SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Closer to Far Away
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.kristinbutcher.com/
CITY: Campbell River
STATE:
COUNTRY: Canada
NATIONALITY: Canadian
LAST VOLUME: SATA 351
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born April 23, 1951, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; married Rob Butcher, August 15, 1970; children: Sara Newton, Dan.
EDUCATION:University of Victoria, teacher certification, 1972. University of Winnipeg, B.A. (education), 1987; attended University of Manitoba, 1989.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Teacher in Manitoba and British Columbia, Canada, 1972-96; Education International, Victoria, Canada, technical writer, 1996-97, author, beginning 1997. Worked variously as a real estate sales administer, property manager assistant, office manager, item records clerk, tour package organizer, and cashier. Presenter at schools and libraries.
MEMBER:Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators, and Performers; Children’s Writers and Illustrators (liaison/recording secretary of Vancouver Island and Gulf Island branch); Victoria Children’s Literature Roundtable; Canadian Children’s Book Centre.
AWARDS:Silver Birch Award regional winner, Ontario Library Association (OLA), 1998, and Silver Pencil Award (Netherlands), both for The Runaways; Great Canadian Short Story Competition runner-up, Storyteller magazine, 1999, for “Waltzing Annie Home;” Book of the Year finalist, Canadian Library Association (CLA), 2000, for The Tomorrow Tunnel; OLA Best Bet selection, 2001, CLA Book of the Year for Children shortlist, Violet Downey Book for Children shortlist, Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire, and “Our Choice” selection, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, all 2002, and British Columbia Children’s Choice Award shortlist, 2003, all for The Gramma War; OLA Best Bet selection and CLA Children’s Book Award nominee, both 2002, both for Cairo Kelly and the Mann; British Columbia Children’s Choice Award (Chocolate Lily Award), 2006, for Zee’s Way; Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize shortlist, 2010, for Return to Bone Tree Hill; British Columbia Children’s Choice Award (Chocolate Lily Award), 2011, for Zach and Zoe: Bully and the Beagle.
WRITINGS
Contributor of book reviews to Canadian Review of Materials and Canadian Book Review.
Author’s work has been translated into Spanish.
SIDELIGHTS
In her novels for middle graders and teens, which include The Runaways, Cheat, Winter Road, In Search of Sam, Isobel’s Stanley Cup, and Girls like Me, Kristin Butcher highlights young people who have a problem to solve and end up learning much about themselves in the process. A teacher, Butcher designs her novels to be easy reads: addressing contemporary issues, they have short chapters, engaging dialogue, and often include romance, mystery, or adventure. A Canadian who grew up in rural British Columbia, Butcher has also contributed to the “Zach and Zoe” reader series.
Published in 1998, Butcher’s debut novel, The Runaways, focuses on Nick, a young teen who lives with his mother and a stepfather he dislikes. When he learns that his mom is now pregnant, Nick runs away and finds shelter in an old abandoned house. There he meets Luther, a homeless man who lives on the streets and keeps his painful past a secret. The two soon become friends, and Nick slowly learns that his problems are not very bad when compared to those of others. Returning home to his family, the teenager is inspired by his new friend to write a school report on the poor and homeless living in his town. He also volunteers at a local soup kitchen and eventually finds a way to help Luther in a way that will change the man’s life for the better. A Kirkus Reviews critic called The Runaways a “convincing view of the sparking of a young person’s social conscience,” while Lucinda Lockwood described it in School Library Journal as “an interesting, sensitive portrayal of homeless citizens.”
In The Gramma War, readers meet Annie, a girl whose life is turning upside down. Her grandmother can no longer live alone and must move in with Annie and her family. This means that Annie now has to send her gerbils to the neighbors and share a room with her grumpy older sister. To make matters worse, Gramma is ill and difficult to live with. She picks on Annie and makes demands all day long. When Annie’s favorite teacher leaves, she thinks her life is over, but suddenly she develops an interest in her ancestors and joins the Junior Genealogical Society. She is able to enlist the help of her grandmother to find out about her family’s history, and they soon develop a relationship of their own. Annie learns to deal with a wide range of emotions in this book that Debbie Feulner of School Library Journal called a “heartwarming story about change in a young person’s life.”
