Kiana Wardell fulfilled a lifetime dream recently. She published her first book, a collection of personal essays called “Daisy in the Rubble.”
“I always wanted to be an author,” said the 22-year-old recent university graduate. “Now I have something physical in my hands saying 'I did this.' I did a bucket list thing. I've accomplished one of my dreams.
“I am over the moon that people enjoy it, and that I'm getting positive feedback.”
Wardell, who studied communications and professional writing at the University of Toronto, wrote many of the stories in one of her classes.
Having returned to her hometown and begun a job in marketing for Palladino Honda Group, Wardell decided to write more stories about her life experiences and turn them into a book.
Some of the stories are about joining the military reserves at the age of 16 and about her struggles with body image.
But many of the stories are about how her family has adapted after her mother was in a car crash four years ago. An epileptic, her mother had a seizure while driving on Highway 69.
During the episode, she was so spaced out that she drove right past her family's home in Estaire and ended up in Parry Sound, where she eventually crashed the family's vehicle on the side of the road.
Due to a concussion suffered in the crash and other health problems, Wardell's mom has been robbed of much of her independence, and her children have stepped up to help out.
“The end of the book is really about how even though we've faced all of these difficulties and challenges and everything, family is what got us through it — that love and support,” Wardell said.
That's also the message behind the book's title, “Daisy in the Rubble.” Wardell said it comes from an experience when she noticed a daisy growing in a rocky patch of earth in late fall.
Wardell said she had a moment where she thought that if this beautiful daisy could grow, “I can be OK, I can get through this.”
A book signing for “Daisy in the Rubble,” published by Liferattle Press, takes place Saturday, June 2 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Chapters Sudbury.
The books cost $14.95, and are available at Chapters Sudbury and through online retailers such as Amazon.
