The holiday part of the tour

Today we enjoyed spectacular sunshine in the Rockies...and cross country skiing in Canmore, 11 kilometres of it. The trails at the Nordic Centre are groomed more carefully than the roads in to Calgary from my brief experience here. There was a snow dump on Saturday and on Monday some of the streets are still snowy trails. Conversely, the Banff trail resembles a highway-- there is plenty of room for all levels and types of skiiers to play side by side.

We're not fit or skilled but slip sliding along allows plenty of opportunity to get different views of the Three Sisters Mountains.

Tomorrow we begin the work part--but it's also a lot of fun--and that is to meet potential readers.

The Voyage is the whole experience

This all started because I wanted to watch the first ever Saskatchewan CANSCAIP mass book launch but I couldn't get a grant for any readings before April 1-- so Regina Public Library kindly agreed to host a couple of readings on April Fool's day only I would being SK for days between the conference and their visit. So I emailed and called schools and somehow I got a Calgary reading. If there's anything I like better than the prairies it's the mountains. Only I love both and the combination in one day is breathtaking.

So today we flew to Saskatoon--see cloud shot. Then we drove to Calgary. I love the prairie in between. The brush under a certain light is now purple, the wheat can be frosted or bright gold depending on the temperature and sunlight. The buildings look so lonely.

As we drove closer to Calgary we hit the worst winter road conditions ever. The wind blew huge drifts of snow across the highway so it felt like I was steering through a field--yup my turn to drive. Plus the drifts would stop with the advent of a farm house or strand of trees--the street would be bare pavement. Where the trees ended you could see ghosts of white streak across in some places piling pretty high.

New Project

By Wednesday I received an email saying the editor loved The Nine Minute Disaster Zone. By Thursday I pitched her another idea. In this book a girl named Jazzy stands accused of murdering an Alzheimer's patient during her 40 hours of volunteer work. (the girl's not the patient's0

Tentatively, the editor has said she's intrigued but requires an outline and three chapters. For this project, so do I because I want to narrate it with clips from Jazzie's volunteer journal as well as trial testimonies. I want to be sure I can do it myself before I become locked into a noose tightening contract.

So It was off to court I went to observe a 17 year old on trial for manslaughter. I could not photograph the inside which was exceedingly bland anyway, masking tape coloured walls with no pictures except for a coat of arms.

The sculpture on the outside was cool I thought.

The trial itself did not resemble Ally McBeal or Boston Legal. Instead the crown interviewed witnesses on miniscule obscure details they had to remember from a year ago. It's a sad story. One teen teased another until the second teen, full of alcohol, got into a shoving match with him. The first teen hit his head. The injury was not evident till he began vommitting later that night. The next day a catscan revealed a cracked skull and a brain bleed. The young man went into a coma and after eight hours of surgery and a week on life support, died when his family made the decision to pull the plug.

The End...Again

Finally I finished the last book in the wild life series: The Nine Minute Disaster Zone. For six books, I have viewed life from the point of view of 14 year old Zanna. It's pretty emotional for me to leave Last Chance Pass in Alberta and head for Europe, first for Zurich Switzerland, then for Paris France. I had to say good by to my wolf dog and my boyfriend Tyler as well as my glaciologist father. Also I had to conclude a kind of mystery about Tyler's mom and how she died.

And I did this twice as the first ending didn't have enough tension.

Now the awful part. Waiting. Will the editor like it or not? Am I free to go on to new stories?

The CANSCAIP Pin--a great honour

Not sure how it was that the whole economy suddenly flushed down the toilet but certainly the publishing industry was having its problems for a few years now. 2009 perhaps won't be a year for lots of contracts. Still on February 11, at a CANSCAIP general meeting Gillian Chan, one of my favourite partners in projects with no profit, officially awarded me with the highest token of esteem the Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers has, their pin. I believe Mark Thurman designed it and the three entities represent writers, visual artists and jugglers...I mean performers.

