Digital Camera--my favourite writing tool

For Today's Parent Toronto, I was invited to a photo tutorial at Riverdale and then given the camera to keep! Hurray! These two photos are taken on my year old Sony. I love digitals for taking notes on fiction and non fiction projects. Helps my description immensely. I take photos of food,menus, and decor, for restaurant reviews. It's my visual memory.

I went mostly because I'd never been to Riverdale Farm before. I've written about it which always feels slightly fraudulent. We were encouraged to bring a child-subject so three year old William and I were off on an adventure.

Negin Sairafi gave us tips on the features of our new Kodak plus general hints in exporing our photographic creativity. I enjoyed the tutorial very much.

I loved the animals and the idea that here was this green and organic oasis in the middle of the hustle bustle city. I would post a lot more photos of horses and goat and donkey bottoms (that's how they faced us) except I accidentally deleted ALL instead of PICTURE. Maybe Kodak makes it too easy?

Recouping from the holiday.

The first few days back from Alaska and in between blowing my nose from an airplane cold, I wrote like crazy trying to sort out the sites of Toronto. I checked websites, talked to people, looked over event calendars, asked Today's Parent people for some KidSummer sites, double checked neighborhoods and hours and prices, cut hours and prices because of space issues.

Readers don't realize how much work is behind an article, sadly publishers don't either. You only see the end result, you don't see the mass of info that got sculpted into a slant.

Now I feel better and I'm onto writing a feature on Art Slade. It's how I began my published career, writing about authors. First off I'm rereading as many of his books as I can get my hands on. A joy, really, no problem there. I'm also reading everything written on him. I've already been to one of his presentations with kids at a school in Newmarket, I've also seen him speak at launch and interact with a fan. Friday I will skype with him. I present in Saskatchewan all the time but just not conveniently in time for this piece. I'll meet his new daughter( just arrived from China ) on a computer screen.

Then will come the hard part, sculpting it all into a slant. Watch for it in the Canadian Children's Book Centre Magazine.

Back from Alaska

No internet for me on the Coral Princess, well I did pay for 15 minutes to wish my son a happy birthday but otherwise I un-addicted myself. It helped that I forgot my camera-downloading cord at home. I hate blogging without an image. The surprise gift on the cruise was an upgrade to balcony which meant not stop beauty from my bedroom window. Listening to silence as we drifted through Glacier Bay was inspiring and eerie. Immediately below is a small iceberg broken from Mendenhall Glacier a short shuttle ride from Juneau. Incredibly I heard an explosion and actually saw one break off while I was standing there. Next are views from the boat of Glacier Bay and from my window of Whittier. Last is a snapshot of Denali Mountain. It needs to be a bright clear day for the highest peak in North America to appear. We had perfect weather. Over so quick, like a dream.

On the trail of the Feature

I inherited a "staycation" feature from my fellow editor who became too busy. I love Toronto and always feel I should get to know it better so I started off on Harry the Hippo, an amphibious bus tour. Leanne, the tour guide, gave random trivia about Toronto like that the Royal Bank Building has $90 worth of gold dust in every window. No wonder bank charges are so high! The cool factor of course was when Harry splashed into the water off Ontario Place

We were pretty cold after our hour and a half tour, mainly 'cause we unsnapped the windows over the lake. After a hot soup, we headed to Harbourfront for a coffee with the dogs at the Pet Discovery Centre (Pawsway). Always fun to meet with animal people. No chihuauas in mini skirts today.

Then we headed for the AGO. Absolutely awesome in the true sense of the word. In the wooden atrium, there is a massive (sculpted )palm tree on its side, complete with roots. The exhibit is called palm Sunday. We also checked out the whimsical Bata Shoe Museum. I tried on some Elton John type shoes. We finished with the longest streetcar ride in the world ending in the Beach.

A great day. I have a bunch more museums to try to squeeze in before my trip to Vancouver and Alaska. Then the irony will be writing about a staycation while away on an cruise-cation.

Mining for Magazine Stories

My writing job consists of three parts, one: writing novels which I consider the main part, two:talking about writing with students, there by exciting them to read and write and three: writing and editing for Today's Parent Toronto. All of these jobs crisscross in lots of fun ways.

