teen fiction

Q&A with Robert Feagan, author of Arctic Thunder

Tell us about your book.
Arctic Thunder is the story of a 14 year old boy named Mike Watson who lives in St. Albert, Alberta. His lacrosse team has just won the Alberta Provincial Championship when he finds out his father who is in the R.C.M.P. has been transferred to Inuvik, N.W.T. Mike is pretty devastated because he has lived in St. Albert all his life and lacrosse is a huge part of how he sees himself. Inuvik is inside the Arctic Circle and it seems like the end of the world.

When Mike arrives in Inuvik there isn’t much daylight and it’s cold. Don’t forget that Inuvik gets 24 hours of darkness in the winter and 24 hours of daylight in the summer. Mike feels quite out of place and makes a couple of enemies his first day at school. He is befriended by an outcast named Donnie Debastien who turns out to be quite a loveable nerd. An elder by the name of Victor Allen also takes Mike under his wing and gets Mike to start to think about whom he really is and what his heritage means to him. Mike’s mother is of South African heritage and a mix of Philippine, German and Zulu.

Mike gradually makes friends and is amazed at how athletic the Inuvialuit and Dene kids are in Inuvik. They participate in Arctic Sports which are quite amazing to watch. Arctic Sports include events such as the one foot high kick, two foot high kick and airplane. Mike begins to practice Arctic Sports and he introduces his new friends to lacrosse. When Mikes father sees how athletic Mike’s friends are he gets the idea of forming an Inuvik lacrosse team that will travel South to St. Albert to participate in the Baggataway Lacrosse Tournament.

Arctic Thunder is in many ways a coming of age story. It speaks to the importance of embracing your heritage, respecting it, and discovering what really counts in life. There are also subplots about he challenges that face youth in the North, and what a fantastic place Canada’s Arctic is.

How did you come up with the idea for this work?
I was actually driving between Edmonton and Calgary when the idea for Arctic Thunder crossed my mind. I was on my second coffee and being quite caffeine sensitive my mind was racing. I pulled over and called Michael Carroll at Dundurn and he became excited about the idea as well.

Arctic Thunder brings together two of my greatest loves; Canada’s Arctic and lacrosse! It always frustrates me how little people really know and understand the Arctic. On the other hand it also frustrates me that although lacrosse is growing in popularity these days it still takes a back seat to hockey and other major league sports. I was lucky to play lacrosse when we lived in Prince Edward Island and understand what an amazing game it is. It combines speed, agility, hand-eye coordination and intense body contact. These athletes that play in the National Lacrosse League have full time jobs as well and play because they love the sport! Once you watch a National Lacrosse League game you forget about hockey!

How did you research your book?
Most of my research was conducted through family and friends from the Inuvik area. Loretta Trimble Hopkins and Gerry Kisoun were a tremendous help! I relied somewhat on my personal knowledge of the area however conferred with my parents, Gerry and Loretta on many details. Doug Fitts of the National Lacrosse League and Gord Sawyer of the Edmonton Rush also offered support.

What was the creative process like for you?
When I get an idea for a story I usually just dive in and start to write. As I write, I start to get ideas for plot development and then sketch out where the story will go from there. After the first chapter I will often have a general idea and note book full of ideas on how the story will advance from beginning to end. That can change however as I write more and I often go back and add details or change sections. When my writing is going well it feels like I am possessed! I will be typing on the laptop and don’t really know where the words are coming from. They just jump onto the screen! I will stop and after looking back go, “Wow! That’s pretty good where did that come from did?”

In your own work, which character are you most attached to and why?
That’s a difficult question! I tend to get very attached and possessive with most of my characters. In Arctic Thunder I would have to say that I am very attached to Donnie. He is a big, loveable nerd that everyone including himself has written off. Through his friendship with Mike, other people begin to see how much fun and loveable the big guy is. I tend to get emotional about Donnie when I go back and read the manuscript. I have this vivid picture of him in my mind and he makes me laugh and want to cry.

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