the seed

The rivers are flowing and so are the creeks they had to be quiet for so many weeks they had to be quiet but now they can shout it’s April, it’s April we’re coming, watch out!

That little poem, pinned to the corkboard of my grade three class, opened my gate of possibility.

My teacher, Miss Lytle, bubbled those words from behind her desk, and I marvelled at their magic. Could I make pictures from words, too? My love for writing started there, and I haven’t stopped since.

It’s my wish that my words here prompt you to reflect on your own creativity. Regardless of how you choose to express it, through cooking, painting, writing, tinkling on the piano, or simply how you listen and express yourself. I believe we are all creative beings.

enter,
The Muse

From that seed, my first novel, 77° North, was born.

Let me correct that—my first published novel. There are two others, one stuffed in a box somewhere in my basement, and another floating in the ether of my hard drive.

Add to that two screenplays, hundreds of poems, thirty-plus years of journals, and a cabinet filled with ideas scrawled on bits of paper that may or may not see the light of day. 

I call these practice rounds.

For a long while, I believed my creativity originated from some mystical connection with The Muse. A seraph sprinkling drams of inspiration that would trickle down my arm, out my fingers, and on to the page. And I have to admit, there have been moments when my pen seemed to have a mind of its own.  

But it’s mostly about the work. And never giving up. That’s where the joy lies.

I still see and feel that little boy marvelling at those words from the back of my grade three classroom. And now, six decades later, the dream arrives.

A Voice from Under the Ice

“We are the Foundlings, cultivators of all that sprout from the place of origin. We scatter in many places. This is just one. We are not perpetual beings; only the force of regeneration, renewal.”

“We do not know the shape of this unfolding, only the power that exists within, the power to chart its own course. The seed sprouts when ready and that time nears. All things begin with the seed, this seed, the girl child rooted in mountains of ice, the one who cannot see her wings that she might fly…”

Frozen in ice and time, a life energy awakens that cannot be denied. They are the Foundlings.

Could they be the link to rewriting the history of humankind on Earth?

Follow Inuit archaeologist Chulyin Nakasuk as she penetrates the mystery of their ancient power, unleashing a force that promises to heal her divided life, and refocus the faltering course of humanity.

Reviews for 77° North

  • “The language used throughout made this a compelling and beautiful read…There were so many layers to this and the mystery was what will be ever-lasting for me. It’s insights into Inuit culture, the history we try to bury in the name and excuse of progress, and money-hungry corporations who ignore the power of energy itself.”

    Sarah Butland, Book reviewer for The Miramichi Reader, author of Losing It At 40

  • “77° North, Wood’s debut novel, is a soliloquy of reconciliation bridging the gap which disconnects us among the cyclic structure of the universe. It’s a gentle caressing of the mind into forgetting so that we can remember better. It’s brilliant.”

    Andrew Lafleche, award-winning poet and novelist of Ride, No Diplomacy and A Pardonable Offence

  • “This book, in a word, is about — resolve … If that sounds familiar, it should. Countless movies, Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, and yearly news articles have similar themes. But here, in Wood’s grand attachment of reality melded to fiction, is the heart of magic/realism cast in northern light through the spirit of Inuit culture, and Chulyin, Raven, the bringer of light.”

    Keith Inman, award-winning poet with six books of poetry, his latest, The Way History Dries (Black Moss Press).