A mystery novel with a connection to 100 Mile House arrived in the South Cariboo fresh off the presses last month.
Lost and Found is the first book published by Horse Lake author Nichelle Schulz, the first in a series called Douglas Mountain Mystery, following the adventures of a young journalist in the town of the same name. Schulz said this is the first book of many she plans to both self-publish and traditionally publish in the coming years.
"This is the first book I have published, I self-published it, but I have written about five books now," Schulz said. "I've always been into writing, ever since elementary school, and in high school, I had a really great writing teacher who was very inspirational. After university, I got into marketing and writing fell to the wayside a little bit, but I've always wanted to do it."
Schulz moved to the South Cariboo eight years ago with her husband and works primarily in advertising. Since she was young Schulz said she has always wanted to be an author and took their move to the South Cariboo as a chance to renegotiate her role, to allow her more time to do the things she enjoyed.
"I didn't want to wait until I retired to start writing a book. I started with doing some painting, then I moved to writing," Schulz explained. "I've always wanted to write a novel, it's always been in the back of my head and I just decided why not now?"
After spending a few years working on her first novel, Schulz applied to Simon Fraser University's Writers Studio, a creative writing certificate, which she completed in June of 2023 after a year. Schulz said this course was incredibly valuable in not only helping her improve her skills but also in improving her writing through constructive criticism.
As part of the program, Schulz got the chance to work one-on-one with mentors and was put into workshop groups with eight other writers. The feedback she received initially was hard but proved very beneficial later on and led to several changes being made to her debut novel.
In the original drafts of Lost and Found in addition to the mystery elements, Schulz had included some more fantastical elements such as zombies. Thanks to the feedback of her peers and mentor, who also writes mystery novels, she made several serious changes to make it a pure mystery novel, including cutting the undead.
"Now that I've learned my process I write a lot faster. This first book probably took me four years to write, I'd say," Schulz explained. "My process is to write as much as I can when I can, which can be difficult sometimes. I try not to pressure myself. Sometimes I can only write 100 or 200 words, other days I write a lot more."
One thing Schulz learned is that writing doesn't have to be a solitary venture. She realizes now you need a lot of people and support to succeed and one of her favourite parts of the process is now sharing her work and seeing people's reactions to it.
Lost and Found follows the story of a young woman named Anna Martin who leaves Vancouver after suffering a series of setbacks to move back in with her parents in 100 Mile House. Along the way she ends up in the fictional town of Douglas Mountain, near Whistler, and soon becomes embroiled in a mystery surrounding a missing woman case. She decides to help solve the case and finally use her journalism degree.
"While she's in this small town she has to decide who she can and can't trust," Schulz said. "It's kind of a coming of age story because she is in her mid-twenties and is kind of trying to find herself but the goal with the series is she establishes herself and falls in love with the town, while learning more about herself at the same time."
Schulz said she is hopeful that people in the community will give her novel a try, especially because of the 100 Mile House connection. In Lost and Found's sequels, she plans for Martin to visit her family in 100 Mile House but notes she thinks it has appeal beyond the inclusion of the local community.
"I think any Canadian reader can value a book that's based more in a small town and has a lot of nature settings. I find it's more immersive than writing about a concrete jungle," Schulz remarked. "There's a lot of inspiration in the book that comes from me living in the Cariboo, for sure."
Lost and Found is available now at Nuthatch Books in 100 Mile House, online via Amazon and on her website nichelleschulz.com where you can pick up a signed copy. Schulz remarked she plans to release its sequel Death and Comedy later this year. She invites anyone with questions about her novel or who wants advice on how to publish to reach out to her through her website.
