We are saddened by the recent passing of the very vivacious, funny, gorgeous, and talented author, Jackie Arnason. Last year, at the age of 87, we published her first Children's book, Hambone-Why Pigs Have Curly Tails. After a brief illness, Jackie passed away in September of this year, while we were well-underway in the publishing process for her second book, Timothy Titus Terrance O'Toole and the Dragon. With the support of her family, we pressed on and will launch her book in December.
 |
| Jackie Arnason |
A beloved story-teller to all those who knew and loved her, with the publishing of her first book, and now her second, a lifelong dream has been fulfilled. Her legacy will live on in the lessons and magical stories she shared through the years.
A prairie girl, born in a small town in Saskatchewan, Jackie's childhood years in the 'Dirty Thirties' were hard but the local library became her haven where she escaped into worlds she could only dream of growing up in Regina. She read voraciously from a young age and made up stories to entertain her younger brothers and sisters.
Her love of storytelling continued when she had children and then grandchildren. Here was a captive audience, so she continued to create fanciful stories that included gentle and imaginative ways of teaching life lessons. Timothy Titus Terrance O'Toole and the Dragon is a story of acceptance, tolerance, kindness, and giving back that was written to encourage a childhood friend of her daughter Barbara's, named Timmy, who felt shy and anxious about going to kindergarten.
"We always felt so special when Mom would write a story just for us or made it relatable to our lives. We appreciated her creativity and admired her life-long dedication to writing of all types. We are so grateful to now be able to share some of her stories beyond just our family, especially now that we are missing her presence day to day," said Trish Krause, Arnason's elder daughter who was inspired to pursue her own career in writing.
Learn more about the author at www.ocpublishing.ca/jackie-arnason.html.
Comments