Gail Wylie
Bio
Family therapist - always wanted to be a writer. Have published books on autism. Currently enjoying trying my hand at fiction. Loving the challenges of Vocal. Excited to have my first novel CONSEQUENCES available through Amazon.
Achievements (1)
Stories (40/0)
- Top Story - July 2023
A Woman of the PlainsTop Story - July 2023
The year is 1750 and I am a Paskwaiwiyiniwak woman living on the banks of the Kisiskaciwani-sipi river in the area referred to as Alberta during the 21st century. They call us the Ndooheenou people, a nation of hunters, for we are a nomadic people, following the migration patterns of the wild animals and birds in this area. As nomads we do not have specific occupations. Survival dictates that everyone, in the tribe, is capable of doing whatever task is needed in the moment. We work as a team, not as individuals. The only division is that between men and women. The men are typically the hunters who supply us with meat and the warriors who keep us safe from predators as well as the other tribes who inhabit this area: the siksikartsitapi in particular, who would wipe us out in a moment, if ever given the chance. The men are also responsible for making the tools we use to survive, from stone, wood and bone. The white man, with the convenience of metal, has yet to arrive in our area.
By Gail Wylie10 months ago in History
My Father
It was a night I have never forgotten. I was in world I had never been part of. Careening at high speeds down the highway with four young men from our community, who were drinking as much beer, as fast as they could, between the liquor stores we stopped at on our way back to the city. I was returning to my dorm at the university after celebrating Thanksgiving at home with my parents. I had accepted this ride via my best friend from high school. It wasn’t that I didn’t know everyone in the car. After all, we had all grown up in the same small community. But I had never had the opportunity to be with them in this kind of circumstance. To put it bluntly, I was terrified.
By Gail Wylie11 months ago in Men
The Visitor
I awoke with a start. Shaking my head, I pried my eyes open, trying to figure out where I was. The computer screen gazed back at me balefully, it’s whiteness only broken by two words: ‘The Solstice.’ Now I remember. I was in my office. I had promised to write a short article based on my experiences celebrating the solstice in Norway last June for the editor. However, instead of putting words on the screen I had dozed off, something that was beginning to happen far to often to me. I glanced at my desk, as I straightened up in my chair, trying wake myself up enough to get back to work. A half-eaten hamburger lay on a napkin next to a container holding a few French fries. Another day living on fast food. Maybe this is why I am so sleepy. I have to start taking better care of my body. But first, I have to get this article finished. I placed my hands on the keyboard.
By Gail Wylie11 months ago in Fiction
My Life's Playlist
What a challenge! Music has been such important component of my life. I’m sure would be simple to make up the 5000 words listing the titles of songs I love, so cutting back to just a few is difficult. But I do enjoy taking on a challenge. Be aware that each song listed represents many others, as well as itself, that were important at the time.
By Gail Wylie12 months ago in Beat
The Reality of History
In 2006, My husband and I took the opportunity to travel to the Orkney Islands in Scotland to see if we could learn more about his great grandfather William Wylie, who immigrated to Canada from there in 1860 to work for the Hudson's Bay Company. It was an incredible journey for us in many ways.
By Gail Wylie12 months ago in Humans
Like Two Ships Passing in the Night
We met at a conference in Copenhagen, two Viking women, one from Iceland, the other from Canada. We may not have even noticed each other, had I not come down with severe stomach pains. We didn’t spend much time together, but our meeting led to a major shift in the way that I was defining myself.
By Gail Wylieabout a year ago in Confessions
Turbulence!
I glanced down at my two young sons seated on each side of me, reveling in their excitement. We were on our first family vacation, flying across the country to visit my husband’s family in Newfoundland. Our first stop had been in Toronto where we had spent the evening with his best friend from the past and his family. A wild trip to the airport during rush hour traffic had us hoping we wouldn’t miss the plane, but we had made it, with minutes to spare. And now we were flying again, this time from Toronto to Ottawa. Our itinerary was definitely providing us with a tour of our whole country.
By Gail Wylieabout a year ago in Families
The Abduction
I heard the baby crying as soon as I stepped through the doorway of the plane. “Oh no,” I thought. “Just what I need. A fussy baby for the next eight hours.” My head was already pounding with the stress of having to get on a plane, as well as the lack of good night’s sleep, due to worrying about it. And now this. Some start to what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation.
By Gail Wylieabout a year ago in Fiction