So Long February

Home from a week in Moose Jaw watching Lisa curl in the Scotties, our national ladies' championship. The girls brought home a bronze medal and Lisa earned second all-star lead, so a good week overall!

I visited the Multicultural Centre in Moose Jaw last Wednesday morning and spoke to a class of adult learners, mainly refugees, about writing and read from My Sister's Keeper. The Moose Jaw Optimists Club bought twenty copies for the classroom - Michelle Smith, the literacy coordinator told me that Moose Jaw is one of four cities that welcomes refugees and works to integrate them into the community. Thank you to Michelle, teacher Carol Moran and all the students for making me feel so welcome and asking so many great questions. A reporter from the Moose Jaw Express also sat through my presentation and interviewed me afterward so I look forward to reading Scott's article, likely this Monday as the paper comes out weekly.

Ted and I also drove to the Regina Chapters on Friday morning where I met the manager and some of the staff and handed out a lot of book marks. This Chapters had not heard of my books before so it was a good opportunity to introduce myself and get a few books in the store.

Moose Jaw is about 30,000 people and is about a 40 minute drive west of Regina. A working class Prairie town with friendly people and a sky that goes on forever. This was my second visit to the Prairies and I was again struck by the stark beauty of the landscape - and the flatness!
 

 There has been quite a bit of media this week for Butterfly Kills, including a good interview/review in the Kingston Whig Standard, which leads me to believe that I've successfully captured Queen's campus and the city. An interview with Omnimystery News was also posted and the National Enquirer posted a brief review, saying, "This taut novel combines police procedural and personal relationships to weave a twisting tale of suspense." A free book giveaway is available for Americans so I believe the review only went in th U.S. edition. Maybe if I was having George Clooney's baby, it would have made the Canadian edition too.

So, coming up on Saturday, March 7 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., I'll be signing copies of Cold Mourning and Butterfly Kills at Perfect Books on Elgin (between Somerset West and Cooper near Scrimm's Florist). Such a great store to visit - come by for a chat if you missed out on the launch and pick up some books to last you through the spring.

I leave you with a short interview posted on Dundurn's site a week or so ago as well as a fun blog post about who I would cast in a movie based on my books.

And now, a  second cup of coffee and back to working on my latest manuscript. Weekends go way too fast...

With the TSN crew at the Scotties in Moose Jaw - Vic Rauter, Cheryl Bernard and Russ Howard.

 

Hearts and Valentines

 

The Butterfly Kills book launch last Sunday was well attended with lots of books sold. Some people came because they'd read about the launch in the Kitchissippi Times so I met some new readers from the neighbourhood as well as the gathering of old friends. My cousin Janet drove in from Montreal - a most enjoyable afternoon and I thank Whispers for hosting the event and Books on Beechwood for coming out on a Sunday afternoon. Thanks also to Katherine Hobbs for saying some kind words about my writing although she did question how such a normal-looking person such as myself could write about murder :-) Not sure I have an answer fot that one!

Queen's Univeristy alumni contacted me last week with some questions about my writing. They published the article the next day and you can find it online.

This week, heading to Moose Jaw to cheer on Lisa in the Scott Tournament of Hearts. I'll be visiting the Multicultural Centre on Wednesday morning to meed the adult learners, talk about writing and do a reading. On the Friday afternoon from one to two p.m., I'll be signing books at the Southland Mall Chapters in Regina and hope you'll drop by to see me if you're in the area.

This is Team Homan's fourth Scotties and they return as Team Canada for the second year in a row. There's a great field again this year and games will be shown on TSN beginning this afternoon. Another busy week ahead - Go Team Canada!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. Hope some chocolate is coming your way.

Time to Party

A few weeks ago, I met Kitchissippi Times reporter Judith van Berkom upstairs at Thyme and Again on Wellington Street. We were both fighting colds, so over cups of hot tea, we talked about my writing and books. We discovered that we live streets away from each other and that she is friends with my next door neighbours. We were joined by Westboro phototgrapher Kate Settle who also put me at ease very quickly as she clicked away taking various shots. The hour flew by and  I enjoyed meeting these two lovely women. You can pick up a copy of the paper this week at some of the newsstands along Richmond/Wellington or read the article online. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the story made the cover page:-)

So, Butterfly Kills launches tomorrow! I hope you can drop by to raise a glass at Whispers pub on Richmond Road between 2:00 and 4:00 pm. Books on Beechwood will be attending with copies for sale and there will be finger foods for munching. Whispers is clearing out the tables and chairs in the fireplace room for easier mingling so this will be a casual kind of afternoon. You'll rub shoulders with some other local mystery authors and lots of great friends and neighbours.

