Island filmmaker turns Cannes-selected short into novel

One of P.E.I.'s most accomplished artists has added another feather to her cap.

Harmony Wagner is a filmmaker, web series writer, actor, screenwriter and now, a first-time author as well, with the publication of her novel Queen of the Crows.

It's an adaptation of her film of the same name that screened at Telefilm Canada's short program at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014.

Wagner told Mainstreet's Angela Walker that it became a book after a publisher saw the film.

"It is all because of Terrilee Bulger of Acorn Press," she said. "She saw Queen Of The Crows, the short film, and then approached me and asked if I would like to transform it into a young adult novel, and I said yes, absolutely."

The book, and film, is about a family dealing with a mental health issue.

It features a girl, Elsa, whose mother is ill, and the girl's experience with a local population of crows.

Mental health theme

"The film, I made it back in 2013," said Wagner. "At that time it felt that mental illness wasn't a conversation that we were having. Mental illness touches every family in some way, or mental health issues anyway. And at that time I felt this has to come onto our social conversation more. We all talk about cancer or alcoholism or something like that more freely."

In just the three years since the book came out, Wagner feels there is more discussion. "Things have changed since then, which is wonderful," she said.

The crows in the book were inspired by the flock that roosts in Victoria Park in Charlottetown, said Wagner.

"There's a lot of similarities to Elsa in a way, to the crows," she said. "She's feeling kind of sidelined from society because she holds this secret, which is she's protecting herself and her mother.

"She doesn't want the world to know that her mother leaves her alone for days on end. So she has to collect cans out of the garbage ... to cash in to get money to buy food. So she's privy to the crow world, she's watching them and they're watching her, and then the lines start to blend."

One of the most enjoyable aspects of transferring the story to novel-length for Wagner was being able to expand on the crow's world.

It's such a major part of the story, she's invited people who are coming to the book launch to dress up in crow attire.

That's not as much of a flight of fancy as it might sound for lovers of art in Charlottetown.

"I was lucky enough to be one of the founding artists on the March of the Crows for Art In The Open," Wagner said. "It's been so wonderful to see how that goes on every year, and it gets bigger, and people just love bringing their inner crow out. So I thought it would be fun, because November can be kind of grey and heavy, so if you feel like coming in crow motif, you're more than welcome."

The launch for Queen of the Crows is Friday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. at The Guild in Charlottetown.

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