I visited Science North while I was teaching at Alexander Public School a couple of years ago with the idea of writing a travel feature on Sudbury and their great museums and instead wrote Slam Dunk Robot, a piece of fiction for grade twos, set in Science North.

So on the way home from Timmins and the highschool art day, I stopped in Sudbury to shorten the drive and meet up with other writers and storytellers Aubrey Davis and Bernice Hume to give them a lift home. To pass the time waiting till they were done their readings, I visited Dynamic Earth and Science North on a complimentary pass they so graciously granted me.

I used to feel guilty about asking for these when I didn't know whether the visits would lead directly into a marketable piece of writing that would get them more visitors. Now I realize you can never tell where an idea will come from or what kind of story will evolve from it and so everyone shares in the gamble and process.

Violet's Celebration

On April 24th Gisela Sherman (another great writer and good friend) hosted a welcoming celebration for my new grandaughter Violet Vivien McNicoll. Because the ladies who came seemed so much like fairy godmothers to Violet, I asked them each to write out their wishes for her, hoping that no 13th fairy would show. Now there is at least one wish missing so I hope that "fairy" will write me theirs so it is not lost for all time. Also the painting wish needs to be identified.

Because most of the attendants were writers, their take on the assignment varied. Here are their wishes:

Cathy Miyata: Expensive jewellery, opals and diamonds (I asked for specifics and this one is so juicey and decadent, it's perfect

Grandmama Maureen: In your search to find love I hope, just like Mom and Dad you find it in an easy and obvious place. (This wish refers to the fact that Erin, Violet's mom, and Craig, her dad and my son, saw each other a long time before actively seeing each other, if you know what I mean. Erin is Jennifer, Craig's sister's best friend. Complicated but they found love through family and friendship. A lovely wish.

I wish for Violet to have extreme skills in breakdancing and to be fluent in Mandarin. Auntie Robin

I wish for Violet to become an awesome Karaoke Diva Auntie Jen.

May your favourite colour be violet and may you use it in all your paintings.(I think this is Becca's)

May you enjoy the company of many siblings and cousins.(This one's mine and I made it because every Friday we have large family dinner gatherings that are loud, messy and hopefully fun for Violet. )

Vivacious

Intelligent

Outstanding

Love

Elegant

Ticklish Acrostic poem by Estelle Salata and her daughter Paula

I hope you read 11,000 great books! (including mineJ Gisela

We wish for you the ability to time travel and meet all the great McNicolls of the past. Jane and Wendy McNicoll (I agree with the sentiment behind this one. There are people who have passed on to a different leg of the journey who would have loved to meet Violet and give her their good wishes)

Arts Day at Timmins High

It starts with the whole school playing frozen tag when Oh Canada broadcasts over the intercom. The arts day presenters get introduced in the theatre room by an enthusiastic drama student. Then I head for the conference room and present, over the course of the day, to four grade 9 and 10 students, some gifted, some improv, some so bored with life that eyerolling is their only exercise. They can pretend they don't like it but I know they did. "You can't say you don't know, there are no wrong or right answers," I tell them. "You should say instead 'I need a moment to consider your question'" . In my mind I figure I've given them at least one lifeskill to use in the all important job interview.

It's amazing how alive some of their words can become with some coaching. The last group became way more willing to share their work once the cool kid decided he would read his romantic poem aloud in order to win a juice box. The Juice Box Writing Competition was on.

I do love working with this age group. Not a lot of warm fuzzies like with the younger groups, the rewards are much more subtle.

Making writing "Apeeling" at Clarksdale

How do you start a book? Where do you get your ideas? Bah! It's the flashing curser and nothing-happening moments that create the real problems in writing sometimes.

Here I demonstrate how I insert day to day real life in my stories. My grandmother used cucumber peels as a facial mask on her kids. My mother put them on our faces. I did on my kids, and then on my character Elizabeth in Bringing Up Beauty and now of course on volunteers in writing presentations. What does it look like, smell like, feel like...and click, click,click (pores closing under the cool sensation) sound like? Here I am at Clarksdale, getting a volunteer writer to peel the cucumber and another to describe the experience. Ahh writing!

Aww kids!

