Chapters Rideau Signing Today!

A good-looking Saturday morning underway. I'll be signing the Stonechild and Rouleau series today at Chapters Rideau from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. You can come downtown to see the giant spider and dragon and pop in to say hello! This will be my last book signing of the summer.

There's lots to see downtown - I was there for lunch yesterday at the NAC patio overlooking the canal, then a wander up to Parliament Hill. Today, I'll check out the Byward Market on a search for the big machines after my signing and might hang around to see the Northern Lights light show on the Hill.

The one bad thing about the lovely summer weather we had this week is that I've been spending less time in front of the computer. Instead, I've been visiting with friends and neighbours and enjoying being outside. I did manage to complete the main idea paragraphs although I have to spend a bit of time going through the last few to tweak wording and make certain they hit the grade 4/5 grade level.

We're getting ready to edit Bleeding Darkness and I was asked to write a synopsis for marketing earlier this week. I continue to plug away at book six, now two thirds of the way through the first draft. I'm at the point where the characters are ramping up the action and all their secret, nefarious activity is coming into the light.

Thank you to those who've emailed me about the books. I always enjoy hearing from you. A few readers have suggested we line up a bus and take a Kingston bar hop of the pubs in my books. Maybe, I should apply for a grant ....

So, one more cup of coffee, a bit of writing at my computer and then I'll catch the bus downtown to Chapters. Should be another fine day.

Raining sparkles in the National Arts Centre

July News

A glorious day today! Not only is it promising to be sunny and hot, but my good friend Katherine Hobbs is getting married this afternoon :-) Congratulations Kath and Ric!!

And on the book circuit, next Saturday, July 29, I will be at Chapters Rideau from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. as part of the store's 150th Canada birthday celebration of Ottawa authors. Come by if you get the chance and say hello. This will be my last store signing of the summer.

The Kitchissippi Times latest edition is out with various residents giving their summer reading picks ... including mine! They also gave a bit of my writing bio, which is great for getting the word about about my work.

One last bit of writing news. I've been assigned a panel at Bouchercon in Toronto. The date is Saturday, October 14 and the time slot is 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. The topic is "Blue Detectives" or police procedurals. The other panel authors haven't been shared yet but I know there are some fine authors writing in this genre so I'm excited to see who else will be sharing the stage. If you go to the link and click on attendees, you'll see how big this conference is. There's still time to sign up, but the main hotel is likely full.

I've been spending my mornings this week researching and writing the main idea paragraphs for the adult literacy workbooks. In addition to Ernest Shackelton, the topics were Helen Kalvak (prolific Inuit graphic artist who began painting in her early 60s), Florence Nightingale, and Harvey Milk. Milk was the first openly gay politician elected in San Francisco in 1977. After eleven months in office, he and the mayor were both shot and killed by a city supervisor who'd resigned and then tried unsuccessfully to get his job back. Some interesting footage on Youtube.

Work on my latest manuscript is coming along too. I've been writing in the afternoons, enjoying the great weather this week by taking my laptop outside. Summer feels like it has finally arrived!

Raining and Writing

So, surprise ... we had more rain this week. More rain, every day ... in a row.

I am thankful for one thing, however. This record, never-ending rain is not snow. We'd have broken our snowblowers and thrown out our backs by now.

The writing is coming along. I think I've worked out most of the last third of the book (which I've yet to write) and some of the dangling story lines appear to be coming together. I know I'm not the only author who wonders if the magic will happen and the chaos will become coherent. I'm almost at 54,000 words now and the action is beginning to pick up. I'm mulling over killing off two characters and not sure if both, one or none will survive. Pretty sure about one's fate but not the other. Hard to bump a character off when you've grown fond of them ... but needs must.

Wa ha ha ....

Tuesday morning, Judith Van Berkom from Kitchissippi Times stopped by to interview me about my summer read picks. We took cups of tea into the backyard and discussed books, and after the interview, flowers and gardening. The article will be in the August issue so those in the neighborhood will soon know my choices :-)

I received an email yesterday from a Dundurn editor letting me know that we'll be editing Bleeding Darkness the first two weeks of August. The editor will be going through the manuscript first and sending their proposed changes to me. I'm not sure who the editor will be on this book. My writing will pretty much go on hold once the editing starts so I'll try to pick up my pace now. I submitted the health unit main idea paragraphs for the adult literacy workbooks to Grass Roots Press last week and am starting the last unit on people. First up is Sir Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic explorer who led quite the exciting life. I've done the research and will now get writing. There are six paragraphs left to complete.