Since this book is set in Kingston, the Whig Standard is reviewing the book and this review plus a bit of an interview should be out any day. I've also been contacted by Queen's University alumni and spent last evening answering some questions by e-mail for the alumni magazine. They've asked if I have any photos from my time at Queen's so I'll have to go dig up the old photograph album. I'm not sure any of the photos will work - this was long before the digital camera, I'm afraid.

My American publicist has also been busy and I have another blog entry to write. She also donated a copy of Butterfly Kills for a draw at the blog Lori's Reading Corner - you can enter by clicking on this link.

And through all this busy time, I'm managing to plug away on my latest manuscript, zeroing in on 30,000 words. I'm still at that uncertain time in the manuscript, not quite certain how the pieces are fitting together. The key is to keep my mind open and let the ideas come. Some will work and others will lead me to think of the murder puzzle in a new way. I'll spend most of today writing since the launch is tomorrow, my daughter Julia has a birthday on Tuesday (Happy Birthday ma belle fille), and we're also getting ready to travel to Moose Jaw in a week's time to watch our other daughter Lisa curl in the Scotties.

Could life get any more exciting?

Butterfly Kills Makes its Debut

Everyone who is happy to see the end of January, raise your hand. It was another -33 degree night to cap off one of the coldest Januaries in Ottawa that I can remember. If I see one more photo on Facebook of someone lounging on a beach with a drink...I might have to go down south and join them.

As Butterfly Kills book launch approaches on Sunday, February 8 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Whispers Pub - hope to see you there - the first of the media is hitting the stands. Peter Robb at the Ottawa Citizen posted a terrific review last night. The Kingston Whig Standard is also running a review next week or the week after and the Kitchissippi TImes is running a profile this upcoming week. If you could share the Citizen review through social media, I would be most appreciative - readers are the best way of spreading the word.

I've been asked a few times where my lead cop character Kala Stonechild came from. For those who haven't read Cold Mourning, Stonechild is 29 years old, Aboriginal and grew up in foster homes. She's a loner, intelligent and self-sufficient but also vulnerable. She's not very good at sticking with relationships and has a trust issue. My best answer to her origin is that she originated in the many news stories that I've read about issues impacting First Nations kids in Canada, including the devastation from sending several generations to residential schools. Kala's parents, both deceased when the book starts, were sent to a residential school and neither had any parenting skills as a result. The repercussions reach far beyond the history books to present day and Kala personifies some of the impact in a way that I hope resonates with readers.

I have some homework to do on book three in the series, which is entitled Tumbled Graves. The editorial work begins in a few months and the book is slated for release by Dundurn in early January 2016. I stalled a bit this week working on the fourth book in the series because I've been sick, but I appear to be on the mend today and will spend a good part of this weekend writing. The Citizen review is giving me renewed energy!

So, just a week to go before the Butterfly Kills launch. I double checked that Books on Beechwood has the books and is set to atttend and I'm in contact with Stacy at Whispers to reorganize our space to accommodate more people and to order some finger food. My good friend Katherine Hobbs has kindly agreed to say a few words of welcome, and my cousin Janet Chapman is driving in from Montreal.

It's going to be a party - come raise a glass and help me celebrate!

Tea and Honey

A rather exciting week that was.

My author copies of Butterfly Kills arrived Thursday evening and I finally got to hold the book for the first time. Always a thrill to open the box and pull one out.

The next exciting news is that Butterfly Kills is generating media interest. Now I'm told by my publicist that publications do not like authors to broadcast upcoming press ahead of time, so I'm going to stay mum.  You will need to check back over the next month or so to find out who and where!

However, for the Anna Sweet mysteries, I was already interviewed by the Moose Jaw Times Herald for my upcoming visit to the Multicultural Centre to speak to the adult learners and to do a reading. I'm told that most of the adults are new Canadians who are working on literacy skills. The Optimists Club in Moose Jaw is donating $200 so that every one of the students can receive a copy of one of my books - such a generous thing for them to do.

