The Big Melt

There's something about seeing the curbs again and hearing the melting snow rush into the sewers that lets you know winter is all but over. The tulips are pushing up through the earth next to the back door and birds are checking out the birdhouses in front of my office window. The light is different now, more golden. The sun is warm out of the wind.

When the seasons change, it feels like a time of renewal: a time to make new plans and to start new projects. It's a time to plan trips. Ted and I are looking into a canoe get away in upstate Vermont. A few days away from the city could be just the ticket. I'm also heading out to Bloody Words in Victoria at the beginning of June with Darlene and Katherine. We're planning a few days in Vancouver en route - I've only been as far west as Jasper, so this will be a real adventure.

I haven't gotten much writing in this past while. I've felt the need for a break as I reassess the manuscript I started last year. I'm ready to tackle it again. In the meantime, I've been writing for a few guest blogs and organizing a few events. Barbara Fradkin, Jeff Ross and I will be launching our three Orca books at the Clocktower Brew Pub on Bank Street from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 15th. Books on Beechwood will be the bookseller. It promises to be a relaxed get-together and I hope lots of you can drop by.

Even sooner, Chris Forrest and I will be appearing at the main branch of the Ottawa Public Library on Tuesday, April 12th at 7:00 to read from our work and be interviewed by a special guest . . . should be a fun evening. More details to follow.

I went to the Capital Crime Writers meeting on Wednesday night. The guest speaker works in the area of financial intelligence - analyzing suspicious money transactions and pinpointing money laundering schemes. His organization works closely with the police and RCMP with unspecified offices in major Canadian cities. Can you imagine having so much ill-gotten money that you don't know how to spend it without drawing attention to yourself? What propels someone start working a scheme to bilk millions out of the system? While not a good thing to do in real life, money laundering makes for good fiction fodder. It has me wondering about human nature and moral fibre - is everyone susceptible, given the opportunity? What if you knew that you would never get caught? Hmmm.