A book by a local author now has an interesting connection with the Netherlands.

Amsterdam, the nation's capital to be exact.

A Raven in My Heart, by well-known local writer Kay McCracken, is being studied by university media student Alieke Hoogenboom.

How the Dutch student came to study McCracken's book is a story of family and personal connections that stretch between the two countries.

Many locals are responsible for helping Hoogenboom discover A Raven. Her uncle Arnold lives in Armstrong but attends weekly ESL classes at Okanagan College in Salmon Arm.

When his niece told him she needed to study a book that didn't yet have international exposure, he went to his ESL teacher Tracy Riley for a suggestion.

Riley sent him to Hidden Gems Bookstore, where owner Beth Phillips suggested McCracken's A Raven in My Heart.

The 270-page memoir artfully describes six years McCracken spent managing her bookstore, Reflections, in the 1990s. Stories of a mythological raven, a bookstore ghost, as well as protesting extremists are woven throughout the book.

"The book features many recognizable things: stress, grief, relationships and financial problems,"; writes Alieke, 19, via e-mail.

"I think the reader can recognize many of these problems. It's a book with an interesting mythological undertone.";

For part of her assignment, Alieke had to create a Netherlands-style marketing campaign for the book.

Playing the part of publisher, she translated parts of the book, wrote a description, and even created a new cover that would appeal to Dutch readers.

McCracken is thrilled her book is being studied internationally. and excited to be giving a reading to the ESL class this month.

"When I worked on my book for 10 long years, little did I envision that it would find its way to Dutch readers, or to any of the other interesting places it's appeared. It's a mysterious process and since I love a good mystery, I'm enjoying the experience.";

Alieke and McCracken have enjoyed e-mailing one another. The Dutch student has asked McCracken about the title, the content and the raven image itself, which holds a special meaning for McCracken.

"There are negative superstitions about the raven throughout history. Many people today are afraid of these birds. Not me. I think they are beautiful, intelligent and playful creatures.";

After taking the book to his niece on a visit back to his homeland, Arnold, part of the ESL book club, is now reading A Raven himself.

"I like Kay's style of writing. I like the parts that describe Salmon Arm and its inhabitants. Sometimes I find it a dreamy but I find it interesting how the writer experiences different cultures, in particular the native culture.";

McCracken has enjoyed explaining Raven's themes, like personal growth, Canadian culture and First Nations mythology, to Alieke.

"I wanted to tell my story of how I experienced life in Salmon Arm. This is a wonderful, creative, artistic town full of smart, socially conscious people. Sadly, there still exists pockets of intolerance, but that's probably no different than anywhere else.";

Another important theme, the author says, is to believe.

"Even when things look the bleakest, when we lose everything, there's always something else around the corner. Things happen for a reason. Have faith.";