In Cheat readers meet Laurel Quinn, a high-school journalist who hopes to find recognition apart from being the little sister of a star school athlete. Laurel finds her big break when she spots incidents of cheating during a math test. Writing an article condemning cheating for her school newspaper backfires, however. Instead of being applauded for her honesty, she is condemned by her classmates and treated differently by some teachers. Determined to root out dishonesty, Laurel continues her investigation, although an anonymous tip leads her to an unpleasant truth. Writing in School Library Journal, Lalitha Nataraj recommended Cheat for its target audience, noting that the novel’s “pacing will keep reluctant readers hooked until the very end.” “Laurel’s clandestine probing provides plenty of plot tension,” according to Booklist contributor Lynn Rutan, and a Kirkus Reviews critic recommended Butcher’s novel as “a speedy read” that “does not offer a tidy, Pollyanna-ish conclusion.”
In Chat Room, Butcher focuses on two high-school outcasts: introverted Linda and class malcontent Janice. Although Linda and Janice have been friends for a while, they find a point of disagreement when several Internet chat rooms are made available on their high school’s website. While Janice is apprehensive, Linda wants to give this neutral social ground a try, disguising her identity behind the screen name “Roxanne.” Linda expresses herself openly in cyberspace and soon develops a relationship with a young man that quickly escalates into a crush. After a surprise invitation brings her to the next school dance, the teen’s assumptions as to her crush’s identity are proved wrong, as are her assumptions about how others view her in real life. In Chat Room, Butcher presents “a balanced look at [teens’] … social connections, both real and virtual, and the basic need to feel accepted,” according to Stephanie Squicciarini in Kliatt. Noting that the novel adapts the plot of Edmund Rostand’s 1897 stage play Cyrano de Bergerac, Leslie Little added in Resource Links that Butcher’s “realistic twist at the end provides a confident counterpoint to” other adaptations of the literary classic.
Narrated from the point of view of Emma, a sixteen-year-old victim of assault, Girls like Me highlights the issues surrounding consent and toxic masculinity. Emma and best friend Jen both like Ross, a star athlete at their high school, and Emma is thrilled when Ross offers to drive her home after school. Raped by the young man, she becomes the topic of gossip when he announces to his friends that she offered herself to him sexually. Although she soon discovers she is pregnant, Emma has a miscarriage, but confiding this to her mother also damages their relationship. Amid all these problems, she also recognizes a duty to her friend Jen, who is now proudly dating the deceitful athlete. Praising the effective way in which Emma shares “her emotional journey” with readers, a Kirkus Reviews critic deemed Girls like Me a “positive #MeToo story.”
[OPEN NEW]
Butcher went in a different direction with her middle-grade fantasy series “The Seer Trilogy.” The series opener, The Druid and the Dragon, introduced Maeve, a farm girl who learns from a dragon that her gifts are vital for saving her kingdom. The series continued with The Bridge of Whispers and then wrapped up with The Sorcerer’s Revenge.
Butcher returned to her roots with the middle-grade novel Closer to Far Away. It was a novel she had worked on when she first started writing, and she decided to return to the manuscript to revise it. It is set in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the early 1920s, and thirteen-year-old Lucy May is grieving her mother’s unexpected death. She finds purpose in trying to hold her family together, but this proves difficult. Her older brother is getting in trouble, her younger brother is forgetting his mother, and her father has hired a housekeeper Lucy May does not like. “A warm and insightful exploration into the nature of grief and healing,” wrote a contributor in Kirkus Reviews. They described Lucy as “equal parts fragile and fierce,” and they predicted that Lucy’s challenges “will resonate with a contemporary audience.”
[CLOSE NEW]
“When I’m writing, I never really know what’s going to happen until I write it,” Butcher once told SATA. “I begin with a general idea, and I mull it over for a while to see if it wants to go anywhere. When characters walk into my thoughts, I get to know them. They usually arrive with names. It’s like I look at them in my head and they introduce themselves. I might not even like their names, but that’s who they are, and I accept them. Then I talk to them. I ask them questions and listen to their answers. I put them in situations and watch what they do. Once I have at least two characters, I note how they interact with each other. I never have to question whether or not they are acting realistically, because I’m not making them do anything. I’m simply recording their thoughts, words, and actions. I think this is probably a lucky thing for a writer.
