Janet Love Morrison can’t be pigeonholed.
The Maple Ridge author’s oeuvres span genres. She’s written a historical book about Whistler, chronicled the Crazy Canucks, shared her journey about personal transformation and even dabbled in fiction.
Despite the different genres, her theme remains the same.
“I tend to write about those who meet their challenges and rise,” says Love Morrison.
“I believe that they inspire others and when we all rise to be the best we can be, humanity will rise.”
In keeping with her penchant for variety, her latest venture Radar the Rescue Dog is a children’s book that’s meant to teach the fundamentals of mountain safety.
“Radar was a real dog, he was Canada’s first avalanche rescue dog,” says Love Morrison, who met the German Shepherd and his handler Bruce Watt when she lived in Whistler.
It’s a tale about three adventurous young skiers who venture out of bounds and find themselves lost on Whistler Mountain.
Radar tracks them down.
Love Morrison was inspired to write Radar’s story while researching an article about the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association.
The story sat on the shelf for more than a decade until she found a publisher.
“At that time, there wasn’t the avalanche awareness and backcountry awareness as there is now,” says Love Morrison.
“People weren’t skiing in the back-country as much as they do these days. Like so many things, when the consciousness is ready, things happen.”
Radar the Rescue Dog is illustrated by Zuzana Riha Driediger, a member of the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association who lives in Revelstoke and is currently training her third rescue dog, who looks a lot like Radar.
Justin Trudeau has written the foreword to the book because his family has been participated in mountain awareness since his brother Michel was tragically killed in an avalanche in November 1998.
Love Morrison is a Goodwill Ambassador for Friends to Mankind, an international non-profit foundation that works with individuals, corporation and philanthropic organizations towards the betterment of humanity.
It’s no wonder everything she writes must have a purpose.
“I believe my writing has to serve, it has to serve humanity somehow,” she says.
• Radar the Rescue Dog is available locally at Black Bond Books.
Workshop
• Aspiring writers are invited to a unique writers’ workshop at the Maple Ridge Public Library with Janet Love Morrison on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. This in-depth, hands-on workshop will cover the writing process from ideas, organization, style and effective writing to revising, editing and getting published. For more information, call the Maple Ridge Public Library at 604-467-7417.