Elma Schemenauer's Blog

 Kamloops– September 18, 2026

 

Tothe Boehm Family, Friends and Neighbours,

 

Fredaand I connected one Saturday in the early 1990’s when we were both visiting inSurrey; Freda with her daughter Sharon and I with my sister Alanna. Freda wastagging along with Sharon when Sharon stopped by Alanna’s home perhaps to seesome of my sister’s craft work. Both Sharon and Alanna worked for BC Bio Labs,I think. We had tea, met, and ended up inviting each other to visit. I wasliving on Saltspring Island at the time, Freda near Kamloops (Pinantan) wheremy mother Ruby Westerman lived. I visited Mom several times a year . . . and sobegan the many adventures and shared times of Freda and Val together.

 

Fredamade the ferry trip to check out my house on Saltspring with the sub-plot ofmeeting my famous neighbour, artist Robert Bateman. We continued the trip witha fun exploration of the road to Tofino on Vancouver Island.  Freda was able to visit with her good friendsWhitey and Ruby in that ‘Storm Watching’ capital of the World and I got tocross Tofino off my ‘Bucket’ list. It had become increasingly embarrassing toadmit I hadn’t been to the iconic spot. A few years later in Kamloops at myMom’s place, the house rang with Freda’s uproarious laughter as the 3 of usperused a Christmas gift of a rather risqué calendar of well endowed Firemen.Freda’s laughter was always contagious!

 

Fredaand I kept up a dance of moving locations; I left my island home for thesagebrush hills of Kamloops to care for my mom; Freda gave up bi-weekly bustrips to and fro Maple Ridge to share life with Andy full time. Later, inKamloops, I took wedding photos and checked out their new condo when she’dconvinced Andy to move up from the ‘Coast’ leaving Maple Ridge life behind.

 

Weshared Life – Births, Deaths and all between. It’s called Friendship.

 

BonVoyage, My Friend Freda, till we meet again.

ValerieRampone

 

 Thanks to Erika Dreifus of The Practicing Writer for the followingalerts regarding September 2026 submissions opportunities for writers.

 

Submissions limited to “established & emerging artists who currently live in Canada” and closing September 30:  LONG CON , “a magazine for art regarding art,” meaning “artworks created in direct reply to other creations that can be considered ‘art,’ including texts, objects, artifacts, exhibitions, and performances.”

Scheduled to re-open September1 (and remaining open until September 30): UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA PRESS,for poetry manuscripts from Canadian citizens and landed immigrants. “At theend of the submission period, the Press, working with members of our externaljury for poetry, selects up to three manuscripts per year for publication.”

With submissions limited to those from Canadian writers, FREEFALL will close September 30. “We accept short story and novel excerpts; non-fiction, writing-related or general-audience topics; creative non-fiction; plays; and postcard stories.”

 

Members of the Kamloops-Based Interior Authors Group and guests enjoyed their annual summer social in the lovely garden and house of our gracious hosts, IAG member Ward Pycock and wife, Maggie. Thankfully the weather was comfortable. I didn't even notice any wasps or mosquitoes. The koi (fish) in their pond added a calming philosophical note, and occasionally entertained us with acrobatics. Here are some pictures. 

Explore opportunitiesto speak about topics relating to your book while you also offer copies forsale. For example, you could contact local church groups, libraries, and museumsabout this.

 

Encourageyour publisher to list your books in their online catalog if they’re notalready listed there.

 

Manyauthors have blogs or websites on which they sometimes promote other authors’books. You might ask some authors of your acquaintance about this.

 

A good wayto widen one’s connections with other helpful authors is to join an authorsgroup—one that meets in person and/or an online group. For example, Inscribe isa Canadian Christian online group that’s been around for years. If you happento be over 75, it’s free to join. Over-75s qualify for their diamond category. AnotherCanadian Christian authors group is The Word Guild.

 

Facebook isone example of an online place to promote your books and connect with other helpfulauthors. You can do this through your personal Facebook profile and/or bysetting up a special profile for yourself as an author.

 

OnFacebook, you can also find a number of book-related groups where you canpromote your book and connect with other authors. Such groups are free to join.They include:

 

Christianwriters

 

Canadianbooks

 

Canadianbooks with a Christian worldview

 

Look for Facebook groups specifically for authors in your part of the country. Forexample,

AtlanticCanadian author events

Writers west

 

Otheronline places where you can promote your books include Instagram and LinkedIn.

 

Growing up near the villages of Elbow and Loreburn,Saskatchewan made a huge impression on me. Here’s a blast from the area’s past.The article was published in the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society's Bulletinof December 2025.

History of the Elbow-Loreburn Mennonites

By Elma Martens Schemenauer

Both of my parents (children at the time) emigrated fromRussia to Saskatchewan with their families in the mid-1920s. By the late 1920s,both families had found their way to the Elbow-Loreburn area halfway betweenSaskatoon and Regina. In that area, Mennonites were a minority outnumbered byLutherans, United Church people, and Catholics.

