Nicole Dargere's novel Mystery Valley was published in 2012, in French (English edition: Ekstasis, 2015), as Le Secret du Peuple de la Riviere (Paris: The Editions L'Harmattan. The fanciful story occurs within the First Nations community of Harrison Hot Springs during the late nineteenth century. "An enigmatic creature is suddenly thrust into an alien environment and Luyana, the matriarchal heroine, becomes his secret guardian and teacher. As the story unfolds, their lives become intertwined with nearby villagers and intruders from afar who threaten to shatter the orderly ways of a peaceful people living in harmony with nature." The book is available via Amazon.

Nicole Darger was born in France but has lived in BC for over thirty years.

Originally from France, Nicole Dargere has crafted a fanciful, lyrical, sasquatch story set near Harrison Hotsprings in the late 19th century. In Mystery Valley (Ekstasis $25.95), an elder of the Chehalis nation finds an abandoned sasquatch infant and raises it until it is welcomed by her community. With the intrusion of European trophy hunters, the Chehalis people unite to protect the sasquatch population who live in a place called Mystery Valley.

This novel was originally published in French as Mystery Valley ou Le secret du peuple de la riviere (Paris: L'Harmattan, 2012). Nicole Dargere was raised in the small village of La Tour de Salvagny, near the city of Lyon. She immigrated to Toronto, Canada at age 24, eventually moving to Langley, B.C.

BOOKS:

Mystery Valley (French edition: Harmatton, 2012); English edition: Ekstasis, 2015 $24.95 978-1-77171-028-2

[BCBW 2015] "French" "Sasquatch"