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My author journey – one year later
I still can’t believe it’s been almost exactly a year since I held Another Glass of Tea in my hands for the first time. It had already been uploaded to various bookseller platforms – Amazon, Kobo, AppleBooks and my publisher’s own bookstore – and it was there for people to buy it. But now it was in my hands. I was alternately filled with excitement and terror. Would people actually buy it? Woud they read it? And the even harder question -would they review it? The answer, to my delight, to the first two was a resounding “yes”. The third? It’s… Read more…
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The Sound of Silence
When did we get so uncomfortable with silence? I remember as a kid, my parents remarking – not without some degree of judgement – about a neighbour who always had the television on in the background. I was always a chatterbox, with the nickname Chatty Kathy to go along with it. It took four years of journalism school to learn how to bite my tongue and not feel the need to fill the silence. The best interview quotes always came when you let the subject do that instead! Raising three kids meant there was never any silence and I remember days when I absolutely… Read more…
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I Read Canadian
Marilla and Matthew. Offred. Golgotha Gingham. Mutt. Hagar Shipley, Dag, Claire and Andy, Elfrieda Von Riesen, Pi. Recognize some of those names? They’re just a few of the characters brought to life by Canadian authors. Hopefully you’ve been entranced by the stories of these characters. But let’s back up a bit. Before you read Atwood, Lawrence, Mowat or Martel, you might have read Gordon Korman, Phoebe Gilman, Robert Munsch or Jean Little. Why is that important? Today is I Read Canadian Day. The I Read Canadian Fund supports getting new, Canadian books into the hands of young people across the… Read more…
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Childhood favourites: books, books, books!
When one of my sons was small, he always had his nose in a book. In fact, an overzealous gym teacher once told his older brother that he should tell the younger that he shouldn’t be reading so much at recess. 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 – both the boys are – 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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Reflections on a road trip
Late in the summer, my daughter and I packed up her new car with all her belongings – at least the ones that weren’t already half way across the country – and began what was either the best or worst idea we’d had to date. We had four days to get from southern Ontario to Kelowna, BC, and then one more day to move her to her new home in the Kootenay mountains and for me to get back to Kelowna to fly home. It would turn out to be just over 5,000 kilometres of driving. I admit, I was… Read more…
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The book’s a cake!
A short blog post today, because I’m still riding the high of a book party my three grownup-children (and two partners!) threw for me this afternoon. And they did. With about 24 hours to go, they swooped in – one pair from the nation’s capital, another just recently returned from Banff, and a singleton from an overnight camp job. Working together, they pulled together one of the best days I’ve ever had. The kids even turned the book into a cake! People wandered in and out all afternoon – former and current colleagues, the ladies I met in prenatal class… Read more…
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A whirlwind first month!
A month ago, Another Glass of Tea was launched to the world – and what a month it’s been! Click here to see the unboxing video A corner of my living room is full of boxes of books I hope to sell myself at local events and book signings (stay tuned soon for more information on when those will be), and to friends and acquaintances. The pile is smaller than it was then, so that’s a good sign! I even did an unboxing video when they arrived. I’ve added a page to my website to house the reviews that are starting to… Read more…
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Meet Fiona
Meet Fiona O’Reilly. Fiona is the main character of Another Glass of Tea, a feisty red-headed fireball, who gamely takes on everything life throws at her. She’s gritty and determined to make the best of the challenges and opportunities she’s handed –from living in a foreign country for a year to starting a business of her own. She somehow manages to juggle that business and four young children, raising them to be good people themselves. But Fiona’s not infallible. Sometimes she bites off more than she can chew, and it takes those around her to remind her that she is not alone.… Read more…
