Sylvia McNicoll's Blog

First Signing of candy. crush. corpse OLA Superconference

2012-02-06T22:23:00.000-05:00

Not only is this the first signing of my latest novel due to actually be released in March, but it's the first time in my 24 years of writing that I'm autographing ARCs or advanced reading copies. Here's a talented young writer Cheryl Rainfield (author of Hunted) waiting for me to inscribe her ARC with some pithy wit. "Best wishes". Authors often have difficulty concentrating enough to personalize a book and spell correctly. Plus there's a feeling that you should be able to look into someone's soul and give them the exact three or four word message that will change their life and yet also endorse the overall mood and message of the story.

The lineup was decent and I enjoyed meeting many librarians from my past. Arcs are of course complimentary so I'm not sure how they will work to boost my sales. But it all felt very nice.

A couple of hours later, I emceed as 35 authors presented their new books in three minute infomercials. The Annual CANSCAIP OLA Book launch, it's a fun kind of "Gong Show", who remembers that television game show? Authors dress up, sing, read from their books or reviews--it's a very celebratory event and librarians crush each other to get to it. Just kidding. About the crushing, I mean.

crush.candy.corpse free signed arcs OLA Friday #535 10:20

2012-01-20T14:09:00.000-05:00

Alright everybody. Spot the difference between the last posted cover and this one. This is the final. If you're attending the Ontario Library Associate Super Conference, please come to the Lorimer booth number 535 February 3, Friday,from 10:20 to 10:50 to meet me and get your free signed arc. Copies will also be available at Reading for the Love of it.

I love it!

And the Winning Title is...

2011-12-21T20:07:00.001-05:00

crush. candy. corpse.

This is my first book with James Lorimer Company Ltd. Publishing and it's been a wonderful experience. It should have happened back in 1987 when the acquisitions editor turned down my first novel ever: Blueberries and Whipped Cream. Such a lucky book that turned out to be, film options were sold, Australian rights, a couple of years ago German, Swedish and Norwegian rights.

But this is going to be an even luckier book because the spirit of my mother will bless it.
It's dedicated to her and she died as I was completing the last edit. Much of my experience visiting
with Mom in the Alzheimer's unit is fictionalized in this book. Things that nearly happened, that I imagined happening as I sat hoping for some response from my mother.

Anyway, we've been agonizing for a couple months. Or maybe it was just me. But a reader, Charlotte Zronik, came up with the title and everyone, including the booksellers who previewed the mock cover, loved it. Thank you Charlotte. You may have a career in marketing and PR in the future. Certainly you have an autographed book coming your way.

Coming from my magazine world, initially I thought, with the lower case letters, that the first three words were the "dek" and the all-caps WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FORTY-FIRST HOUR? was the title. But that's just cool graphics. I do like alliteration but this is a bit of a tongue twister. Say it quickly and you'll see.

But nobody really has to say anything out loud. They just need to buy the book and read it.

Skyping Freedom Middle School in Stone Mountain Georgia

2011-12-13T19:56:00.001-05:00

Not my fans, at least not yet, these are a class of kids from Georgia who listened to Thunder Over Kandahar as a read a loud. Sharon McKay came over so I could help her skype in to answer their extremely thoughtful questions. I thought Sharon was joking when she said she was bringing me a burqa to wear for the interview. I chuckled out loud. That Sharon. Such a kidder. Me dressing up for that tiny skype window.

She wasn't joking. It felt a bit claustrophobic even though it was a pretty aqua coloured fabric with some nice embroidery. I found it hard to breathe and stumbled to the computer. Sharon spoke about the detailed research she does, usually onsite, and how she relies on a team of supporters from the culture to fact check.

She likes to write about what she wants to know rather than following the old adage of writing what you know.

So the question she left the kids with was, should a white middle class woman write about the life of a young Muslim girl? Should she ever write outside her culture?

I think, since we're privileged to live in a free speaking country, we not only should write about other cultures, but it's our duty. They can't always write about their own lives with impunity. Also a western woman can write in a mainstream way for western kids to find the story readable. One young woman who had read the book before listening to it and speaking to Sharon, told us how it had changed her life and how grateful she was that Sharon had written the story. Brought a lump to my throat. It's what every author hopes for. Netoba Watson said the skype visit was one of the highlights of her teaching career. All I can say is, it's teachers like her and Itaski Arnette that help kids achieve their full potential and Sharon and I, as moms, and grandmoms as well as authors,value them. You're lucky Freedom Middle School.

