Leanne Dyck's blog

#knitting: A Sweater's Yarn

2012-03-05T09:00:00.002-08:00

I’m one of the participating artisans in the Salt Spring Island seasonal gallery ArtCraft. Year after year my baby sweaters are always popular. Last year, I thought, my baby sweaters sell well. I wonder if an adult sweater would? So I designed and knit this…

I delivered my inventory to ArtCraft with the understanding that I would never see the sweaters again.

Last Friday I attended a writers’ symposium where my brain was stuffed full of information. (I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow—stay logged on). We broke for lunch and I lined up at the buffet table. I filled my plate and began to make my way back to my seat. The woman standing in front of me was wearing a red tweed cardigan. That looks familiar. I tapped the woman on the shoulder so she would turn around. She did. Yeah, that could be…“That’s a pretty cardigan. Where did you get it?”

“Thank you. It’s one of my favourites. I’m from Salt Spring Island. I bought it from a gallery—“

“ArtCraft,” we said in unison.

I smiled. “Do you know who knit it?”
***
Next post: How To Be Your Own Publicist professional development symposium for book writers in all phases of their careers offered through the Writers' Union of Canada

Please welcome Libros LIbertad publishing house

2012-03-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

Manolis Aligizakis (owner and publisher) writes...

Libros Libertad is a new independent publisher in Western Canada. Our literary tastes are trans-generic, our cultural concerns are global. At Libros, we believe that as media converge and tongues mingle, so publishing becomes a new entity, omni-national, polyglot, as polymorphous as its potential readers – and writers. You could be writing in Mandarin or German, you could be living in the suburbs of Seoul or the wilds of Alaska. If you feel you have something distinctive to say, then feel free to contact us. We're looking for the gold in the melting-pot. Across the whole Earth.
Of course, the diverse roots of Canadians are a rich resource of creative energy and renewal. So we're also interested in discovering new talents who explore the cultural complexity and linguistic diversity of the twenty-first century Canadian experience. As well as established writers, older forms, voices from beyond… At Libros, we consider poetry, fiction, drama, and short stories from Canadian authors. We know that not every book gets published, but we also know that there are those who deserve to get published but don't. That is why we are here.
Libros Libertad is free. Free from corporate pressures; free from interference from the suits in accounting; free from marketing gurus; free from the agendas of arts bureaucrats and their funding criteria. So, Libros Libertad can take risks with new or unfashionable talents, voices from across the whole range of world culture – be they avant garde or traditional. Genres and genders don't matter. Vision and voice do.

At Libros Libertad, we are as flexible as you want us to be. We accept complete submissions as well as samples of your work, whether it's a couple of poems or a complete chapter of prose

Libros is now releasing e-books on the Amazon Kindle platform and Smashwords at www.smashwords.com

Here is a recent article about Libros’ last books by Carolyn Cooke of The NOW newspaper:

“Surrey publisher Libros Libertad seems to have kicked into high gear recently. The last three titles are all from right here.

The Second Wedding of Doctor Geneva Song, by Robert N. Friedland, is a novel about a woman who marries outside of her culture, and pays a heavy price for it. This book has earned rave reviews so far, and for a good reason.

George Amabile's Small Change is a collection of short stories and an excerpt of a novel in progress. The stories explore the reality of growing up in an inner city environment, but with humour and a sensitivity to the going concerns of boys reaching for adulthood. Like Friedland, Amabile's work has been published in many countries and in many literary magazines.

In a different vein, Manolis, owner and publisher of Libros Libertad, has just released his latest tome of poetry. Vortex is in both Greek and English and, as the name implies, takes readers into the turbulent waters of life. His work has a lovely classical lyricism to it.”

***

And I asked...

Who pays the publishing costs--the author or the publisher?

Libros pays the expenses of the publications from editing to formatting, lay out, print, promotion, etc.

Do you pay royalities?

We pay 10% royalities every January.

Do you publish ebooks, print or both

We have started turning some of our old books into e-books and of course every new one is done automatically. Yes we do both print and e-books.

***

Leanne adds...

Libros Libertad has over 46 books in print. Here's the link to their catalogue.

the Sarah McLachlan concert

2012-03-01T09:04:00.002-08:00

Yesterday I wasn't a happy camper. It may not have looked like it from your end but I was experiencing yet another technical malfunction Wednesday. Today, much thanks to my husband, I'm back at it and ready to party.

So let's go to the Sarah McLachlan concert...

Here's the visuals--thanks to yours truly

And log on to http://www.cbc.ca/nxnw for the sound. You'll have to scroll down for Sarah McLachlan, but it's worth it.
***
Next post: Please welcome the publishing house Libros Libertad

#reading: Scammed by Ron Chudley

2012-02-29T09:00:00.005-08:00

Blurb: When Greg Lothian's mother and famous artist father are scammed of their life savings by cruel con men, his orderly life is torn apart. When the same criminals steal Greg's own identity, the normally law-abiding accountant turns his analytical mind to plotting revenge. This uncharacteristic decision plunges him into the strange and hoffitying underworld that lurks everywhere--even on peaceful Vancouver Island. As Greg prepares to find the perpetrators of the debilitating crime, he sets up a clever plan of entrapment and descends into a whirlpool of evil that puts others and Greg's very existence at risk.
(from the back cover)

The magnificent panorama of the Pacific coast, with its mountains, dense forest, fog-shrouded shores and swift, cold rivers, provides the moody setting for this tale of crime and punishment--and bravery.

Buy link: on Amazon
***
Next Wednesday: I'll share my thoughts about this thriller
Heads up, I loved it!
Next post: the Sarah McLachlan concert
Happy leap day

Nia workshop

2012-02-28T17:58:00.000-08:00

From my email inbox...
Nia Workshop
on Mayne Island
Saturday, March 3
1 - 3 pm
Community Centre

Finding a publisher for your short story

2012-02-28T09:01:00.001-08:00

(google image)

Seeking the all-powerful wizard, I climbed the mountain. I confronted the ferocious dragon and won. All so that I could ask my question, “Oh, great wizard who will publish my short story?”

Great wizards

The New York Centre for Independent Publishers

http://www.newpages.com

‘Calls for Submissions’ is listed on the side bar to the left of your screen under the heading Writers Resources.

Canadian literary magazine

http://www.placesforwriters.com

Call for submissions are listed on the homepage. ‘Contests’ is listed on the side bar to the left of your screen.

There are three types of submissions…

Traditional: the publisher pays you so they may publish your story

Contest: In most cases, you pay an entry fee—usually around twenty dollars. If you win the contest, your story is published.

Contribution: No money changes hands. Your story is published and promoted.

One publisher may accept one, two, or three types of submissions.

A word of caution: ensure that the publisher is legitimate by purchasing their publication and, or inspecting their web site.

***
Next post: reading: Scammed by Ron Chudley

#knitting: easy children's sweater

2012-02-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

Finished sweater measurements

Chest: 20/22/24 inches
Length: 10 inches
Sleeves length: 8 inches

Knitting needles: 4.50 mm/US 7/UK 7 or size to obtain tension
Yarn: worsted weight--approximately 400 yards

garter stitch
Row: knit
Repeat row for pattern

Back and Front (make 2)
Cast on 48/56/60 stitches
Work in garter stitch for 10 inches
Cast off

Sleeves
Cast on 40 stitches
Work in garter stitch for 8 inches
Cast off

Finishing
On cast off end, mark two inches from both ends, sew shoulder seams.
Attach sleeves.
Sew side seams.
Weave in ends.
***
Next post: Finding a publisher for your short story

Please Please welcome the new publishing house Bono Bookstore

2012-02-23T17:08:00.002-08:00

Decadent Publishing is adding to the family. Our new imprint, Bono Books, opens in 2012 and will feature Decadent's sweet romances, mainstream fiction, non-fiction, and young adult fiction.
We contemplated the addition several times during 2011, but the timing hadn't been right. Once we decided to take the leap, however, everything fell into place fairly easily (knock on wood--we're not done yet!).
After a bit of contemplation and research, Bono Books was named, and we're happy to have our baby imprint underway. Bono means 'good', and many associate the name with the iconic singer, Bono, from U2. That works for me, he's timely, classic, quality and cutting edge, not to mention generous and creative.
Decadent Publishing's sweeter titles will show on the new site, and we'll also be taking submissions for the imprint. If an author has a manuscript in one of the genres we're seeking, they can submit through our regular email until the Bono site is live. Guidelines are generally the same as our Decadent Publishing guidelines, with the caveat that the 'heat level' should be no higher than 2 on our scale. You can see our guidelines here. http://www.decadentpublishing.com/index.php?osCsid=c4rv3kd0dloas1ieurftqc99i1&content=submissions Decadent has earned a reputation for quality, and that will definitely carry over to the new imprint. Readers can expect interesting and well-executed stories, and Bono will have the same promotion, support, and editorial staff behind it that Decadent enjoys.
We hope readers find something special on the new site, and continue to come back for more Bono reading!
Leanne adds: I'm very proud to add that The Sweater Curse is a Bono Bookstore book.

#reading: discussing Slow Dance

2012-02-23T09:00:00.002-08:00

Due to yesterday's technical difficulties, I bring you yesterday's post today. I apologize. Please travel with me back to Wednesday...

Pondering these passages from Slow Dance: A Story of Stroke, Love and Disability by Bonnie Sherr Klein

We folks with disabilities sometimes cynically call a person like [Stephen Hawking] a ‘supercrip’. Most of our images of disability come from myth and media and are stereotyped and extreme: pitiful victim at one end, supercrip at the other. We need many more models to choose from. Most people whose disability are as severe as Hawking’s live in poverty; many are locked away in institutions—out of sight, out of mind—leaving the rest of us with the ignorant assumption that a disabled life is not worth living, that it is, by definition, tragic.
The metaphor of flying is common in literature and poetry written by people who can’t walk; to transcend gravity is the fantasy, the dream. It’s what I feel when I sail or drive Gladys in high gear. I love the idea of the spirit soaring, transcending the limitations of the body. Hawking does just that; his passion for life refuses to surrender to his body’s paralysis.
The image of Hawking and his irrepressible grin stays with me. I wouldn’t have chosen to have a stroke and live the rest of my life as I am now, but it’s what I’ve been dealt and I’m pleased with myself for making the best of it. While I don’t want to idealize bad luck, we are more than our bodies, and there’s more than one way to fly. (p. 90 – 91)

“Most people, feminists included,” she (Theresia Dagener a lawyer and radical activist in Germany) says, ‘just cannot imagine disability as a neutral condition, which is not necessarily linked with suffering or with happiness…Choosing to abort a disabled fetus is based on prejudice, the same as choosing to abort because the fetus is female. The problem is the lack of social support for people with disabilities and their families. The solution is to change society, not to eliminate people with disabilities. Disability is a part of human life; whether from illness, accidents, aging, environmental causes or genetic differences…People with disabilities have unique perspectives on the meaning of human life.’ (p. 333 – 334)

I wrote in response to the book…

I need you to know that I am capable—even when I show my inability.
I need you to have faith that I will be able to pick myself up when I fall.
I need you to let me show you what I’m capable of—before you help me.
I need you to shout at the top of your lungs, “Yes you can! If not now—some day. If not without me—with me.
I need you to believe in me. Even when, especially when, I don’t.

What I’m mediating on…
Able
Disable
Define the terms.
Is one better than the other? Does society value one over the other? Why?
How am I able? How am I disabled? How do I feel about this?
How do I use my abilities to serve myself/others? How do I use my disability to serve myself/others?

For more information about my disability, please view the excellent documentary: Journey Into Dyslexia

http://www.videoverite.tv/pages/film-JID-about.html

***

Next post: Please welcome the new ebook publishing house Bono Bookstore

#writing: Ponderings...

2012-02-21T09:00:00.003-08:00

A writer's duty is to write and submit for the sake of those who will follow, for our readers, and for the power of our words.
***
Next post: discussing Slow Dance

#knitting: Retiring from a career in knitwear design

2012-02-20T08:57:00.002-08:00

(photo from Google images)

In January 2011, I had over twenty designs in my collections and my knitting needles were loaded with stitches. In fact, the only thing that had changed was that, with the publication of The Sweater Curse, I had become an ebook publishing house author.

So, why did I close my knitwear design business?

I can answer this with one word—focus. I was determined to focus on building my writing career.

Back in October 2010 I had made a pact—with myself—to submit one story every month. That strategy had helped me place The Sweater Curse. While I was scaling this mountain I continued to work on my knitwear design career. Serving two masters was exhausting physically, mentally and emotionally.

The decision to close my business wasn’t easy. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had failed. It’s silly what junk a self-conscious can feed you. However, whether or not I bought into this falsehood was up to me and—after giving my head a shake—I decided that I couldn’t afford to.

I didn’t fail, I told myself. I’ve evolved. I’ve grown from a knitwear designer who writes to an author who knits.

I’ve benefited from my years as a knitwear designer. I've amassed a fortune. These riches include...
-a supportive community

-knowledge about the field

-a popular website which has evolved with me

-ten years of knitting-themed writing

I hope you will to travel with me as I continue to evolve.
***

Next post: Ponderings

Please welcome author Lorraine Nelson

2012-02-17T09:00:00.004-08:00

How/why did you start to write?

I’ve always loved books from the time I learned to read,
maybe even before then. I used to haunt the school’s library
and read everything I could get my hands on. From
there, my imagination did the rest. Mom says I used to
always have a book or paper and pencil in hand. I won an
award for an essay I wrote in elementary school, and my
first published work was a poem I’d written in grade
nine about Remembrance Day, published in the Legion
newsletter that year. I wrote oodles of poetry back

then, and children’s books, but I didn’t start writing
for adults until 2009.

How did you become an author?

Sheer perseverance and determination. J
In the fall of 2008,I developed an infection in my thumb,
which resulted in it being amputated to the first knuckle.
Wanting to get back to the full-time day job, I had to get
used to typing again without the use of that thumb.
So, I started typing a story to increase the flexibility in
that hand. Love on the Rocks was completed seven weeks
later. I haven’tstopped writing since, although I must admit
to learning a lot since that first manuscript. J

What was your first published piece?

Zakia and the Cowboy was picked up by
Evernight Publishing in July, 2011, and
released on October 5^th.

hat did you do before embarking on your writing career?

Was it an asset to your writing? How?

I worked in Accounting for years, and still do,

although on a reduced basis.

I keep the books for an autobody repair company
and do personal and small business income taxes.
That’s about it. My current day job, if I ever get back
from this round of medical leave, is as a
Customer Service Rep for Asurion, Canada.

That’s where I first heard the name Zakia and
knew it had to feature in a book. I started writing
it between calls that very night. Otherwise, no,
my working background doesn’t contribute

much to my writing.

