Fernie & Elk Valley Culture Guide Issue 6 - Fall 2017 | Page 29

FEATURE AUTHOR
Shelby Cain
Raised in the Kootenays, Shelby Cain
has been a Fernie resident for the past
seven years. And if you ask her, she’ll
tell you they’ve been the best seven so
far.
Shelby studied biology at the University
of Alberta, but it was only when she
had her first child that she considered
writing. Not as a career, at first, but
as a cathartic creative outlet. After a
late-night Google session that included
“How to write a book,” she wrote a
draft of her first novel, Mountain Girl.
Seven years, and many edits later,
Mountain Girl found its way to the
shelves of bookstores across Canada
via Fernie publisher, Oolichan Books.
With support from the abundantly
talented Fernie arts community, and a
cover designed and painted by Fernie
artist Vanessa Croome, the process was
beyond fulfilling.
But why stop there? When Cain and
two of her ‘soul sisters’ decided they
needed a better excuse to get together
they formed Wild Honey — a folk-roots
trio — where Cain sings and writes
songs. They play venues across British
Columbia and Alberta, including Wapiti
Music Festival in Fernie and the Vogue
Theatre in Vancouver. An EP is due out
this fall. On November 3rd, Wild Honey
will take to the stage at the Key City
Theatre in Cranbrook, to accompany
the incredible Cariboo Express
ensemble led by Barney Bentall.
Cain’s freelance writing has been
published in national and international
publications. She’s won several awards
for her short stories in both fiction and
non-fiction and is a regular contributor
to Fernie Fix and Kootenay Living
magazines. A second novel, another
page-turning thriller, is currently in
the works thanks in part to an Arts,
Heritage and
Culture grant
from CBT and the
CKCA. She hopes
you’ll see it at a
bookstore near
you next year.
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