chapter of my book by reading the book preview available on my website.”

Sliva said his writing schedule evolved as the book took shape.

“Initially, I did some research and wrote every second day or so,” he said.

“However, when I could see my book coming together I became more and more enthusiastic. Often ideas would come to me at two or three in the morning, and I just had to get out of bed and write.

“For several weeks at a time I was outlining ideas from 3 to 5 in the morning. Then I would have a little nap and get back to fleshing out the ideas later in the day.”

The characters in the book of course came naturally as they are who Sliva drew inspiration from, capturing their real stories.

“Because my is story non-fiction, drawn from a real place with real people I choose incidents and characters which were unique, interesting, humorous, heart-warming or quirky,” he said.

“All characters and incidents are true, but I invoked literary licence to embellish, exaggerate and idealize certain people and places.”

Interestingly, while Sliva said feedback was important to the process, he also turned to it when asked for the greatest challenge he faced in writing the book.

“Learning to accept criticism from editors, friends and family is sometimes very difficult, but extremely important,” he said. “My book changed significantly, for the better, because of the very valuable input of several people.”

So now that the book is in print, what does Sliva see as its best aspect?

“Part of my vision in writing the book was sharing stories which would elicit laughter and tears from my readers,” he offered. “Several people have told me they laughed and they cried as they read my book. Their feedback is music to my ears and hugs to my heart.”

The end result is one Sliva said he is very satisfied with as the author.

“The satisfaction comes from hearing from my very supportive and loyal readers and followers, from all of North America, but particularly from Saskatchewan,” he said.

And again Sliva related back to reader feedback regarding his personal satisfaction with the book.

“My goal was to write a book which would be rather universally enjoyed, but have learned that not every reader enjoys the writings of every author,” he said.

“However, I have heard from a few hundred people who have loved my book, and even a few who say they have read it more than once.

“As well, several folks have read my book and returned to buy more as gifts for relatives and friends -- again - music to my ears and hugs to my heart.”

Sliva said he is not sure what will come next in terms of his writing.

“Right at the moment I am not working on another book,” he said.

“I continue to write down ideas for a potential future publishing adventure, but have not started another book.

“Instead, when I have the urge to express myself in writing, I do so by blogging. The blogs tackle topics of current interest, humour, nostalgia, religion, social commentary and even some unique recipes. I invite all readers to visit my website and have a peek at my blog. There, they can get an insight into my writing style --- absolutely free. Here is the link to my website: www.barkingfromthefrontporch.com