Ingersoll book store welcomes The Wild Beneath – in conversation with Reese’s Book Club authorKelly Anderson

Wild Beneath author, Kelly Anderson, Commonplace Books owner Shannon McKechnie and attendees smile for the camera. (Britt Barnim Photography photo)

Kyrah Smith, Echo Correspondent

Commonplace Books hosted an author panel with Canadian author Kelly Anderson, whose novel The Wild Beneath was recently selected as a Reese’s Book Club pick on Sept. 9.

From 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., the bookstore was filled with excited fans clutching copies of the novel as Anderson sat down for an evening of conversation, questions and discussion about her journey as an author.

Store owner Shannon McKechnie hosted the panel, introducing Anderson and sharing her enthusiasm for the novel.

“It resonated with me so deeply. About a year ago, after experiencing some direction changes in life, it was just the perfect book,” McKechnie said. “So, I’m thrilled to have you (Kelly) here, and a group of so many other people who your story resonated with.”

Anderson began by thanking the crowd for attending, noting that making time to support a local author and their work is meaningful.

“It’s no small deal to take time out of your day to come and support an author with their book. You guys are my first local event. I just feel so psyched to be here and honoured you came.”

Anderson also shared that The Wild Beneath is only the second Canadian book to ever be selected as a Reese’s Book Club pick (as of writing this). Founded by actor Reese Witherspoon in 2017, the club highlights books and authors, with a focus on stories that centre women and elevate their voices.

“I was on Reese’s Book Club stage in New York City the day the book came out,” Anderson explained.

She recalled sitting beside another author who spoke about carefully planning out her books and creating extensive details before beginning the writing process.

“I must have been sitting on the stage looking at her like, ‘Wow,’ because that’s not my experience of how any of this happened,” Anderson said with a laugh.

Anderson’s path to becoming an author was far from traditional. She began her career working in emergency medicine and HIV care, describing a life that revolved around caring for others.

“All I was doing was going to work, taking care of people, coming home, taking care of people,” she said.

Although she was fulfilling an important career, Anderson said she eventually found herself caught in a cycle that left her constantly tired and unsure why she no longer felt like herself.

Then, on a random day in the middle of winter, inspiration appeared unexpectedly.

Out of the corner of her eye, Anderson saw a character she would eventually name Walker, who would become a central figure in The Wild Beneath.

“He has this metamorphic quality, and I saw him in my driveway, and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it,” she recalled.

With no formal writing training, Anderson began developing the story. As the book grew, she found herself juggling her medical career with a completely new creative pursuit while also learning to find her voice as a writer.

Eventually, she reached a point where she had to make a difficult decision: continue dedicating her time to medicine or give herself fully to The Wild Beneath.

Against what she described as all logical reasoning, Anderson chose the book.

She said the novel seemed to know something about her that she had yet to realize herself; that she could change and follow a different path.

McKechnie later asked whether Anderson’s experience working in medicine had influenced her voice as a writer.

Anderson said that one of the biggest lessons she carried from her time in healthcare was the importance of listening.

“If you’ve had the privilege of having a doctor in your life who is doing their job correctly, you will have felt how it feels when they really listen to you,” she said. “And I think writing a book is similarly about this, deep listening.”

McKechnie asked one final question: “When a reader closes the book, what is the main emotion you hope they take away?”

“I think as humans, we’re in this constant state of remembering and forgetting who we are, and what we really want,” Anderson said. She described The Wild Beneath as a story about remembering the “home” within yourself and embracing the possibility of change.

“Metamorphosis is possible. This book gave me everything and owes me nothing.”

Following the panel, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a Q and A before Anderson signed copies of their books. In a touching gesture, Anderson even asked some fans to sign her own copy as a memento of the evening.

The event brought together readers eager to hear from an author whose unexpected journey from medicine to fiction has resonated with people far beyond the pages of The Wild Beneath.

Commonplace Books remained filled with conversation and excitement; a fitting atmosphere for a night celebrating a story that inspires us to take a closer look at our own paths.