Cobourg Library Writing Contest-St. Joseph and Dale Road School

2011-12-05T09:16:00.002-05:00

After this photo, my camera disappeared underneath the carpet in the back of my passenger seat. I only found it on Friday after a hunt through the house that turned up all kinds of other interesting things. So we travel back in time to November 18 when I enjoyed (re) meeting Rhonda Perry, Cobourg librarian extraordinaire. Each year her library engages several authors to visit schools to celebrate and encourage their writing contest. St. Joseph School was kind enough to allow a gifted class to join their audience on this particular visit. I walked them through my writing process on a book called Last Chance for Paris. In trying new ways to explore metaphor and similes, I often use paint chips and ask the students for the best shade of white to describe snow and then tombstones. I also explain what difficulty I had in coming up with new ways to describe blue eyes for the character Tyler. His eyes can be glacier blue since Zanna the main character now lives near the icefields in Alberta. Sometimes when he's friendlier, they're described as lake blue. Last question of the day was how would I describe the blue of my top which you can barely make out in this photo. It was a challenge rather than a genuine desire for information. The young man wore a crooked grin as he asked it. I explained that writers sometimes have to think long and hard about these things, they don't come instantly. That the cliche answer was royal blue but that if pressed, I would probably choose an emotion to describe the colour: sincere blue. I'd read somewhere that blue was a good colour to wear to job interviews because it's is considered a "true" colour, true-blue. Visiting schools is like a job interview, if you "pass" the students believe some of your writing tips and often read your books.

Happy Journeys Mom June 7, 1931 - November 3, 2011

2011-11-20T18:08:00.000-05:00

November 19th was Mom's sendoff party. Five out of six grandchildren attended, six great grandchildren and my brother and I, with our spouses, plus many friends and some Condo mates. Mom would have loved it. One thing I learned is how much a person is remembered and loved for their idiosyncrasies for example: feeding kids Smarties so they get smarter (wink-wink), sending postcards with birds on it to a granddaughter because she is named Robin, paying quarters for correct Jeopardy answers, dressing in cleavage displaying leopard fabrics, and sewing/weaving through calves liver with bacon. Mom loved to swim and called on all the Condo ladies every morning to head off to the pool. She also enjoyed the Sound of Music Festival in Burlington every year, playing Rummy Cubes,

reading, big family dinners with lots of kids running around. She would have loved the rouladen, red cabbage, cabbage rolls, spaezle, Schnizel, potato salad, and cheese cake served at her sendoff. She would have liked hearing her granddaughter singing You are my Sunshine. Most of all she would have loved all her great and grand children. Happy trails Mom. Auf wiedersehen.

Last Chance for Paris wins Hamilton Award for YA Book

2011-11-15T09:46:00.001-05:00

The biggest win wasn't the cheque, although thank you very much to Reliable Life Insurance for sponsoring my groceries for a week. (We eat a lot too and there may be crabs' legs this week) The amazing gift was that Ron Ulrich, Managing Artistic Director of Theatre Aquarius, read chapter six from Last Chance from Paris. Imagine listening to seven minutes of a readingof your own work as you're standing in front of an audience. He originally trained as an actor with the National Theatre School of Canada and his rendition was nothing short of spectacular. You could feel the level of respect for children's literature and my book rising as he continued. It's difficult for writers to appreciate their own work when they've written and rewritten a piece and they've received all the reviews or (sometimes not received enough reviews) and gone through "recessionary" royalty statements. But his reading made me appreciate my own talent. It also made me think that literature needs to make use of every platform, whether electronic or auditory, to keep up the passion for the original medium: pages.

I enjoyed listing to all the readings but especially a surprise performance by Burlington Slam Poetry http://burlingtonslam.wordpress.com/. Apparently they host poetry readings every third Thursday of the month at Philthy McNasty's, cover charge of $5 goes to the winning poet. I will definitely make a point of going.

The end of the evening featured a reading of the winning adult fiction, Trevor Cole's Practical Jean, another book I must acquire. Life is never better than when you have a stack of books at your bedside ready for your enjoyment. Thank you Hamilton Arts Council and Ron Ulrich!

Writing with Hillfield S. Students at RBG

2011-11-12T13:11:00.001-05:00

A Morning of Inspiration

The sweet scent of exotic blossom mingled with a heavier wet earth smell,

An orange and white flash of fins and tails,

The smooth gloss feeling of the leaf we're not supposed to touch,

The sound of pencils scratching against paper and silence,

The warm minced beef taste of a soft taco lunch to end the writing experience.

