Life Happens, Keep Writing

Eden Mills Writers’ Festival: Pathway to Publication with James Gordon, Barbara Kyle and Jean Mills

Before writing a blog, I review my past blogs to make sure I’m not repeating myself too much, and to assess where I was at and where I thought I was going. My last blog was August 28th and I was all set with my “MFA course”, personalized for a student of one: me. Now it’s a month later and have I made any progress?

Fortunately, I kept my plan flexible, I can adapt what I’m working on as life happens. the truth is, I’ve hardly been home in the past month. Labour Day weekend was spent moving my daughter to Ottawa for school. I was also determined to attend the Eden Mills Writers Festival this year. I hadn’t been in about 20 years! But as an almost empty-nester, and the threat of covid fading (not to mention this is an outdoor festival), and a workshop with Gail Anderson-Dargatz, my former mentor—I wanted to make sure I attended. Read more

Thursday Afternoon Pedicure Book Club

How many times have you been so excited by a book you have read that you could not wait to find someone to talk with about it? You pass it along to a friend with the hope that they will read it quickly so you can share your enthusiasm and discover whether it impacted them as well.

Book clubs are the perfect solution to this dilemma with everyone reading the same novel at the same time and with a scheduled time for discussion. Clubs are as varied as their members are creative. Everything from choosing titles and the structure of their gatherings is negotiated. Rules can be rigid or flexible; don’t attend if you haven’t finished the book, meet at restaurants instead of members’ homes, dress with a nod to the era or characters in the recent read, etc. One group I know of took the last idea to the extreme by attending the club meeting in full Victorian dress for afternoon tea.

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Three Classic Horror Stories

Image by Sandy Flowers from Pixabay

I recently read three classic horror stories: Frankenstein, Dracula and the Haunting of Hill House.  Although I had heard of these books and I had absorbed through popular culture what I understood to be their basic plot line (ie. Frankenstein: mad scientist creates a monster; Dracula: vampire in Transylvania; and Haunting of Hill House: a haunting house that kills.). But I had never read the original books. 

Popular culture does not do justice to any of these stories. I was surprised by how good these books are and how unexpectedly enjoyable they are to read.  

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Date Night with a Writer

Photo Credit: Pexels – Cottonbro Studio

Over the last few years, Friday nights have become date night for my husband and his favourite writer… That would be me. 

We are both book lovers that challenge each other to find books that have been adapted into movies. We read the books, watch the movies, and then we discuss the differences between the literary version versus the cinematic version. We discuss things such as:

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Ghosts of Christmas’ Past

Will I ever forget the blizzard of 22? We were stuck home like so many others. But since we knew it was coming, we’d prepared. We’d canceled plans to visit family on Christmas and made sure we were well-stocked with food and necessities. But no more than an hour into the blizzard and we’d lost power. This wasn’t looking good. We hadn’t filled the water buckets yet. Our usual debate about getting a generator ensued.

Without power, we stayed by the fire most of the day. What better time to do some reading! I have the most comfortable reading chair right next to the fire. That, a cat and my blanket and I was all set for a Hygge Christmas. I took the forced digital disconnection to catch-up on some reading on writing. I re-read most of Robert McKee’s, Story.  And I skimmed through, Story Genius, by Lisa Cron, which I’d previously read. And also caught up a bit on, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, by Jessica Brody.

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Are We What We Read?

You’ve heard that old saying, you are what you eat. In other words, you are a product of what you consume. Okay, so in its literal sense, it’s talking about food, but what about books? When we read a book, does it have the ability to shape how we think? How we feel? In other words, can it change us?


Of course books have that kind of power. Books can change lives. Books can save lives. Books can open eyes and minds. But what I want to talk about is how the books we read reflect our mood and feed our mood, and ultimately can change our mood.


Yes, books are a drug in that respect. They’re medicine. At least for me. The pandemic has taken a toll on most people’s mental health, and I’m no different. And not just the pandemic, but the Trump-inspired nonsense down south, the residential school saga, the racist mass killing in London, Ont. It’s been a tough fifteen months. No, make that a shitty fifteen months.

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Brightest Light on the Longest Night

Photo credit: Alessandro Viaro (Unsplash.com)

It’s December 21st. Happy Solstice everyone! 

Winter solstice – the longest night of the year, marking the beginning of the planet’s slow tilt and turn toward spring’s days of increased light. 

The changing of the seasons has been revered throughout the ages in ancient civilizations, indigenous cultures and various religions. Celebrations included feasting, gathering with loved ones and gift giving and were the origins of our modern traditions at this time of the year.

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The Book Shuffle

I’ve had to cull my collection of books. It is a cringe-worthy task for book lovers but it has been ten years since the last round.

Maybe my age and thoughts of downsizing spurred me to get this done. Or it may have been the COVID 19 virus invasion. My sisters and I have been known to clean house when stressed or anxious.

Teetering between feeling vulnerable one moment and invincible the next is my experience of these worrying times. What was barely imaginable a couple of months ago is embraced as routine today. What a gift social media is right now. It’s beautiful to see the inspiring, loving and joyful ways folks are supporting each other. Not to mention the miracle of virtual get-togethers taking place. A couple of friends and I created a three-woman book club for ourselves.

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