Good afternoon everyone and welcome to another edition of The Avid Reader. Today our guest is Sarah Selecky, author of Radiant Shimmering Light, her latest work, published by Bloomsbury late last year. Sarah’s previous work included This Cake Is For The Party. She has been teaching people how to write receptively since 2001 in a small workshop that developed into a writing school that now boasts an international celebration. She has since opened The Story Incentive, a creative writing and mentorship program that runs each fall. As she has often said “writing creatively demands a special kind of attention; it needs to be laced with kindness and benevolent boundaries.

Sarah tries to bring inspiration, peace and creative satisfaction to writers… She even sends letters of support and instruction to her students once a month.

She loves Fabriano paper and dark chocolate, which I mention only because I love both as well.

So, to Radiant Shimmering Light.

Lilian Quick is a 40 year old woman who lives in Toronto, barely making ends meet on a sporadic check by check basis. She is doing her best to achieve personal enlightenment, while at the same time following a recipe for self-promotion and commercial success. A tricky row to hoe.

Somewhat mystically, Lillian has always seen auras around animals, and this sense is heightened as the book goes on, and she uses that talent in her profession of drawing pet portraits which include the glowing hues that surround her subjects.

What’s so fascinating about this book is that it has been called a satire, but it is difficult for me to envision it as one, since what it satirizes is not that much different from what we see in our world on a day to day basis.

That doesn’t take away from the fact that this book is really hilarious and as Lillian bumbles through her life, she finds herself in situations that may not be so much different from our own, and since laughter is such an ineffable quality, that laughter arises in part from what we see of us in her.

So just as Lillian is about to perhaps “make it” she comes across an old friend Florence (from her childhood) who now goes by the name of Eleven and runs what might be called either a Ponzi or pyramid scheme. Eleven is beautiful, charismatic and either a self aware self promoter (or not). Some women are easy targets and that may be so because they have been denied the empowerment that they so richly deserve.

Lillian’s voyage, partly with Eleven/Florence and partly and courageously on her own, make this book both a powerful and comic exploration for both Lillian and us.