“For me then, writing is just as exciting as reading—maybe more exciting—because I’m the one doing it and it’s still a surprise! Even when I think I know what’s going to happen next, the characters can take the plot in a completely different direction than I had intended. And what they do is always better than what I had planned. That’s when I look at my pen and wonder if the whole story is inside it or me.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, April 15, 1998, review of The Runaways, p. 1444; October 1, 2001, review of The Gramma War, p. 318; December 15, 2010, Lynn Rutan, review of Cheat, p. 52.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, January, 2002, p. 166.
Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Volume 50, number 8, Jangmi West, review of Chat Room, p. 693.
Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 1998, review of The Runaways, p. 399; May 1, 2009, review of Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers: One Hundred Ancient Egyptian Jobs You Might Have Desired or Dreaded; September 15, 2009, review of Return to Bone Tree Hill; September 15, 2010, review of Cheat; June 15, 2019, review of Girls like Me; September 1, 2020, review of The Druid and the Dragon; January 1, 2025, review of Closer to Far Away.
Kliatt, November, 2006, Stephanie Squicciarini, review of Chat Room, p. 17.
Resource Links, June, 2001, review of The Gramma War, p. 8; June, 2004, Heather Empey, review of Zee’s Way, p. 24; June, 2006, Leslie Little, review of Chat Room, p. 22; February, 2010, Susan Miller, review of Zach and Zoe: Bully and the Beagle, p. 8; February, 2014, Patricia Jermey, review of Cabin Girl, p. 25; October, 2014, Karyn Huenemann, review of Alibi, p. 25; April, 2015, Joan Givner, review of In Search of Sam, p. 23; February, 2019, Elizabeth Brown, review of Isobel’s Stanley Cup, p. 11.
School Library Journal, April, 1998, Lucinda Lockwood, review of The Runaways, p. 128; September, 2001, Debbie Feulner, review of The Gramma War, p. 223; August, 2008, Clare A. Dombrowski, review of Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers, p. 88; February, 2011, Lalitha Mataraj, review of Cheat, p. 102; June, 2015, Jodeana Kruse, review of In Search of Sam, p. 110.
ONLINE
Annick Press website, https://www.annickpress.com (July 31, 2019).
Crwth Press website, https://www.crwth.ca/ (September 12, 2018), author interview.
Dundurn Press website, https://www.dundurn.com/ (July 8, 2013), author interview.
Kristin Butcher website, https://www.kristinbutcher.com (July 22, 2025).
Laura Best, https://lauraabest.wordpress.com/ (October 14, 2024), Laura Best, author interview.
Simon Rose, https://simon-rose.com/ (November 10, 2024), Simon Rose, author interview.
Writers’ Union of Canada website, https://writersunion.ca/ (July 22, 2025), author bio.
Me
I love to dance. I love to laugh. I love to learn. Crossword puzzles relax me. Waiting frustrates me. I like spending time by myself. I use way too much salt. I make New Year's resolutions. My ideal job would be writing a television sitcom. The Great Gilly Hopkins is my favorite kids' book. I appreciate witty people. I dislike whiners. I have better friends than I deserve and a family who gives me strength.
I quite like my life. In fact, if there's such a thing as reincarnation, I'm coming back as me.
Kristin Butcher
Canada
Kristin Butcher is a Canadian writer and reviewer of young adult and juvenile fiction. Her first novel, The Runaways was published that same year and went on to be a regional Silver Birch Award winner. Since then she has published ten other books, including two biographies for primary readers and three titles in the successful Soundings series from Orca Books, one of which (Zee's Way) won the 2006 Chocolate Lily Award.
Genres: Young Adult Fiction
New and upcoming books
March 2025
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Closer to Far Away
Series
Zach & Zoe
1. Zach & Zoe and the Bank Robber (2008)
2. Bully and the Beagle (2009)
3. Zack & Zoe and the River Rescue (2011)
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Truths I Learned from Sam
1. Truths I Learned from Sam (2013)
2. In Search of Sam (2015)
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Seer Trilogy
1. Druid and the Dragon (2020)
2. The Bridge of Whispers (2021)
3. The Sorcerer's Revenge (2022)
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Novels
The Runaways (1997)
The Gramma War (2001)
The Trouble With Liberty (2002)
Cairo Kelly and the Mann (2002)
The Hemingway Tradition (2002)
Zee's Way (2004)
Chat Room (2006)
Return to Bone Tree Hill (2009)
The Last Superhero (2010)
Cheat (2010)
Caching In (2013)
Alibi (2014)
Winter Road (2018)
Isobel's Stanley Cup (2018)
Girls Like Me (2019)
Closer to Far Away (2025)
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Novellas and Short Stories
Cabin Girl (2014)
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Series contributed to
Science Squad Adventure
1. Summer of Suspense (2002)
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Non fiction hide
Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers (2009)
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Kristin Butcher
BIO
Teacher, mother, grandmother, and former child—Kristin Butcher taps all these resources when creating her books for young people. Kristin published her first middle grade novel in 1997 and hasn't looked back since. She now has 30 books for young people—fiction and non-fiction—with many more under construction.
