Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Zilla: Crystal AJ Smith’s novel has been described as a fable, winding together all-too-real issues of the lack of justice for murders of Indigenous women and the need to find strength in community with supernatural otters and other beings outside of the everyday world. It’s a powerful tale, and I’m delighted to welcome Crystal here to introduce herself and her book.

Crystal: Crystal AJ Smith di waayu, Txatgiw adat Git lax maadam di wil ‘waatgu, Liǧʷiłdax̌ʷ di wil dzogu
, Gisbutwada de pdeegu. Hello, my name is Crystal Smith and I am from the Ts̓ymsen and Haisla Nations and I have been adopted into the Heiltsuk Nation.

Gitwaałtk is the story of a young Indigenous woman who loses her Sister-Cousin to the highway of tears and who embarks on a journey with her na̱xnox to find and bring to justice to the person responsible for her Sister’s disappearance.

It’s an exploration of how grief and loss can find strength in family, community, and tradition.

Zilla: What do you want to say to your characters?

Crystal: I love you, you are everything I wish I could be. Your strength and determination in our way of being is so beautiful. Your ability to use our language and connect to our ancestors is the dream. T’oyaxsut’nuun.

Zilla: What drives you to write? And what drives you overall?

Crystal: I truly believe that my ancestors are working through me. I write when I feel the story asking me to write. My children are my reason for breathing, I will do as much as I can for them.

Zilla: What’s your next writing project?

Crystal: I am currently hoping to put together a poetry collection and I have already started on a sequel to Gitwaaɫtk. My poetry collection will be poetry I wrote in my early teen years up until now and will include sm’algyax and lik’wila. I am really excited to pull this idea together and I hope to be accepted into a couple different writing programs to support my writings.

Zilla: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find your book?

Crystal: You can find it here.