And We're Off!

The Bleeding Darkness book launch is a week away and the publicity is picking up speed. I was on Cable 22 tv on Wednesday but not the show I was told I'd be on! I began to figure out something was not as intended when I checked online and saw that The Author's Journey was not listed for Wednesday ... and all the material I'd been sent was about this show. I went to the studio anyhow thinking I might not be on air that day, but the first thing I saw in the green room was my book lying on the table so I knew it was the right day. I was slated to be the final guest on Daytime Ottawa which was fine by me. There were several other guests and the host Dylan Black spoke with each of us briefly before heading into the studio. We watched the show on a giant tv screen while we waited our turn. A girl put mics on each guest right before they left the green room and were taken into the studio. I counted three cameras when I first entered the studio, but you really don't notice them once the interview starts. Below, I'm with Dylan Black after my segment and here is a link to the interview.

Monday, I have two events: Abbotsford House in the Glebe in the morning where I'll be speaking about my writing and reading from Bleeding Darkness, and a trip to Orleans in the afternoon to present my work to a sorority sister organization alongside Mary Jane Maffini, Barbara Fradkin, Linda Wiken and Robin Harlick. This one includes supper :-)

So the second complete edit of Turning Secrets is in the can and next, the manuscript goes to the copy editor. I'll be seeing it again soon to go through their changes so I'm not out of the woods yet. I managed to start writing again on the latest manuscript and should make my target word count for the month.

And somehow between writing and editing and publicity, I made five or six trips to plant shops and finished putting in my garden, which now includes a lot of flower pots and annuals. The perennials pretty much take care of themselves although a couple died over winter that needed replacing. Sadly, we're going to lose the big balsam in our front yard as slashes in the bark keep appearing and the tree tilts further with every good wind. It's kind of like losing an old friend that's been there forever.

Well it's race weekend in the Capital and we have my daughter Julia and her dog George home from Toronto. The coffee's on and the rain has stopped for the moment. Time to get this day underway. Good running to Julia and all those racing today and tomorrow and happy gardening to everyone!

A Royal Morning ... and Release Day!

So I don't think it a coincidence that Harry and Meghan picked today - the official day of my book's release - as the date of their wedding. One might outshine the other, but both worth raising a glass:-) You too can walk with me down the aisle ... of a local bookstore ... and celebrate this auspicious day. You can even wear a fascinator. No judgement.

The Turning Secrets manuscript boomeranged back to me Thursday afternoon for my second review after Shannon Whibbs incorporated our first round of changes. I have until Wednesday to make my changes. After Shannon has a last look, the manuscript goes to the copy editor for a review of punctuation, spelling and grammar. I'll then have a last look. I also worked on the acknowledgements this week and will submit them with my edits. I'll also look for an appropriate quote or two, usually from poetry, to add to the opening page. The cover is currently being designed and I'm looking forward to seeing what Laura Boyle creates.

I've got one media engagement this Wednesday. I'll be a guest on Rogers Cable 22 and the show The Author's Journey with host Mony Dojeiji at noon. The show is live but rebroadcast twice more at 6 and 11 p.m. the same day so you can see how I make out if you have Rogers. It could be posted and I'll repost here if so.

I got in a bit of writing on my latest manuscript before the editing started up again yesterday. I'm almost one third of the way through this seventh and final Stonechild and Rouleau. I have to tie up the storylines of my main characters as well as plot out the new crime so a bit of a challenge. I'll get back at it next week and should make my monthly word count if I buckle down.

Well, I watched the royal wedding live beginning at 5:45 a.m., not intentionally, but I woke up and couldn't fall back to sleep. This could be a two-pot of coffee morning as I get back to the editing. Rain is forecast for the afternoon and then two lovely days of sun and warmth to round out the long weekend. I've managed to get a lot of gardening in this week and hope to finish planting on Sunday. Never enough time in the day to get everything done.

I'm sending a royal wave as I get out of my wedding attire (pale blue housecoat and black slippers) and prepare to eat the royal breakfast - granola and blueberries with a dollop of yogurt. I'm thinking that Pimm's sounds like a good idea and might need to pour a glass for afternoon tea.

Cheerio mates! Have a great weekend.

Bleeding Darkness on the Shelves!

Good Saturday morning. We're heading into a stretch of sunny, warmish spring weather here in the Ottawa Valley so spirits are lifting and gardening will soon be underway. Just in time for Mothers Day :-)

Deep into the editing this week. Shannon Whibbs sent along her edits for Turning Secrets I had until yesterday to go through them, rewrite a few bits and make my edits for Shannon to review. I finished Thursday afternoon and sent it back to her for round two. She wasn't doing a copy edit - i.e. grammar and punctuation but was looking at the plot and timeline. Another editor will be doing the copy edits. Yes, there are a few cooks working on this soup.

Needless to say, the writing was set aside and I started to get it back on track yesterday. It's taking a bit to figure out where I left off and the next steps in the plot. I'll be back at it in earnest next week.

It looks like Bleeding Darkness is making its way to readers. I received a few emails from people to let me know their copies arrive including this Twitter post from Kelly MacNaull. Kelly spearheads the annual Curling for a Cause fundraiser, an event that Ted and I have curled in every year since it started. She does an amazing job and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for local charities.

On the publicity front, my publicist Michelle Melski also set up a couple of gigs in Kingston on June 15. I'll be appearing on the CKWS tv morning show and then signing at Novel Idea bookshop from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the same day. I also met up with friends Bernie and Darlene on Monday and we paid a visit to the Cross on Elgin pub to meet the owner Danny and talk about the launch set up. Bernie is lead singer in the band Green Floyd, which will be entertaining us the day of. I've ordered some finger food and we figured out where Perfect Books will set up. It's a great, roomy space with a veranda so fingers crossed for a warm June day. You really should be marking it on your calendar!

More Excitement

Always a happy day - this was the first time I got to see the finished Bleeding Darkness as UPS delivered my author copies earlier this week. A box of bookmarks arrived from Dundurn the next day. The Canadian release date is May 10 so four more sleeps :-)

Oddly enough, the book to follow entitled Turning Secrets came back from my editor Shannon Whibbs two days ago with her edits for me to go through. I've combed through the first hundred pages already and am taking my time as I have until this Friday to get my changes back for round two. I'm also 25000 words into the book after Turning Secrets so you can imagine how confusing this entire process is becoming :-)

My publicist asked me to write a blog post to coincide with the book release and I managed to fit this in. I attempted to answer the question that I often get asked: "Where do you get your ideas for a book?" I'll post the link once it's posted.

More work going on behind the scenes to nail down dates for signings in Toronto and Kingston where I'll also be appearing on the morning television show. I also had coffee with Bernie who is lead singer in the band Green Floyd - they'll be playing at the Ottawa book launch on June 3. We talked about the music and flow of the afternoon. We're both meeting up with the owner of the Cross on Monday to talk about food and set up. I'm going to order some finger foods and will talk about the best spot to have Perfect Books have the books for sale. I'm also pleased that Katherine Hobbs is going to be MC. All seems to be coming together!

So back to editing today and watching the city clear away our neighbour's tree which blew down in the strong winds last night. We heard a big crack and saw an orange flash of light as the giant spruce hit the power lines. I initially thought something had caught fire. All the neighbours poured onto the street to have a look, happy that the tree missed hitting anyone or damaging property. This crazy spring weather continues ....