Charles R. Beaudoin--The Burrow

This was my final Artist in Education stint for this school year. The gifted grade 5s reside in a portable at the back far away from the school. No wonder they call it the Burrow and have renamed themselves after Harry Potter characters. This is a photo of script day because my camera battery died on our end of the session celebration. For that many parents came and enjoyed poetry and story readings as well as a few scripts acted out. Hurray for the students and Jennifer Reid, their teacher. It was a wonderful sendoff for this year!

Schoolbus driver

For years my husband Bob worked as an IT manager. Say what? No one ever understood what he did, especially the kids. Now he works parttime as a schoolbus driver while he pursues his passion of photography. Both are things our descendants, kids and grandkids enjoy and understand. Here's William and The Driver, as well as William with his mom enjoying the school bus.

Our Newest McNicoll

Sometimes I wonder about posting family events in amongst writing process but, really, in my career it's so integral. Here is my new granddaughter Violet Vivien McNicoll born April 1. She may be fourth in line to the throne, if we had one, but she is every bit as special to me. I have attended too many funerals of both young and old to take for granted healthy, happy children or parents for that matter. And while I always seem to write about the end of the human cycle, I am overjoyed at the beginning of this one. Of course some aspect of Violet's birth or life will end up in a story. My readers just have to watch for it.

Halton Oakville Speech Contest

Last night I acted as a judge for a speech contest. The students spoke on topics such as volunteering, smiling, technology, epilepsy, miracles, child labour,Emilia Erhart, positive attitude--okay that accounts for nine of 15 of them--volunteering was tackled twice.

I sat at the back of the room and had to watch for eye contact (do they even have eyes, next time I'm bringing binoculars) and check for a whole list of things including correct use of language, logic and devolopment of topic etc (I was given a ruberik). Whenever I hear that word I'm worried I'll have to move coloured squares into the right position.

The problem, of course, was this 15 students were all winners from their own schools so they were masters. You couldn't eliminate anyone for obvious errors such as mistiming or reading her/his entire speech.

Whenever I judge a contest, whether it's for writing, plays or speeches, I hope that someone stands out as the best because really, many are very good. And in this case so did the other two judges, really nice people--an Oakville city councilor and a consultant for the board--can't find their names in my notes right now.

Here's our unanimous vote for winner: Sabrina Freeas. She spoke on Child Labour and actually gave out brands that employ it. Lucky I can't afford those brands anyway. I wonder if we should all just sew.

Congratulations to Sabrina and Halton Separate Schools for hosting such worthwhile activities.

Coming up with ideas is hard-Charles R. Beaudoin School

This is a shot of the grade 5 gifted class at Charles R. Beaudoin. They are my last students for this year's Ontario Artist in Education stint and for each of the six weeks I essentially taught the same thing in various degrees of intensity depending on abilities. This could get boring after a while except for the kids. They're all so different. These students like to offer up random interesting facts much like my adult writing friends do. Sometimes they're all over the place with their thoughts and things, pencils, paper etc. Just like me. So I feel at home with them.

So far my favourite comment has been "This isn't as easy as it looks," from a boy who was trying to come up with his license plate motto. So true about coming up with any idea or writing in general.

March Break

Besides rewriting Death on YouTube till it was Dying to Go Viral and recovering from a cold, I spent March break recovering from a cold and hanging with my favourite people, the grandchildren. What did we do? Well, one hillarious passtime was spinning until Omi wanted to hurl or until you dropped. See the first shot. Jadzia has already dropped but even Mortie the Jackapoo enjoyed the challenge.

Of course we read together. I love the shot of Hunter and William reading together. Wish I could say they were entranced by one of my Canadian friends' writing. But no, it's Captain Underpants.

Thirdly we had great weather and went to Crawford Lake. Hunter loved the aboriginal stuff he saw on his trip with his grade three class. He's making cornbread with a gang of volunteers here. We also went to Bronte Creek twice and ate maple candy. A great holiday all around.

The Writer Talks on Voice without one

The week before March break, I was stricken with one of those annoying colds that makes your throat sore for three days and then launches you into a full blown sneezy wheezy grumpy dopey (and all the other dwarves) colds.