On October 14 two sets of students headed out to share new writing inspirations with a) Hugh Brewster at Dundurn Castle and b) me at Royal Botanical Gardens. I enjoyed our tropical garden atmosphere for walking and writing in. The at-home challenge was for the students to write a five sense poem about their own favourite sensations. The poems all came in now and because I didn't ask permission to post, I've created one myself to remind them of our time together.

Norwegian translation of Dying to Go Viral: Tur-retur evigheten

2011-11-02T14:13:00.000-04:00

In English I've titled this story Dying to Go Viral. In Norwegian, it appears to be Tur-Retur evigheten. Fourteen-year old Jade dies "skitching", skateboarding hitched to the back of a car. She promised her dad she would wear a helmet at all times but her boy crush wanted to video her with her long hair blowing in the wind. She awakes in a beautiful Japanese garden and meets her long dead mom. Jade begs for another chance at life but is only able to secure a retake of her last week. Still no one will be able to make her perform that stupid stunt again. Jade manages to change all kinds of destiny in a positive way but can she evade her death? You have to hope an English speaking publisher picks up the title so you can read the end.

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley at the Eternal Flame in Ottawa

2011-10-31T07:26:00.000-04:00

This is a historical post in that it refers back to October 18. Kelly Duffin (Executive Director of The Writers Union of Canada) and I were dashing in to hear the second reading of Bill C11, the copyright bill. But I stopped at the Eternal Flame to read Lena Coakley's brand new Witchlanders. Okay not really. I was reading it on the my Porter Airlines flight to and from but I didn't have anyone to photograph me there. Instead, a fantasy in front of Parliament. More dramatic and fitting I think. Witchlanders tells an engrossing story about witches and magic and my favourite, the Dredhounds. The cover is beautiful I'll have to take a picture of it more close up. Pale blue with strands of white ice on it. The writing is pure magic too. Get a copy and read it somewhere comfy.

Title Sudoku

2011-10-26T07:50:00.002-04:00

As part of my job as magazine editor, I often help or come up with "cover lines", "heds" and "deks".
A "hed" is the title of an article, a "dek" is the preamble to further explain what's in the piece--both need to be catchy and cute.

Note the alliteration Catchy and Cute. Alliteration is my favourite tool.

Sometimes I play with movie titles, as in a Greek restaurant review, I called it My Big Fat Greek Dinner (there were generous portions) Everyone likes a double entendre although my "Egg citing Breakfasts in the Annex" got voted off the island by my other editor. Multiple entendres can seem like cliche puns.

I should be an expert on titles by now, after 27 books and five years of magazine editing. But the person who writes the piece, rarely is asked to title it. That person needs an overview (for newspaper and magazine anyway) of what other titles are in the magazine, on the content page and on the cover (cover lines). Yes, a piece often has three nomenclatures.

So back to my book: originally The Forty First Hour, named for the volunteers hours needed for the death/manslaughter to have taken place.

New additions to the title wars: The Lesser Charge (manslaughter is this)
We want to cue the reader that there is a trial as a major component of the story, so legal terms with double entendres might be good. The senior with dementia in the home might be considered a low responsibility on the hierarchy of who is important to society hence, the dead 75 year old could be The Lesser Charge.
with an implied irony.

Irony is a good tone for the title because the character can be witty in a sarcastic way.

Suspicious I just like this word and everything that happens in this story can play out so many different ways that it's all suspicious.

We could add other words Truth and Suspicions.

Deliberate Actions

Nothing But the Truth

Sunny's Daze (character's nickname is Sunny )

Circumstantial Evidence

Trial by Fire

Innocent Until Proven Guilty

A Reasonable Doubt

While I like playing title Sudoku, it reminds me of when we first brought our puppy home. He had been named Willy by the breeder but my daughter was naming her newborn William and asked me to change it. For three days we deliberated but until we decided it was very frustrating for us to call "Sit ...." or "Be quiet noname dog". I'm very excited about this upcoming novel and I find myself wanting to tell librarians, teachers, booksellers and potential readers in general about it. But to say I have this new book coming in March and not be able to quickly follow with "and it's called" is frustrating.

By the way, my puppy became Mortie as in "Be quiet, Mortimer". Mortie also sounds a bit like Willy to the dog so the transition was seemless. He's mischievous, throwing huge boots or pillows around when he needs our attention, and very vocal. He seems to try to articulate his barking into groans, whines and words. I can't imagine him with any other name.

If you have any suggestions, please make them. Feel free to combine titles that are already listed:
"Trial by Circumstance" "Reasonable Evidence". Or vote on your favourite. My new title, when it's decided, will become the perfect match too. Thanks.

