Schemenauer uses Mennonite roots for latest novels
Elma Schemenauer has published 78 books in her many years working in publishing.
SASKATOON—Elma Schemenauer's journey to becoming a published author began in the quaint village of Elbow, about 130 kilometres south of Saskatoon. Her storytelling skills were shaped by the tales she heard and the Mennonite traditions of her parents, Dutch-German-Polish Mennonite immigrants from Russia. She fell in love with writing further in school, where her excitement sometimes kept her awake.
"My parents and other relatives were terrific storytellers. Hearing their stories of the Old Country and their new lives in Saskatchewan fostered my love of storytelling. Also, I was inspired by the stories I heard in our Mennonite church. They were full of drama, excitement, and spiritual lessons — stories of Adam and Eve, Miriam and her little brother Moses, Queen Esther, Samson and Delilah, Daniel in the lion's den, Jesus stilling a storm, Jesus raising a girl from the dead, etc.," Schemenauer told SaskToday.
"I enjoyed the writing assignments in school more than anything else except reading. Sometimes, I lay awake at night, too excited to sleep because of what I planned to write. One of my stories was about children stranded in a one-room school when a blizzard howled across the prairie. Another was about my grandma being attacked by a rooster in her chicken yard. She took her shoe off and fended him off with it. This story was based on an actual incident."
She was also fortunate to have a teacher in high school who motivated her to continue writing and encouraged her to enter contests, further honing her skills. Although she never won, this experience was good for her. She later attended the University of Saskatchewan, where one of her professors liked her writing and helped polish it.
Despite her passion for writing, Schemenauer was uncertain how to pursue it professionally in her early years. That led her to accept a teaching job in Nova Scotia, which also allowed her to nurture and be more creative, laying the foundation for what would later become her writing career.
Schemenauer's decision to pursue writing professionally didn't come overnight. It took years before she finally took the plunge, and in 1967, she moved from Nova Scotia to Toronto. It was a leap of faith that would eventually pay off.
"I thought if I was ever going to fulfil my dream, that mecca of Canadian and international publishing would be the place to do it. At first, I was unemployed, which was scary for a prairie chicken. Then — because I could type, file, and string words together — I found a low-level job with an accounting magazine. It kept a roof over my head while I interviewed for writing jobs. Eventually, an educational publishing company hired me to help edit and write books for schools. I was thrilled. I could hardly believe anyone would pay me to write," Schemenauer recalled.
"After eight years with the company, I went freelance, which meant working for whatever publishers would hire me. Mostly, I wrote what they wanted me to write. That was fine with me. I could get interested in almost any topic if it wasn't against my principles or beyond my understanding. The publishers had good ideas for books and knew their markets. They put my name on the covers and paid me royalties or flat fees. It was thrilling to get paid to write. I could hardly believe it."
She was pleased and proud to write and be published finally. Although many of the books were not her idea, she also wanted to publish books rooted in her own experiences, beliefs, and emotions. Over the years, she managed to have several of these published.
Among them are picture book Newton Mctootin and the Bang Bang Tree (Toronto: Magook, a division of McClelland & Stewart, 1979); Breadspeed: Wonderful No-Knead Yeast Breads in Two Hours (Toronto: Farland, 1988); Middle-grade novel Jacob Jacobs Gets Up Early (Halifax: Nimbus, 1991); 1940s-era Western Canadian Mennonite novel for adults Consider the Sunflowers (Ottawa: Borealis, 2015); YesterCanada: Historical Tales of Mystery and Adventure (Ottawa: Borealis, 2016); and 1970s-era Western Canadian Mennonite novel for adults Song for Susie Epp (Kamloops: Farland, 2024).
Finally getting published
It was Schemenauer's childhood dream to be a published author, and she even wrote a poem about spring when she was eight, which she stuck in a bottle and threw into a pond-like slough on her parent's farm where she hoped someone would find and read it. "That was my first foray into publishing."
Her first published book was the picture book Newton McTootin and the Bang Bang Tree, which reflects her experiences and emotions of being an office worker from Saskatchewan who struggled to fit into a new life in Toronto.
"I wrote this story in about two months. When I submitted it to Magook, a division of McClelland & Stewart, the editor liked it except for the ending. She gave me four days to fix it. Publishers often have tight deadlines. My husband and I had planned to go on a driving trip. Despite my deadline, we set out. In the car, I asked him not to talk to me. I paid little attention to the scenery or anything else. I just concentrated on my story. By the time we got home, I had what I considered a pretty good ending," said Schemenauer.
"When the Magook editor read my new ending for Newton McTootin and the Bang Bang Tree, she said: 'You did it!' I was so thrilled I 'hardly knew where to leave myself,' to use a Mennonite expression. The book was published a few months later. The publication of that first book boosted my confidence, so writing became more manageable. Also, the experience of writing the book made me a better writer. So did writing all of my 78 published books. I like to think each one is better than the last."
Everyone's support
Schemenauer's published works got positive reviews from her family and friends and Canada's literary community. Her first novel, Jacob Jacobs Gets Up Early, is an adventure story set in New Brunswick for young readers.
"It's about an awkward 11-year-old who discovers the truth about Helga, a mysterious white moose from Renous and becomes a hero. My husband was and is a fan of this story. A cousin who's a teacher read it aloud to her classes every year for many years," Schemenauer said.
The royalty payments also showed her books were well-received, as they did well in the market and earned favourable reviews from several periodicals.
"A positive review appeared in the Toronto-based newspaper North York Mirror. I had a couple of opportunities to speak about Jacob Jacobs Gets Up Early at conferences. My later novels, Song for Susie Epp and Consider the Sunflowers, have garnered more reviews, media attention, and speaking opportunities.
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