“Writing is serious business. Or it can be, when you do it right.”
This, according to bestselling author Bill Arnott in a recent interview. Arnott is the keynote speaker for the April 2025 Alexandra Writers’ Centre event in Calgary for industry experts and authors at every stage of their writerly journey. What resonates is Arnott’s kindness, and patience. A desire to help others. Maybe the result of a quarter century as a financial planner. When he retired, having sold his practice, he returned to his passion, that being the writing he’d dabbled in for two decades.
“I decided to jump in with both feet, turning an avocation into vocation.”
According to Arnott, he takes the writing seriously, not himself. This being one of the first things he says when we connect for this interview. He leads with what he himself responds to–kindness and patience, and generosity in helping others. Which comes through in his congenial approach that wins him friends and followers all over.
“People appreciate sincerity,” he says.
Bill recalls seeing Fred Rogers–beloved children’s broadcaster Mr. Rogers–receiving a lifetime achievement award.
“All he did was praise others. Expressing genuine appreciation, enthusiasm, gratitude–much like what most of us feel in this collaborative community.”
To continue, I ask Bill a few questions.
Jacqueline Carmichael: How do you decide what you write about?
Bill Arnott: If we’re talking about nonfiction travel lit, which is my focus these days, I start with the questions, “What would I enjoy reading?” and “What’s an interesting locale?” Next might be, “Where’s the story there?” A bit like a treasure hunt. Maybe an area’s roughly mapped in my mind, then it’s time for the actual adventure, one I’ll document as I go–in most cases with notes in a journal and photos as well.
You’re a poet and songwriter too, correct? Does that play into your creative process?
I am, and it does, absolutely. Years ago, as I learned more about authors I admire, I learned that most of them are also poets. Thinking in that manner can help the creative process, relaying a story with lyrical cadence as concisely as possible. That’s what I enjoy reading and writing in that manner as well.
Do you read your work aloud when you write?
Once I’ve spent a good deal of time on it, I do. I was discussing this with another author friend. We were talking about public readings. Having a comfy patter with your written word makes it much more enjoyable to read, hear, and feel.
I notice you often write in present tense. Can you speak a bit about that?
Sure. Assuming I’m sharing a current or recent excursion, I love writing in this manner as it makes the share immediate, to experience these places together, right now. Which, neatly enough, makes a story quite timeless.
You often take part in literary events and festivals. Is that something you seek out?
Not as such, no. But when an offer comes in, it’s flattering, and invariably fun to take part in. I’ve been extremely privileged to make friends around the globe as a result of it. Which seems to keep paying dividends with great partnerships and creative collaboration. When something new comes up, to quote an improv expression, I find myself saying, ‘Yes, and…’
What makes this particular book, A Season in the Okanagan, unique?
It’s a ‘soft sequel’ to my previous Season memoir, A Season on Vancouver Island. To our delight, that’s one of BC’s top selling books, and I was excited to revisit this type of excursion, sharing a journey through narration as well as with photos that I’ve taken and then paint, to add a deeper, more sensory engagement. What makes A Season in the Okanagan extra special is the fact that this is where I grew up, so I’m not only “going home” in a manner, but there’s a tie-in with saying goodbye to my late father as well. Something I feel is broadly relatable, that engagement with family and place.
Let’s talk about the visual art. Your painted photos.
I love the sensory engagement, something that only comes through a mixing of media, in this case visual art along with the prose. I liken it to hearing a scored film, where soundtracks can deepen conveyed imagery. This heightened level of engagement can break boundaries, in this case in two vibrant dimensions. The artwork is time consuming but relatively simple and extremely rewarding. I take the photos on an old smart phone, then when I get home I use different customized software to digitally apply paint to the pictures. The result makes for a stylized interpretation of the experience, and the physical books, which actually feel good in the hand, become special keepsakes that readers, gift-givers, and recipients treasure. One of my favourite pictures, sent to me from a reader, was a shot from their living room at Christmas, where a pile of Season books was under the tree, gifts for everyone in the family!
Was it in any way difficult, returning to your hometown?
Not really, no. I still have family throughout the Okanagan, and a lot of cherished relationships, what you might call the extended families we choose. And being able to spend time with these beautiful people, effectively while I was ‘at work,’ was beyond special. Having said that, I did say goodbye, again, to my late father. This is something I convey in the book. It’s nothing but positivity, warmth, and closure along with fond recollection. I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t yet read the book, but it entails the circularity that can accompany life while revisiting places, which becomes cathartic, and enlightening.
I notice a passion for the outdoors in your writing. Is this something you strive to make part of your travels?
It seems to happen organically. When I’m letting a story, location, determine my route and the narrative, I tend to find myself hiking or walking, and soaking up the surrounds. Part of my being present and conveying that to the printed page is to tap into those senses–sights, sounds, and smells–which is often through flora and fauna. I find birds, forests or water to be magical elements of wherever we go, raw material for engagement and getting in touch with a place.
What’s next for you as a writer, and these Season memoirs?
I’ve been asked to return to Vancouver Island and share a fresh excursion to a familiar destination, one we’ve chosen to coordinate with traditional holidays. It’s A Festive Season on Vancouver Island, and will launch to coincide with bookstores’ gift-giving time of the year.
Bill Arnott is the bestselling author of A Season in the Okanagan, A Perfect Day for a Walk, and the award-winning Gone Viking travelogues. For his expeditions he’s received Fellowships at Britain’s Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. He’s a travel ambassador for Canadian Geographic and Adventure Canada, and a frequent presenter for universities, TV and radio. When not trekking with a small pack and journal, Bill can be found on Canada’s west coast, where he lives on Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh land.
Jacqueline Carmichael is a journalist with the Edmonton Journal and has written for numerous publications including the Edmonton Sun, Dallas Morning News, Entrepreneur Magazine, and National Public Radio. She’s a recipient of the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors award for feature series writing and her first book, Tweets from the Trenches (republished as Heard Amid the Guns: True Stories from the Western Front), was shortlisted for a Whistler Independent Book Award.