What inspires you?

Anything and everything. A life incident, a dream,
a name, an idea, a picture, landscape or a feeling.
Any of these could ring a bell in my brain and I’m
jotting down a few quick notes for later reference.

Please share one of your successful marketing techniques

I blog regularly and this is my second blog tour. I now have

a website and Facebook page dedicated to writing. I also

Tweet but the vastness of Twitter escapes me. Lol

I think it’s important to get your name out there, to be

proud of what you’ve accomplished and to talk

about your craft at every opportunity. When I’m ready,

I’ll also be contacting local newspapers and issuing
a press release or do an interview if they prefer.

How would you describe your writing style?

LOL!!! Eclectic! I have a sarcastic sense of humor
at times, which is sometimes reflected in my
characters’ dialogue. I love dialogue!

Who are your favorite romance authors?

Favorite authors in other genres?

That’s easy – Nora Roberts and Danielle Steel.

As to other genres – John Grisham,

James Patterson, Mary Higgins Clark.

-What is your writing routine?

Please describe a typical writing session for us.

What do you do when you sit down to write?

Routine? I’m supposed to have a routine? LOL

I tend to read over the last couple pages I wrote
to get back into the right mindset for that story,
then write. If I need to research something,
I do it as I go. It isn’t uncommon for me to be
working half a dozen stories at a time, so it helps
keep them straight. I write anytime the muse strikes.
Usually late at night to avoid said interruptions.

What are your writing pet peeves?

Typos! I hate typos and poor grammar. I also
hate interruptions. I’ve been known to lock the
door and turn off the phone when writing.

What are some of your writing tips and tricks?

What triggers your story? Do you keep a notepad handy?

How do you find time to write?

I'm a pantser all the way. The idea for Zakia was triggered
in the same moment I heard her name. I usually see the
people first and when they start talking to me, I delve into
their story, mull it over and start writing. Always, always
have a notepad handy. You just never know when inspiration
will strike. If a name or setting sparks an idea, I’ll mull it over
for a day or two, or three, then jot down pertinent details on
a GMC sheet and start writing.

I need peace and quiet to write, although I jot down notes
whenever, wherever. Sometimes it's hard to juggle writing
and real life, but I try to write a little bit every day.

What are some of the most important things you have
learnt as an author that you didn't when you were a writer?

I needed broader shoulders. LOL My cp's were quick to
point out my trouble with head-hopping...point of view
changes. At first, I didn't see the problem, had a difficult
time picking up on it in fact, but it was one of the learning
curves thrown at me and I perservered. Glad I did.
My first attempts were really very choppy.

Writing vs social networking. How do you find the perfect
balance?

Is there a balance? I haven't found one yet. lol I start my
day by checking and answering emails, FB posts and Tweets.
I can easily get lost for hours online, or I can write.
Most days, I write.What is the most important thing
you've learned, either in writing or publishing, or both?

Anyone can do it if they want it bad enough. When
I started writing for adults in 2009, I thought I knew what
I was doing. I mean, I’ve always had a good command
of English grammar, and read mega loads of books, so what
was the big deal? Well, let me tell you, I’ve learned a thing
or two along the way! My first attempts were riddled with
head-hopping and a few other things. Needless to say,
writing is a continual learning experience and I’m
enjoying the challenge.

As to publishing and being published, I’m loving it.

Zakia and the Cowboy involved a fair amount of editing,

but I didn’t have any trouble making the deadlines.

My editor, Emma Shortt, is terrific; my cover is fabulous
and everything has been done with efficiency.

My editor for Covert Mission: Undercover Cop was

Dana Horbach and again. The process was quick and

virtually painless. The Evernight team is great to work
with! I find that I’m even enjoying all the promoting that
comes with having books for sale.

What’s next for you?

Writing more books to entertain readers. I’m currently

working on the Thunder Creek Ranch series for

Evernight. Book 1, Zakia and the Cowboy,

released on October 5^th, Book 2,

Covert Mission: Undercover Cop,

released on November 28^th,

and I’ve just signed the new contract for

Book 3, Trouble Brewing in Thunder Creek.

I’ve just finished Book 4,A Cowgirl’s Pride,

and need to give it a quick edit, then it’s on to Book 5,

Cameron’s Quest. I love working with Evernight.

They are extremely efficient and their covers are

drool worthy…just fabulous!

I’ve also self-published two Christmas books on Amazon.

His Christmas Wish, a novella, and Mistletoe & Mr. Hoe,

a full-length romantic suspense.

Purchase links for all three books, as well as reader reviews,

can be found on my website, listed below.

Parting words

Thank you for having me here today, Leanne! It’s been fun.

Readers can find me here:

Website: http://www.lorrainenelson.weebly.com

Blog: http://lorrainenelson.wordpress.com

http://www.facebook.com/LorraineNelson.Author

http://twitter.com/#!/lornelca

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5254629.

Lorraine_Nelson

http://www.amazon.com/Lorraine-Nelson/e/B005XMAYFQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

#photos: murals

2012-02-16T09:15:00.004-08:00

What is a mural?

I found them in Winnipeg, Manitoba

and in Eriksdale, Manitoba

as well as on Mayne Island

They hang as a proud tribute to the place, the people and the artists.
***
Next post: Please welcome author Lorraine Nelson

#reading: Slow Dance: A Story of Stroke, Love and Disability

2012-02-15T09:00:00.001-08:00

Title: Slow Dance: A Story of Stroke, Love, and Disability
Author: Bonnie Klein
Publisher: PageMill Press (August 1, 1998)
Genre: Creative non-fiction
Book Description: In 1987, filmmaker Bonnie Klein suffered two catastrophic strokes. "Slow Dance" presents her candid, moving account of adapting to life with a disability.
Buy Links:
Amazon: link
A friend of a friend lent this book to me. It was highly recommended.
***
Next Wednesday: You're invited to join me in discussing this book
Next post: ???

Q's Modern Love contest update

2012-02-14T11:28:00.000-08:00

I didn't win,
didn't place,
may have confused them
Oh, Q, I'm heartbroken
but still listening...

Q's six-word Modern Love contest

2012-02-14T09:00:00.007-08:00

"Enter our six-word Modern Love story contest," requested Jian Ghomeshi on Friday, February 3.
Jian is the host of Q--which "is Canada's livelist arts, culture and entertainment magazine" I listen to CBC radio one every morning. Q airs at 10 AM.
So, did I enter Jian's contest?
Yup...
She texted be mine. He replied.
Cool, eh?
How about this?
Facebook dates
Youtube vows
Email separation
Jian will announce the winner today.
Will it be me? Or you? I voted for you. : )
***
Next post: #reading: book: Slow Dance

New! Artist in Residency Program on Gabriola Island

2012-02-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

I received this in my email inbox and thought you might be interested...

The Artist’s Haven

Gabriola Island, British Columbia – The Haven on Gabriola Island, BC has always been a place where artists have found inspiration and a welcoming place to practice and develop their craft. Now, with the announcement of their Artist’s Haven Residency program, artists will have an even better chance to explore their own creativity next to the ocean in one of the most artistic communities in Canada.

The residency is offered in partnership with the Gabriola Arts Council. “The Gabriola Arts Council has been the lead agency for the arts on Gabriola for the past 16 years and is thrilled for the opportunity to partner with The Haven in bringing new voices to the arts and culture of our island home,” said Kathy Ramsey, Chair of the Gabriola Arts Council. “The Council is convinced that the dialogue that starts between the artist and the island during this residency will be one that lasts a lifetime.”

Starting February 1^st, artists from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Yukon and Northwest Territories, Washington State and Oregon will be able to apply for a two-week residency program between Sept 17^th and October 1^st 2012 at The Haven’s Gabriola Island property. In addition to free lodging complete with kitchen and wireless internet access, successful applicants will also receive dinner every day, and discounts on all other meals. All this in a peaceful, rural setting close to the many beautiful places Gabriola has to offer.

The complete application package can be found on The Haven’s website at www.haven.ca/news/artist-in-residence.html.

Since 1983, The Haven has offered experiential programs for personal and professional growth and development, emphasizing self-responsibility, effective communication, healthy relationships, creative expression and integration of body-mind-spirit. Haven programs help people live their lives more fully and with deeper awareness of themselves and others. A not for profit charitable organization, The Haven is located on Gabriola Island, BC, Canada.

Media Contact: Chris Finlayson
chris@haven.ca
Phone: 250. 735.3778

I thought you'd be interested. : )

#knitting: establishing your career in knitwear design

2012-02-13T09:00:00.004-08:00

Congratulations you've reached the middle of your career.
By this time...
1. You've built or are building a website, blog and social network
By social network, I mean a twitter id and facebook community, etc.
2. You are doing at least one thing every single day to promote your business
3. You wear your own designs
Wearing your designs is important for three reasons
a)it's a good way to market your designs
b)it helps you find designs flaws
c)it helps you envision new design directions
4. You always carry a buiness card and distribute it freely.
5. You sell online
a)over your own website
b)a third party website (i.e. Etsy)
c)Your patterns are featured on knitting ezines (i.e. Knitty)
6. You've made connections with the editors of in print knitting magazines (i.e. A Needle Pulling Thread, Interweave knits)
7. You have a three-prong approach to your business
a)you sell knitting patterns
b)you conduct workshops
c)you sell your knitting through galleries
8. You're mentoring with a knitwear designer you meet at a workshop
9. You're assisting a local wool producer by developing designs with her wool
10. You're continuing to build your community of support
11. You do a montly assessment of your business to determine what's working and what isn't. (By working I mean you enjoy it and it makes you money.) After your assessment, you make necessary adjustments to your business plan.
*
If you enjoyed reading this post, you may also enjoy reading...
Beginning A Career in Knitwear Design
***
Next Monday: We conclude our career in knitwear design
Next post: Q's six-word Modern Love contest
Happy St. Valentine's Day

Please welcome Author Robin Spano

2012-02-10T09:00:00.008-08:00

How/why did you start to write?

I started writing when I was a kid. I think it's always been my favorite way to make sense out of human traits that baffle me, like greed or pettiness or people acting out of short-sighted self-interest. Whether the confusing trait is in myself or in someone else, I've always found fiction a good way to explore it in a safe – and generally entertaining – way.

How did you become an author?

I wrote a book from start to finish – as in, I found a premise that compelled me forward and kept me at my desk, because it was fun to write. I then connected that manuscript with a publisher – a cool and quirky guy at the other end of an email in Toronto.

What was your first published piece?

Dead Politician Society. (My first novel.) I know you're supposed to start with short stories and literary journals and stuff, but I never got that memo. I was clueless about the writing industry until I had to dive into it.

Where was it published?

ECW Press – a Toronto publisher I really like working with.

How long ago?

September 2010

What did you do before embarking on your writing career? Was it an asset to your writing? How?

I waitressed and bartended for years after dropping out of university. This was a good job for me – it got me out of my introverted shell and taught me how to interact with a huge range of people. To do the job well, you have to find real things to like about the people you're serving and working with – genuine points of connection go a long way toward making people comfortable. I credit this with helping me write multiple point of view characters with a range of ages and backgrounds.

What inspires you?

Morning. I wake up excited to get to my computer, to check in with my characters in that half-fresh, half-still dreamy brain state. I get pretty grumpy if someone gets in my path to my computer first thing. Though if my husband is around I will make him a latte first. He's worked hard to help me create this writing life; I like to send him off to work feeling well looked-after.

Please share one of your successful marketing techniques

Playing cards for Death Plays Poker. I give cards away at signings and events, and I'll mail packs to people who post honest reviews online.

They're a popular gimmick because they're both useful (people play with them) and relevant to the book. And they're a promotion that keeps on giving – ideally, when a reader cracks out the deck to play cards with them, their friends will say, “Hey, what's that book about?”

Parting words

If you're in Toronto on November 24^th, consider yourself invited to the launch party for Death Plays Poker, hosted by ECW Press at Ben McNally Books, 366 Bay St. 6-8 p.m.

And if you'd like a pack of playing cards, feel free to get in touch!

Author links:

Website: http://www.robinspano.com

Twitter: @Robin_Spano

The Versatile Blogger Award

2012-02-09T09:00:00.002-08:00

Much thanks to Laurie Buchanan (of Speaking from the Heart) for nominating for the Versatile Blogger Award.

The rules as they were provided:
Nominate 15 fellow bloggers
Inform the bloggers of their nomination
Share 7 random things about yourself
Thank the blogger who nominated you
Add the versatile blogger award picture to your post

My nominees in alphabetical order are
Anne K. Albert --a mystery and romantic suspense author's blog
Anne R. Allen --writing about writing, mostly
Bibliophilic Blather --writer/editor Karen Wojcik Berner shares her stories and encourages others to share theirs.
Creative Potager --come for the beautiful images--painting and photography--stay for the sprout questions.
Funny Girl Melodie --author Melodie Campbell's blog
Kristen Lamb's Blog --helpful advice to start and continue your writing career
Mystery Writing is Murder --author Elizabeth Spann Craig is a laptop wielding, mystery writing Mom and metes out murder on the keyboard
Once Written, Twice Shy --Rebecca J. Clark's blog for writers who are not natural extroverts
The Creative Penn --helping you write, publish and sell your book
The Write Type --multi author musings
Traci Bell's blog
Sandra's blog --one writer's journey to fulfilment...and stuff
Sunset Cat --Stephannie Tallent blogs about her life in yarn
Women's Fiction Writers --a place for writers of women's fiction to connect
Yarn Harlot --Stephanie Pearl-McPhee goes on (and on) about knitting

7 random things about me
-I live on a small island
-I'm a cross genre reader
-I like to knit with acrylic blends--oh, yes, I do.
-My favorite weather condition is a sun shower
-I love almond milk
-I like wearing dresses, but I'm not a girlie-girl
-I go for a long walk each day (or try to)
***
Next post: Please welcome Author Robin Spano

#reading: starting our book club

2012-02-08T09:00:00.009-08:00

I'm concerned that what I wrote yesterday could be misinterpreted. I didn't write with a view that by trying dyslexia can be overcome. I don't need to be cured. Although it took many years for me to realize this, I now see, there's nothing wrong with my brain. It doesn't need to be fixed.
What I did mean was that, as a young writer, I felt my ability to write or even to navigate through life was reliant on someone else. I didn't trust my own abilities to find solutions or to adapt. This is ironic because problem solving is where dyslexics excel.
Dyslexia isn't a disease--it's a way of thinking. We have abilities and limitations. An area of frustration is language, are words. It takes me, on average, about three months to read a paperback.
Why do I bother?
I read because...
-I love stories
-I enjoy exploring concepts and ideas
-I like meeting and getting to know characters
-I like connecting the dots of plot
As I can comprehend language more easily than I can process it, I enjoy listening to audio books. However, I prefer to hear my own voice reading so I usually choose to savour books. There is nothing more glorious, for me, then the discovery of a well-written, captivating story. That's what I will seek out and bring to you here--every second Wednesday. I will continue to blog five days a week.
How reading Wednesday will work...
1st week: I will supply details about the book such as title, author, publisher and blurb. This will allow you to purchase, begin to read or--if you're like my husband--finish reading the book.
2nd week: I will share what I discovered between the covers.
Occasionally, Wednesday will hold other treasures. I hope you will join me on this adventure.
Other words on reading: link
Canadian book readers love it: Canada reads
"And seriously what? Voting off On A Cold Road--what?"
***
Next post: The Versatile Blogger Award

#writing: Geist's postcard contest

2012-02-07T18:15:00.001-08:00

From my email inbox...