Kristin Butcher never planned to be a writer, but she’s been doing it professionally now for nearly 25 years, and she still loves it. Kristin has been a finalist for the Sheila E. Egoff Award, the IODE Violet Downey Award, the Silver Birch Award, CLA Book of the Year Award and many more. Her books have been OLA Best Bets and ALA Quick Picks selections, and she is a two-time winner of the Chocolate Lily Award.
Kristin can't imagine not writing. Aside from family, it is the single most rewarding part of her life, and even if she never published another book, she would continue to create stories.
For more information about Kristin and her books, visit her website at www.kristinbutcher.com.
ADDRESSCity: Campbell River, Province/Territory: British Columbia
EMAILc/o TWUC
LANGUAGESEnglish
PUBLICATIONS
Title
Closer to Far Away
Publisher
Red Deer Press
Year
2024
LINKS
https://www.kristinbutcher.com/
PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPSPresentation detailsAudience Size
Varies
Presentation GenreVariousPresentation Length1 hourPresentation Description
Varies
Presentation Fee(s)$300 plus GST/hrWorkshop detailsAudience SizevariesIntended AudiencevariesWorkshop LengthvariesWorkshop Description
varies
Workshop Fee(s)varies
School presentation detailsAudience Size100 maxIntended Audiencegrade 4 upPresentation Length40 minutes to 1 hourPresentation Description
varies
Presentation Fee(s)$300 plus GST per hour or part thereof
Programs & InterestsInterested in participating Union’s Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program:
No
Interested in participating in the Northern Ontario WITS program:
No
Nov 10, 2024Posted by Simon Rose on Nov 10, 2024 | Comments Offon Behind the Story with Kristin Butcher
Behind the Story with Kristin Butcher
Behind the Story with Kristin Butcher
Today I welcome award-winning author, Kristin Butcher, to my blog. Kristin and I met in Toronto 20 years ago when we were both touring Ontario for CCBC Canadian Children’s Book Week. Since then, Kristin has been a Book Week presenter twice more and has published 30 books for kids and teens. Her most recent title is Closer to Far Away, a coming of age novel about a 13-year-old girl in rural Saskatchewan during prohibition. It involves a family tragedy, bootlegging, strained relationships, and the power of love.
Kristin, this new novel is historical fiction. Isn’t that a departure for you?
Yes and no. Historical fiction is my favourite genre to read, and it is what I’ve always yearned to write, but there aren’t a lot of children’s publishers willing to take on historical novels. So, when I dipped my toe into the publishing industry waters, I thought it wiser to write stories set in modern times. Being a teacher, I was familiar with the sorts of books kids were reading, and so that’s what I wrote. That didn’t mean I wasn’t also writing historical fiction. I just wasn’t submitting it for publication. I actually wrote the original draft of Closer to Far Away back in 2001. Then I shut it away in a file on the computer and forgot about it for 22 years.
What made you pull it out again?
My love of the genre hasn’t ebbed over the years, and I’m not getting any younger. If I want to pursue my dream of writing historical fiction, it’s now or never. On the bright side, I have established a name for myself in the industry, and my hope is that my reputation might help me find publishers willing to take a chance on the genre. Crwth Press published my historical hockey story, Isobel’s Stanley Cup (2018) and after that a magical realism series of books set in 11th century Ireland called The Seer Trilogy. The hockey book was especially well-received, and that encouraged me to keep pushing, and so I reopened the file on Closer to Far Away.
I see the publisher is Red Deer Press. Why the change?