The irony was the teachers at Charles Beaudoin had hoped I might address "voice" in writing.

Well sure. It was hard to do without one. Sucking on Halls and ice cubes, drinking tea and sipping on homemade chicken soup all didn't help.

To crown it all, I performed my first virtual visit at Aurora Public Library's YA book club.

I rested my voice for hours only to discover I hissed like a crazed granny when I tried to talk about Last Chance for Paris. ( Also I need to figure out lighting because either I was totally in the dark or I looked as though a divine light was shining through my face.) I wanted so badly to chat with them too. Although many of them were fantasy readers they said they all enjoyed my book.

With a week off from AIE (artist in education) duties, I'm all better. I did manage to write without a voice. I finished Death on YouTube and renamed it Dying to Go Viral. Now I'm dying to hear how my agent and Norwegian publisher like it.

Grade 5 Character Charles Beaudoin School

Wednesday at Charles Beaudoin I led a workshop with grade 5s on character. Then, while currently I forget the names of the great teacher and student teacher in the background, I did remember to take a few snapshots. You can tell a lot about the character of the school and teachers by the energy and verve the students exhibit. Look at these walls--they're covered in stories and writing tips. The students were terrific to work with as they went straight to writing from our prewriting exercise. It's easy to talk about writing, it's another to work quietly inside your head when all around you the world is teeming.

Death on Youtube--the rewrite

First of all we need to change the title since YouTube is a trademark. So we have suggestions from grade 5 at Charles Beaudoin: Killing on the Internet, Death on a Skateboard (mine), Killing on Video.

Well as brainstorming goes, I've come up with this one because of something my good friend

and fellow writer Gisela Sherman said: Death Goes Viral.
Another friend and writer Lynda Simmons (Getting Rid of Rose) suggested I need more of a sense of place. So off I went to Maple Skatepark and took some photos. Who remembered that it was so small. There's also a tiny one at Brant Hills but only one BMX biker at a time could go in that one.

The push is on. I want to have this off to my agent and Norwegian Publisher on Friday.

Wish me luck.

Writing--the best job in the world

Wednesday I took some of my favourite people to see Disney on Ice--these were complimentary passes from my employer Rogers--I'm the features editor for Today's Parent Toronto. Also we needed to squeeze in a restaurant review, called Whine and Dine in the magazine. Last minute I discovered Arriba which overlooks the interior of the SkyDome or the Rogers Centre. Here's my two grandsons enjoying each other's company as well as the view.I will admit going on an event you have to write about is a bit stressful. Not because of the writing, I can think it out on paper pretty quickly when I have to--but because I worry things will go wrong especially when there's only one go through. For example, Arriba staff said they were open at five where the website said 6:30. If it had of only opened that late we couldn't have made the 7:00 show. Also Hunter had a stomach ache in the morning. You never know if

that would have turned into something more serious later.

As it was it went away and he ate well.

Mostly, I worry that the kids will have a meltdown. Magazine experiences tend to be manic.

You have to squeeze everything in quickly so you can write about it ...quickly.

But we all had a great time. Okay I'll post one photo of the show since blogging is considered personal use.

The End...Death on YouTube

You think that it would be a relief to type "The End" when you're done a book. First of all many writers don't even do that--they type "-30-" some old-fashioned printer's code to signal not to look further for more text to print.

Instead, I , and many other writers I've spoken to about this, get depressed. My process is to write as quickly as I can, much the way I read. I gobble up stories when I read, I spit out first drafts when I write. Then I have to decide whether I've shaped it correctly. Off it goes to fellow writers whose job it is not to applaud--although we can all use a lot of that--but to pick it apart before an acquisitions editor can. I think it's the next leg of the journey that depresses me. The knowledge that there will be a whole bunch of flaws in my baby that I have to "correct".

Really, though, it's more like adding a second and third coat of paint. I splash down a first draft and the reader can't see the colour that well until I add a second and third coat.

Anyhow, for this book, I feel pretty good. Thanks to the five classes I visited this year:

(two at) Canadian Martyr, Alexander Public, Brant Hills. The students were so hooked from the first reading, I felt inspired to continue. It also helps that my Norwegian publisher liked the first three chapters and outline.

