CANMORE – Lhotse and Nupste are at it again, and this time they’re heading north to explore the Arctic.
Local author and artist, Jocey Asnong, is set to release her newest book in the worldly cartoon cats saga come October.
The travelling author uses her own experiences to create a series involving two curious cats with opposite personalities who learn about the world together. The newest addition to the series includes an adventure with an arctic fox leading a team of sled dogs, a caribou and polar bear found along the way, and many other Arctic friends.
“They have found a snow globe in their attic and when they shake it, a snowstorm comes and with the snowstorm comes this Arctic fox named Roald, which is kind of a nod to Roald Amundsen who is my personal polar hero,” said Asnong with a laugh.
“They decide to go with Roald to the North to find out what the great treasure of the north is.”
Not to give too much away, the book, Nuptse and Lhotse in the Land of the Midnight Sun, continues on an epic adventure where the cats are introduced to many aspects of northern culture in a fun and interesting way. Asnong said a lot of the reason she writes these stories is to foster in kids a love of exploring.
“I really want to encourage kids to explore the outdoors, to plant the seed of them becoming travellers at an older age and learning a little bit about these places that they might not live,” she said.
Asnong started the series after a trip to Mount Everest in 2003 (hence the cats’ names – Nuptse and Lhotse are mountains beside Everest) and it didn’t come without a process. Artistry is something she’s always had down, beautifully illustrating the two felines throughout all of their incredible adventures, but learning to write a children’s book was something she had to work on.
“I’ve always wanted to be a book illustrator, but I never thought I’d be writing books myself that would be published. I always figured I’d be illustrating for someone else,” she said.
“I did have to work on my writing and I did do a course at the Banff Centre to help with finding my writing voice… But most of the book still comes to me in pictures.”
In terms of getting the places the cats visit as true to form as possible Asnong actually visits them.
“A huge part of my process is going to these places,” said Asnong.
“Sometimes there’s things I pull from my actual experiences on these trips, but most of the time it’s all just completely fabricated… It’s hard because [visiting can be] very superficial, so I supplement my books with tons of research.”
Meanwhile, while working at a local bookstore here in Canmore, Asnong said she got to see all of her hard work pay off once it hit the hands of children dedicated to the adventurous series.
“I was really fortunate for quite a few years. I just recently left working at the bookstore,” she said.
“A lot of times I would have little super fans that would come in, sometimes they did know that I worked there and sometimes it was a discovery for them. They would see the Nuptse and Lhotse book sitting there… And I would get to see that firsthand reaction of the kids like, ‘oh my gosh, it’s the next Nuptse and Lhotse.’”
While Asnong discussed the response she’s gotten from children and adults alike, it’s clear that her love for the job isn’t wavering.
“It’s a dream job,” she said through an infectious smile.
For more information on the Nuptse and Lhotse series or to find out where you can pre-order the newest addition, visit www.rmbooks.com.