My Dundurn publicist Karen McMullin has been working to have me appear in a Moose Jaw bookstore to sign copies of the Stonechild and Rouleau mysteries, only to discover that the closest bookstore is in Regina - 45 minutes down the highway. So, I'm going to be appearing in the Regina Chapters on Friday, February 20 from 1-2 pm. Help to spread the word if you know anyone in Regina.

I'm posting a short one today as the cold and/or flu returned a few days ago to make me somewhat miserable. Ted got me moving with a cup of tea and honey, but I think a second nap is in order. I hope your weekend is healthier than mine has shaped up to be :-)

January Morning

I managed to make headway on a few fronts this past week. Writing went well enough - completed a few thousand words on the latest manuscript and spent some time thinking about the plot. I've got a killer in mind and have been working my story to set up the crime reveal, but I'm not sure if it's going to work.  So this one could be an adventure. I'll keep writing this weekend and hope some of the crime plot starts to gel.

Publicity work is leaping along. I was interviewed by phone by a reporter at the Moose Jaw Times Herald in advance of my visit to the Multicultural Council's class of adult learners in February. We will be in Moose Jaw to cheer on our daughter Lisa and Team Homan at the Scotties - should be a great time and I'm excited to be heading north (and west) for a week. We fly into Regina and have rented a car to get to Moose Jaw, which is about a 40-minute drive from all accounts. The Prairies have a beauty that draws you in.

I will be interviewed online on March 17th late in the afternoon on Bitten by the Book, a popular book forum in the U.S. They are also planning to review the Stonechild and Rouleau books around the same time. I filled in a questionnaire one evening in preparation for the interview. I'll share more about this as the event draws closer.

I'm also working with my friend and author Alex Brett on drumming up some local media interest and have quite a bit to do on this score today. Who knew that the hardest part of getting published would be the publicity work that follows?

Butterfly Kills is now up on Amazon and stock is being distributed across the country. My copies still have not arrived but should be this week. I continue to send out electronic invitations to the February 8th launch at Whispers and lots of people have indicated that they'll be coming to help celebrate. I have to check in with Books on Beechwood and Whispers this week to make sure everything is ready.

So much to do. So many balls to keep in the air.

January is half complete and our deep freeze continues. I think we hit -33 last night with the wind chill. I'm not looking forward to stepping outside today but have some errands to do. I'll put them off until I've had another cup of coffee...or two. My next car is going to have heated seats.

The hills grow wintry white, and bleak winds moan
About the naked uplands. I alone
Am neither sad, nor shelterless, nor gray,
Wrapped round with thought, content to watch and dream.

Archibald Lampman - 1888

Southern Dreaming

So that was a cold week. Frost bite warning, -37 C with the wind chill (and there was wind) and brutal mornings standing in the dark waiting for the bus to go downtown to work. Made me want to curl up under a blanket with a bowl of pasta and some chocolate cake.

Made me wonder why I haven't booked a trip south.

I managed to finsh going through my latest manuscript, doing a quick edit and making notes of the key points in each chapter. This weekend, I'm ready to get back writing and start the plot moving forward as I finish up the first third of the book. Time to pick up speed.

Still no sign of my box of Butterfly Kills books from Dundurn. I was in touch with the author in Toronto who received my books by mistake before Christmas and he reported that they had been picked up. Hopefully, they'll arrive early this week. The book is now available on Amazon .ca and Chapters if the date on their websites is correct. It will be released in the U.S. in February. I also set up a couple of free copies for a draw on Goodreads - if you're a member, you can put your name into the draw.

I'm now set to visit the Multicultural Centre in Moose Jaw (not Cuba) in February to speak to adult learners about the Anna Sweet mysteries and the writing life. I'm hoping to also do a signing in the Moose Jaw Chapters for the Stonechild and Rouleau books but am waiting for confirmation from my Dundurn publicist. Moose Jaw in February - just when you thought it couldn't get any colder....

 

I'm having a sluggish morning. I slept in longer than normal and am still sleepy after two cups of coffee. This must be my body's response to our Canadian winter. I've actually got a chocolate coconut cake recipe that I'm cued up to make once I get myself moving and head to the market for ingredients. This is my solution to the deep freeze and likely the origin of the expression, "Let them eat cake": Comfort food and sleep.

Stay warm my friends.