With over two dozen books to her credit, Alison Lohans has carved a decades-long career catering to young readers. She’s been an active part of the Saskatchewan writing scene since her arrival from BC and her native California. Lohans paid a visit to the Reid-Thompson Library in Humboldt on November 19 where she read to a capacity crowd. 

Lohans has had many of her books produced by literary publishers across the country, but when the cause demands it, she is not afraid to embrace self-publication. She spoke of her most recent work, Timefall, as an example of a successful foray into e-book and independent publishing. Timefall is a fusion of two previous books that failed to find an audience following the unforeseen collapse of the original publisher. 

Lohans read from the post-apocalyptic novel that centres around a young time-shifting mother that becomes the centre of a struggle to survive in the remains of a world 1,000 years into the future. Interestingly, the story is set in Regina, Lohans’ current home, so the book describes Regina in the present and in an imagined future after an environmental collapse. 

The author also read from her early work Don’t Think Twice which chronicles the main character’s response to events of the 1960s and 70s America. In part a coming of age piece and a protest surrounding the civil rights movement, Lohans reignited the work after the original run had gone out of print by republishing the novel herself. 

Lohans is known for her children’s books as well. One of her works stems from the family experience of watching the relationship between her son and her father. The young man in Leaving Mr. Humphries struggles with growing out of his beloved blue stuffed bear during a summer sojourn with his grandpa at a lakeside cabin. The inspiration stemmed from Lohan’s son’s long ago attachment to a blue teddy bear which Lohans brings along to her readings. The book portrays a delightful family moment keyed in on a youngster’s transition from childhood and the touching relationship between the boy and his grandfather. Illustrated by Lohan’s cousin, Gretchen Ehrsam in a striking scratch art fashion, Leaving Mr. Humphries is a charming children’s narrative about life’s changing currents.

Lohans has a long-standing fascination with the prairies and much of her work find the prairies woven throughout. Lohan’s explained the origin of her prairie longing.

“Laura Ingalls Wilder bit me when I was seven years old with Little House on the Prairie and I was always wanting to see the horizon. My mother also grew up in Iowa, so I had a yearning to see the prairies.”

Once settled into Saskatchewan, she became immersed in the vibrant Saskatchewan writing community and Lohans was determined that this was a place she could write. 

Lohans has recently returned to Saskatchewan from a visit to northern and central Italy. While an avid fan of travel, Lohans has become a writing fixture in the province that proudly claims her.