Gillian mentioned all my executive positions in the past, recording secretary, treasurer, vice-president and president; as well as my current position as programs officer along with Gillian O'Reilly and Andrea Wayne Von Koningslow. I learned things from each of these positions but my favourite pet projects were the mass book launches at the Mississauga Public Library, OLA, Book Expo and coming soon at the Saskatchewan Reading Conference in Saskatoon.

May there always be books to launch no matter what the economy does.

Sunrises on a New Year

So 2009 begins. Lovely eiderdown snow blankets. So far the most exciting thing we've done is go to an Ontario Science Centre Sleepover. Can we ever get enough of wheelchair races or forming face and hand sculptures out of red metal pin thingies?
We got there at 4 in the afternoon and explored till midnight. Here's Hunter competing in a balloon race.

Much more excitement to come.

Mini Santa

So Santa came in a much smaller form this year but still there was Christmas Lego. Here's Hunter finishing up a Sponge Bob Square Pants Lego present.

The Best Christmas Gift Ever

Originally, the new baby was scheduled for January 5th but the birthday was moved back to December 20. Christmas Eve,
Jennifer( eldest daughter) began experiencing contractions. It was surreal timing them instead of concentrating on more mundane things such as opening gifts.

Five-fifteen on Christmas morning, Jadzia finally made her appearance. Bob and I were in charge of William, her brother, and it was only us three for Christmas dinner. Later, we sent a Christmas meal to the hospital because Joseph Brant's idea of the traditional meal was fish sticks.

No present could have stood up to the excitement of the Christmas birth so it was a good year to go without stuff.

Christmas and of the year wrap up

So much time has gone by but I did want to record some high events from the end of 2008. The most important one won't be mentioned right in this blog as I have to hunt for a camera cord connection to upload a good image.

This year I decided on no presents for adults. It sounds like a me, me decision but I consulted around the family. No consensus was ever reached on a time when all four families could meet even though I was willing to put on lavish spreads for any day they chose. So we couldn't opt for a Secret Santa or that gift game where there's a lot of trading back and forth.

It was the right decision financially for my family. Emotionally it was a downer because shopping for that perfect gift, whether you achieve it or not, is fun.

Still some highlights of Christmas that don't involve presents were: We went to the city with Hunter to see Aladdin, the Ross Petty musical. Very funny. And we ate burritos for a magazine Whine and Dine review before. I even enjoyed a margarita in a plastic glass and we still came in under budget. The Christmas tree is from Nathan Philips Square. City decorations are always a highlight for me.

We also went snowshoeing for Today's Parent Toronto. You can read about that in the March issue. I just keep hoping it will snow one more time so readers can try it for themselves. The highlight really was just the absolute prettiness of all that snow. It's something I wrote about again and again in my last Wild Life book: The Nine MInute Disaster Zone.

That book and the March deadline was the main reason for no postings all this time.

Now I shall go hunt for a photo to document the most exciting Christmas event of all.

Cast Off

This is an x-ray of my well healed wrist. The technician took a buzz saw to my cast and off it came. It was scary and I felt an uncomfortable warmth when the blade neared the swollen part of my wrist. Afterwards I could wash my whole hand and arm. The fingers looked white, the tanned skin of my wrist and arm flaked off like on a glazed donut. That wrist still looks plump and feels very odd. I can't hold a coffee cup even empty in my left hand. Actually, the doctor observed me holding my book in it and was impressed. But I did go swimming and soaking in the hot tub as therapy.

Winter Wonderland

If you don't have to shovel, snow is great.  Way better than grey wet days.    Here's Mortie enjoying a frolic.  Then I noticed he was lifting and limping on his hind paws.  Zeller's had a sale on doggie boots but instead I found this parka.  Nothing says winter dog fashion better...don't you think.

Beauty Returns Nominated for the BC Stellar Award

While I haven't been officially notified, a fellow writer friend Jo-Ellen Bogart emailed me that my novel Beauty Returns had been nominated for this teen choice award.  The email came late on Tuesday night when we had stayed up to watch Obama speak after he won the election.

What a delightful surprise! I love the voting awards because so many more kids read the book as a result. I can only hope I make it out to BC to visit some of readers there.

