Surrounded by books in the Bonnyville Municipal Library, 13-year-old author Rylie Landry opened up about writing “The Magical Feather”, and where she found her inspiration.
Landry is one of Bonnyville's younger authors, publishing her first children's book earlier this year.
Originally, Landry wrote the story to work on her writing skills, but before she knew it, her magical tale had turned into much more.
“I originally did it for entertainment for myself, and as something I could do to develop and get better at writing,” she expressed.
The book tells the story of a young boy who receives a magical feather from a bird that will grant him three wishes.
The bird warns the boy not to be too greedy with his wishes.
The boy's first wish is for his father, who had passed away a few years before, to come back to life. His second is for his mother to find work.
“The third wish isn't really a wish, it's more of a hope,” Landry described. “The blue bird granted it for him. It was to sing a song that means a lot to the family.”
When she was younger, Landry was fascinated with feathers.
“The reason I wrote about it, is because feathers symbolize peace for me, and I collected feathers as a child,” explained Landry. “I've always had a connection with feathers.”
What truly inspired the story was her brother, Brodie, who passed away at the age of 12 a couple of years ago.
“This reminds me of him,” she said.
Originally, Landry had sent the short story in to a Canada-wide contest. It was selected to be included in a collection of short stories and poems called “The Chance.”
Little did Landry know, her parents had plans of their own; they were going to turn her story into a children's book.
“The first time, my dad showed me the pictures without the writing. I thought they were amazing, but I didn't understand what the story behind it was. When my dad showed me it was my story, I was so happy,” stated Landry. “I was so excited, and I read it probably five times after that. I was just so happy about it.”
The book is aimed at children between the ages of five and 10-years-old. But, Landry believes it has a theme and lesson that can be admired at any age.
The overall message of the book is to remind children not to be too greedy about material things, because “it won't benefit you,” Landry explained.
“I want them to try and learn something, maybe even things I didn't think of putting in there. Maybe they will learn their own vision of what the story should be like.”
Landry doesn't know Cara Devey, the artist used to illustrate the novel, but described her work as beautiful, and capturing the characters and theme of the “The Magical Feather” perfectly.
Devey is currently living in Edmonton, but attended Bonnyville Centralized High School before heading to university for design studies.
It took her about three months to design and paint the illustrations used in Landry's book.
Coming up with the right look wasn't easy.
“I ended up sketching a bunch of options. I was trying to figure out a consistent style to go with the story, and after reading the story a few times, I ended up with what I came up with in the end. I think I went through seven different characters before I had decided what I wanted,” Devey explained.
Landry's writing career is far from over. She hopes to one day publish a novel, but for now, will settle with her own children's book being out in the world.
The single copy of “The Magical Feather” at the Bonnyville Municipal Library has been signed out time and time again, so getting your hands on it might be tricky. The library is recommending families throw their name on the wait list to ensure they get a chance to take it home.
For Landry, this is proof that her story is captivating families throughout the area, one magical feather at a time.