There are a few reasons. For starters, Crwth Press wasn’t taking submissions at the time, so I couldn’t go back to that well. Over the course of my writing career, I’ve dealt with many publishers. Much as people might think that once a writer finds a publisher, the two are joined at the hip for eternity, that is not the case. The rejections don’t stop. But neither do I. If one door closes, I knock on another. In the past, I have knocked on Red Deer’s door a few times. I greatly admire Peter Carver, who was the editor there for years. Though I came close to acceptance a couple of times, I never actually secured a contract. The editor there now is Beverley Brenna, and the fact that Red Deer has published some very successful historical fiction novels recently was enticement to try there again. And the rest is history. (pun intended.)
Why this story?
I’m not really sure. Ideas fly in and out of my head all day long, so it’s hard to say why I glom onto some and let the others go. This story grew out of a vignette I wrote about a little girl in the early 1900s in Saskatchewan, who witnesses a funeral at the church at the end of her street. It is a freezing cold day in February, and the little girl is filled with questions afterwards. The vignette focuses on her struggle to make sense of what she has seen. Closer to Far Away grew out of that. It became the story of what happens to this girl and her family 8 years later when the mother dies suddenly. The story opens following the mother’s funeral.
What can readers look forward to next?
I seem to be stuck on the Canadian prairies during the early part of the 20th century. I recently finished a novel based on my grandfather’s experience as a Barnardo boy and then a Canadian home child. The story begins in London, England in 1911, where 11-year-old William and his young sister, Lily, become orphaned and find themselves in Dr. Barnardo’s Home for Destitute Children. They become separated when William is sent to Canada as a home child. He ends up with an abusive farmer in Saskatchewan, and realizes that if he is going to survive, he must run away and somehow find his sister. This sort of situation wasn’t unusual at that time, and I think it is a part of Canadian history sadly ignored in literature. The novel is called Finding William and is currently searching for a publisher.
At the moment I am working on another middle-grade novel titled Those Lawler Girls. Set in post-World War l Winnipeg at the time of the Spanish Flu pandemic and the Winnipeg General Strike, it is the story of Jenny Lawler and her family and how they struggle to survive the challenges of the time. It tackles such themes as poverty, frenemies, family, social change, compassion, and determination. The topics may sound heavy, but the characters—particularly Jenny’s little sister, Louisa—ground the book and provide a good deal of humour.
Thank you, Kristin. You are definitely keeping busy.
The launch for Closer to Far Away is coming up on Saturday, November 23rd. If you’re in the Campbell River area, please pop in to Coho Books and join the fun. For more information about Kristin and her books, visit her website at www.kristinbutcher.com.
Interview with Kristen Butcher
I am absolutely thrilled to welcome author Kristen Butcher to my blog today. While I’ve not met Kristen in person, I’ve come to admire her through social media. Not only is she a talented author, but she is also an artist of exception caliber.
Though Kristin has been writing since she could hold a pencil — her first attempts were tracing over the script of letters her mother received in the mail — she wasn’t actually published until 1997 (The Runaways/Kids Can Press). Since then she’s added 29 more titles to that list. As a former teacher, she understands the need for books for kids and teens who think they don’t like reading, and so was thrilled to be a frequent contributor to the Orca Soundings and Currents books. Over the years she has written 10 novels for those imprints.
Historical fiction has always been Kristin’s reading genre of choice and that is now her writing focus. Her next novel for middle-grade readers, titled Closer to Far Away (Red Deer Press), is set in 1921 Saskatchewan during prohibition. It is scheduled for release November 15th.
When Kristin isn’t writing, she can be found drawing and painting or sitting in front of the television cheering on the Leafs and the Blue Jays.
LB: It is such a treat having you on my blog today, Kristin. Your latest book is titled, Closer to Far Away. What was the inspiration behind this book?
KB: I wrote the first draft of this story 23 years ago (and then shut it in a drawer until recently), so I honestly don’t remember what inspired me to write about a family in rural Saskatchewan during prohibition. For some reason, Saskatchewan holds an allure for me, and though I’ve never lived there, I’ve used it as the setting for quite a few stories. My mother-in-law was from Saskatchewan. She was a quiet woman, but every now and again she would tell stories from her growing up years in Lang. There was one that hit me hard. It was about a nurse in the town who died in a housefire during the winter, because the doors and windows had been boarded up against the cold, and when fire broke out, she couldn’t escape Though the novel isn’t about that story, the echo of it is included in the novel and provides a motive for the attitude and actions of one of the central characters. Beats me where the rest of the story came from.