Memorable Event--Sixth Annual CANSCAIP OLA Booklaunch

I can't remember having a better time than at this years CANSCAIP Launch. So many different approaches. Some read--authors read beautifully. Some sang--yes authors sing beautifully. Ted Staunton played a mean banjo and had the audience clucking and wiggling in their chairs like chickens laying eggs. Spring showed up in full costume and promises to return later. Some of the authors dressed up in crazy hats to help demonstrate Kari-Lynn Winter's book--all the while I was timing. So much fun watching them try to beat the clock. Next year it might be nice if we didn't launch on a blizzard day and if more librarians showed up to enjoy the wonderful performance.

New Writers on the job

Here they are hard at work, creating stories about some strange stuffed animals, most of whom want to go for the gold at the Olympics. I love the Artist in Education Week,( it gives me much more of a closer and longer contact with my readers than an author visit) and it was especially fun at BrierPark School because the teachers and principal understood how much creative writing can contribute to their curriculum. It's often difficult to convince educators, despite the literacy push, that giving up half a day to writing stories with a professional author can enrich, empower as well as educate the students. If they can reason through the peaks and valleys of a story, thinking about how stuffed crocodiles can practise shotput let's just say, they will increase their powers of critical thinking for all subjects and for the real problems in their life. And along the way, they'll also learn some writing technique, practise their computer skills and sure, improve their spelling.

Brier Park Public School

Forgot to charge and bring my camera or there would be a photo here of some outstanding actors delivering the great lines they wrote today. Two grade five and one grade six class write with me in the morning and in the afternoon. It's already day three of this Ontario Artist in Education sponsored week. Day three is always dialogue one of my favourite activities. I pair the young writers and they collaborate on one of three scenarios involving (usually) a young person trying to talk an adult into something.

It's interesting how the parents respond. In these skits they always seem to cave in and the young person wins. Is this wishful thinking or do all adults allow their kids to have dragons and aliens as pets?

SkyRide in Death on YouTube

Jade only has a week to live or really a week to relive of her previous life. Except she changes everything by committing to a list, essentially a bucket list. On it is skydiving which you can't do unless you're 18 and she's 14. So she goes indoor skydiving at Niagara Falls instead. Yes you have to be 18 to try it without a parent present but even a 7 year old can do it with her parents there. I figure it's easier to get by the rules with someone else's ID than it would be actually jumping from an airplane. After the "skydive", Aiden, the boy who will ultimately kill her, suggests the SkyRide.

Well you can research blogs and study advertisement on the ride all you want, you're never going to feel the experience unless you do it. I would ordinarily never go on the SkyRide because I would expect to feel nauseous. But because of Jade's list, I went on and it was lovely. Not scary, just a very slow turn up in the sky which gives you yet another view of The Falls.

After the SkyRide, I think I will try the ferris wheel on Centre Island too.

Next Jade's dad will give her a surprise ride on a hotair balloon. It's winter, there's no way I can try it. I'm waiting for a friend to tell me all about her experience this year trying it.

More Describing Words in Caught in a Lie

Ahhh! I can't stand it. I'm working on Death on Youtube and keep gettings emails and comments on my website about how I don't describe my characters in Caught in a Lie enough. I wrote the book ten years ago.

But of course I still don't describe characters enough. So now I'm trying to picture every character in my new book and figure out what to say about them. I'm going insane.

Somebody must like my lack of character describing.

Alexander Public Grade 6 does character sketches

Here are the characters. You can tell a lot about the students by the stuffies they bring to school to do a character sketch. I'm not sure if you can make out Darth Vadar bear but he's sitting there on the left, the stuffie in black. Tomorrow is our last day together so I can read the stories about these guys in second draft.We also worked on scripts and here a couple of the students perform a very popular one on a "didi"that a boy tried to convince his mom was a good pet.

They always look so industrious when they work on the computers but really they're probably deciding on a font here. Tomorrow we say good bye and it's always a little sad. I'm assuming it may be my last time in a Sudbury classroom and Alexander Public is pretty special to me. Slam Dunk Robot was written there with the students' input.