Geist Literal Literary Postcard Story Contest One Week Left!
Dear Leanne, One week remains until the deadline for the 8th Annual Geist Literal Literary Postcard Story Contest. Contest deadline is February 15, 2012, 11:59pm PST. Entering is even easier this year with our contest submissions guidelines and our Postcard FAQs. Submit your image-inspired microfiction online here or snail mail entries to: Geist Postcard Contest 210-111 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC V6B 1H4 Best of luck and happy writing, Chelsea Novak Managing Editor PS: Visit the winners' circle for inspiration! The First, Second and Third prizes in the 7th Annual Geist Literal Literary Postcard Story Contest are available online at geist.com.

#writing: How do you spell disabled?

2012-02-07T09:00:00.003-08:00

As a young writer, I would often ask, "Mom, how do you spell ___?"
She'd happily spell the required word.
It wasn't until I meet my husband that I learnt most words were spelt, 'd-i-c-t-i-o-n-a-r-y'.
He wanted me to find my own solutions. He believed I could.
***
Next post: #reading: Wednesday

#knitting: beginning a career in knitwear design

2012-02-06T09:00:00.005-08:00

Recently, I led a discussion regarding The Beginning, Middle and End of a career in Knitwear Design.
Where did I acquire my knowledge on this topic?
Well, my career began in August, 2002 and ended in January, 2011. During this time I was a member of the Canadian Knitwear Designers and Artisans as well as the Knitwear Designer Association. I have over 25 designs in my collection. I sold patterns to knitters from Canada, USA, the UK, Japan, Israel and Australia. Designs were featured in A Needle Pulling Thread craft magazine, Accord Publishing's Knitting Calendars and Knit Together (a knitting magazine no longer being published).
Some tips for beginning a career in knitwear design
think of yourself as an apprentice
-learn as much as you can about the craft from a variety of sources
online
workshops
one-on-one from other knitters/knitwear designers/yarn producers
-develop a system for recording and collecting your design ideas
-gleam inspiration from a variety of needlecrafts
-assemble resources (books, websites)
*
as you attend workshops
-network with knitters/knitwear designers/yarn producers/magazine publishers
-have a 'community building' or win-win mindset
-take note of the most popular workshops
file this information away for the future when you will be offering your own workshops
*
When you begin to write your patterns seek the assistance of knitters. They are invaluable resources to proofread your patterns.
Feedback (questions, comments, etc.) is very gratefully appreciated.
***
Next post: writing: how do you spell disabled?
Next Monday: we continue with our discussion (A career in knitwear design)

Please welcome Author Mary Sharratt

2012-02-03T09:00:00.006-08:00

How/why did you start to write?

I was just out of college and living in Innsbruck, Austria, teaching English at a girls’ boarding school run by Ursuline nuns. It was very Sound of Music: alps, nuns, kids, and me. Alas, it was very quiet in the evenings and I didn’t have a television and I soon ran out of books to read, so I started writing the first draft of my very first novel longhand in a spiral notebook I kept in my sock drawer. Twelve years later, the much edited draft was published as my first book, Summit Avenue, in 2000.

How did you become an author?

I fell in love with writing and I couldn’t stop. It took over my life. I’m not happy unless I’m writing. If you do something long enough, with enough passion and commitment, you will reach your breakthrough. It was a long hard road to publication but I’ve never looked back.

What was your first published piece?

I wrote short stories for the feminist journal Hurricane Alice, which has sadly ceased publication. Lots of my early fiction was published in these “little magazines” that flourished before the internet took over everything.

What did you do before embarking on your writing career? Was it an asset to your writing? How?

I taught English as a foreign language in Austria and later in Germany, in the Munich area. I worked very odd hours, teaching at firms like Agfa and Siemens very early in the morning and then teaching evening classes at the local adult education facilities, so I had this huge gap in between when I could write and dream. Living in a foreign country helped, too. As an expat, everything was always new and strange and it made me very mindful about all aspects of life and human behavior.

What inspires you?

Social history, how ordinary people lived in the past, how they related with the landscape they lived in, what mark they left behind. A lot of historical fiction centers on lords and ladies, kings and queens, but I want to write a more inclusive historical fiction, about common people and their lives and yearnings.

In writing Daughters of the Witching Hill, about the Pendle Witches of 1612, I wanted to take these maligned women who suffered and died on account of other people’s ignorance, turn the tables around, and allow them to tell their own story. I wanted to give these historical cunning women and healers what their own world denied them—their own voice.

I truly believe in story-telling and historical fiction as a conduit for ancestral memory.

Please share one of your successful marketing techniques

Blog tours have been successful. I also love going on old fashioned book tours and meeting people live and in person in real brick-and-mortar indy bookstores. I love going out and meeting my readers face to face. Visiting book clubs in person is really fun, much more intimate and interactive than the average reading. You get to hear what readers *really* think and if they get behind your book, it’s the best advertising you can get.

Parting words

If you want to have a career as a published writer, never give up. The only failed writer is the one who stops writing! Love what you do. The process of writing is everything and no one can take that away from you.

Mary Sharratt is an American writer living in the Pendle region of Lancashire, Northern England. Her acclaimed novel of the Pendle Witches, Daughters of the Witching Hill, is now out in paperback. Illuminations, her new novel exploring the life of visionary abbess and polymath, Hildegard von Bingen, will be released in 2012. Visit Mary’s website: http://www.marysharratt.com/ and don’t miss her six minute video docudrama on the Pendle Witches, shot live on location around Pendle Hill.

Link to six minute video docudrama about the Pendle Witches, shot live on location around Pendle Hill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT-In065-gA

Book description:

“What an original voice Mary Sharratt has. She brings a haunting, ancient story — part of the local legend and history of where she lives — into life with vivid characters and a gripping plot. Old, lost, long-ago ways are made real.”
—Karleen Koen, author of Through a Glass Darkly and Before Versailles

Daughters of the Witching Hill brings history to life in a vivid and wrenching account of a family sustained by love as they try to survive the hysteria of a witch-hunt.

Bess Southerns, an impoverished widow living in Pendle Forest, is haunted by visions and gains a reputation as a cunning woman. Drawing on the Catholic folk magic of her youth, Bess heals the sick and foretells the future. As she ages, she instructs her granddaughter, Alizon, in her craft, as well as her best friend, who ultimately turns to dark magic. When a peddler suffers a stroke after exchanging harsh words with Alizon, a local magistrate, eager to make his name as a witch finder, plays neighbors and family members against one another until suspicion and paranoia reach frenzied heights.
Sharratt interweaves well-researched historical details of the 1612 Pendle witch-hunt with a beautifully imagined story of strong women, family, and betrayal. Daughters of the Witching Hill is a powerful novel of intrigue and revelation.

#photos: on the ferry

2012-02-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

I continue to wheel my camera with abandon. Recently, my camera and I were on one of the BC ferries' smallest--the Mayne Queen.

I was heading home after a fun day off island. Where had I been? What did I do?
Ah, my friend, all will be revealed on Monday.
***
Next post: Please welcome Author Mary Sharratt

#reading: The Sweater Curse chapter 3, page 3

2012-02-01T08:39:00.000-08:00

Today I'll share the last page of chapter 3--and close the book on The Sweater Curse. If you'd like to continue reading visit Decadent Publishing or one of the many other ebook sellers listed on the side bar.

The Sweater Curse

Chapter three

"Grandma Hannah," they cheer.

She bends to scoop them into a warm embrace. They all smile and giggle.

Merrily, the group parades into the house. The youngest holds Grandma's hand.

"Grandma's home, Grandma's home," the children sing to a gaggle of adults.

One of the adults, an old guy--her new husband--is the first to greet her. "Welcome home, darling. I missed you." He wears a buttoned-down, baby-blue shirt and beige trousers. His hair is snow-white, and he sports a well-groomed moustache. He draws her close, and they share a kiss.

"Oh, you two are such love birds," one of the younger women coos.

Oh, look! She's pregnant.

Mother turns to the woman and rubs the swollen tummy. "How are you feeling, dear?"

"Oh, much better. Thank you for your advice."

They share a smile.

Oh, how sweet. I've seen enough.

Mother appears to have changed. She's mellowed, retracted her claws, and no longer sharpens her fangs by gnawing on young flesh.

Her life is full, happy, successful.

Well, hurray for her. It makes me sick.

There isn't a scarp of evidence of Dad's and my existence. No pictures in her office or anywhere in her house. I wonder if she's ever even uttered our names. Does she even think about us?

She didn't mourn. She moved on.

Earlier pages:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three, pages one and two
***
Next post: photos: on the ferry
Next Wednesday: All aboard for new adventures in reading

#writing: I'm stuck

2012-01-31T09:00:00.005-08:00

When ever--and I do mean each and every time--we sail to Vancouver Island we shop at Tanners. For example, we spotted there this weekend. I searched the shelves looking for the must-have book. There are many on my list. This time I purchased The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje and Help! for Writers: 210 Solutions to the Problems Every Writer Faces by Roy Peter Clark
I skimmed Help! looking for the solutions to the problems this writer encounters. Soon I had the moment I had been hoping for. I had the "hey-yeah-exactly" moment.
Problem: During the early stages of a writing project, I grow discouraged with my lack of finesse.
My solution: Give up—at least for a while—and move on to another project.
Roy Peter Clark writes:
‘Lower your standards at the beginning of the process. Raise them later.’ He continues by quoting poet William Stafford. ‘I believe that the so-called “writing block” is a product of some kind of disproportion between your standards and your performance… One should lower his standards until there is no felt threshold to go over in writing. It’s easy to write. You just shouldn’t have standards that inhibit you from writing.’
Good advice. Words I should heed.
Are you looking for cures for writer’s block? Here’s some more advice: Overcoming Writers' Block
And for a different perspective, Laurie offers: I Love My Writer's Block
***
Today: Please visit me at Speaking from the Heart--post Write or Wrong
Next post: reading The Sweater Curse chapter 3, page 3

#knitting a sweater pattern

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

Flowers for Mary

This gentle blend of rib stitch and easy lace makes a flattering top that you'll love to wear.

Skill level: beginner

Sizes: S [M, L, 1X, 2X, 3X]

Finished Measurements:

Chest: 36 [40, 44, 48, 52, 56]

Length: 22 [22.5, 24, 24, 26, 26]

Materials: 4 [4, 5, 5, 6] light worsted yarn (each ball 168 yards/154 metres)

Recommended needles: 1 pair 4.50 mm (7 US, 7 UK), 1 pair 9.00 mm OR size to obtain tension

Gauge: 3 stitches = 1 inch

4.5 stitches = 1 inch

4 x 4 rib stitch (over even number of stitches)

Row: knit four, purl four—to end of row.

Repeat row for pattern.

Moss stitch (over even number of stitches)

Row 1: knit two, purl two—to end of row.

Row 2: purl two, knit two—to end of row.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 for pattern.

Note: To shorten or lengthen sleeves –

alter at this point…

“* Work in 4 x 4 rib stitch for 8 inches (20.3 cm)”

To shorten, reduce number of inches.

To lengthen, increase number of inches.

Back

Cast on 80 [90; 100; 108; 118; 126] stitches work in 4 x 4 rib stitch for 13 [13, 14, 14, 15, 15] inches. 33 [33, 35.5, 35.5, 38, 38] cm

Change to larger needles and decrease 26 [30, 34, 36, 40, 42] stitches evenly across row 54 [60, 66, 72, 78, 84] stitches remain.

Work in moss stitch for 1 inch (2.5 cm)

Decrease 3 stitches at the beginning of the next two rows 48 [54, 60, 66, 72, 78] stitches remain.

Work in moss stitch for 6 inches (15. 2 cm)

This row: 14 [17, 20, 23, 26, 29] in moss stitch; decrease 20 stitches; 14 [17, 20, 23, 26, 29] in moss stitch.

Work in moss stitch for 2 inches (5 cm)

Cast off

Front

Cast on 80 [90; 100; 108; 118; 126] stitches work in 4 x 4 rib stitch for 13 [13, 14, 14, 15, 15] inches. 33 [33, 35.5, 35.5, 38, 38] cm

Change to larger needles and decrease 26 [30, 34, 36, 40, 42] stitches evenly across row 54 [60, 66, 72, 78, 84] stitches remain.

Work in moss stitch for 1 inch (2.5 cm)

Decrease 3 stitches at the beginning of the next two rows 48 [54, 60, 66, 72, 78] stitches remain.

Work in moss stitch for 4 inches (10.2 cm)

This row: 14 [17, 20, 23, 26, 29] in moss stitch; decrease 20 stitches; 14 [17, 20, 23, 26, 29] in moss stitch.

Work in moss stitch for 4 inches (10.2 cm)

Cast off

Sleeves (make 2)

Cast on 72 [76, 80, 80, 86, 86] stitches

Work in 4 x 4 rib stitch for 1 inch (2.5 cm)

Increase 2 stitches at the beginning of the next two rows. Increase to 76 [80, 84, 84, 90, 90] stitches.

Work in 4 x 4 rib stitch for 1 inch (2.5 cm)

Decrease 1 stitch at the beginning of the next two rows 74 [78, 82, 82, 88, 88] stitches

Decrease 1 stitch at the beginning of the next two rows 72 [76, 80, 80, 86, 86] stitches

*Work in 4 x 4 rib stitch for 8 inches (20.3 cm)

Work in Stockinette stitch for 2 inches (5 cm)

Cast off

Every attempt has been made to ensure that the instructions are clear and correct. Please notify us of any errors so we may correct them immediately.

