From struggling to read and falling asleep every time she opened a book to an accomplished writer with 11 books in print and tens of thousands of copies sold. The story of Victoria author Kathleen Arnason is an inspiring one.
“I know what it feels like to struggle, and I wanted children to experience the joy of reading without fear or shame,” she says.
Arnason has been writing for 36 years, starting with her book The Story of the Gimli Huldufolk in 1993 when she was living in Gimli, Manitoba. The book was written to bring attention to and support the restoration of the Gimli Public School. When she moved to Victoria 19 years ago, she was inspired to write a book called Remember Me to help children deal with grief.
Helping children is a common theme in Arnason’s work. As someone who struggled with dyslexia in her childhood, but wasn’t diagnosed until her late 50s, she is now using her knowledge about the disorder to help young readers.
“I want every child to know: if reading is hard, it’s not the end of the world. You may just be one of the people who help create a new one,” she says.
“I don’t want anyone with dyslexia to feel ‘disabled.’ I want them to be themselves and if they need help, I hope I can help.”
Arnason has recently finished a trilogy called The Gimli Huldufolk Chronicles. The books are written using a dyslexic font, created by two engineers in Belgium. A dyslexic font is a typeface designed to improve reading for people with dyslexia by using features like heavier bottom lines, unique letter shapes and increased spacing to reduce letter rotation and confusion.
“All I can say is that when I sat down and read my own book in that font—with its spacing and shadowing of letters—my life changed immediately. What I felt was pure joy,” she says.
Arnason adds that the disorder is not as uncommon as people might think and many of the writers she has coached over the years are also dyslexic.
“Dyslexia comes with some incredible gifts. Dyslexic thinkers can move from problem to solution in detail in the blink of an eye. Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence. More often than not, dyslexic people are resilient, imaginative and persistent.”
These are qualities Arnason often embodies in her characters as well.
The Gimli Huldufolk Chronicles blend Icelandic folklore and Canadian settings to tell the story of mystical beings known as Huldufolk. The books follow these hidden people as they undertake quests, battling dark magic and seeking to protect their world and the human world.
“Canada is a country woven together and built by immigrants from around the world,” Arnason says.
“In my trilogy, I use real locations, often real people, and I weave the story. I researched folklore and community lore across Western Canada and integrated it into the books.”
For example, there is a blue faerie said to live in the trunk of a huge cedar tree near the Tea House in Stanley Park. She is said to collect tears of joy and sorrow—sprinkling the tears of joy onto those who are sad. Some of the other real locations in the books in the trilogy include Winnipeg, the hoodoos in Alberta, Manitoba and Victoria.
It took Arnason three years to finish the chronicles as she explored many of the locations in the story to get a sense of the settings.
“I went to Nelson to find Slocan and Mount Gimli. I climbed to the base camp, and the whole hike filled my heart,” she says.
Arnason adds that in addition to the literal and figurative adventures her books take her on, the most rewarding part of being a writer is knowing she is making a difference in children’s lives.
“The biggest gifts I’ve ever received are letters and messages from mothers thrilled that their children have fallen in love with reading and they attribute it to my trilogy,” she says.
If her love of helping children and penchant for all things magical have intrigued you, meet Arnason in person at a book signing at Indigo at Mayfair Mall in Victoria on November 2 from 1 to 4 pm or at Chapters in Nanaimo on November 9 from 1 to 4 pm. Learn more about her work at huldufolkhouse.com.