I meant to do my work today

There's nothing nicer that a sunny fall day at Bronte Creek with Mortie and Will--two best friends since they were little.  Wait a minute they're still little.  You have to wonder what they're so intent on, right?  They're both staring at the bunny who oddly enough will not come to them despite their whimpers and desperate clawing.  The ducks, the playground, the best leash free park in the world--Bronte Creek is my favourite place to skip work for.  

Packaging Your Imagination

It's always a pleasure meeting other authors or author illustrators and for CANSCAIP's Packaging Your Imagination, I usually do some hospitality driving and dining out to make our presenters' time in Toronto and area just a little easier.

'Course with the pink cast, things were more tricky. I had to enlist family to retrieve authors from the airport.  Here's a photo of Marie Louise Gay talking to Burlington kids at Central Library.  It was delightful to hear her talk about her books, drawing and writing, in French.

On the actual conference date, I brought my camera but with one hand, I just can't handle, lottery tickets, money and photos too.  Plus I confess, even with image stabilizer the authors are faster than my shutter.  

People who came to the sessions seemed to enjoy themselves and buy lots of books, so sore arm and shoulder aside everything went well.

Cast Adrift

The recuperation continues.  Nobody cares any more and I'm bored myself with this injury.

The list of things you can't do with a cast is a work in progress.  You discover it as you go along.

You can't open many packages with one hand.  Worst of all, you can't open your vial of Tylenol 2 with a cast on.  It's a child proof bottle.  I have to get my 7 year old grandson with no broken arm to open it for me.

You can't slice, dice, or chop.  It's hard to pour from a heavy tea pot.

Washing anything by hand is nigh impossible.  One hand gets vair vair tired shampooing your hair. Putting toothpaste on your toothbrush is unbelievably tricky.

It's a skillful dog owner who can leash their jackapoo with one hand.  Sometimes I'm skillful, sometimes I'm not.  Scooping is awkward.

Writing hurts.  No way around it.  If I type with only my right hand, strange typos occur and my right arm ends us aching as much as my left.  If I type with both, the cast scrapes across the computer and weighs heavily on the broken part of my arm.

Driving I'm not attempting yet but Dear God, I can't not drive for six to eight weeks.

Reading--I'm sticking to quality trade paper backs.  Lighter than hard cover.  I just read Eric Walter's Safe Houses.  Pretty darn exciting.  I like the characters and the way they just keep solving the most impossible problems.  Thank goodness for books. And all kinds of different books at that. 

Sharon McKay's Book Launch

Saturday it was our privilege to join in the celebration of a new book:  War Brothers by Sharon McKay.  We'd already read about how she'd researched the story in an article she'd written for Hamilton Magazine about a year ago.

Launches are always such hard work for the author.  I think they mark the beginning of even more hard work to sell writing that should just fly off the shelves because it's good.  Sharon shouldn't have to put on a great meal for us all.

But it was delightful for us readers and fans.  I've already read War Brothers--what a contrast to Anne of Green Gables but the characters are that irrepressible and engaging.  How lucky to be born in an island of Canada and not Uganda. 

Congratulations to Sharon.  She's written a wonderful story with impact and hope.

The Healing Process

So another tempting bottle of wine arrived courtesy of my long time friends Cheryl and Lloyd Lunan.  Note the cute label. This is Lloyd's own brand.  My bottle of tylenold 3 is coming to an end so I'm almost ready to enjoy a glass.

Today I'm typing with two hands. I hope the cast doesn't 
scrape at the computer too much.  The actual keyboarding is not the issue.  It's the weight of the cast dragging down on the sore parts of the arm.

To entertain me through this week, I read Anne of Green Gables.  It's her hundredth birthday in November and Elizabeth McLeod is coming to speak at our CANSCAIP meeting on Lucy Maud's life.  Gillean O'Reilly, my programming partner, challenged me to read it again as an adult.

Anne sure is a wonderful character but it's hard to believe her inventor suffered from depression.  I loved the part where Anne breaks her ankle as a result of a dare and talks about how mad she is at herself.  Spoke right to my heart.