***

Next post: What she wrote and she still believes

The Opposite of Dark by Debra Purdy Kong

2012-01-27T16:45:00.001-08:00

ONE
When Benny Lee hit the M3 bus’s brakes for the third time in a minute,
tension rippled through Casey’s lower back. Usually relaxed and patient, old
Benny was slipping. Maybe she would, too, if this was her first day back
driving a bus in tedious, noon-hour congestion after six months on nights.
Vancouver might be beautiful, but the traffic would always be horrible. With
any luck, she’d nail the pervert sharing her seat before Benny put her in
traction.

Casey unfastened the buttons on her tight leather jacket and took a deep
breath. She exhaled slowly through her nose, like the yoga video had
instructed. The exercise was supposed to release tension. Fat chance.

The suspect pressed his thigh against hers. His gray suit, crewcut, and
square glasses portrayed respectability, yet his flushed, middle-aged face
and wandering hand suggested something else.

His hand crept closer to her thigh. He always chose the right side of the
bus, always picked an aisle seat near the exit, and always made his move as
the bus approached its next stop. Lately, he’d grown reckless by staying on
the M3 instead of switching routes like he used to.

Fingers spidered closer to her leg. Casey watched Benny drive. As arranged,
she would speed dial Benny’s cell number just before she was ready to nab
the guy. Victims had reported that the suspect didn’t carry a weapon, so
Benny would keep the doors shut until she’d cuffed him. The problem with
this plan was the passenger distracting Benny with loud complaints about
dirty seats and rude passengers.

The M3 approached Commercial and Broadway, and the suspect’s thigh nudged
Casey’s a little harder. She removed her cellphone from her pocket.
Adrenalin raced through her as she watched pedestrians head for the SkyTrain
entrance at the intersection’s southeast corner.

The light turned green and the bus eased forward. Sweet, overripe aftershave
nauseated her. Oh crap, the jerk was panting. Fingertips crept toward the
garter peeking below her miniskirt. Casey hit speed dial, then shoved the
phone in her pocket. The suspect moaned. Benny eased the bus to the stop as
the pervert squeezed her left thigh.

“Right!” Casey grabbed his wrist and flashed her ID badge. “MPT security.
Your party’s over, dude.”

The man jerked his arm free. A moment later, he was out and running. Benny
had missed the signal.

“Benny, make the call!” Casey rushed down metal-riveted steps and onto the
sidewalk crowded with people waiting to enter the bus.

Running north on Commercial, the suspect smacked into pedestrians. Even in
stilettos, Casey gained on him. She’d spent too much time practising to let
criminals get away. The sidewalk became an overpass and chances for escape
diminished. Below them, rail tracks ran along a steep ravine. Casey heard
the whirl of an approaching SkyTrain.

The suspect tried to barge through a group of teens, allowing Casey to close
the gap. She leapt and tackled him. They hit the ground and rolled into a
chain-link fence. Straddling his back, she clamped the cuffs on him and
said, “I’m making a citizen’s arrest for sexual assault.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Section 494 of the Criminal Code says I can.” Casey caught her breath as
she removed a card tucked behind her security license. “Under the Charter of
Rights and Freedoms, it’s my duty to inform you that you have the right to
retain counsel without delay.”

By the time she’d finished reading everything on the card, people had
started to gather.

“Do you understand?” Casey asked him. “Do you want to call a lawyer?”

“I want you to get my wallet and get the hell off me, bitch!”

Casey spotted an open wallet near the suspect’s face. Wary of accusations of
theft, she said, “I’ll watch it till the police arrive.”

“I’ll sue you, you whore.”

“Wrong profession. As I said, I’m with Mainland Public Transport security.”

Maybe she should sue him for a new pair of stockings. Reasonably priced
fishnet was almost impossible to find. Casey glanced at the gaping hole on
her shin and then popped a stick of gum in her mouth. Chewing always slowed
the adrenalin.

“You’d better find my glasses too,” the suspect said.

They were wedged among weeds and grimy candy wrappers at the fence, but
Casey opted to stay where she was. She noticed the family photo in the guy’s
wallet: three young kids, the suspect, and a plump brunette. Casey shook her
head. What kind of family man spent his lunch hours squeezing women’s thighs
on buses? How pathetic was that?

Benny hurried up to her. “Sorry, Casey. You okay?”

“Yeah, fine.”

“I called the cops and Stan wants you back at the office. Some detective’s
on his way to see you. Looks like your week’s off to a hell of a start.”

Casey popped a bubble. She’d handed the authorities a fair number of
delinquents over recent weeks, so police chats were becoming routine.

The Vancouver police arrived at Commercial Drive later than expected.
Forty-five minutes passed before she bounded up Mainland’s two flights of
stairs and into the security department. It’d take at least another half
hour to write her report.

As she greeted the security department’s admin assistant, Amy, Casey spotted
a new chair next to Stan’s door.

“Does Stan know it’s pink?” Casey asked.

“It’s not pink, it’s dusty rose, or so the catalogue says.” Amy lifted the
bifocals from the chain around her neck and took a closer look while she
tried not to smile.

Casey grinned. “I’d emphasize the dusty part.”

“I thought I heard your voice,” Stan said, emerging from his office.

Oh lord, her supervisor was having yet another fashion disaster day. Hard as
Casey tried, she couldn’t convince Stan that checkered sports jackets and
striped shirts didn’t work for most human beings. She and his wife had
nearly given up trying.

“So you caught the pervert single-handedly,” he said.

Based on Stan’s disapproving tone and the way he crossed his arms over his
chest, Casey knew what was coming.

“What happened to observe and report? Since when do my officers put
themselves in danger?”

“But he wasn’t armed and I experienced the crime firsthand, excuse the pun.”
She flashed a smile, but Stan didn’t look amused.

“Tackling someone is hardly non-violent intervention, Casey. I thought I
told you that use of force isn’t part of the game plan anymore.”

Casey sighed. It was hard to keep up with, let alone apply, all the changes
and restrictions Mainland had imposed since she first trained in security.
And why was Stan being such a hard-ass when she’d caught the guy?

He lowered his arms. “Write up your report after you see our guests.” He
nodded toward the door.

“Guests? Benny said a detective wanted to see me.”

“There are two of them.”

She noticed the way Stan’s lips pressed together until they almost
disappeared between his gray beard and moustache. His lips always vanished
when he was tense. “What’s up?”

His gaze didn’t quite meet hers. “You’ll see.”

Hmm. The last time Stan avoided eye contact and tensed up like that was two
years ago, when she’d told him she was divorcing Greg. He never had coped
with crying women too well.

“Tomorrow you can start on the purse snatchings you’ve been bugging me for,”
he said. “Drop by for details whenever. I’m going to grab some lunch.”

Leaning close to the door, Casey heard male voices. She strutted inside. It
took three seconds to realize that her black leather miniskirt, torn
stockings, and stilettos were making a bad impression.

The older man, stiff and solemn in his brown suit, stared at her spiky hair
while the younger guy glanced at her D cups. Understandable. The girls were
barely contained in the tank top under her jacket.

On the other side of the door, Stan yelled, “I ain’t sitting in a friggin’
pink chair!”

Casey smiled as she nodded to the officers. “I’m Casey Holland.”

“Detective Lalonde with the West Vancouver Police Department,” the older man
said, displaying his shield. “This is Corporal Krueger.”

West Van police? What were they doing out of their jurisdiction? As Krueger
shook Casey’s hand, his long thick moustache twitched.

“While we waited for you, Mr. Cordaseto told us a bit about MPT,” Lalonde
said. “I’d forgotten that the government’s pilot project became privately
funded. I thought it was still at least partly subsidized.”

“Funding ran out, but the government insists on fewer cars on the road, so
investors bought it twelve years ago, for a good tax break, apparently.
Mainland fills the void in the suburbs and shares the load with TransLink
buses on busier routes.”

“I understand you’ve worked here ten years?”

Why were they interested in her background? “Yes—five as a driver and five
in security.”

“And you’re a civilian doing police work?” Krueger asked.

Casey didn’t appreciate the disdain in his voice. “It’s not much different
than loss prevention work in retail, except we’re mobile, and, as you guys
know, it’s too expensive to have police riding buses all day nabbing vandals
and creeps. Most of the people we catch commit petty crimes and end up with
fines, probation, or community service.”

“The suspect you pursued today sounded dangerous.”

“Not really. He squeezes thighs and runs away,” she replied. “If he was
armed or more aggressive, the police would be involved.”

“Do you like this work?” Krueger asked.

"It’s more interesting than being a driver, unless you count the time a guy
pulled a knife on me. After that, I went into security to learn how to
protect myself and others.”

She was proud of the gutsy reputation she’d earned among Mainland’s staff,
even from old-fashioned farts who thought women didn’t belong in security.

Lalonde said, “Few people would choose security work after an experience
like that.”

Casey shrugged. “Had to face my fears.”

“You work alone?” Krueger asked.

“Pretty much. We have only one other full-time person, plus Stan. There are
three more part-timers who work other jobs.”

“There’s that much of a demand?” Lalonde asked.

“On and off. It usually starts with passenger complaints.” She watched
Krueger remove a notepad and pen from his pocket. “So, how can I help you
guys?”

Lalonde glanced at his partner. “A fifty-five-year-old Caucasian male, whom
we believe is Marcus Adam Holland, was killed between 8:00 and 10:00 PM
yesterday evening.” He paused. “Are you his daughter?”

“What?” She frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“Are you related to Marcus Adam Holland?”

“I’m his daughter, yes.”

“When did you last see him, Miss Holland?”

“Three years ago, on March eleventh, in a casket. He’s buried at Cedar Ridge
Cemetery, Detective.”

Lalonde and Krueger exchanged unreadable looks until Krueger scribbled
something down.

“How did the man you buried die?” Lalonde asked.

“My father died from botulism.”

“This body hasn’t been dead three years,” he replied. “His wallet contained
a valid driver’s license and credit cards, several to jewelry stores.”

Eeriness crept up Casey’s spine. Dad had given her a piece of jewelry every
birthday.

“I never did get his wallet and passport back. Assumed they were stolen. But
I have a death certificate. Maybe someone at Vital Statistics screwed up.”

Casey didn’t like the way these guys looked at her. What was it? Pity?
Skepticism? Ambivalence? She sauntered behind Stan’s old mahogany desk. “Can
you give me a clearer description of the victim?”

Lalonde turned to Krueger who flipped through his notepad. “Green eyes,
blond hair, graying at the temples, one point eight meters tall.” Krueger
looked up. “Five feet eleven inches.”

Casey wasn’t aware she’d been gripping Stan’s chair until her fingers began
to ache. A wallet and similar appearance didn’t prove Dad had been alive
these past three years.

“Did you see the body?” she asked.

Lalonde nodded.

“Did you notice a small white scar by his left eyebrow?” She didn’t like
this second exchange of looks between Lalonde and Krueger. Why weren’t they
answering? “How, exactly, was the man killed?” As Lalonde glanced out the
window overlooking the yard, Casey’s patience withered. “If it’s him, then
I’m family, so don’t I have a right to know?” Still no response. “Come on,
guys, I’m used to working with the police; this conversation doesn’t go
beyond this room if you don’t want it to.”

Lalonde finally said, “The victim was struck repeatedly about the head with
a sharp heavy object.”

She pushed the grisly image from her mind. “Where did it happen?"

“In his house on Marine Drive in West Vancouver.”

The eerie sensation wound around her neck and began to squeeze. “Dad didn’t
own a place there.”

He’d dreamed of it, though; an ocean view house on pricey real estate. But
he hadn’t had the bucks. So, what was dream and what was reality? Casey
slumped into Stan’s old Naugahyde chair.

“An anonymous called us about the body around midnight,” Lalonde said.

“Male or female?”

“Male. Could you provide a list of your father’s relatives, friends,
business associates, and other acquaintances?”

“It’d be three years old.” Casey rested her elbows on the desk. “If he was
alive, don’t you think I’d know?”

“Some people deliberately disappear to start over,” Lalonde replied.

“Do these people stay in the same city and provide a body for burial?”
Predictably, all she got was more silence. Was she annoying them as much as
they were annoying her? Too bad. She wasn’t the one with the identity
problem.

“Miss Holland, we’d like you to come to the morgue,” Lalonde said. “The
coroner can’t start the autopsy until you’ve identi--”

“I know.” She met Lalonde’s gaze. “I want to see the body up close. Not on
some monitor or in a snapshot or whatever they do down there. Face-to-face,
okay?”

Lalonde watched her. “The wounds to his head are extensive.”

“All right.” She could take it. Had to. Wimping out in front of these guys
would be humiliating.

“Mr. Cordaseto told us you could take the afternoon off, so I’d like to do
this now.”

“Fine.” It took some effort to get to her feet. “Dad and I were close,
Detective. He was a proud and honest man. He wouldn’t have deceived me like
that.” She couldn’t think. “Any idea why the man was killed?”

“There was cash in his wallet, but the hard drive’s missing from his PC. No
storage devices of any kind anywhere, and he might have had a laptop too.”
Lalonde slipped his hands in his coat pockets. “There’s a photograph of you
in the master bedroom.”

No, couldn’t be. “As far as I’m concerned, Dad’s been gone three years. If
you think otherwise, then show me proof.”

“Do you remember the name of his dentist?” Krueger asked, pen poised over
his notepad.

“No. I take it fingerprints haven’t helped identity him yet?”

Krueger shook his head.

Casey headed for the door. “Let me change first and wash the grunge off my
face.”

“That’s unnecessary,” Lalonde replied. “The sooner we go to the morgue, the
quicker we’ll have answers.”

“This is a costume to attract trash, Detective.” She turned to Krueger. “Go
figure, huh?”

Casey tried to move fast to the women’s locker room downstairs but Lalonde’s
news had a paralyzing effect. The same thing had happened three years ago
when that doctor called from Paris. She was at work then, too, eating a
cheeseburger. In a heavy French accent, the man explained how botulism had
killed Dad. Her first response had been anger. No one had even bothered to
let her know he’d been sick. After the call, she threw up. Greg was driving
the M9 at the time, so Lou had taken her home.

Casey reappeared twenty minutes later to find the detectives looking
curiously at her, trying not to seem surprised. Casey attempted a smile.
She’d replaced gelled spikes with her usual light brown curls, the heavy
makeup for a trace of lipstick, and the skimpy clothes with plum trousers
and a silk blouse.

“Did you need to perform an entire makeover?”

“Why do a half-assed job?”

“For expediency?”

Following him to the exit, Casey rolled her eyes and waved at a
worried-looking Amy. Lalonde chose the back seat of the Sebring, while Casey
sat in front with Krueger.

“Tell me about the food poisoning in Paris,” Lalonde said.

“Dad died nine days after eating at a burger joint called Alvin’s
All-Canadian Café. The bacterium was in a mayonnaise-based salad dressing.”

