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For the love of reading: my favourite childhood reads
When one of my sons was small, he always had his nose in a book – in honesty, they both did. But this one had an overzealous phys ed teacher tell his older brother that he shouldn’t be reading so much at recess. Me? I figured if a six year old wanted to read Harry Potter at recess, I’d just let him. He’s still a voracious reader – much as his mother is, and it got me thinking recently about the books I loved in my childhood. I still have some of them, although I admit that others got donated when… Read more…
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Reflecting on the beginning, five years on
It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years this month since I truly began my journey as an author. Cutting the cords! Covid, with its travel restrictions and all its unknowns, had scuttled the planned sabbatical for 2020, but even with the pandemic still very much in play, I threw caution to the wind, listened to the whispers in my dreams and cut the cords to my work computer and phone. I still remember the rise in blood pressure when I closed my office door. People asked me if I was really leaving it all behind. Definitely, I was.… Read more…
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Ups and downs of being an indie author
I’m always thrilled when a real reader searches me out and leaves a review, comments on my blog, sends a message through my website or occasionally emails me directly about possibly appearing at their book club. It’s a huge boost of confidence that my novels resonate. So I look forward to opening my email every morning. In the last two weeks alone, I’ve had emails from two major publishing houses expressing interest in my writing. Another, from former US first daughter Jenna Bush, extolled the brilliance of my books and wanted to feature one at her book club. On top… Read more…
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Life is fragile; handle with care
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the fragility of life. How we take it for granted and how we put things off until ‘later, when we have more time.’ In my circle of acquaintances, there have been four deaths in the past month. One was an elderly person who had been fighting an illness for a long time – a blessing some would say, that his is no longer suffering. But the others have all been lives snuffed out far before they should have been. A sudden illness, a tragic traffic accident, a mental health crisis. Families changed forever.… Read more…
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It’s quiet at my house
It’s quiet at my house. I have the windows open and the sounds of birds and children drift in, but it’s quiet inside. Eerily quiet and I’m not sure why. My daughter left two weeks ago for her final summer working at a residential summer camp. She’s worked there for the past six years and I’m used to her being gone. And I’m used to her being away for months at a time when she’s at university, half way across the country. But this time it feels different. I sent her off last week, in her brand new car, with the… Read more…
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Happy Mother’s Day: looking at births of a different kind
It’s Mother’s Day today, so Happy Mother’s Day to everyone out there who is a mother, or has mothered children at one point or another. I have been properly feted by my children today starting with breakfast and flowers. Mother Nature also celebrated and gave me sunshine and perfect gardening weather. I’m feeling very blessed. I spent some time thinking today about each of the times I became a mother – the births of my three amazing grownup kids. Coincidentally, Halton Health Care posted a piece on LinkedIn (and possibly other social media platforms) yesterday, celebrating the 89th birthday of the OB… Read more…