If I had money, I would sue myself for being so stupid as to not wear wrist guards rollerblading.

Note to publishers:  You shouldn't make books so heavy, it's hard on healthy wrists never mind broken ones

Registering for Gifts When You Break a Limb

It's like my birthday and everyone says poor me.  Also it's the time of year when all the literary shortlists are announced and mostly I'm not on them.  I'm invited to help celebrate everyone else's success.

So this arm break is most timely.  I'm having a pity party. My friend and author of Grave Danger, Gisela Sherman,made me a wonderful lasagne.  And see here my friend Eleanor bought me an inspiring red wine.I wanted to sip it with my pasta but I'm taking Tylenol 3 with codeine.  That might have put me into a coma. Wonder what kind of prezzies my buddies would come up with then.

Okay, I am inspired.  I will wean myself from the painkillers so that I can enjoy the wine.  I should also mention, my daughter Robin bought me yoga pants so I could dress independently. 

Thank you Gisela, Eleanor and Robin.  To the the rest of my devoted blog readers:  Go out and buy Last Chance for Paris.  It's the only way you can ease the sting of lost nominations, broken limbs and careers. 

The Aftermath

Things you can't do with one hand:

Hook your bra closed.

Button your jeans,

Perform a three stroke alt click save to desktop on a Mac notebook.  In order to download this photo,  I had to twist around and hurt my sore wrist.

But just see how beautiful.  My friend Lynda sent me this edible arrangement.  There are chocolate apple slices and strawberries with nut and coconut sprinkles.  

With one hand, I was unable to capture Mortie leaping for the yellow smilie face star balloon attached to the arrangement.  Then suddenly, pop, Mortie was gone.  The smilie face  deflated.

Mortie's hanging around the top floor of the house way far away from Smilie on the bottom level in my office,

The other thing that's  hard to do is to keyboard and eat delicious dark chocolatey fruit.  My white keyboard has brown smudges.  I'll lick those off when I'm desperate.

Thank you Lynda! 

Rollerblading fun

The whole season I have not rollerbladed once.  It was a gorgeous day.  Bob wanted to takes pictures at the lake.  We'd just had a coffee with Eireannn and Craig, I dropped him off and went home to get Mortie.  Then I thought why not bring the rollerblades.

Back at the park,  Mortie and I had a lovely time.  Many people pronounced him cute.  He got a bit of a run.

It only broke down when we stopped for a photo for our blog.  "Stand over there where the light is better" said Bob.  Somehow in posing, maybe Mortie tugged, certainly not hard, I started to fall backwards.  I did the mad whirly bird but to no avail.

I landed on my left hand.  Nothing else hurt.  But my fingers felt numb.  My bottom forearm seemed disconnected from the bottom.  "I broke my arm"  I told Bob.   it was a very distinctive twisty feeling.

Four hours later I'm sporting this lovely hot pink cast.  Now  I'm typing with one hand.

Night time visitors

Mortie, the jackapoo, was upset, trembling and whimpering.  We slid back the patio door to our balcony and there on the railing sat the three fattest raccoons I've ever seen.  I mean they were small bears.  

Mortie growled his deepest most threatening rumble.  One of the racoons hissed.  None of them budged.  In fact they posed for a long time.  I suggested my husband the photographer set up his tripod, reflective umbrella, and any other equipment he needed to properly take their portrait as they were clearly going to pose until the compost box arrived.

Meanwhile, Mortie and I are holed up in my office.  Mortie's still whimpering and clawing at me.

"But Mortie, they're way bigger than you are!"

Thanksgiving with an elephant

The whole weekend was spectacular.  Golden and warm.

Sunday we had dinner with Andrea Wayne Von Koningslow, author and illustrator of my favourite Bing and Chutney picture books.  Bing is the pig and Chutney is the elephant.

Sunday was dinner with our gang, Robin, Kevin and Hunter,

Craig and Eireann and Adam, Jen and William.  We dug out his future Halloween costume, formerly Hunter's, and it didn't take a lot of convincing to get him to model it.