“How many others were ill?”

“No one, according to my lawyers.”

“Lawyers?”

“I’d heard that adults stood a fairly good chance of surviving the toxin. I
wanted to know if the hospital had been negligent. The lawyers didn’t think
so. Apparently, botulism’s not easy to diagnose when only one person’s been
infected, and it took too long to find the source. By the time the doctors
knew what was wrong, Dad was too far gone.”

“Bit odd that only one person was infected, isn’t it?”

“I thought so. It turned out that some fool used the remains of a jar of
mayonnaise that hadn’t been refrigerated. The restaurant was busy at the
time and no one would take responsibility for it.”

The drive to the airport to collect his body had been surreal and, in some
ways, offensive. She’d had to pick up Dad from the cargo area, not that she
would have wanted him swooping down the chute at the luggage carousel. But
still . . . cargo.

Losing someone she loved and trusted had depressed her for a long time. Her
adult relationships had never been as strong or trusting.

“I guess a blood analysis hasn’t been done yet,” Casey said. No one
answered. “You guys really don’t want to tell me much, do you?”

Lalonde kept his gaze on the window.

*

Casey rubbed her arms and shivered. The morgue was colder than she thought
it would be, or was she shivering because of the possibility that all her
grief had been wasted on a lie? An attendant accompanied Lalonde to a
labeled, oversized drawer and Casey’s heartbeat quickened. Lalonde produced
a key and unlocked the compartment. The attendant slid a shrouded body
toward them.

Someone touched Casey’s arm and she jumped. Krueger. Sympathy flashed across
his face as he guided her nearer the body. She’d tried to mentally prepare
for the sight of mutilated flesh and a close resemblance to Dad. One of last
year’s criminology classes had discussed body decomposition. Nasty stuff.
She vowed to stay cool and calm.

Lalonde turned to her. “Ready?”

Feet apart, arms crossed, and standing strong, she said, “Go ahead.”

One glimpse of the victim’s face and her stomach somersaulted. Gashes
crisscrossed his scalp and descended to what remained of the left side of
his face. Dried blood and bits of gray stuff matted his hair. Dozens of cuts
mangled the upper half of his left arm and shoulder.

“Is this man Marcus Holland?” Lalonde asked.

Memories of Dad raced through her mind, images so vivid it was as if no time
had passed and grief was just beginning.

“Is he your father, Miss Holland?”

“Just a sec.” Her legs grew shaky. Casey looked at the attendant.
“Is there an appendectomy scar?”

She’d only glimpsed the scar once, by accident, after Dad’s operation twenty
years ago.

Lalonde nodded to the attendant who lifted the sheet. Casey looked at the
floor.

“There is,” the attendant said.

“Well, Miss Holland?” Lalonde asked.
Casey swayed toward the body, then recoiled, terrified of touching it. She
tilted to one side. Hands gripped her arm and shoulder. Perspiration
dampened her upper lip.

Lalonde said, “Get her some water.”

How could this man be Dad? It didn’t make sense. “No bloody way!”

“Are you saying this man isn’t your father?”

Pulling free of Krueger’s grasp, she charged out of the room.

Buy Link

The book is available in hard cover and paperback at amazon.ca

amazon.com, http://tinyurl.com.3odlx64/

chapters.ca (including Kobo) at http://tinyurl.com/3dsy36y

The book trailer and more information can be found at http://bit.ly/i983XE

Please welcome Author Debra Purdy Kong

2012-01-27T08:30:00.002-08:00

How/why did you start to write?

I started to write because it was the best way I had of expressing myself. It began with journal entries, though I have to say that writing book reports in school was the only thing I really enjoyed and did well. After obtaining a diploma in criminology, I sold my car and left for Europe to figure out what I wanted to do back in 1979. I continued journal writing and wrote letters home, and then tried my hand at a short story. I also wound up sharing an apartment with an aspiring singer/actress who loved my stories and encouraged me to keep going. I loved the process of writing and editing so much that I took her advice.

How did you become an author?

I became an author after writing many drafts of my first mystery, Taxed to Death, and deciding to self-publish in 1995. It was a terrific learning experience. By the time I signed a contract with a traditional publisher for The Opposite of Dark, I’d had plenty of promotion and marketing experience, and had written three more mysteries.

Why did you decide to self-publish?

There were a number of reasons. Seventeen years ago, my sister had breast cancer. It was a difficult year, but one of the things I learned was not to wait for a lifelong dream to fall in one’s lap, but rather to make it happen, if possible. Who knows when any of us run out of time? Also, my husband was looking to start a small business on the side and liked the idea of publishing, so he financed the project while I learned how to do the layout, and so forth. I wanted to learn about book production and the business of publishing and promotion.

What was your first published piece?

My first published piece was a personal essay called “A Dancer’s Foot”. It was about my years of ballet study from age eight to sixteen. I didn’t enjoy the experience that much, and hated it by the time my mother let me quit.

Where was it published?

It was published in 1982, in a glossy little magazine from Ontario that was just starting out. They paid me $90 and I was thrilled. I thought, how hard could it be to write and earn money? Three years passed before any of my stories or essays were again accepted for publication. Two more years passed before I was actually paid anything, and I think that was in American stamps.

How did you find your traditional publisher?

It took over ten years to find a traditional publisher, (including two years spent with an American agent) and thirty-five submissions to publishers. One day, someone told me about a BC publisher who was interested in mysteries set in the pacific northwest, so I submitted The Opposite of Dark to her. A year later, I had a contract.

What did you do before embarking on your writing career? Was it an asset to your writing? How?

Before writing, I worked as a secretary for a firm of chartered accountants, which was where I met my future husband, and where I came up with the idea of writing about a young, overly enthusiastic tax auditor for Taxed to Death and Fatal Encryption. I never did use my diploma for career purposes, but the some of practicum and volunteer experiences have appeared in my novels and stories.

What inspires you?

Great writing inspires me!

Please share one of your successful marketing techniques

One of my successful marketing techniques was to join a forum for independently published authors on amazon and get to know people. They’ve given me some great marketing tips, but they’ve also bought my books and have reviewed them, which is always a surprise because I’d never ask anyone to do this. Happily, these efforts resulted in sales. So, I pay it forward and support indie authors when I can.

Parting words

When it comes to writing, success is a really hard thing to define. Sometimes, I’m not sure we should even try. For some, it’s publication credits, for others, success is determined by royalty cheques, or awards. For me, success is about tenacity and becoming a better writer; learning to listen to those who are trying to help. 80% of the one hundred stories, essays, and articles I’ve had published were initially rejected by editors who took the time to offer helpful comments. For me, writing is always about learning. It always will be.

My blogs are at http://writetype.blogspot.com and http://tinyurl.com/dbe5rp

Canada Writes' Namedropping Nonfiction Challenge

2012-01-26T09:00:00.005-08:00

I was going to post some cool photos I took recently during an ocean voyage I took recently. However, an offer I couldn't refuse was delivered to my email inbox--Canada Writes' Namedropping Nonfiction Challenge. So, I wrote this instead...

Leanne Dyck read the instructions over slowly. A true story about someone in my life...I could write about my husband...I have tons of stories about Byron. She gulped. But if I do he'd...he'd...never forgive me. He's so private. Her brows knit. But if I don't... Nervously, she rubbed her hands together. It's so hard to break into the publishing industry. Entring this contest might be my big break. What do I do? Think. Finally, the expression on her face softened. Of course... She crossed her fingers and pressed send.
***
Next post: Please welcome Author Debra Purdy Kong

#reading The Sweater Curse chapter 3, page 2

2012-01-25T09:00:00.001-08:00

I'm pleased to offer you, page-by-page, the first three chapters of The Sweater Curse--one page every Wednesday

The Sweater Curse

Chapter three, page two

The door opens a crack and a youngish woman fills the gap. "Excuse me, Ms. McNamara. I don't know if you remember me but--"
"Of course, I do. Well, hello...," Mother looks at the woman and beams.
"I was one of your students," the woman supplies. "Joy--"
"Of course, Joyce Givings."
"Bridgeweight."
"Of course, Joyce Bridgeweight," Mother says.
"Well, Lam now."
"Class of '99."
"2007," Joyce corrects yet again.
It's clear Mother doesn't remember this woman.
"Yes, of course. Please, do come in." Mother stands, walks to the door, and pushes it open, inviting Joyce to enter.
When Mother peers into the baby carrier, the woman grips firmly in one hand, she sees the treasure Joyce brought her. "Who's this?"
"This is Hannah."
Mother grabs a chubby little hand. "Well, hello, Hannah."
Baby Hannah responds with a yawn. Apparently, Mother's charms do have their limits.
"I named her after you." Joyce beams.
"Well, I'm...I'm honored."
My visit isn't over, Mother slips into the leather driver seat of a red convertible Mustang.
It's a cloudless autumn day; she drives with the top down. Apparently, her environment no longer stinks.
The car turns onto a long driveway. At the end of this tree-lined lane stands an architect's masterpiece. Its flat roof and strange, sharp angles make an artistic statement.
Children play outside on the manicured lawn. There are three boys and four girls, aged from three to seven. The appearance of the car signals the end of their play. All eyes are fixed on her as she parks and vacates the car. They run to her with open arms.

Chapter three, page one

I examine my surroundings and realize I'm in a lecture hall. All the students are draped over their desks. Who has captured their attention?

The lecturer, though aged, I would recognize anywhere, Mother.

Blah, blah, blah. On she drones, but the young minds sucked it up like sweet honey.

Now she's at the bedside of an elderly woman. Starry-eyed, her patient rests easy in her care.

Accompanying her from one adoring patient to another is a small clutch of students. They hang on her every word.

I follow Mother down a long corridor to her sterile office. There waiting for her is a pile of paperwork. She sits and, document after document, attacks the mound.

I didn't notice it before, but there's a ring on her finger. How did I overlook it? The diamond is enormous, I guess she's remarried.

I scan the room and am immediately drawn to a group of photographs decorating a feature wall. There's one of Mother and her latest victim on their wedding day. It's a garden shot. The ancient bride and groom have turned to face each other. He towers over her. They look like a couple of freaks. I wonder if it's a show for the camera, or if they truly mean all they are saying with their eyes.

The other pictures feature three women as they graduate from university and then marry. The final photo is larger than the rest and includes the entire family. The subjects range in age from three to seventy. Everyone is carefully arranged on a large wooden deck of a summer cabin. Front and center is Mother and the poor old guy. Clearly, Mother is now reaping the benefit of another mother's devotion.

Someone knocks.

"Yes," Mother calls without looking up from her paperwork.
***
Next post: Canada Writes' Namedropping Nonfiction Challenge

How to Be Your Own Publicist workshop

2012-01-24T09:00:00.001-08:00

I found this in my email inbox...

WORKSHOP ON HOW TO BE YOUR OWN PUBLICIST! SPREAD THE WORD!

The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) is offering the Professional Development Workshop HOW TO BE YOUR OWN PUBLICIST in Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, and Victoria, in February and March of 2012. The workshops take place from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. For those who can’t attend in one of the participating cities, a 3-hour webinar will be offered, distilling the highlights of the workshop.

Authors Elizabeth Ruth and Ann Douglas will present on traditional but innovative book marketing strategies as well as new media opportunities for writers. Kelly Duffin, Executive Director of The Writers’ Union of Canada, will update participants on the latest evolutions in the publishing landscape.

Whether you are an aspiring writer wanting to develop your audience before publication; an emerging writer who needs to stay visible; or long-published and looking for new tips and techniques, this full-day workshop is for you.

Participants will leave the workshop having gained the know-how and confidence to creatively promote their own future works, and an expanded, inspired sense of what it means to be a writer in the current publishing context.

Most workshops of this calibre charge hundreds of dollars. The price of this symposium is $89.00 and covers costs, including lunch, $75 for members of The Writers’ Union of Canada. For registration information please go to www.writersunion.ca/registration.pdf . Please circulate this information to writers you think might be interested in coming to this event. Space is limited so register today.

Note: I'm going--are you?

***

Next post: My last offering from The Sweater Curse (chapter 3, page 2)

knitting #fashion in 1937 (2 of 2)

2012-01-23T08:26:00.000-08:00

(We continue reading from Stitchcraft: a vintage needlecraft magazine published from the 1930s to 1980s.)

For daytime models the line is slim and youthful. Collars are, as a rule, either of the Peter Pan persuasion, the mannish shirt-collar type, or the new, low-choker style. Some afternoon models affect a high, very tightly draped line as softer, but in this case the knitted fabric must be thin. Shoulders are very slightly square, just enough to give a good tailored effect, but with no hint of an artificial breadth. Skirts are short and narrow, with open over-laps low at sides, front or back, or with a "kick-pleat" for width.

When there are fulness at the top it is more moderate than last season, and usually takes the form of two or three short, shallow folds, or a couple of neatly tailored darts.

Plaided, checked, and some striped effects are shown as well as flower patterns. These designs are either knitted into the fabric or worked in relief on the surface. Many knitted surfaces are rough, such as the tweed yarns, harsh-haired wools, yarns with "nubbing" of all sizes, others with long "bumps" that loop up on the surface when worked, boucle threads of all types and weights. At Robert Piguet's there is a smart tweed suit trimmed with matching tweed yarn, even to the colours in the "nubbing", knitted in stocking-stitch to form the back of the jacket between shoulder-yoke and waist-line. Similar work faces the lapels and the patch-pockets. The play to shoulder and arm movements afforded by the knitted back makes this an admirable suit for active sports wear.

Many jackets are shorter than last season, and have interesting treatments of lapels, neck-lines, and pockets. Belts, too, are important, either smart saddler-made leather ones or matching knitted ones. Some suit jackets are merely nipped in at the waist-line, others are gored, and with these no belts are worn. Longer coats of fingertip and three-quarter length are shown, either belted and fitted or loose-backed, of the top-coat or box-jacket varieties.

Jumper, blouse, and dress bodices may be either plain and flat up to the neck-line, or softened by crocheted frills, jabots, or pleated bibs. Many smart blouses are knitted of fine wool in tailored shirt-waist style with fancy plastron fronts shaped like a man's shirt-front. These may be done in tucked effects or lacy stripes contrasting with a plain stitch for the rest of the blouse.

Buttons are used in great quantity, and are equally smart down the back or front of a dress. The high-necked line for bodices, blouses, and jumpers is often buttoned down a short vent at the back of the neck. Others fasten inconspicuously along the shoulder, while others have a centre-front, buttoned band as on a shirt-waist.

Cocktail ensembles, suitable for restaurant dining as well, are shown in most knitwear houses. These are tailored in style and have floor-length, slim skirts, and short, fitted jackets or boleros. The bodice top is frequently quite decollete, and the sleeves, if any, are short. The jacket and bolero sleeves accompanying, however, are as a rule long and close-fitting, with, perhaps, a mere hint of fulness at the top.

