An Abbotsford author of 12 children’s books hopes the public can help grant her father’s long-time wish of seeing her work displayed on the shelves of the local library.
Dawn Doig’s father, Ronald Young, passed away from COVID-19 on April 19 after catching the virus at Worthington Pavilion. Doig, who currently lives and teaches in Cameroon with her husband, was unable to travel to see him before he died.
“My father was an avid reader and frequented the Abbotsford Library. He told me numerous times that a dream of his was to see my books on display in the local library,” Doig said. “Dad was an orphan… He instilled in us, from an early age, the need for education.
“I try to write stories that will help children realize they are not alone with their challenges.”
| The 12 published children’s books by Dawn Doig. |
Doig, a graduate of Abbotsford Senior Secondary, said she wrote her first book when she was just 13 years old after a major back surgery ended her athletic career.
“That’s when I became even more driven to have good grades and really tapped into my creative side,” Doig said. “Dad wrote lots of poetry and I followed in his footsteps.”
After finishing university in 1990, having her daughter a year later and beginning her 23-year career as a audiologist, Doig put her creative writing on hold. Her job would take her all over Canada and as far away as England, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, before she eventually switched careers to become a travelling teacher with her husband.
Doig said she found the drive to write again in 1997, three years after the birth of her son, but most of her stories went unpublished until she connected with a small U.S. publisher, Pen It! Publications, in 2017.
“I can still remember when I opened the email that said they loved my story and wanted to offer me a contract. I literally jumped off my chair and hollered to my husband. I was ecstatic. It has been a whirlwind three years as Pen It! has accepted and published one book after another.”
The publisher has now put out 12 of her books and she currently has another on the way.
Doig said she emailed the Abbotsford Library hoping they would pick up her books, but hasn’t received a response. She hopes some local demand will make her dad’s dream a reality.
“I miss him… He never failed to tell me how proud he was of my achievements,” she said. “He dreamed that one day he would see my ‘Big Show Bear’ characters all over his lawn.”
