The Story Behind the Story with Andrew MacLean of NB, Canada.

 

Let’s welcome Andrew, another new-comer to the Scribbler.

 

He has kindly accepted our invitation to be the featured guest this week.

His books are flying off the shelves and garnishing great reviews.

He’s sharing the SBTS with us today.

Read on my friends.

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew MacLean is the author of two Backyard History books (with a third coming in November 2024), the writer of the Backyard History newspaper column that appears weekly in 19 newspapers), the host of the Backyard History Podcast, and the scriptwriter of the Backyard History TV Show hosted by BellFibe. 

 

His true historical writings combine meticulous research with vivid storytelling, captivating anecdotes, and the human touch Atlantic Canadians are known for.

 

 

Title: Backyard History: Forgotten Stories From Atlantic Canada’s Past (Volumes One and Two)

 

 

Synopsis:

Backyard History unearths the often hilarious, mostly mysterious, always surprising untold stories of Canada’s East Coast, as only a Maritimer can spin them.

 

These two extraordinary collections gather the very best from Andrew MacLean’s popular newspaper column and podcast now enhanced with fresh insights and discoveries.

 

The Story behind the Story:

Back in early 2020 I was travelling everywhere from Nunavut to Miami tracking global climate change with airplanes equipped with lasers. Three days before moving to Boston, the border shut down because of a global pandemic, and I along with 87 co-workers were mass-fired over a Zoom call.

 

I moved back home to New Brunswick where I spent my pandemic taking long hikes through rural areas. I started wondering about obscure tales from the past … specifically, a tall tale of a sea monster nicknamed “Old Ned” from little Lake Utopia, NB.

 

I do have a background in History—a degree I hadn’t found especially useful until that point—so I dug into old newspaper reports and contemporary eyewitness sightings of Old Ned from the 1800s. Then I wrote it up as a story, inspired by the way my grandfather told me stories in Tide Head, NB when I was a kid.

 

I put what I thought of as a rather silly sea monster story up on social media to entertain my friends during pandemic lockdowns, and the damn thing went viral!

 

It got shared by some big meme accounts, a huge national podcast asked me for an interview, and then the newspaper I once delivered on my bicycle as a little boy called and asked if they could pay me to write stuff like that every week.

 

Now that column appears in 19 newspapers every week, I have 2 books (plus a third one coming out in November!) and my own podcast, all under the Backyard History name.

 

And I owe it all to, of all things, a sea monster! 

                          

WEBSITE: Please go HERE.

 

 A question before you go, Andrew:  

Scribbler: Where is your favourite spot to write? Are you messy or neat? Your beverage of choice?

Andrew: I’m really not very precious about where I write. I’ve written stories in the car (as a passenger, not while driving!) and on ferries. In fact, I am writing my answers to this questionnaire as I sit in the Saint John City Market with American cruise ship passengers milling about. (I just had quite the little argument with one fellow who is absolutely convinced he is in St. John’s, Newfoundland and doesn’t believe me when I tell him we are actually in Saint John, New Brunswick!)

 

Normally though, my environment would be at home and would be clean: things put away, floors swept, dishes done, etc. … to all the better make a huge mess with my writing! 

 

When I’m really going I’ll have photocopies of old newspaper clippings, scrawled remarks, post-it notes, etc. all over my desk, on nearby tables, the floor … to an onlooker it’s got all the hallmarks of a natural disaster rolling through, but to me, I know where everything is!

 

I’d be caffeinated to the hilt with music —typically Arcade Fire—almost always playing in the background.

 

 

EXCERPT:

 

You’ve heard of “Nessie” from Loch Ness, “Ogopogo” in Okanagan Lake but have you heard of New Brunswick’s own lake monster, “Old Ned”? 

 

Read the full version of the aforementioned article that launched Backyard History “Old Ned, The Lake Utopia Monster”   Go HERE. 

 

Watch for it!!!

 

Thank you for being our guest this week, Andrew. We look forward to book #3 and hope you’ll return one day to tell us about it.

We wish you continued success with your writing.

 

And a Special Thank You to our visitors and readers.

Feel free to leave a comment.