Back to the Canadian preoccupation - the weather - after a night of steady rain, the sun is trying to break through the cloud cover and a rainless day is predicted. Looks like a busy day ahead with some writing and reading in my plans but also some time outside. It would be a crime not to enjoy the pockets of good weather when we get them.

For the Love of Books

At last, a string of hot, sunny days to make this feel like summer. I've been taking my laptop into the back garden with a cup of tea and writing through the afternoons. This being a full-time writer is a bit of all right.

I took the bus downtown on Wednesday morning and after a bit of shopping, walked down Elgin Street to Perfect Books, one of our few remaining independent bookshops. Jim, the owner, and Michael, the store manager, were both working but both had time for a chat. Apparently, they'd sold a copy of Cold Mourning ten minutes before I arrived! I topped up my Ann Cleeves collection for some summer reading before making my way back up Elgin to catch a bus home. Perfect Books has a fabulous selection of mystery books (in addition to every other genre) and very knowledgeable staff - well worth a visit if you're looking for summer reading suggestions. A friend sent me this photo on a visit to the store last year :-)

Cortez ringing up a sale at a signing last year! 

I was approached through email last week by a reviewer named Dimple, a young woman who lives in India. She had posted a review of Tumbled Graves asked if I would write a blog post and answer some questions to post on her site to follow up. I submitted both and you can read the blog post which is about writing believable characters. The interview will be posted soon. Dimple also posted a video on Youtube about her love for books that shows off her wonderful creativity. I'm so pleased to have contributed to her site!

I was also approached this week by Judith, a reporter from our local paper Kitchissippi Times to share my summer reading picks, and she'll be coming by Tuesday morning. Should be fun. Judith interviewed me a few years ago for an article, which made the front page. Here it is again for old times sake :-)

July is a month to slow down and enjoy the gardens and long, lazy days. I've been biking a lot and exploring the bike paths and pedaling to the shops to pick up supper most mornings. Waking with the birds and morning sun streaming in through the windows. Reading on the back deck late afternoon with a glass of wine. Watching the Blue Jays on tv in the evening.

Life is sort of like a .....

Happy week, everyone!

Happy 150th Canada!!

Happy 150th Canada!

I remember 1967. I was living in Terrace Bay so a bit out of the hub of the action, but the Confederation train came through. There was also a reenactment of the fur traders with Courier du bois paddling canoes onto the beach and setting up camp near the school. We had fireworks at the beach too - beautiful sparkles of colour against the backdrop of darkness over Lake Superior.

So, this year, I'm living in Ottawa, which is throwing one gigantic party on Parliament Hill. I'll watch some of it from the comfort of my living room at noon, but I'm also preparing for a BBQ with some friends and hoping the sun comes out this afternoon. Thinking back, Ted and I have seen in many new years and Canada days with these good  buddies :-)  I even went berry-picking yesterday morning in the mist to make strawberry shortcake - an annual tradition. I usually go with my daughter Lisa, but this year, we couldn't get the timing right between the rainstorms. I know she was with me in spirit as I slogged through the mud! We're also going to a pub at the edge of the downtown early in the afternoon to watch a friend's band play to get the party started.

A blast from the past - 2011

Writing slowed a bit this week although sometime in the middle of the night a few nights ago, I woke up with an idea to move the plot forward. Eureka! I've been struggling with what to do plot wise with  one of the pivotal situations and now have a plan. I also continue to plug away on the main idea paragraphs and am nearly done the health unit. (I now know more than I ever wanted to about cholera and bed bugs.) (Been scratchy and nauseous all week ....) Finally this week, I've been sent questions and asked to write a blog post for a reviewer and I've spent some time working on my responses.

But for today, another cup of coffee and then in the kitchen to bake a cake. It's been raining almost steadily in Ottawa the last few days with thunder storms periodically rumbling across the valley. Still, I don't think the weather can dampen the enthusiasm and celebrations going on here and across the country. We're blessed to live in a land with so much space and freedom and plain old-fashioned friendliness. Milestones such as today unite us and let us know how far we've come and how far we need to go to make Canada fair and equal for all. But for now, we raise a glass to the nation-building that has gone before and make wishes for the future.

A day to wave the flag proudly.