But you never know. Maybe I'll be back for a launch of Death on Youtube

Rosie and Science North

One of my favourite things about Sudbury is Science North and this picture is hardly representative of the imposing round glass building perched on the edge of Lake Ramsey. It uses part of the rock structure that it sits on as a wall. And as you climb up the five levels, the floor winds around a whale skeleton. So cool. I enjoyed the 3d Wild Oceans Imax last night but also visited with the animals, who feed when I'm done with school. Hence the photo of Rosie. But I also learned about stem cell research in the Genome Club object theatre. And today I skated on the frozen lake behind the centre. I remembered my Ipod and listened to Hawaiian music as I toured the lake path twice, then the battery died. Too bad I forgot my camera. The sunlight was brilliant against the white snow and ice. You'll just have to imagine it.

The Penthouse Classroom

These are my grade 5 students at Alexander Public School along with their plucky teacher Mme Auger. In the morning I taught Mme Dimarco's grade 6s but they don't have such a beautiful view from their classroom. We were discussing description in a story as mood creator. Mrs. Auger said when it snowed last week it felt like they were in one of those glass globes that you shake. With all that light, sitting on top of the world I wonder if I can inspire them even more.

Sudbury--Imax Festival

It's a five hour drive to Sudbury but you don't notice it when you're listening to a nine hour unabridged book. It was called The Secret Between Us. How annoying when at about the sixth disc, the voice gets garbled and the player goes silent.

Happily, I was close to Sudbury by then and heard that bit over again on my computer in the hotel. Then off I went to my first Imax Festival film called Beavers. And that's what it was about. Who knew they made little whiny grunt sounds. And boy can the chop trees! I wonder how they film the critters and get them to just go about their business or maybe that accounts for the whiny grunts.

It was only about 40 minutes long so I topped the evening off with a long swim and soak in the hot tub, a little reading and then bed. Tomorrow Alexander Public School, and The Bears.

Free fall and I don't even mean writing

As you approach the Niagara Falls Freefall Indoor Activity Centre, you hear the roar of a jetplane engine. The blue and red figure floating on the tower looks vaguely like Superman, a hero from my youth. The other part of the building is a triangle made of glass triangles.

Now I don't feel like a superhero. In fact some of my joints ache and the warning poster inside says people with injuries, sprains, fractures and SORE JOINTS shouldn't participate.

I ignore it for my craft.

I hand over my Visa and get talked into adding the video, it's only $15 perhaps I can extract bits for a powerpoint presentation on writing the book. Then I head into the brightly lit classroom with the television at the front. Imagine, the tv is a teacher. The video demonstrates hand symbols and body positioning. As quickly as they're mentioned, I forget them and feel nervous that I should quit. Each student must demonstrate the correct posture lying across an ottoman. How much more stupid can I feel.

Then we sign the waiver. Those forms are the scariest part of this adventure as they keep mentioning death. How can anyone die bouncing of cushiony walls?

I could probably find a way.

Next we suit up in huge parachutey jump suits, helmets and goggles. We're given earplugs to mold and insert. All set?

Into the wind tunnel we go and position ourselves along the bumper of the round room.

The jet engine roars louder and louder.

We have a coach in the centre and he guides us, one by one, into the air. Me last, thankfully. You can't tell how high you're floating or whether the coach is holding on to your jumpsuit but watching the others, he never seemed to let go.

So you kind of jump up and stretch your arms out, bending your knees and lets up. You float bellydown. The wind from the engine inflates the parachute like suit and you look like a marshmallow person. (I only saw this in the photo after) The sensation is much like the one you get blowdrying your hands in those highpower dryers in the Go Station and in the washrooms on the 401 leading to Montreal. You know the ones that kind of look like they're blowing your skin off?

This sensation is mainly directed at your face and as I was grinning (from the sheer stupidity and embarassment) my lips were being blown back and I felt my spit leaving my mouth.

How did I feel doing it? I felt like the master of my universe, conquering all fears. Everyone should tackle something that scares them, it makes you stronger.

Indoor Skydiving--Part of the writing process

Because my main character Jade in Death on Youtube makes a list of ten things she has to do or achieve before she dies (a second time, she's on a two week replay) I felt I had to try something she would do in order to write the scene authentically.

