Anne Pelletier endured her share of tragedies in recent years; the sudden death of her son Brandon in a car accident, followed by the break up of her marriage, but she found strength, hope and healing in the beauty and majesty of African wildlife.
She has written about about her recent visit to Africa titled “Healing My Cracked Heart in Africa”.
It is based on her photographs and her thoughts while in Kenya and Tanzania during a three week visit last December.
“The beauty is in being able to share these living memories, in hopes that it influences the readers, to live large, travel, introspect, become more than where they come from, and if ever they get stuck, as I was, they can be inspired to heal,” Anne Pelletier said.
Over the last week, Pelletier had been promoting her book and sharing her triumphs with others hoping to inspire others to realize there are ways of healing and carrying on no matter what burden’s one is dealing with
“I wrote this book because I wasn’t finished with my love of Africa. Words were coming at me and so I decided to turn the ending of my marriage into something beautiful...this book of poetry and photographs,” Pelletier said.
This week Pelletier launched “Healing My Cracked Heart in Africa” at the Coffee Warehouse from noon to 2 p.m. Friday is her last day at the Coffee Warehouse.
Pelletier also was at the Fishbowl on Tuesday and Wednesday. Pelletier has worked as a server at the Fishbowl and is friends with its owner.
Last Saturday she also launched her book in her home town, Iroquois Falls, at the Iroquois Falls public library.
Kenya and Tanzania were magical to Pelletier.
“I have been to Morocco, South Africa and Madagascar, before,” she said, “But this trip was beyond what I thought it would be.”
“The wildlife was showing off everywhere, I went,” remarked Pelletier, “Its like the giraffes had a meeting and said ‘ok Anne is coming with her camera so well stand like this and give her a good show.’”
Pelletier laughs at the thought.
The animals she viewed at several wildlife preserves and national parks were breathtaking according to Pelletier.
“One morning at 6:30 a.m. we came upon a lioness with two cubs, frolicking around in the hay and walking away. I have a shot of the cub trying to get a free ride on the lioness’ back. I loved that moment," said Pelletier.
There was also a similar scene with a baby baboon hanging off his mother’s pelt and strutting around like a leisure hitchhiker.
There were zebras huddling close together; and sleek leopards and wildebeest females with their new calves.
“My new favourite bird is the crown crane,” said Pelletier. “I have a photo in my book of a crown crane sitting on her eggs thinking she’s camouflaged, but the crown on her head is so majestic, there was no hiding her beauty. “
Pelletier who has also written and self-published two other books found this book a different experience.
“Writing a book was a different experience this time, said Pelletier, “I knew I’d write before the words came.”
“It was fun and it was work,” she added. “Everyday, I’d go for a walk in nature with my dog and I’d write more thoughts on notes.
My pen ink would freeze. I’d tuck it into my mitt to warm the in, write more, walk more. When I got home, I set a goal of one page a day or more.”
“I wrote for a week at the end of November prior to travelling to East Africa,” explained Pelletier. “I wrote in January finishing the last three pages on January 23rd,” she added.
Pelletier is appreciative that her close friend Louise Cantin, the owner of the Fishbowl was very supportive and helped to motivate her to write.
“I would send a writing to Louise and she’d say, ‘You must do something with this’“ explained Pelletier. “Write a novel. Write a song. Write another book. You cannot sit on this. “
Pelletier also acknowledges, that her ex-husband was also very supportive and encouraged her writing and praised her for her writing style.
“The push that both my ex- husband and Louise gave me, might have been the élan that the book has had,” Pelletier said.
“Writing for me is transformational. And fulfilling and freeing. This book is a creation of the best that my mind has to offer now, with a collection of the best of my eyes have seen, put together in a format that reads easily.”
And according to Pelletier, the message of her book is, the renewal of love and life even after a relationship ends.
