What Thrills Amy Stuart?
Submitted by Teva Harrison
As suddenly as the publication of my first book made me a writer, I started to see Amy Stuart everywhere, which was such a great stroke of luck for me.
She's warm and quick and smart. She listens so closely that you feel like you're the only thing worthwhile going on within earshot.
Every time I meet her, I find myself liking her better. I learn more about how engaged she is in living with integrity and passion and personal truth.
I don't usually read thrillers, but I liked Amy so much that I wanted to read her book, Still Mine. It was clever, with just enough twists, cinematic, and (yes) thrilling.
Naturally, since Amy wrote a thriller I wanted to know what thrills her.
I took her to a Toronto FC game (Thrilling! Live sports are thrilling!) and jotted down notes as we chatted about life's thrilling moments. Then I sketched a few of my favourite of her answers.
I stayed at a hotel while I was drawing this.
I went for a swim in the morning.
I dove to the bottom, skimming the tiles with my chest just as my lungs started to strain from holding my breath. I stayed down as long as I could before my instincts pulled me to the surface.
Amy is right. Thrilling.
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There are thrills hidden in everyday choices. You just have to be open to their possibilities, like Amy is, every day.
Just click on the first image, then click through the gallery to learn three things that thrill Amy Stuart:
The views expressed in the Writer-in-Residence blogs are those held by the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Open Book.
Teva Harrison is a writer and graphic artist. She is the author of the critically acclaimed graphic memoir, In-Between Days, which is based on her graphic series about living with cancer published in The Walrus. It was named one of the most anticipated books of 2016 by the Globe and Mail, which also named the author one of 16 Torontonians to Watch. She has commented on CBC Radio and in the Globe and Mail about her experience. Numerous health organizations have invited her to speak publicly on behalf of the metastatic cancer community. She lives in Toronto.
