Local author publishes book on Hamilton waterfalls
- Shawn Smith
- 07 Jun 2020
If you’ve spent any time around Hamilton, you’re aware that the city is known for its vast number of waterfalls. Some of them are famous for how picturesque they are, others are small.
In total, the city is home to over 100 waterfalls that can be found on any number of the gorgeous trails that are in and around the city.
These waterfalls make for a beautiful backdrop to a novel, and it was this inspiration that made local author Katia Amaya try her hand at creative writing, putting together her first novel aptly named Waterfalls.
“I’ve always been interested in creative writing and I’m well known in my family for writing special occasion poetry,” Amaya said. “My father was an English teacher so literature and writing well have always been important to me. I’ve been blessed, living in Hamilton, to have friends from many cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and so I’ve been exposed to many types of literature from different countries and in foreign languages.”
The fictional book is set in 2009, which is when Amaya began the writing process. Since then she began a second career in nursing that forced her to put the book on the backburner for a bit.
“I finally finished school in February 2019, so I was then able to focus on finishing the book,” Amaya said. “It works out well that the book is set in 2009, because fences have since been erected at Albion Falls and (some) critical plot activity would not be possible today.”
Part of what Amaya hopes the book promotes is a desire in young people to get outdoors, as opposed to spending their time on electronic devices. As a regular visitor to the trails and waterfalls in and around Hamilton, Amaya hopes that others will follow her lead and take an interest.
“I would hope local residents enjoy this book and realize what a treasure we have in our waterfalls,” Amaya said. “I wanted to create an exciting adventure that celebrates the diversity of our landscape as well as of our residents. Today’s youth are so focused on electronic media — I would like to promote literacy by creating a story they can relate to because it takes place in their neighbourhood and they can actually visit the places and interact with the story.”
Amaya is a runner and uses the Hamilton trails as part of her routine. This means passing a number of the city’s famous waterfalls on a regular basis. And while Albion Falls is often people’s favourite, there’s another waterfall that features prominently in Waterfalls that Amaya calls her favourite.
“My favourite falls are actually Felker’s Falls; since moving to the Davis Creek neighbourhood in 2012, my favourite run enters the trail system at Greenhill Avenue and goes past Albion Falls, reverts back towards Mt. Albion Road, and then continues uphill on Mt. Albion before following the trail to Felker’s Falls,” Amaya said. “When I run in the late afternoon, there is often a sunset over Felker’s Falls that is majestic. Those falls are such a reward and signal that I will be heading downhill soon.”
Waterfalls can be purchased at authorhouse.com, amazon.ca, Burlington’s A Different Drummer Books and at some local Chapters and Indigo locations.
Comments 0
There are no comments
Add comment