Local author hopes debut book inspires self-reflection

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McClellan, who grew up in Paradise Hill and is a member of Onion Lake Cree Nation, said his upbringing and life experiences played a significant role in shaping the book. 

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“The places I’ve been have definitely shaped this book in a lot of different ways just through hardships, and the way I was looking at those hardships. I realized it wasn’t really the right lens to look at them.” 

One example, he said, came from an experience while fighting a wildfire in Onion Lake. 

“The fire was closing in on us quickly. The heat became overwhelming. The smoke was so thick you couldn’t even see your own nose, and every breath became a struggle. Somehow, we made it out alive.” 

This story became his metaphor for the internal battles he faced.  

“Sometimes the greatest danger isn’t the chaos around us, but how we respond to it,” he said. 

Many of the lessons in the book came from learning to view difficult experiences as opportunities for growth rather than setbacks. 

McClellan originally wrote the book as a collection of life lessons, philosophy and personal reflections. It wasn’t until friends encouraged him to include stories from his own life that the manuscript evolved into something more personal. 

“I took a few personal stories from my own life and incorporated them with the lessons that were already previously written, just to help shape and get the reader to have a better understanding of who I am,” he said. 

Published two months ago, Hidden Within the Human Husk has already received positive feedback from readers, some of whom have told McClellan the book left them emotional. 

“There’s a couple people that had shared they had some tears in their eyes, which was good to hear because it kind of tugged on their emotions a little bit and they found some value in the book.” 

For McClellan, those reactions are a sign the book has achieved what he hoped it would, encouraging readers to reflect, connect with the stories and find meaning in their own experiences.

While he has ideas for a second book, his current focus is on introducing his debut book to more readers before beginning his next project.

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Alyssa.rudolph@pattisonmedia.com