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Courtney Walliser

Courtney wasted no time in drawing our panel of judges into her essay. Her emotional response to books is one that all bibliophiles can relate to, and her seamless shift into waxing poetic about how literature has touched her life brought us deeper into her world without a hitch. We sincerely hope that she does become an author, bringing that same love of books to others with her beautifully written words, or as she so beautifully put it, "take that spark, and start a fire". Meeting her on stage was a pleasure, and as an added bonus, the bouquet of roses that we brought her matched her top!

CAREER GOALS: Author
EDUCATION PLANS: UFV - Bachelor of Arts Degree
STUDENT PROFILE: Interested in English & Writing, Volunteered with Greendale Youth, Fraser Valley Gleanors, Salvation Army, SSS's Teen Book Club Member, Christmas Hampers, A Honours.

A slight breeze stirred the crisp leaves around her feet as she stood at the lake’s edge. The setting sun flecked the water’s surface with pinks and yellows, but, where the average eye would pick out a brilliant golden hue, she saw only the deep blues and blacks that lay underneath. The wind spiraled more quickly through the surrounding trees and she felt a strange sense of wariness and uneasiness wash over her. She was startled by the sharp snap of a branch behind her, and she whirled to see Marcus. His eyes were downcast as he began to speak quietly, his voice tinged with sadness and guilt. “I can’t keep lying to you. You deserve the truth. I’m not who I say I am… I’m not what you think.”

YES, you think in excitement, I knew he wasn’t human! You are so wrapped up in your new-found pride that the next three words take a moment to sink in. Those dreaded words that seem to mock the last three hours of your life spent reading. To Be Continued. You are horrified. You practically throw the book in your fury, but you would rather not crease the spine or bend the cover, so you settle with stomping angrily away from it and out of the room. This whole time, you had not realized it was a series! You do a quick internet search and discover the next book will not be released until the following May! This news is so upsetting that you vow you will not even read the rest of the books just to spit the author. However, fifteen minutes later, you have created a countdown of 214 days on your desktop, preordered the hardcopy version, and written a blog entitled “Marcus – Leprechaun or Very Stealthy Merman?”

Although books may cause us frustration and sometimes, torture, reading is an unparalleled pastime for many, myself included. Reading is a source of great inspiration, knowledge and imagination. It’s not everyday that you get to battle an immortal army wielding a sword forged by dragon’s breath, or marry a two-hundred-year-old vampire (although some would rather fight the undead than marry them). It is common to hear how books transport the reader or how they are the portal to another world, so that it now seems like an overused thing to say. ON the other hand kit is completely true. It is amazing to find yourself feeling like you are part of a book, when it is written so perfectly that you can imagine the setting and characters as if you have known them as long as anyone. Characters bring a story to life and, in my opinion, the greatest part of reading is finding an individual that you can really enjoy and follow. We can often relate to characters and their experiences, or find qualities in them that we look for in our own lives. It is incredible that authors can cause us to become so attached that we feel nervous or happy for such great personalities depending on their situations, but I think that getting attached to a great character makes for a great story (we can only hope that the author does not kill him off). Books have the ability to show us many things through characters; magic and hope come alive – not a small feat for a pile of words on a page.

I do not remember the first book I ever read, and, on our kindergarten field trip to the library, I am almost positive that I borrowed a video instead of a book. We don’t all start out loving literature right away, and for some, it takes longer than others. Fortunately, I was hooked by grade four, and soon, summers were a time for heading off to the library once a week and reading the remainder of the days. I read mysteries, then horror stories, historical fiction, and throughout it all, books with the extraordinary element of fantasy. Though I now choose different genres than I would have a few years ago, I still enjoy them all, and I am sure my ideas about what qualifies as a good read will continue changing (though I have yet to catch the science fiction and non-fiction bug). I find it astonishing that everything I have read has started with a small spark of ingenuity that, when carefully tended and forged over time, can ignite and become something wonderful. The fantastic books I have been lucky enough to read have developed the love of literature I now have. As well as this, they have inspired me to begin writing. Maybe the greatest impact has come from books I started in elementary school. I continue to stand by my devotion to J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books and Kenneth Oppel’s Silverwing series. These are the books I grew up with, and I truly believe that what I have read has helped to shape me as a person; now I dream of becoming an author, and it is because of these books that I want to be able to create stories for others to read – hopefully stories that will bring the same kind of bliss I have felt through reading. And maybe, with some hard work, I’ll take a spark of my own and start a fire.

Courtney's thank you card arrived shortly after the awards ceremony:

Thank you very much for recognizing me as a recipient of the Literature Lover's Award and the for the generous gift certificate (I will have a great time picking out books!) I really appreciate you taking the time to come to the awards ceremony, and thank you for the beautiful flowers. Thank you again!

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Courtney Walliser