The new winter colours are beautiful. All the summer garden shades are to be seen, and then, to be seasonable, the autumn-leaf browns and soft, placid, browns and tans. Black is always smart in Paris, and is shown nearly as much in the knitwear houses as at the couturiers.
***
Next post: Where will I be on March 2? Here are a few hints: writing, The Writers' Union of Canada, workshop. Ah, you guessed it. : )
Also I received a voicemail request the use of one of my posts. Okay, if you're like me--a little dumbfounded my this request--you'll be interested to visit Speaking from the Heart The post is titled "Write or Wrong" and will go live tomorrow. (Much thanks Laurie)This is a supportive, thought-provoking, inspiring blog. So, please click the link.

Please welcome Author Marilynne Miles Gray

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

How/why did you start to write?

Starting as a teacher of language and literature, then as an editor of a peer-reviewed journal for professional educators and people in corporations, I’ve found it an easy descent into writing a novel.

I can credit a love for reading to my mother who read to me almost daily (just to get me to take a nap) when I was very young and frequent trips with her to the closest decent-sized library which was an hour by bus. Fortunately, I never suffered motion sickness on the bus – the rule was: no reading on the bus, please! To go into the ‘big-city’ library in Hamilton Ontario back then was awe-inspiring. I can relate to those who still do not have ready access to reading material.

How did you become an author?

I still ask myself: did I trip or was I pushed?

In grade school, I entered a writing contest that landed me a radio interview. It happened so long ago that all I can recall was the interviewer slipped in a trick question: “What did your parents tell you not to say?” I fell for that one big time. Poor mom and dad. What I had said was not all that bad but it was something that needed a sentence or two of extra explaining – why I wasn’t allowed pets. Made them look mean when they were anything but.

In high school, I wrote a prize-winning essay that landed me on an American television show that pitted young people against each other to see who could ask the most insightful questions of people who came from other countries and cultures.

To appear on the show, every so often, I would take the trip over the border from North Vancouver to the big burg of Bellingham to compete. Appearances involved some great coaching on the part of my teachers who donated time and interest in the development of their pupils. At the time, I had no idea I might be honing my writing skills beyond being on t.v.

One young Nigerian medical student I met on the show later came often to visit me and my family. We would feed him, of course but not Nigerian style. As I think of it, he could have given us some cooking lessons. His stories about the transition from hot Nigeria to cold and wet Seattle were both sad and funny. I sometimes wonder what will appear on the computer screen if I Google his name -- J.A., wherever you are, I hope all has gone well.

What was your first published piece?

I honestly don’t recall. Likely it was an art show review I wrote for The Ubyssey during my second year at UBC. While I’ve never lost my love of art, my tastes have broadened and changed so I now feel as home at a contemporary painting display as at a show of Renaissance art in some European gallery. (As an aside, my husband jokes: “Marilynne’s idea of a good time is a walking visit to a museum, cathedral and art gallery all in the same day.”)

At the time, I thought some of the art was… well, juvenile and ugly so my dilemma was: how to write about something objectively yet not insult the artist? There’s such a thing as killing potentially good writing (let alone art) with premature or wrong-headed criticism. Interestingly, according to some experts, premature and badly-conceived criticism is the #1 writing problem, not misplaced modifiers and clichés or other issues some writers might imagine. I cover the topic of premature criticism when I give writing classes: how to appropriately criticize and appreciate work whether it’s your own or that of others.

What did you do before embarking on your writing career? Was it an asset to your writing? How?

By the end of second year university, I was torn between taking a degree focussed on History and Geography or one slanted towards English Literature. I had already decided I didn’t want to go the PE (Physical Education) route, though that too was a natural given my ongoing interest in sports.

In the end, I opted for an Honours English degree at UBC. The English Department had a wonderful faculty, the likes of Earle Birney and Roy Daniells to name two great men. They could not only write but they could also teach and convey their love of the field. So, I was enticed by the fact the professors were warm and friendly (with perhaps one exception – an old curmudgeon … but that’s another story). The programme was respected across the country; classes were small, my marks were reasonable and I felt a growing love for the field. I added another year to do my Masters in Can. Lit. then another year to do my Professional year for a teaching certificate and went out into the world to teach for about 15 years.

The decision to become a teacher in my field is not one I regretted.

At university, when I returned to do doctoral studies, I was also a supervisor / career advisor of students taking their fifth year of teacher training. One of the most important insights for me as much as for them was the value of being flexible and creative as to where, when and how our formal studies can be applied in varied settings especially when we start out with the idea we want to take up profession ABC then discover maybe it’s been a mistake. It was hugely gratifying when a student understood their courses were anything but a mistake and that there were places in the world to now put the learning to happier and more productive uses.

Eventually, my husband and I left academia to start our own professional mentoring company as trainers, programme designers, and (for me) a writer of technical manuals and a newsletter –MentorInk -- that I recently laid to rest after almost 25 years non-stop.

What inspires you?

I could say ‘jealousy’ that other writers have managed to make their millions by publishing schlock. That would be true. To that notion, I can also add ‘a desire to leave a legacy of interesting, thought-provoking and well-written material’.

Please share one of your successful marketing techniques.

If I knew, I’d gladly share. This is my first non-fiction work. To this point in time, almost all of my writing (or editing) has been non-fiction for professionals, oriented towards career development and my specialty field of mentoring. Occasionally, I will do ghost-writing which is fun.

I’m familiar with methods that worked during the pre-ebook days but that was then and this is now.

I have a deep, dark, strongly-held suspicion that contemporary successful marketing is the happy confluence of luck, unbridled determination, unholy amounts of time spent massaging social media, and tons of energy.

For my first murder mystery – The Avid Gardener: grieving and scheming -- now nearing the completion of Draft #1 prior to its first edit, I’m hoping to learn the secrets (if there are any) from others who’ve gone before me and won over the world!

Writing tips

1. I spent a great deal of time examining different ‘writing websites’. How-to writing websites vary in quality from bad to very bad to reasonably useful (depending on the purpose). This is no news to most writers yet all too often we writers hope to find ‘the perfect website’ that just doesn’t exist.

One piece of advice? Spend a few hours locating five or six promising sites, each for a different purpose depending on your goals (how to get ‘unstuck’, character arc, and so forth). For a limited period of time visit each site for ideas and suggestions. Keep this activity to a minimum as you’ll find yourself spending more time doing this than actually writing and revising.

If, after a few visits, the value of a site seems to be questionable, keep on the hunt or give yourself a breather and consider another approach.

2. Create audio chunks of what you have written then play it back to your ‘inner ear’ or have someone who knows how to critique listen to the portion and give feedback. This has always been a method that is worth trying.

3. Develop a series of questions a ‘critic’ can ask you about different aspects of your writing. Asking yourself each question from your list has limited value. An external, competent person is a necessity.

4. Don’t think of someone who gives you five minutes of advice as your mentor. Five minutes here or there just doesn’t cut it. Mentors are people who help change our lives in profound, meaningful and positive ways.

A mentor is someone whose helping role varies according to your need. I know how the many mentoring factors come together having spent so long researching and helping others to develop mentoring skills to better effect.

If you have a mentor, (or wish to have one) keep in mind she or he may be a teacher one day, a sounding board another, an advisor on a third occasion, a coach the next time, a role model at all times. Mentors can play some two dozen different roles in the life of the protégé! Note that I did not mention the role of ‘critic’ as one the mentor plays.

Most recent book

My most recent work (2011) is an ebook: Mentoring A to Z as part of a series of books to wrap that part of my career.

FOREWORD

1,000,000,000,000 protégés can’t be wrong. Neither can the same number of mentors. That could mean some 500,000,000,000 or so relationships (love those numbers!) over thousands of years (give or take a few here and there). And each relationship unique! How is this possible?

Those are the words to an imaginary ad from a couple of years ago intended to catch the hearts and minds of the jaded who thought they had the mentoring relationship notion in a box, no surprises. After all, what could I teach them about mentoring that they didn’t already know? A great deal as it so happens and it didn’t take them long to see this fact.

Yes, everyone has a different opinion of what mentoring is, what a mentor does and the unfolding of the relationship. Yet, opinion isn’t good enough. What you need is solid understanding of what it will actually take for success. Some of the secrets to success are counter-intuitive. Others are overlooked. This book is based on my years of close-up field experience given to people around the globe who suddenly understood the need to fill in the many gaps between what they believe they know about successful collaboration and what will truly lead to success no matter what the field, the goal or the circumstances.

Buy Link

Author links

Website
Facebook

Inside looking out (photos)

2012-01-19T09:00:00.001-08:00

Writing advice: What I should have done

2012-01-17T08:54:00.001-08:00

(Don't you wish that you could time-travel and give your younger self helpful advice. Today I'm doing exactly that.)

Dear younger Leanne,
You know those stories that you're working on. Well, you might think that you can just throw them out--unfinished. You may think that because they belong to you, you can do whatever you want with them. Well, you're wrong. You can't. You can't because they belong to me--older Leanne--not you. So, instead of tossing them away, you better file them away for safekeeping. You better or else...
Oh, yeah, and another thing. You might think that by writing all those stories you're just having fun. WRONG! You're doing important work. However, you're only doing half the job. You also need to get someone who can spell and knows grammar to edit them. Ask Mom she'll help you. Then you need to submit them to literary journals or short stories contests. Oh, yeah, and don't just do it once and think you're done. Don't just say, "Oh, well, I submitted it. I didn't win. I don't have to do that again." Don't think, I tried, failed and now I'm done. The only way you failed is by being done. Simply by continuing to submit your stories you're proving that you are a winner. If you don't continue working until the job is done, well then you'll leave all that work for me. And trust me, I won't be pleased.
Oh, yeah, and the most important thing. You may not think you're smart, but I do. I know how talented you are. And you're doing a grave disservice by not sharing your talent. So do it. Do it now!
Love,
Leanne
***
Next post: reading The Sweater Curse chapter 3, page 1

Knitting fashion notes from 1937 (1 of 2)

2012-01-16T08:50:00.000-08:00

Stitchcraft, a craft magazine, was 'made and printed in England by Messrs. Percy Lund, Humphries & Co. Ltd. of Bradford, and published for the Proprietors, STITCHCRAFT LTD. (controlled by Patons & Baldwins, Ltd.), by the Conde Nast Publications, Ltd., 1 New Bond Street, London, W.I. Registered for the Canadian Magazine Post.

AUTUMN CHIC FROM PARIS
by Anne Talbot

Knitted wear in the new autumn and winter collections may be divided into two groups, the classical, serviceable type of knitted garment destined for sports and country wear, and the more elaborately designed models suitable for afternoon and evening wear with more complicated cut and detail. In the second category the evening models in knitting and crochet are principally of the informal type, but there are a number of beautifully designed, lace-stitch evening gowns being shown in new novelty threads and yarns that are suitable for even quite formal occasions. I have in mind a very lovely white evening dress of spun-glass thread, flexible, gleaming, and translucent, and light to wear. It is crocheted in a lacy pineappple-stitch. The surplice bodice is decollete in a V-shaped line front and back, the skirt fits snugly and flat over the hips with a crisp, circular flare below the knees. The flare is faced with white horse-hair lace to give a clear-cut, stiff line.

Another designer, Paule Valence, shows a plate blue silk yarn, through which runs a silver lame thread, worked in small popcorn-stitch to make a short-fitted evening jacket and long, slim skirt. The bodice is of silver lame, draped cowl-fashion in front, and cut in a deep curving decollete at the back; the skirt is worn over a silver lame foundation which gleams through the knitted meshes.

As Wanda Kofler's there is an evening model of finest black wool in Irish crochet lace with large, bold flowers and leaves in white. With a crimson sash, tied at one side, this is a most striking evening model for country-house wear. Mlle. Kofler also shows a long, fitted evening coat in Irish lace wool crochet, worked with various colours in a leaf design. One of her most ravishing evening gowns is knitted balck silk model with a bolero jacket knitted in black and white silk, and studded all over with brilliants.

Notes:
I was surprised that cowls were in fashion in the 30s. I thought they were a 1980s invention. I guess there's nothing new under the sun.
Popcorn stitch? Wow, I haven't heard of this stitch for years. When I was a teenager, my grandmother made me a white popcorn stitch toque (wool hat).
Please log on next Monday, I will continue offering this article.
***
Next post: Writing advice: what I should have done

Please welcome Author Karen Wojcik Berner

2012-01-13T09:00:00.001-08:00

How/why did you start to write?
I write to make sense of the world. I cannot remember a time when writing was not a large part of my life. Sometimes I think an event has not really happened until I write about it.
How did you become an author?
In college, I double majored in English with a writing concentration and communications. I had known since I became editor of my high school newspaper that writing was going to be my career, but after college, I didn't think I had enough life experience to write a novel, so I put fiction aside for awhile. Lack of life experience, plus the fact that money is required to move out of one's parents' home. I went to work in magazines for ten years.

Many years later, I had a very vivid dream about a woman that I could not shake upon waking. Then a character popped into my head while I was in the shower, of all places, which was the only five minutes of quiet time I had with a six-year-old and an infant. What if these two met? I knew it was time to revisit fiction.
What was your first published piece?
My first published piece was a story for the local newspaper on a dance company coming to perform in my hometown. I was a sophomore in college and talked my way into meeting with the features editor having nothing more to show than clips from my college and high school newspapers. He bought the piece on spec, and I worked as a stringer with them for a few years.
What did you do before embarking on your writing career? Was it an asset to your writing? How?
Nothing. I have always been a writer and have been lucky enough to make a living at it. That is rare, I know, and I am very grateful. Throughout the course of the writing jobs, I have been an orchestra publicist, a magazine editor, a freelance writer, and now a novelist. All of those years writing and editing everything from a restaurant menu to editorials about the paint industry helped strengthen my fiction. The most important thing I learned is that no first draft is perfect. Everyone, from Shakespeare to Stephen King has written and rewritten so many times they cannot count.
What inspires you?
Everything inspires me -- a gorgeous full moon shrouded slightly by whispy clouds, people and their stories, decisions made that don't seem to make any sense. Material is all around us.
Successful marketing techniques?
A blog can be a very successful marketing piece. Think about it. A blog showcases your writing as many days per week as you choose to post.

When I was conceptualizing Bibliophilic Blather, I started thinking about what I can offer the community that maybe others could not. After all of my years editing, I thought that might be it, so I started Editing for Grammarphobes to help writers who need refresher hints. Who could possibly remember everything they learned in English class?

