It was a small group of people who attended the book reading at the Stettler Public Library on Saturday, Nov. 12, but it allowed participants to immerse themselves completely in the story being read by its author, Elaine Gugin Maddex.
Maddex, who hails from near Red Deer, was promoting the second book in her series about protagonist Tessy McGuigan. Tessy, though a complete work of fiction, draws heavily from many of the people who featured prominently in Maddex's life, she told the gathered fans.
"My grandmother had an amazing garden," she said. "Acres and acres of gladiolas. I'd go along when she tended them, and they were her children."
The story of Tessy is that of an eccentric "white witch" who lives in the Saskatchewan rural community of Ladyslipper. She and her husband, who had passed away prior to the tales told in the books, had no children so she started looking after those in the community instead.
What made the reading of the first book, "More than a Wise Woman," so engaging was Maddex's voice, which switched into a lilting Irish accent when reading the words of Tessy.
She read a few chapters from the first book and then the second, before speaking about what drove her to write.
"I wanted to leave something behind for my children," she said. "My grandmother used to write and one day, I decided to just pick up a pen."
The first book in her duet made a bestseller list in Saskatchewan and its first printing ran out, she noted. The second book, "Wise Woman's Manor," which was released at the beginning of the year, has only whet the appetites of her fans, Maddex said she was glad to see.
"Don't worry, there's a third book on the way," she said. "I don't know when it will be done, but I'm working on it."
In addition to sharing the story of Tessy and the people of Ladyslipper, the books are full of recipes. Some are for food, while other are for the herbal remedies Tessy gifts to the people in her community.
Maddex, who is a herbalist, either created all the recipes herself or adapted those she found elsewhere to be more suiting to both Tessy and herself.
The second book wasn't going to have the recipes, as Maddex said she worried she had overdone it with recipes in the first book, but the outcry from her fans, at her various readings, made it clear to her that it was a popular part of the book series.
The books are available at Barnes and Nobles and online through Amazon in various formats, though Maddex said she is looking for a place to sell them locally. In the meantime, she's donated copies of both books to the Stettler Public Library, where they can be checked out and enjoyed by Stettler and area readers.