IndieView with Trevor W. Harrison, author of Tales This Side of the Elysian Fields

Each chapter is bite-sized and not dependent upon reading any previous chapter. 

Trevor W. Harrison – 22 August 2025

The Back Flap

In this delightful and intriguing collection of essays, Trevor W. Harrison, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Lethbridge and a well-known contributor to public media, tells sometimes light-hearted and sometimes poignant tales of his life between his late teens and early thirties, a time when, like many other young people of the era, he travelled the world, beginning with hitchhiking or driving across western Canada and the United States in the early 1970s and travelling to Europe and Asia in the mid-1970s and early 1980s.

From working on the railway in a small town to playing a Hittite soldier in a Biblical movie, from life among the hippies on a famous Greek beach to life in a houseboat on India’s Lake Dal, from bullfights in Barcelona to the towering Himalayas, Harrison invites readers to travel with him, to meet the people, see the places, and experience the events he encountered as a young man.

The stories we tell of our lives, Harrison says, are “the offspring of a pleasurable intercourse between fiction and non-fiction, gestated over time.”

There is nothing more innately human than the telling of tales. Enjoy these while you, too, are still this side of the Elysian Fields.

About the book

What is the book about?

The book is about my early life before I became an academic. It involves primarily stories about work, travel, and relationships I made along the way. The stories are written in often humorous fashion. Each chapter is bite-sized and not dependent upon reading any previous chapter. The book includes some of my own sketches and photos.

When did you start writing the book?

Summer of 2023

How long did it take you to write it?

I had a lot of diary notes I had written at the time events had happened. The text was pretty well finished by the following summer.

Where did you get the idea from?

I was working on another book about my early travels, a longer more academic piece, which led me to going back to some earlier notes.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I didn’t have many struggles with it. The most important thing in writing is the editing – saying just enough, in just the right way.

What came easily?

Those parts where I spoke truly and honestly and didn’t give in to any attempts at being “writerly.”

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

I changed the names of some people and locations, but otherwise the book is an accurate account of events in my life.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

It’s hard to think of any particular writer, maybe Hemingway for his straight-forward and clear writing. But other writer’s styles are often integrated unconsciously.

Do you have a target reader?

General readers, likely people in their mid or later years who can relate to the stories.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I often write things in my head while doing other things – walking/running, yard work – and let the ideas gel for a time before setting them to paper.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I sometimes do this, but not always. The form and structure often arises as I am writing.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I think the essence of good/great writing is editing. But doing it too early can break the magical chain of thought. I like to get things down in maybe 75-80 percent finish and then do the heavy lifting.

Did you hire a professional editor?

On earlier books, often academic, an editor is assigned. On this particular book, the editor, Ed Willett, did some editing – and a good job!

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Sometimes. I prefer music sans sung lyrics as the words might disturb my thought. It can be classical, rock, easy jazz, along as its instrumental.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

No, never have. There was a book many years ago that I regret not doing so.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

While I am well known in academic circles, this book is different. I didn’t want to go through the effort of going through a big name publisher as it might take too long.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

The book cover is the painting done by a friend who did the painting off of a photo I had taken many years before.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Pretty much winging it, though I have arranged with the help of Ed Willett and Mickey Mickelson several book launches and interviews.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

 For writers just starting out, I think it’s a great way to go. Practice your chops, build up your reputation, and go from there. The important thing is to not let your writing sit idle in a drawer.

About You

Where did you grow up?

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Where do you live now?

Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

What would you like readers to know about you?

That I’ve lived a full and interesting life – maybe even several lives – and continue growing into the person I will be.

What are you working on now?

My more academic book on travelling – a journey across the Hippie Trail in the 1970s – is scheduled for publication in August. I am also finishing two books of poetry to be self-published. I am currently working on two fictional books, one a collection of short stories, the other a longer novel.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of Tales This Side of the Elysian Fields from Amazon US or Amazon UK.