Flash Fiction Fridays showcases microfiction by authors of all genres writing on various monthly themes. It is fascinating and a great writing exercise, especially for those who write longer works. It has really helped me to focus on making every word count and cutting the superfluous.
I hope your readers will stop by http://karenwojcikberner.blogspot.com and
join in the conversation.
Thank you so much for having me here today, Leanne.
Author Links
Website: http://www.karenberner.com
Blog: http://karenwojcikberner.blogspot.com
Twitter: @KarenBerner
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Whisper-to-a-Scream-by-Karen-Berner/299878283817
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Whisper-Scream-ebook/dp/B003DQPKSK
Barnes and Noble:http://search.barnesandnoble.com/A-Whisper-to-a-Scream/Karen-Wojcik-Berner/e/2940012226655/?USRI=a+whisper+to+a+scream&itm=2

Blurb
Have you ever wanted something so badly it hurt?

Annie Jacobs has dreamed of the day she would become a mother since the first time she held her Baby Tenderlove doll. Unfortunately, biology has not cooperated with her plan, and she finds herself dealing with a diagnosis of unexplained infertility instead of picking out baby names.

Across town, stay-at-home mom Sarah Anderson is just trying to make it through the grocery store without her toddler hurling a box of rice at a fellow shopper. She is exhausted from managing the house, a first grader and a toddler, all without any help from her work-obsessed, absentee husband.

When Annie and Sarah meet through a Classics Book Club, each thinks the other one's life is so much better than her own. But is the grass truly greener on the other side of the fence?

"A Whisper to a Scream: The Bibliophiles (Book One)" is a vivid portrayal of contemporary marriage and its problems. The novel speaks to a longing in all of us, a yearning that might start as a vague notion, but eventually grows into an unbearable, vociferous cry.

You make your own reality...

2012-01-12T09:00:00.003-08:00

It's up to you to cherish it...

15 Minute Miracle by Joe Vitale

Dalai Lama: "Pleasure and pain come from your own former actions (karma). Thus, it is easy to explain karma in one short sentence: If you act well, things will be good, and if you act badly, things will be bad.
***
Next post: Please welcome Marilynne Miles Gray

2012-01-11T17:00:00.005-08:00

I received this in my email inbox...

Dead of Winter: 4 Mystery Writers in Search of an Audience?

Lou Allin, M. Miles Gray, Denise Dietz and Nicola Furlong will be reading from some of their work at the Sidney/North Saanich Regional Library,
Thursday, January 26th
from 7-8:30 pm.
Address 10091 Resthaven Drive, Sidney.
Phone 250-656-0944

Nicola writes: Please come. It'll be fun.

For more information: clink this link

reading The Sweater Curse chapter 2, page 5

2012-01-11T09:00:00.002-08:00

I'm pleased to offer you, page-by-page, the first three chapters of The Sweater Curse--every Wednesday

The Sweater Curse
Chapter Two, page five

After his funeral, I searched for the answer I hoped I would find. In the attic, I opened an old trunk and dug through its contents. There, hidden away from Mother's prying eyes, was my dad's handwritten manuscript, secretly recorded and privately kept. His words comforted me. Not even death silenced his voice.

The memoir was a prayer of yearning for the life he once knew--long summer days, hayfield hearty lunches, lambing. His stories enlivened my senses to the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the farm. He had died of a broken heart. Mother had killed him. And I hated her for it.

Driven to action by rage, I wrote a carefully crafted note in which I called her a greedy, selfish bitch, and thereby, severed our relationship forever.

***

Is reuniting with Mother the task I must perform? Has she been pining away for me all these years, living blinded by a veil of tears? If I go to her, mend her broken heart, will I be free?

Chapter Two, page four

In our new home, my dad stood out like a piece of straw on a lace tablecloth. He was a little too friendly, a little too open, a little too down-homey. He unnerved our neighbors. His attempts to make friends were ridiculously unsuccessful, as was his tendency to just drop by uninvited.

Soon, he discovered an old solution to his new problem. He turned to the bottle.

He could have sought professional help. Meet with a therapist, join Alocholics Anonymous, but he didn't. He just couldn't. Those solutions were too foreign to him. He was raised to rely solely on his family. The only family my dad had was Mother and me.

"Oh, we are so much happier in this place! We eat out anytime we want to, go the theatre, go shopping. This is the good life. Don't you agree, Kris?" Mother asked.

He grunted his acceptance.

"I've taken us out of the pigsty into the castle."

Mother was in love with our new life. She didn't see how her success emasculated him. Our neighbors called him "Mr. McNamara" and Mother never corrected them.

She spent all her spare time plotting and planning with Grandpapa McNamara. They would stop at nothing to reach their common goal to establish Mother's dominance in the Canadian health care system.

And me, I was a self-centered teenager. I only saw how my dad's behavior affected me, and I promptly abandoned him for my peers.

Dad woke up dry and passed out plastered. He became a suburban joke--the tired, old alcoholic. By his actions, he was crying out. Month after month, no one heard. He finally drank himself into an early grave. A neighbor found him behind the steering wheel, the car wrapped around a telephone pole. That was the rumor. I was sheltered form the harsh reality of his demise.

What was hidden from me, I created. I was haunted by bloody images night after night. My grief was a subject no one wanted to address.

Why did he leave me?

Chapter Two, page three

Tears were shed, hugs were given, but Afi's eyes were dry. His arms folded in front of his chest. His face was an angry shade of red and steam came out of his ears.

"I knew you were bad news the minute I met you. You have no respect for tradition, for our ways," he roared.

Mother roared back. "And you think a woman's place is in the kitchen, in bed, or under your feet."

"Kris, be a man. Control your woman." My dad's face was white; he gulped, but didn't way a word. This battle was between Mother and Afi. "I knew you wouldn't act to defend our ways. You've never had a backbone. Your mother coddled you, and now look at you, you're not a man. You're a mouse. You let this woman walk all over you. You let her rob you of all you have. You don't stand up to her or teach her to mind."

My dad said nothing in his defense, but Mother tried. "Don't talk that way to him. He respects me."

Afi ignored her, didn't even look at her, simply continued his tirade. "You've turned your back on family history, on our way of life, and you've endangered the survival of the family farm." He glared at Mother. "If our ways aren't good enough for you, then you aren't good enough for us. Get the hell off my land. Leave. Now!"

All families operated by a code. Taboos were made clear, if not by words, then by their lack. Afi made the rules. We'd broken them.

If we were Mennonite or Hutterites, we would have had a word for it. We would have called it shunned, but Afi was Icelandic-Canadian. We read our fate on his face and quickly left.

Mother single-handely destroyed my family, crushed Afi, and callously ripped my dad from the land he loved.

My dad, the master of animal husbandry, had no avenue for his calling. Shit, we didn't even have a cat, because he couldn't stand the idea of confining the poor animal. Yet, he endured the hell himself.

Chapter Two, page two

Mother's fame as a talented doctor grew. It got so I couldn't go downtown without someone stopping me.

"I came too close to losing this finger. Without your mother, it would be gone. She's a skilled doctor. You should be very proud." The story was always the same, only the body part varied.

Soon black limousines drove down our lane. One car parked and out climbed a faceless man in an expensive suit. He knocked on our door.

"Is Doctor McNamara at home?" He came to offer Mother a position at his hospital in Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and eventually, Vancouver.

I think Grandpapa McNamara's hand was at work there. The Honorable Doctor Alexander McNamara was all-powerful. Tons of people existed only to grant him favors. He pulled strings to get his darling daughter into med school. He would have moved mountains to bring her home to BC. Hell, for all I knew, Mother could have written him sob stories begging him to rescue her. After all, she did hate the farm.

Mom, Dad and I sat as a family in our living room as the man in the suit informed us, "St. Paul's in downtown Vancouver is an acute care, teaching, and research hospital. Excuse me for saying so, but here, your talent is largely wasted. There, you'll be a highly respected member of our world-class team."

The suit left. I went to bed and eavesdropped as my parents continued to talk.

"Oh, Kris, don't you see? I have to go! The offer is just too good to pass up."

I know what Afi would have told her. "You are my woman. Your place is here on this farm with me."

What did my dad say? "Of course, honey, I understand. Wherever you go, I will follow. I love you too much not to." And so we left.

Well, not quite. First we had to say a few good-byes. Most were tearful and heartwarming.

Mother gave her notice at the hospital. Nurses, staff, and patients organized a potluck dinner to send her off in rural-style. They shook her hand and wished her luck.

She glowed, her ego swelled, but she didn't care.

Chapter Two, page one

For many generations, my dad's ancestors worked the soil of Blondous. The Bjarnsons was one of the pioneer families. Dad was expected to claim his inheritance. When Afi--Grandpa--retired, the deed to the farm was to slip from his hands to his sons'. Steini and Kris would devote their lives to working the Bjarnson's homestead. They would ensure it survived and prospered.

However, Afi couldn't foresee the future. He hadn't factored in Mother. Like a cobra, she wrapped herself around Kris. She seduced him, gave birth to me and claimed him. To Mother, my dad wasn't a farmer, merely a beautiful toy she had to have.

Kris Bjarnson became a devoted father. No matter how hard he worked, he always found time for me. When Mother worked late, which was frequent, I curled up onto his lap, and he would regale me with stories. He always began the same way...

"In the land of here and now and right away, lived a little girl named Gwen, or was it Amy?
"He hair was golden blonde or black. Does it matter?
"She was your age? Or was she older? Or a little younger? Oh, you know, it doesn't really matter.
"She lived a humdrum life, in a ho-hum way, but one day, one day..."

He then recounted one of my daily adventures. My dad was a magnificent storyteller. He had a gift for taking the mundane and making it magical. There in his lap, snuggled up close to his flannel shirt, I was rocked to sleep by his words. Soap and water couldn't hide his farmer's cologne--a heady blend of sheep, hay, and soil.

Buy link: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=52&products_id=203&osCsid=6c1232251c1e45744bd0b3ee7262f414

***

Next post: You make your own reality...

The story behind the design: book sweater

2012-01-10T09:00:00.002-08:00

Marriage counsellors say that most couples fight over money. I can't remember arguing over this topic. However, I can remember fighting over a book.

My taste in literature differs from my husband's. You may think that this difference was the source of our disagreement. You may think this but you'd be wrong.

One of the genres that my husband reads--and that I don't--is sci-fi. Interested in expanding my literary horizons, my husband loaned me a book. He takes very good care of his books--no folded corners, no crumbled book covers.

Flipping open the book, I began to read and, to my surprise, became absorbed. Hoping to indulge in stole moments of reading pleasure. I started carrying the book with me.

Weeks passed and I continued reading.

More weeks passed, until, finally, one day my husband inquired. "Are you finished reading my book?"

I produced the book. Being lugged around in my purse had permanently changed it. Pages were dog-eared and the cover was torn.

If looks could kill... "I loaned you a book and this is how you return it? I will never lend you a book again. Never. Unless you can prove to me that you will take better care of them."

No more sci-fi. No more fantasy. No more... I have to prove that I can change but...but...can I? I doubt it. Books will always end up in the bottom of my enormous purse. That won't change. But... but... No more sci-fi. No more fantasy. No more... What can I do?

I stewed over this dilemma for hours, days, weeks. I need...I need...to protect the book. May be I can... Yes, exactly... I grabbed my knitting needles, some yarn and cast on 45 stitches. I designed a book sweater. It proved to be the prefect solution. Now my books are protected. Now my books, like my husband's, look brand new. Now my husband doesn't hesitate to share his books with me.

Designing the book sweater not only saved countless books from abuse but also heralded further exploration in knitwear design.
***
Next post: Reading The Sweater Curse chapter 2, page 5

The Sweater Curse on sale for 99 cents

2012-01-09T09:08:00.000-08:00

Amazon is selling The Sweater Curse for 99 cents. Sale ends today.

Pattern shared: Book sweater

2012-01-09T09:00:00.003-08:00

This is the first pattern I designed.
Makes an excellent first knitting project.

Yarn: Approximately 100 yards or less
Knitting needles: 4.50 mm/US 7/ UK 7
Tension: five stitches = one inch

1 x 1 rib stitch (over odd number of stitches)
Row: knit one, purl one--to end of row
Repeat row for pattern

Stockinette stitch
Row 1: knit--to end of row
Row 2: purl--to end of row
Repeat rows 1 and 2 for pattern

Directions
Cast on 45 stitches
Work in 1 x 1 rib for one inch
Work in Stockinette stitch for six inches
Work in 1 x 1 rib for one inch
Cast off

Finishing
Weave in ends
Fold in half width-wise.
Sew sides--to form a pouch.
Weave in ends.

Variations:
Use two colours and work in stripes.
Instead of Stockinette stitch work in your favourite stitch--such as seed stitch.
***
Next post: The story behind this design.

Trouble Brewing in Thunder Creek by Lorraine Nelson

2012-01-07T09:00:00.003-08:00

Available now

Blurb:

Lucas Manning, Sr. is married to Winnie, Roy Grayson's mother. Trouble ensues from the moment authorities arrest her son for stalking and terrorizing Lucas' daughter-in-law. Winnie feels guilty and withdraws from the Manning family. Suddenly a threatening phone call disturbs their lives even more as Winnie becomes a target. Can Lucas convince her of her worthiness and save their marriage? Or will danger and loyalty to her son drive a further wedge between them?

Excerpt:

Lucas Manning Sr. walked toward Winnie, his wife of three years, and wrapped her in his arms, holding her tight against his heart. His love for this woman knew no bounds, but what he had to tell her was going to hurt her badly. He released her, took her by the hand and led her to the living room where they sat on the sofa, side-by-side.

“You’re scaring me, Lucas. What’s happened? Did they catch Zakia’s stalker? Are the kids really all right?”

“They caught him,” he admitted. “Luke, Zakia and their twins are fine, but….”

“But? But what?”

Lucas heaved a heavy sigh. There just wasn’t an easy way to break news like this. “It turns out that Roy was Zakia’s stalker.”

“Roy? My Roy? No! There must be some mistake,” she said, pulling away from him. “He wouldn’t do such a thing!” She jumped to her feet and paced the room, her agitation plain to see.

“Winnie, they caught him red-handed. He’s been arrested, and they’re holding him in the Calgary jail to await a preliminary hearing.”

“In jail? I must go to him!” Winnie rushed from the room, Lucas on her heels.

He grabbed her arm to still her forward momentum, the action turning her into his arms.

“Let me go! I need to see Roy.” Tears streaked down her cheeks as she pounded furiously on his chest, but he held tight.

“Shhh! Calm down. He’s not allowed visitors yet. If you want to see him, I can drive you up later.”

