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In 2012, I received an email from Dimitris Ilias, a musical director who had been working with massed school choirs and soloists to produce musicals—aimed at young audiences—for the Greek community in Montreal. Each musical, featured on a cd, was packaged with text and lyrics in a picturebook of the story (in Greek). Now Dimitris wanted to expand his audience to a wider English-speaking audience while continuing to focus on Greek stories—perhaps legends from that ancient world. Would I be interested in choosing a legend and writing the text and lyrics?

Would I! I emailed Dimitris back and asked how he ever knew I’d always had a secret desire to write the book and lyrics for a musical show. I didn’t find out until later that he’d contacted a few Governor-General award winners. But I managed to quickly decide on a popular Greek legend, retell the story and come up with lyrics for thirteen songs. Dimitris was impressed and I was on the project. Dimitris’ friend, Greek composer Giannis Georgantelis would compose the music and award-winning artist Philippe Beha was hired to illustrate the book. The Orchestre Symphonique Pop de Montreal completed the ensemble. Monty Python’s Terry Jones agreed to read the narrative for the cd.

It took a year for all of this to come together and I had a chance to meet with the artistic team in Montreal a few months before participating in the launch, October 4, 2013, in Montreal City Hall. A few days later there was a gala presentation in the Laval Palace Reception Hall with the massed chorus of over 180 kids, all dressed to the nines, and an audience of hundreds of their families and friends. Soloists included Dimitris as Hades, his wife Maria Diamantis as Demeter, and Elie Manousakis as Persephone. I must have signed books for an hour when the program finished.

Note: A French version of the book was printed by Planete rebelle in 2015: Le temps des fleurs, le temps des neiges.

Time For Flowers, Time For Snow is available from Tradewind Books