LB: I am in awe of the many books you have published over the years. If I’m correct, Closer to Far Away is your 30th book and is set in Saskatchewan in 1921, but you have also written in a variety of other genres over the years. Do you have a favourite genre and do you know before you begin writing what genre that next book will be?
KB: Interesting question. This is where I reveal how opportunistic I am. Ideas are my thing – always have been. I have no shortage of them, and I can conjure them on command and coax one into becoming a novel with very little effort. That’s just how my mind works. The truth is I write about whatever has recently popped into my head or what a publisher has asked me to write. My two biographies for new readers, two of the Zach and Zoe books, Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers, Summer of Suspense, In Search of Sam, and Alibi were all written on request. My 10 Orca Soundings and Currents titles were contracted on outlines. Sometimes all I have is a title I like, so I have to come up with a story that fits the title. The Hemingway Tradition and Return to Bone Tree Hill were both born that way. The Seer Trilogy started off as a single book (I have always loved Druids and have wanted to base a story on them), but when my beta reader (my 9-year-old granddaughter) read it and asked how the protagonist could be a seer if she wasn’t a Druid, she hit upon an issue so important, I knew I was going to have to write two more books in order to address it.
As for choosing the genre, I generally just write the story I want to tell and let the publisher worry about what genre to slot it into. As I begin to write, I can tell how old my protagonist should be, and that pretty much determines the target audience. The subject matter narrows down the genre.
My favourite genre to read is historical fiction, but I resisted writing it for many years, because I didn’t think there was much of a market for it in books for young people. But now, having been a published writer for over 25 years, I’ve decided that’s what I want to write, so I’m doing it. I’ve always believed times change, but people don’t. Human needs, wants, hopes, fears, thoughts, and emotions transcend time and place. Young people can only get a better sense of themselves and the world by experiencing other times and places through story.
LB: Is there anything interesting you’d like to share about the writing of this particular book—any challenges or surprises that might have happened along the way or was the writing of this book fairly straightforward?
KB: I got a grant from the BC Arts Council to write this book back in 2001. But as soon as I’d finished writing it, I knew it had problems – problems I wasn’t sure how to fix and wasn’t willing to ponder at that time. So, instead of sending it to a publisher and have them tell me there were problems, I put the manuscript away – for 22 years. When I finally pulled it out again and reread it, I was surprised to find the problems weren’t as major as I’d thought, and they were all in the last third of the story. I decided quickly how they could be fixed, and I set to work fixing them. In less than two months, I was happy with the rewrite and sent it off to Beverley Brenna at Red Deer Press. And as the saying goes — the rest is history.
LB: Please share with us that the writing process is like for you. Are you a plotter or a pantser? Which comes first, the characters or the plot?
KB: I am a plotter in as much as I like to have a general idea where I’m going. I’m a KISS principle kind of a gal, and I use the same method for plotting every story. I start with a character. I give that character a problem, always expressed as a question. For instance, in Closer to Far Away, the central character is Lucy May Barber and the question is “Can Lucy keep her family together?” When that question presents itself in the story, that is the inciting incident, and when the question is answered – either yes or no – that is the climax. Ta-da! Instant plotline. Then it’s just a matter of filling in the details. Some people might not see that as an outline, but it tells me where I’m going, and it keeps me on track. As I learn more particulars, I add them. It’s like going on a car trip and having a map. I can go fast or slow and stop to explore along the way, but if my goal is to get from Edmonton to Winnipeg, I don’t accidentally wander towards Vancouver.
Of course it is important to develop a good plot in a story to keep the reader wondering what happens next, but for me story must always be about the characters. The world could end and it wouldn’t matter if there aren’t characters the reader cares about, so I believe the point of plot is to reveal and develop character.
LB: Do you have any advice for writers out there who are hoping to one day be published?
KB: The one thing that all writers have in common is that they can’t not write. Writing is a healthy addiction. Writers write whether they are published or not. So I would say to a budding writer, don’t make publication your focus. Make writing your focus. Write for yourself. Write what you like and write the way you like. And read lots. The more you read and write, the better you’ll get and maybe somewhere down the line you’ll submit a piece somewhere. The only reason to write is because you love doing it.