“Why Roy? Why are they picking on my boy? He’s been doing so good. He couldn’t have done this.” She collapsed against him and sobbed hysterically.

He eased them back toward the living room and sat on the sofa, pulling her down on his lap to comfort her as best he could. He’d never been much good around crying females. It made him feel helpless in the face of their distress, and he didn’t like feeling that way at all. Not one little whistling bit.

Suddenly, she sat up straight, swiping a hand across her eyes to brush away the tears. “A lawyer! Lucas, we have to get him a good lawyer.”

“Like hell we will! He got himself into this mess, and I’m not about to be the one to bail him out of it,” Lucas thundered.

“But he’s innocent! He has to be! He wouldn’t hurt anyone. Please, Lucas!”

“Nope. He terrorized my family, and I won’t lift a finger to help him.”

Angrily, she stood and faced him. “Roy’s your family, too. You became his step-daddy when we married.”

“Maybe so, but I’ve drawn the line.” Tiredly, he rose to his feet. He didn’t want to hurt her but this emotional outpouring for her no-good scum of a son was wearing on his nerves. “He used us—used family ties to ride along with the round-up. He intended to hurt Luke and his family, and he came damned close to succeedin’. I know this is difficult for you, honey, but you have to realize what’s at stake here.”

“Roy’s life is at stake here! I can’t just sit and do nothing. I’m going up there. I need to hear his side of things.”

“Fine, I’ll take you.”

“No, I don’t think so. You’ve made your position quite plain. I’ll drive myself and get to the bottom of this. They’ve made a mistake, I tell you. A huge mistake.” She turned on her heel, went through to the kitchen, grabbed her purse and car keys then paused at the door. “I pray they’re wrong, Lucas.”

Worried eyes sought his but he couldn’t give her the hope she waited for. “For your sake, I wish they were. Drive safe.”

With a nod in his direction, she left. He watched her from the back porch as she reversed her flashy red Mustang convertible and headed down the driveway, taking a piece of his heart with her. Her eyesight wasn’t what it used to be, and he worried about her. He should have insisted on driving her to the city.

Maybe it’s for the best that he didn’t go near Roy right now. His anger toward the man hadn’t abated one whit. How such a gentle woman could produce the devil’s own spawn was a mystery. Roy didn’t deserve his mother’s love. She’d bailed him out of enough trouble when he was younger. Now this.

Even from behind bars, Roy’s latest shenanigans were still causing trouble in his family. Only this time, it was his marriage on the line, and he knew it.

Buy link: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/trouble-brewing-in-thunder-creek-by-lorraine-nelson/

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html
and wherever ebooks are sold.

Please welcome Author Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

2012-01-06T09:00:00.020-08:00

How/why did you start to write?

I have loved to read mysteries since I was a child beginning with Trixie Beldon and Nancy Drew. I graduated to Agatha Christie and Mary Higgins Clark as an adult. The way the clues were interwoven in the story always intrigued me and I decided I wanted write a mystery. However, it was many years of writing before my first mystery was published.

How did you become an author?

I took many writing courses and through one of them had my first article published. I then carried on with travel and historical articles and seven travel books about British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon and Alaska.

What was your first published piece?

My first article was titled “A Hawks Reluctant Flight.” It was about an injured hawk that my son and I found and how we took him home and cared for him. When it was time for him to fly away, he refused and remained in our area for many years.

Where was it published?

It was published by Western People a small magazine insert in the Western Producer, which is a rural paper for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

How long ago?

It was published in 1987.

What did you do before embarking on your writing career? Was it an asset to your writing? How?

I have had many jobs but for my mystery writing, the fact that I am a travel writer helped. Write about what you know if a mantra of many writers and so I made my main character, Elizabeth Oliver, a travel writer. She gets drawn in solving mysteries while working on her articles. I have had many people buy my books because they can relate to the places described as she does her research.

What inspires you?

People who have succeeded at their dreams.

Please share one of your successful marketing techniques

I try to take part in as many writing events as I can. This way I get to meet others writers and advertise my books as well.

Parting words

I believe that reading is one of the best ways to learn the writing craft. You can feel what you don’t like about some books and what do like about others because reading is all about emotions.

Whistler's Murder
The Travelling Detective Series
by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

Elizabeth Oliver has tagged along with her best friend Sally Matthews to Whistler where Sally is attending a science fiction/fantasy writing retreat. Elizabeth plans on spending the first week working on an article about Whistler for a travel magazine and then relaxing and enjoying being in the famous resort town for the second week. However, her well laid plan immediately begins to fall apart with the discovery of a body in a ndwly demolished house. Then she is again sidetracked when one of Sally's fellow students asks her to solve the mystery of her cousin's death and is then murdered herself.

Buy link

Joan's blog: The Travelling Detective Series

The Sweater Curse reviewed

2012-01-05T16:00:00.001-08:00

A new The Sweater Curse review posted on Amazon

I found it very difficult to put this book down once I started it, because the voice of lovely Gwen Bjarnson, already dead at the start of the book, drew me in immediately, and of course I needed to know how and why she had suffered such an unfortunate death. The plot moves along at a good clip as we learn about Gwen's early childhood. Her relationship with her father is especially touching, and we can fully believe that his death sends Gwen into a tailspin of grief and self-destruction. Eventually she falls into the arms of her seemingly too-perfect lover, Jay, a novelist who leads Gwen toward her true calling as a sweater designer. My only complaint about the story was that sometimes it moved too quickly--I wanted to linger in places, especially on Gwen's relationship with her parents, on her knitting, and on the unique elements of Gwen's Icelandic heritage. Overall, though, the book is so smoothly written that I just kept moving along with Gwen, wishing for a less tragic ending but compelled to follow her there just the same!

Posted by Holly C.

The Sweater Curse is on sale at Amazon for 99 cents until January 9th.
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Next post: Please welcome Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

WritetoDone blogs to visit

2012-01-05T09:00:00.009-08:00

I live on a small remote island and...and...and... Well, for lots of other reasons I can't fly off to all those truly awesome and extremely helpful writer conferences.
What's a writer to do.
Write to Done offered a solution when they compiled their "Top 10 Blogs for Writers" list.
I've visited the listed blogs, skimmed the content and made my own list...
The Top 6 Blogs Leanne Will Visit in 2012
In no particular order, the winners are...

http://janefriedman.com
http://thewritepractice.com
http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com
http://terribleminds.com
http://artistsroad.wordpress.com
http://wordplay-kmwelland.blogspot.com

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some surfering to do.
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Next post: This evening at 5 PM: A new review of The Sweater Curse

Blog plans for 2012

2012-01-03T09:00:00.002-08:00

Thank you so much for visiting me here--last year. It has been fun and I want to keep on keeping on this year.
I've been thinking about what has been working and what needs to be improved. As you may of noticed, on this blog, each day has a theme.

2011
Monday's theme was knitting--patterns (designed by me), techniques, project report, craft show plans
Tuesday's theme was writing--short stories (written by me), comments on writing
Wednesday's theme was The Sweater Curse--chapters shared through podcasts and blog entries, etc.
Thursday's theme was random posts--life on Mayne Island, bluegrass festivals, my amateur photography etc.
Friday's theme was author interviews--so far I've interviewed over 50 authors
Saturday's theme was promotion--book releases, etc.

2012
Reviewing last year I'm very pleased at how well everything (most things) were working. So most things will remain unchanged.
Most things...

Monday's theme will be knitting
Tuesday's theme will be writing
Wednesday's theme will be reading
Thursday's theme will be random posts
Friday's theme will be author interviews

Yup, this blog will sleep on the week-end. However, keep your eyes open because there might be some surprises.

I'm very excited about Wednesday's new theme.
What will I be offering on Reading Wednesdays?

-new book promotion
-book reviews
-general thoughts about reading from a dyslexic who has grown from a reluctant reader to a ravenous one

Reading Wednesday starts in February
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Next post: reading The Sweater Curse chapter 2, page 4

Knitwear Designers

2012-01-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

In 2011 I interviewed six knitwear designers. These brave women create--out of pure inspiration--new directions in knitting. Is it any wonder that knitters love them.

I'd like to thank them for their generosity as we admire their creativity.

Stephannie Tallent's beautiful cables (www.sunsetcat.com)

Donna Druchunas author of many knitting books (http://sheeptoshawl.com)

Rosemary Hill's breathtaking lace (http://www.designsbyromi.com)

Holli Yoeh's adorable children's knitwear (http://holliyeoh.com)

Janel Laidman's must knit socks (http://beebonnet.typepad.com)

Sara Barbour's stylish designs (http://www.ropeknits.com)

Please visit their sites and tell them I sent you. : )

Happy 2012!
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Next post: Blog plans for 2012

Please welcome Author Ben Nuttall-Smith

2011-12-30T09:16:00.000-08:00

-How/why did you start to write?

I composed my first song before starting kindergarten, well over 70 years ago and began scribbling poetry in my teens. (My mother did not like the song. Dear Mommy pretends to be 21.) Serious writing began following my retirement from teaching in 1993. Suffering from Post Traumatic Stress, I retired to a “handyman’s delight” on the Sunshine Coast and began the healing process by gardening, renovating, and writing a memoir about survival (and eventually healing) from childhood sexual abuse.

-How did you become an author?

After countless rejection slips from publishers all over Canada, I published my memoir and a first book of poetry with a publish-on-demand company. I kept writing, moved back to the Lower Mainland and joined the Canadian Authors’ Association. Then I joined the Federation of BC Writers and began serving on both boards, helping other writers.

On a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2002, I was hit by a car on a sidewalk and spent six weeks sitting daily in the Zocalo, painting, reading and writing. I composed a book of poetry about the poor people of Oaxaca City and an epic poem about Quétzalcoatl, the mysterious bearded god of the Mexican people. Over the next seven years, that poem grew into two more trips to Mexico and a great deal of research about American First Nations before the advent of European conquests. The resulting novel, Blood, Feathers & Holy Men, was picked up by Libros Libertad and published in January 2011. That publication was due to a stroke of karma. I met Manolis, the publisher, while trying to help a fellow writer through the Federation of BC Writers.

Libros Libertad will release my second novel, Secrets Kept / Secrets Told, in January 2012. That novel is a rewrite of my earlier memoir.

-What was your first published piece?

I had the occasional article and bits of poetry published in small-run magazines and newspapers over many years. While living in Sechelt, I wrote weekly articles for the Royal Canadian Legion and for the local press.

-What did you do before embarking on your writing career? Was it an asset to your writing? How?

At 17, I joined the Royal Canadian navy. Then I ran through a series of jobs before returning to school as an adult student and eventually becoming a teacher. I taught Music, Art, Theatre and English for over 30 years. The entire story unfolds through the eyes of Paddy Milne in my upcoming novel.

-What inspires you?

On a summer day, I’ll sit in a shady area, pen in hand, and observe people and my surroundings. How do those surroundings make me feel? Can I see beyond the ragged clothing, the grimy face and the rasping voice? Where has this person been? What misfortune led him or her to this lowly state? Can I see beauty where there is only ugliness and pain?

I appreciate the splendour of nature, the sparkle in people’s eyes. Encounters, visions and stories of misfortune affect me deeply. But, to write a story or a poem takes a concerted effort and daily discipline.

-Please share one of your successful marketing techniques.

I carry cards with photo, address, email and web information. The back describes current publication(s). I also printed a flyer describing my book(s). Then I attend readings and literary events, writers’ conferences and network with fellow scribblers through various writing organizations including The Writers Union of Canada. I offer workshops wherever appropriate, which give me exposure to sell books. I make sure to have books with me wherever I go and recently sold a book while waiting for a haircut.

-Parting words

Writing, a lonely obsession, takes place in a cave. Shameless self-promotion is out in the open and time-consuming. Balancing the two is almost impossible. With all that, we must never stop reading. Reading keeps the gears lubricated. I’m forever buying books from fellow authors, reading manuscripts, and trying to keep up.

Ben Nuttall-Smith

2642 MvBride Ave

Crescent Beach, B.C.

Canada, V4A 3G1

1-604-535-2977

bnuttall_smith@shaw.ca

Website

Available January 5th

Buy link

Blog review

2011-12-29T09:00:00.006-08:00

2011 was a good year. I had tons of fun on this blog meeting new people, sharing knitting patterns and writing.
Here are some of my personal highlights.
I meet over 50 authors (featured on my Interviews with Authors page)
I shared over twenty knitting patterns (found on my Patterns shared page)
I wrote short stories and... (Available here)
More to come in 2012
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Next post: Please welcome Ben Nuttell-Smith

Writing game 4

2011-12-27T09:00:00.001-08:00

This is a co-operative group storytelling activity.
The play: The first person writes or says a word. The next person supplies another word. Continue until a story is formed.
Variation:
Participation: A die is rolled to determine who goes first.
The play: Players take turns rolling the die to determine the number of words they need to add to the story.
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Next post: reading The Sweater Curse chapter 2, page 3

Knitters, come shopping with me

2011-12-26T09:00:00.002-08:00

Yarn shopping on Mayne Island...

(photos taken at Meadowmist Farm on Mayne Island)

Meadowmist Farm

Hatakeyarns

(photos taken at Dragonfly Gallery on Mayne Island)
Dragonfly Gallery
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Next post: Writing game 4

Please welcome Mary Woodbury of Moon Willow Press

2011-12-23T09:00:00.001-08:00

Mary Woodbury writes...

My new small publishing company in Port Moody is Moon Willow Press. I am an environmentalist involved in the local community on several projects, including speaking up against oil sands pipelines running through culturally sacred and ecologically bio-diverse areas in the northern half of our province as well acting as a steward for the Fraser River and Burrard Inlet.

I am committed to producing provocative books that use sustainable print materials, and for this reason print only on FSC-certified or post-consumer paper. I also donate a portion of sales to tree planters in the world who are working in areas such as Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Malawi that suffer from deforestation. My press is partnered with Eco-Libris and Green Press Initiative.

I have written a toolkit for green publishing, which is free at www.moonwillowpress.com site. In my first year of publishing, I also have two titles that are just e-books: The Little Big Town is a young reader's story about a rough transition experienced by a young girl who moves from a large city to a small, rural area. A collection of short stories, Smoke Ghosts & Other Outré Tales, is a fascinating and imaginative collection of travel vignettes.

This year's print titles (also on Kindle) are a fiction literary road novel, Infernal Drums; an eco-poetry collection, The Sacred River of Consciousness; and the novel The Lottery Winner. Two titles are slated for 2012 so far, a science-fiction title calling for the preservation and resurrection of the great forests of the earth, The Philodentrist Heresy, and an as yet untitled novel about a group of people adapting to a world devastated by climate change.

I also run a nature/science blog, Ecologue, which is at the press's website.