Ask the Author: Miriam Körner
Answered Questions (8)
Miriam Körner
Hi Lonna,
No I don't live in Nunavut. The inspiration for the book comes from my experience racing sled dogs between Churchill, Manitoba and Arviat, Nunavut along the coast of Hudson Bay. I learned a lot about dogs and the land from the Inuit mushers I traveled with and it changed the way I see the world - very much like it changes the way the protagonist sees the world. I am very grateful for these experiences and the support of my friends in Arviat, who not only did the Inuktitut translations, but ensured that the way I potrayed the Inuit that Emmylou meets in a way readers in Arviat can identify with.
No I don't live in Nunavut. The inspiration for the book comes from my experience racing sled dogs between Churchill, Manitoba and Arviat, Nunavut along the coast of Hudson Bay. I learned a lot about dogs and the land from the Inuit mushers I traveled with and it changed the way I see the world - very much like it changes the way the protagonist sees the world. I am very grateful for these experiences and the support of my friends in Arviat, who not only did the Inuktitut translations, but ensured that the way I potrayed the Inuit that Emmylou meets in a way readers in Arviat can identify with.
Miriam Körner
At the moment we have fourteen dogs, but lots of them are retired now - like Fuzzy who inspired Yellow Dog.
Miriam Körner
Hi Holly,
Thanks for your question. I decided to write Yellow Dog in 2013 about ten years after I moved to northern Saskatchewan. I love the north, the people here, sled dogs and adventure stories, but there weren't really any books set in northern Saskatchewan that had all these things in them. And yet, people always tell stories here about life on the trapline and then of course I have my own dog team that inspires my own stories. Sooo... long story short I decided if there isn't a book written yet, I should write one for the kids that live up here, so they have characters they can identify with and for the kids down south and in other provinces, so get to see a world they otherwise might never get to experience. Hope that answers your question. Miriam
Thanks for your question. I decided to write Yellow Dog in 2013 about ten years after I moved to northern Saskatchewan. I love the north, the people here, sled dogs and adventure stories, but there weren't really any books set in northern Saskatchewan that had all these things in them. And yet, people always tell stories here about life on the trapline and then of course I have my own dog team that inspires my own stories. Sooo... long story short I decided if there isn't a book written yet, I should write one for the kids that live up here, so they have characters they can identify with and for the kids down south and in other provinces, so get to see a world they otherwise might never get to experience. Hope that answers your question. Miriam
Miriam Körner
Hm... it's more "How do you make time to write?" There are so many stories ready to pour out on paper, that I can't keep up with the writing. I have two more YA novels in my mind and a autobiographical adult novel, and two picture books, as well as a cartoon book that I started 13 years ago.
Miriam Körner
My next YA novel. This time my character is a feisty girl, that's causing me all sorts of trouble. Like Jeremy in "Yellow Dog" she will get involved in training sled dogs, but this time the novel will take the reader into a very different part of Canada.
Miriam Körner
Write. And then read. And write some more. See your first book as your 'education'. This is where you learn how to write a good story. Be only concerned with that. Even if the first book never gets published you will be surprised how much it informs your writing the next time around.
Miriam Körner
Definitely the writing! My characters have their own heads and quite often they do unexpected things that leave me puzzled and I have to figure out how it fits in the story. I get to know them quite intimately and I love to follow them on their journey to make sense of the world around them.
Miriam Körner
In short: By spending a lot of time with my Alaskan Huskies. For "Yellow Dog" it was exploring the old trapline trails of Northern Saskatchewan (Canada) by dog team and meeting people along the trail that shared their stories about growing up with dogs on the trapline.
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