An author from Grunthal, MB, Karen Emilson, has published another book after writing it for five years.

"Be Still The Water" is a saga about a young woman living on her family's farm in an Icelandic town in Manitoba. Emilson's has been on a provincial book tour since it came out in August last year.

Her three earlier works were all non-fiction, but this is her first novel.

"I was teaching myself fiction," said Emilson who had always wanted to write novels.

Emilson's first book, "Where Children Run" is a historical narrative about two twin boys who's step-father abused them and their entire family. Emilson "rushed" through that book because so many people were eager to read the story, which had originally been published in a two-part series in the Interlake Spectre around 1987. For this book, her first novel, she took her time.

"There was a lot of rewriting. It went through three edits. I wanted to make sure it was the best that it could be," she said.

The book started as a tribute to the Icelandic settlers who tamed the Interlake area of Manitoba over 100 years ago. However, Emilson let the story go as passing idea.

In 2011, Lake Manitoba flooded, and the farmland around the community of Siglunes was devastated. Emilson had moved there with her first husband in the early 80's, and now, seeing her friends struggling against the flood, she dusted off her drafts and revived the story about the settlers.

"That was the story I wanted to tell. It talks about the love of the land and the lake." Emilson said with a smile. "It's not a book about flooding, but there's a flood in the book."

She wanted to pay tribute to what the settlers went through, "so people don't forget," she said.

Emilson visited the Winkler and Morden libraries Tuesday with her books to sign copies for those who loved the books and to discuss the books with them, which she says is her second favourite thing to do after writing.

"When I have a book that I've read of someone's that I absolutely love, there's nothing more I enjoy than getting together and talking about the book," said Emilson.

Emilson's books are available in the Altona, Morden, and Winkler libraries.