The Loreburn-Elbow Mennonites—determined to stick to theirfaith, traditions, and language (German)—held church services in their homes.Mennonite Brethren families included the Bahnmans, Dahls, Janzens, and Martens.They met with those of the same denomination. General Conference Mennonitefamilies including the Driedigers, Bergmans, Penners, and Heeses also met withthose of their own denomination.

The faith of both the MBs and GCs was severely tested by theGreat Depression and drought of the 1930s. Some of them left for greenerpastures. Those who remained continued to meet in their homes for worship,prayer, fellowship, and mutual encouragement.

In 1940, after the rains returned and the Great Depressionended, my parents, in their twenties by then, made plans to marry. Since thelocal Mennonites had no church building, the wedding was held in the BonnieView United Church west of Loreburn. MB minister Frank Wiens officiated.

At that time, many country schools dotted the Saskatchewanlandscape. In 1941, the Berndt School near my parents’ home closed because ofdeclining enrolment. Seeing an opportunity, the local Mennonites decided to buyit and turn it into a church. This would be a big project, too big for eitherthe GCs or MBs to tackle alone. So they did it together, using their ownvolunteer labour primed with lots of coffee.

The two congregations who shared the building were served byvisiting ministers. A General Conference Mennonite minister would preach oneSunday, a Mennonite Brethren minister the next, and so on. GCs and MBs usuallyattended each other’s services. The language of church was High German, thoughmost local Mennonites also spoke Low German and English.

In 1948, my parents and we children (three of us by then)moved closer to the village of Elbow. We attended the Alliance church in Elbow,but still visited the country Mennonite church regularly.

I have such happy memories of that country church. I enjoyedthe stories I heard there, of Adam and Eve, Queen Esther, Ruth and Naomi,Daniel in the lion’s den, and more. I loved the pump organ, which I sometimeshad the privilege of playing for the singing. A grandfather clock hung on thewall. I can still hear its slow, solemn ticking accompanying the visitingministers’ messages.

The two congregations who shared the building got along welltogether. However, the MBs eventually decided to build their ownEnglish-language church in Elbow. It opened in 1962. The GC congregationcontinued to meet in the country church until 1968, when lightning badlydamaged the building. Opting not to repair it, the GCs closed their church.Some of them joined the GC church in Hanley, an hour’s drive away. The MBchurch in Elbow continued to hold services until 1997. Then it closed becauseof low attendance.

Maybe the closing of the two small Mennonite churches in theElbow-Loreburn area was inevitable. The area never had many Mennonites. Eventhose were divided along denominational lines. Also, the Mennonites’ culturaldistinctives tended to discourage outsiders from attending.

However, the Mennonite community of my youth survives in thememories of those it touched, instructed and inspired. It also survives in mynovel SONG FOR SUSIE EPP. The story is set mainly in a community based on theElbow-Loreburn area. It’s about a bashful Mennonite woman gaining courage and anew understanding of faith as she contends with a bossy mother-in-law and asecret that threatens to destroy her family.

If you’re interested in SONG FOR SUSIE EPP, ask for it in abookstore or library. Or order the paperback or e-book from an online sellersuch as Amazon or Chapters Indigo. https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/search?q=elma+schemenauer&search-button=&lang=null

If you’re interested in other books involving theElbow-Loreburn area, they include:

Krogan, Agnes. ELBOW HOMESTEAD DAYS. Privately published,Elbow, Saskatchewan, 1965.

Krogan, Agnes. MORE MEMORIES. Privately published, Elbow,Saskatchewan, 1971.

Loreburn Historical Committee. FROM MOULDBOARD TO METRIC: AHISTORY OF LOREBURN & DISTRCT. Loreburn, Saskatchewan: Loreburn HistoricalCommittee, 1978.

Soggie, Neil. THE YOUNG-DOGS OF ELBOW. New York. BloomsburyAcademic, 2007.

Soggie, Joan. LOOKING FOR AIKTOW. Privately published,Elbow, Saskatchewan, 2015.

Soggie, Joan. RIKKA. BWL Publishing, 2021.

Book, Rick. NECKING WITH LOUISE: STORIES. Leaside, Ontario.Red Deer Press, 1999.

My lively 2nd cousin Freda Martens Boehm just turned 90! Bob and I very much enjoyed the party at her house in Pinantan Lake north of Kamloops, BC, Sept 12, 2025. She's in several of the pictures including the last one--with the baby. Happy birthday, Frieda. God bless you now and always.

I have many relatives through my grandpa Jacob Peter Martens born 1870 or 1871. Here are about 25 of us at a get-together (treffen) hosted by Erich and Hildegarde Penner and family. Thanks to them and all the others who made this such an enjoyable event. August 16 2025.

 Big thanks to all who helped make this an enjoyable event. Tasty food, laughter, and good conversation.