Former Tyner resident writes his fourth book
BY JOAN JANZEN
joanjanzen@yahoo.com
Dan Danielson is excited about his latest book, “Tyner Tales from Goose River Lodge”, a follow-up of his three previous books. “My home town of Tyner gets top billing and our now vacant farmyard, known as ‘Goose River Lodge’ is the setting,” Dan said. “It’s where people came to enjoy nature and hunting and came to stay and visit.”
Dan grew up in the Tyner/Eston area and also farmed there. The cover of his latest book displays a photo of his old farmhouse, which they called ‘Goose River Lodge’. The book includes thirty-one poems and twelve farm fables spiced with humour, rural history and folklore. Also included in the book are some historical photos.
“The kind of photos I want are more difficult to find. I was lucky enough to have people to provide me with those pictures,” Dan said. The book also includes twelve sketches by Ted Hansen, which provide a visual for some of Dan’s stories and poems.
“The book comes from a lot of visits and meetings I’ve been at, where I would take notes when my mind would wander. I had an accumulation of material that I would someday put in a fourth book. So when the virus came along, I started at it. It shortened my time of writing because I had a lot of material to work with,” Dan explained. The book was written during the isolation period during COVID 19, and the completed product arrived at the beginning of July.
“For me, humour always helps break the ice in new situations,” Dan explains. “I love to find the comical side of life’s events.” As an author, Dan injects almost every piece of his work with simple to profound lessons, made more memorable with the help of some basic humour.
However, on the serious side, he points out some observations about how the “new normal” could be improved based on the best parts of the “old normal.”
“In my writing, there’s things that disappear and not enough things that return. The theme is very timely. It sums up how everybody needs to come together, join hands, put down differences, and solve some serious local, national and global problems,” Dan explained. But along the way, he utilizes folklore humour to break the ice and add enjoyment to his informative blend of non-fiction, fiction, and biographical-based real-life experiences.
“This book is not an academic type of book. I like to have a lot of humour in my books,” he said.
Anyone interested in the history and current aspects of rural life will find Dan’s book to be an excellent read. It is available by e-transfer to danielson@sasktel.net for $25 plus $5 for shipping.
“And I am available to come out for a public reading if anyone is interested,” Dan said.