Now we just need a Bing to trick or treat with 

Getting the Setting

It's a real pain to find my way around in my current world but of course for The Fly Catcher, my historical novel, I need to walk around behind the eyes of a 10-year-old boy in Hamilton in 1912.

Second time through the draft,  I visited the Hamilton Library Archive and got a street director for 1912.  I can tell exactly who lived where and what shops and businesses were located wherever my character Will walked. Now I will go through the manuscript and paint another layer of detail over it.

Dinner at the Falls

This was an airmiles birthday dinner.  Makes it more special when we don't spend real money. The Keg in Niagara Falls is one restaurant, not in a tower, with a great view.

Look closely and you can see me taking the photo as well as my husband Bob gazing at me in rapture.

Official Birthday

Here is my favourite assistant for candle blowing.  We celebrated with dinner that his mom, Robin, made.  Delicious chicken parmisan and pasta and sauce and then this wonderful cake.

On the actual day, Hunter joined us to do a "Whine and Dine" for Today's Parent Toronto.

We reviewed the Novatel.   As the sole customers, we enjoyed the attention of the wait staff.  My fish was delish.  The complimentary birthday cheesecake Hunter pronounced as yummy.  

Testing out the camera

My second favourite writing tool, after my laptop, is my digital camera.  Last week it failed.  Changing batteries and restarting it didn't help. But it was a week away from my birthday.  All I had to do is wait it out.

What I wanted was something exactly the same as my old camera, except smaller and lighter.  

Two days before the official bday we replaced my old Sony with a pink model.  Last post showed some photos of fall flowers. This one shows my favourite dog, swimming.

New Camera

Finishing the First Draft

The Fly Catcher is a novel I began many years ago, wrote the first few chapters and an outline and sent it to a publisher.
Then I forgot about it. So did the publisher apparently. Cleaning out my office, I found the file on the project complete with the newspaper clippings on the contest photocopied. The file disappeared once. I re-researched the story pouring through the Burlington Library archives and then lost it again. I was getting superstitious about the project.

However, I did apply for Canada Council and received the grant. If they believed in me and the concept, than I certainly needed to grow my faith back. I had planned the story to be for grade 3, a shorter 30,000 word story. But a couple of weeks ago as I passed the wordcount, I began to think the story would never end. Normally I write 1,000 words on a good day, a couple of scenes at most. But I was writing feverishly, two to three thousand words a day. And still no ending in sight. Finally at 11:30 Wednesday, last week I typed the end. However, we all know it's just the begininning of a different kind of voyage. Rewriting.

Eden Mills Literary Festival

Usually, the first Sunday in September,the date of the literary festival in Eden Mills, is blessed with golden sunshine.
The horses and lambs amble out on the drive up, the wasps buzz around as you eat your lunch and listen to authors.
This year it drizzled so much I wanted to cancel but my daughter Jen wanted to come with 18 month old grandson William.

I now pictured trying to hush a toddler in a room where a soft spoken author whispered her reading. One of William's strong points,however, is he's like my Jackapoo Mortie, you stuff food in his mouth and he's happy, busy and stops yapping. We sat in the children's area awhile and heard Christine Tripp, an illustrator who I knew from the CANSCAIP listserve. Awfully nice to meet her in person and I liked the work she showed and the way she presented.

The rain continued to pour down and I felt cold and damp for a while.

We heard a bit of music, chatted with other authors, Jo Ellen Bogart, Janet Wilson, Linda Hendrie--then we meandered over to hear Robert Sawyer read. Wow, he read from a small hand held electronic gadget which almost made it seem as though he had his book memorized. He puts a lot of drama in his reading which we quite appreciated.

Then the sun smiled down again on the festival. I grabbed a cup of coffee and warmed up.

Back at the children's tent, we got to hear Richard Scrimger, Art Slade and Ken Oppel--great presenters and all so different in what they read as well as how they read it.

I wanted to buy all their books but know I have to cut back. What did I end up with? Susan Jube's new horse book. I think I'll go read it now.