Former Etevan resident Linda Penner found a talent for storytelling, and has penned a new book about her experiences鈥攁nd the experiences of others鈥� in the process of being divorced.
A Hitman is Cheaper Than Divorce is not promoted as a self-help or advice book, but rather as a memoir that makes light of the upheaval and distress that being divorced entail. Penner, who now resides in Medicine Hat, has found her niche, finding humour in a situation most people don鈥檛 immediately associate with laughs or levity, forming her book collaboratively, in my parts, with the shared experiences of others.
聽鈥淚鈥檝e always been kind of a story teller. When I retired about five years ago, I was dabbling around in a writer鈥檚 club, and took courses at the college. I started working on short stories, just for the club, and I had a couple of them published,鈥� said Penner.
She had a number her early stories published with Canadian Story Magazine, and at time some of her early work was being published the Ontario magazine, her daughter was in the midst of a rough breakup.
To help her daughter cope with the heartache, Penner took it upon herself to give her a humour book, 鈥渁bout a dog, and a guy and his adventures. She came back to me, and said, 鈥榊ou have no idea how much a funny book has done for me, to get me out of the doldrums,鈥濃�� Penner added, 鈥淢y daughter also said, 鈥業 think you should put those 鈥榟ub (husband) stories together, and get a book together.鈥欌��
Penner took her daughter鈥檚 praise and suggestion to heart, but noted that a great deal of the encouragement to write a book meant to elicit a chuckle also came from outside the family. Many fellow writers alongside whom she wrote in the writing classes she attended gave her similar high praise, and encouraged her to write a book.
鈥淭here was one fella who said 鈥業 think you could really turn this into a series.鈥� Well, that wasn鈥檛 my intention at all,鈥� said Penner. 鈥淚 had these tales that I gathered over the years, and they weren鈥檛 just mine. There鈥檚 actually a chapter (in my book), chapter eight, that is completely dedicated to stories that other women have shared with me.鈥�
One of the things Penner found, when writing about divorce, is that writing about a subject is a good way to get in touch with people who have a great deal of personal experience in the matter.
鈥淵ou get into a discussion, and find many other like-minded people 鈥� particularly with divorce. A lot of people will say, 鈥極h yeah? Well do you know what happened to me?鈥� and that kind of thing,鈥� said Penner. 鈥淟et鈥檚 face it, when you鈥檙e divorced, your friends are divorced. The people you hang out with, they are. Married people don鈥檛 want to have anything to do with you.鈥�
Penner said she ended up with a ton of other people鈥檚 divorce stories, and even after writing her book, she still has all sorts of stories she鈥檚 heard from other people. After hearing many of the tales that other women told her about, she sought permission from everyone whose stories appear in her book.
鈥淚 changed most of the names, but they鈥檝e given me their blessing to print these stories. I have found very positive feedback through the whole process,鈥� said Penner. 鈥淓ven after the book is out, I鈥檒l get a card or a postcard with stories from other women. 鈥淭here definitely is a niche out there for this type of thing, and hey, it鈥檚 me.鈥�
Although the book navigates the touchy subject from a humorous perspective, Penner noted that her experience with divorce was many years ago, and that, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 honestly think I could have written this book in the same vein it鈥檚 written now, if I had sat down and hammered it out right away.鈥�
She added, 鈥淚t wouldn鈥檛 have come out like that; it would have been a whole lot more bitter and twisted.鈥�
That being said, Penner said she felt something akin to a community spirit among those who shared their tales of divorce with her, relating to everyone who contributed their tales, because they all had that shared experience.
Many people in Estevan may be able to relate or at least appreciate the perspective of many of the stories in Penner鈥檚 book. Many of her own stories are set in Estevan, and many are related to Medicine Hat, a town that Penner noted, has many parallels with Energy City, both being communities strongly tied to natural resource industries.
鈥淚 remember in those days, I moved to Estevan as a single woman, and you know, there were many co-workers of mine going through divorces, and those trials and tribulations,鈥� recollected Penner. 鈥淚 remember we鈥檇 go out at night and dance at the Derrick Motor Inn. Oil made (Estevan) a booming place, and that鈥檚 also eventually what brought me to Medicine Hat.鈥�
Now that Valentine鈥檚 Day is coming up, Penner suggested that people attend her book signing on Feb. 11, at Cole鈥檚 in Medicine Hat.
鈥淭he message I鈥檓 going for is, 鈥榊ou got a heartache on Valentine鈥檚 Day? Try this book.鈥�
