All over B.C., in every town and hidden corner, writers are working away, producing a huge variety of original books that you can find in book stores and libraries.
To celebrate the entertaining and award-winning works of B.C. writers, the legislature has declared Wednesday, April 9 as B.C. Book Day.
The event is being organized by the Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia. The association will promote published books and their authors, while the B.C. Booksellers Association will promote independent book stores and their role in promoting local books.
Here in Cranbrook, local book stores and the library are collaborating to feature books from all over the province.
"We are looking at it as an opportunity to say: this is the rich variety of stuff that is available," said Erin Dalton at Lotus Books.
Lotus will be open until 7 p.m. on Wednesday and will be showcasing the wide variety of local and B.C. work available, with specials on many titles.
"We like to carry a lot of local books and B.C. books, and there is such a wide variety for all kinds of people – we just want to highlight that," said Dalton.
B.C. books can be found in every category: fiction, children's books, cooking, travel, and history to name a few.
B.C. writers include Grant Lawrence, Wade Davis, Geoff Berner, Bev Sellars, and Stephen Leacock Award-winning writer Mark Leiren-Young.
Meanwhile, over at Pages Book Emporium, there will be a feature window of B.C. books and a display inside highlighting the best second-hand local books available, from history to fiction.
The two stores will also offer a reciprocal deal: if you take a receipt from Pages to Lotus and vice versa, you will go in the draw to win gift certificates from both stores.
Meanwhile, the Cranbrook Public Library is highlighting the One Book One Kootenay literary contest, which starts up again next month for its sixth year.
In the contest, Kootenay librarians whittle down a shortlist of books by Kootenay authors to three titles. Those three titles will be announced in May.
The three authors will then tour Kootenay libraries in June, as readers in the region have the chance to read their books and vote for a favourite.
The winning book is announced in September.