On our way to Canmore to do that last bit of research for book five, Victim’s Impact Statement
I was gobsmacked by the immense blue sky and golden fields. For the first time I saw gophers,
a few deer and antelope and a couple silvery looking fox.
Last Monday, Owen McNicoll was born in London Ontario. Weighing in at nine pounds, he’s my latest nephew, and very cute.
We celebrated the next
day, breaking pizza together. Babies are wonderful!
February 3, 2008
I enjoy blogging, really, I do. But I never get around to it after all my other writing commitments. I’m going to try to at least put in one entry a week. So many exciting things happen to me. Yeah. Like I suffered through some gastrointestinal flu this week.I slept for a day then dragged myself around for another.
Then I applied for an Ontario Arts Council Grant. That involves a lot of careful
reading and filling out of forms, double checking you’ve put everything together in the crafty way they’ve asked, finding the office equipment, envelopes, stapler, clips—the printer ink ran out in the middle of the first copy of five. Finally, with great relief, it weighed in at the post office and was mailed away.
Then I emceed what I think is the fourth annual CANSCAIP OLA Booklaunch. Eighteen out of twenty authors showed up at the Convention Centre in Toronto on this stormy day. Most businesses and government offices, certainly schools closed. Librarians didn’t all make it. But I think everyone enjoyed it. Just getting together with each other is fun. And publishers and librarians did drift in and out.
Today, the culmination of the week, I
read a nice review of Last Chance for Paris by Gary Curtis in The Hamilton Spectator. He celebrates the fact that dialogue moves the story forward. Many reviewers feel disdain for dialogue, I think, because it brings a story closer to a television or film script.
But it does liven the pace. And who doesn’t want to eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation?
My nephew got married in the Dominican Republic. What a great excuse for an all inclusive vacation. I loved sampling the fruity drink of the day: banana mama, dirty monkey, the Titanic etc. Better was floating on the huge waves of the Atlantic, or
swimming the saltwater pool. The wedding itself was very romantic, with three guitarist and a Fabio looking photographer. Guaranteed sunshine, lots of relaxation. I enjoyed spending the week with my brother and his wife too. I haven’t spent so much time with him since I was a kid. Hurray for celebrations!
Finally my new book Last Chance for Paris is out! What better way to celebrate than a party. Seconds before the official launch, okay, days actually,all our windows and our front door were replaced. Mortie the Jackapoo huddled, shivered and complained in my office as the house became an icebox.
Then we had to plow the rest of the house. We’d also installed new floors on two levels and the junk was moved to the next levels. For the party it all had to be placed or hidden.
There are things we’ll never find again.
Still on the day itself, all went well. A light sprinkling of snow made the world just a little bit more friendly
and holiday like.
Lots of friends turned out and I sang the madeup country song from the actual story.
My baby left me for a body builder
She didn’t want to live with a pipe welder
I’ve got the tools
But He hangs around pools
I’ve got to get me a six pack
If I should want my baby back.
Oooh My beby left me for a body builder
One thing we spent most of June evenings on was photographing my daughter Robin for my new book Last Chance for Paris.
She cooincidentally has a strawberry tatoo on her ankle much like my character Zanna. My husband Bob was trying to achieve the same light as the image the Fitzhenry designer originally chose. It didn’t have enough resolution for the cover. Over and over we piled into the car, Mortie the Jackapoo, Robin, the model, Hunter, who wanted to spend time with his mom Robin and me the nanny for puppy and child. We chased the sunset in watery areas that we thought resembled Alberta. In the end the publisher and designer chose one of the first images which I will show here.
But on an off moment I took my little digital and caught Hunter posing like Mom. Consider it an outtake for the cover.
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