In the late part of 2009 I visited classrooms for three weeks at both Canadian Martyrs School and Brant Hills School and as part of writing workshops asked them to tell me what they'd most want to do if they only had two weeks to live and couldn't really tell anyone, exactly as my character's circumstances dictated. Of course some of their suggestions will appear in the story. However, one thing that repeatedly came up which kids under 18 are not allowed to do is skydiving. Not even with parental consent.

Happenchance, while catching up one clips of one of my favourite shows: Rick Mercer, I noticed he went indoor skydiving at Niagara Falls. I quickly googled and found that even 7 year olds can skydive, provided they have a parent on site who signs insurance waivers and consent forms.

So I debated: this is expensive, I've already broken my wrist once rollerblading, the orthepedic surgeon will really freak if I come back after indoor skydiving. I posted my query on facebook and found the response leaned towards yes. So today off I went.

Best Christmas Card of all--from Beauty

I liked all the Christmas cards I received. Friends are another of the treasures of life. But feeling that you've made a difference is probably the most exciting aspect of being a writer. It's not always reflected in royalties, reviews or awards. This Christmas card made me feel as though I have contributed significantly to Canadian children's literature. So I want to post it here, in case I lose the actual physical photo. Samantha read Bringing Up Beauty in grade 4. Now she's at U of Guelph and works part time at Canine Vision Canada. She fosters many dogs but a couple of months ago she told me she was finally raising a chocolate Lab that she named Beauty after the two dogs in Bringing Up Beauty, A Different Kind of Beauty and Beauty Returns. I feel honoured.

The Best of Christmas

The presents weren't the highlight of Christmas. I guess they never are. Enjoying the Spencer Smith Park lights are a tradition. Going to Hunter's Teddy Bear Concert is another. We took William and Jadzia to the free train in Gore Park, downtown Hamilton. Previous years it was Hunter. We liked taking him to the movie A Christmas Carol, in 3d. A new event was celebrating Jadzia's birthday, her first, a delayed event that took place on Boxing Day instead of her actual birthday on Christmas. The best part of Christmas was family for sure.

Harry Potter at the Science Centre--writing and its perks

Hunter appreciates the perks of the writing career. He told me how lucky we were when we attended the press release for the new Harry Potter exhibit coming to the Ontario Science Centre in April. You can see the television cameras lined up in the back for the sneak preview.

An owl delivered the message, smoke rose and the flying car appeared in the background.

Best was that we saw the Body show after which I had missed the press date for as I was teaching in Brant Hills School at the time. I fell asleep during my favourite star show in the planetarium, Hunter nudging me when I snored. He slept all through the drive home. Happily it was easy for me to stay awake. I have to agree with Hunter, being a writer is the best job in the world.

Leading up to Christmas

The holiday season began with a field trip to the Royal Botanical Garden in Burlington/Hamilton to get photos for the magazine. Jadzia and William enjoyed the outing among palm trees, koi fish and other exotic flora and fauna. Later in the month, we took a horse drawn wagon ride in the rain through Burlington and bought most of our gifts in the small, uncrowded, downtown shops that wrapped for us. Snow would have been nicer but it was still fun and free except for the shopping.

Death on Youtube

Lately, I've been feeling quite mellow and it has to do with the novel I'm working on.

Death on Youtube is about a girl who dies and has the clock turned back so that she can re experience her last 14 days, only with a difference.

Through her eyes, I see, hear, smell and feel things with a new intensity. Everything she experiences could be her last time. So she notices the pigeons nesting in the corner of the underpass for example. She watches the sunset and looks for shooting stars. (It's late August)

In honour of my character, 14 year old Jade, I'm posting my list of things I like to do:

Chat on the phone with a friend.

Walk my dog early in the morning.

Watch Youtubes of other people's pets doing crazy things or just being cute.

Look at the water (Lake Ontario from my deck) in the distance.

Drive along Lakeshore and see expanses of the water close up.

See boats and lighthouses.

Drink coffee and read the newspaper in the morning.

Read a book, anytime, anyplace.

Boil up something with brown sugar in it. I like to smell it and watch the bubbles break.

These are some of the more solitary experiences. I'll add to this list as the more social things come up, like visiting with my grandchildren.