LB: Before we go, can you tell us when and where Closer to Far Away will be available for purchase?
KB: Closer to Far Away Closer was released much earlier than originally expected and is starting to land on bookstore shelves as we speak. If you don’t see it, ask and the shop will order it in. It is available in all the usual places–brick and mortar stores as well as online booksellers such as Amazon and Indigo
LB: Thanks so much for doing this interview. I am looking forward to reading Closer to Far Away and from one historical fiction writer to another, I wish you every success with this book and all your future projects. Take care.
February in 1921 Whitaker, Saskatchewan, is colder and bleaker than usual as 13-year-old Lucy May Barber mourns her mother’s sudden death. Unable to foresee life without Mama, Lucy decides it’s up to her to hold the family together. But that turns out to be easier said than done, and it isn’t long before everything starts going wrong. Papa hires a meddling housekeeper; five-year-old Teddy starts forgetting Mama; 15-year-old Tom gets involved with bootleggers; and Papa buries himself in his work, leaving the children to fend for themselves. In addition, Papa blames their favourite uncle for Mama’s death and banishes him from their home. Lucy fears all is lost, until another tragedy forces her to confront her grief in a different way.
To find out more about Kristin and her books check out Kristin Butcher. Com.
Butcher, Kristin CLOSER TO FAR AWAY Red Deer Press (Children's None) $14.95 3, 1 ISBN: 9780889957497
After the sudden death of her mama in 1921 Saskatchewan, Lucy is afraid that her memory will be erased by a new housekeeper.
Thirteen-year-old Lucy Barber is determined to fill Mama's role. Only by learning to do her chores does Lucy feel that Mama is close. First, Aunt Faye visits and interferes with the household; then Papa hires Mrs. Jenkins, who introduces new routines, sparking Lucy's resentment. Worse, 5-year-old Teddy is forgetting Mama and latching on to Mrs. Jenkins instead. Papa and Tom, Lucy's older brother, don't notice the changes--Papa is immersed in work, and Tom seems to be hiding something suspicious and is hanging out with a friend Lucy doesn't care for. Further disrupting the family equilibrium, Papa blames Uncle Ed for the fire that caused Mama's death. Lucy is determined to drive Mrs. Jenkins away, keep Tom out of trouble, and bring her family together, but when she goes too far, the consequences aren't what she desired. Details about farm life, domestic routines, and Prohibition firmly establish the rural historical setting, while Lucy's emotional struggles will resonate with a contemporary audience. Lucy is equal parts fragile and fierce as she tries to deal with her grief, and her misguided attempts to keep life from changing are both understandable and heartbreaking. Ultimately, the knowledge that she isn't alone in her experience helps Lucy move forward. The cast presents white.
A warm and insightful exploration into the nature of grief and healing. (author interview)(Historical fiction. 8-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Butcher, Kristin: CLOSER TO FAR AWAY." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A821608469/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1a1bd501. Accessed 11 June 2025.
Butcher, Kristin THE DRUID AND THE DRAGON Crwth Press (Children's None) $9.95 10, 15 ISBN: 978-1-989724-03-3
A young girl must find the bravery within to save the kingdom.
Maeve has often gotten in trouble for being a daydreamer. Images go through her head of castles, kings, warriors, and dragons, but she never knew where these thoughts came from. The villagers in her small community think she is a simpleton except for Declan, the young Druid bard she meets at the market when she goes to sell eggs. When Declan introduces Maeve to Bradan, a seer who perceives Maeve’s daydreams more as visions, Bradan wants to help her develop her skills and reassures her that she is not foolish. Maeve is resistant until she meets Riasc Tiarna, a dragon that can communicate with Maeve through her thoughts and who lets her know that she is destined for a task that is extremely important—and she is the only one who can accomplish it. Maeve is stubborn and ornery at times, and her parents are abusive and mean, but insufficient characterization makes these traits feel foundationless. Unfortunately, the worldbuilding also lacks depth. The development of the chosen one trope doesn’t bring anything new to the genre but could be intriguing to young readers encountering it for the first time as the story comes to a satisfying end. All characters are cued as White.
A middling fantasy. (Fantasy. 8-11)
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Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Butcher, Kristin: THE DRUID AND THE DRAGON." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A634467356/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4dac6d2e. Accessed 11 June 2025.