Name that Story

2011-10-20T17:47:00.000-04:00

Here's the first 900 words of a new book for me coming out in the spring with my new publisher Lorimer. The book was originally called The Forty-First Hour, because it's structured around the forty compulsory hours of volunteer work Sonja aka Sunny must do in order to graduate. She comes an extra hour of her own free will to visit a woman in the late stages of Alzheimer’s and when the woman chokes to death, the administrator of the longterm care unit has Sunny charged with manslaughter. The story crisscrosses three strands, the trial, Sunny's volunteer journal to her teacher and then her own first person narration. The ending will give the verdict but I hope the reader will question not only what was alleged to have happened but also the notion of judicial vs moral guilt. If you want something to happen but you didn't plan it but maybe you didn't go out of your way to stop it, are you guilty legally? And what if the victim had told everyone she wanted to die. Are you guilty morally?

I like A Reasonable Doubt but my good friends at the publishing house want a title that plays up the trial and the character of Sunny--she's a strong character who places a high value on appearance. She wants to pursue a career in hairstyling. She has deceived in the past but struggles to become a better person in the story. If you choose the title the editors agree on, I'll send you the first copy I get.

Thanks!

“Sonja Anna Ehret, you stand accused of manslaughter. How do you

plead?”

It’s been a year since it happened and now, here I stand, front row centre of a courtroom. Four windowless beige walls surround me and I find it hard to breathe let alone answer. Silence hangs heavy and musty.

A couple of clerks watch me from behind a long desk. Dressed in black robes they’re like crows on a wire between me and an eagle, the judge. He trains his eyes on me from a higher perch, a throne-like desk flanked on either side by a flag.

Two people sit on the other side of the aisle from me. The pouffy-haired business woman is Mrs. Johnson from Paradise Manor, the one who had me charged. The guy beside her is a reporter judging by the steno pad in his hand. Everyone’s waiting for my answer. The clock on the wall ticks slowly forward.

I want to plead guilty. Immediately the trial would end and the sentence would be lighter, probation and a few thousand hours of community service. But it would kill my parents especially Mom.

She sits in back of me, tall, pale and thin with her chin held high. She’s a proud woman and I’m already the Big Disappointment of the family not at all like my older brother Wolfgang who is minding the condo management company so she and Dad can be here. Next to Mom sits Dad, slightly shorter but square shouldered and strong. He and Wolfgang look alike, guys you can instantly trust and lean on.

My family is the only reason I’m considering this dragged out process and I know they’ll stand behind me no matter what. Still what happens if I am found guilty? The sentence will be way worse, a couple of years in a correctional youth centre at least.

Twelve jury members stare vacantly at me from the left side of the courtroom waiting for my answer. They’re going to decide my fate. Really?

My lawyer told me to dress in smart casual but I’m guessing no one instructed the jury. The best-dressed one wears a kiwi-coloured sweatsuit, the worst, relaxed-fit jeans and a long-sleeved red plaid shirt. Then there’s the lady in the front with a stained top, a fat guy wearing a polo shirt with horizontal stripes, a guy with broken horn-rimmed glasses that make his head look tilted in a question. Two young guys with identical goatees fidget at the back. One is multiply pierced as though the rings in his eyebrows and lips are the only things holding him together. The other scratches his beard a lot. Five more jurors look like they’ve just left the bowling alley or their jobs as greeters in a box store.

That jury doesn’t know that I took a half an hour to press my clothes and maybe that’s good. Maybe they’d hold it against me—excessive neatness, signs of a serial killer in the making. I’m wearing a dark grey skirt, a pale rose shirt and low-heeled pumps. A subdued look except for the pink streaks in my hair.

The guy in the glasses yawns, checks his watch then glances over at me. Still waiting.

“Sunny?” Brendan McNeil, my lawyer prompts. I look down to the right where he stands. Another crow in a black robe. Or maybe a raven. His hair is dark and closely cropped and everything about him seems sharper than those clerks at the front. His brown eyes measure me.

Guilty, guilty, guilty. My heart flip flops. This is it, I’m going to say it. Who cares what the lawyer told me to say? Can he honestly believe this jury will acquit me?

I face the unsmiling bald judge. He’s wearing a jaunty red sash across his robe. I focus on that diagonal slash of red. Guilty, I say in my mind, and tell my mouth to follow. But for some reason, that stripe of colour gives me hope. Instead I speak out as clearly as I can:

“Not Guilty.”

The judge raises his eyebrows at me. Oh really? “Very well,” he says out loud. “Mr. Dougal, are you prepared to make the opening statement?”

The Crown prosecutor nods and approaches his stand like a large vulture, his robe floating behind him. His skin and hair look white against the blackness of the robe, his eyes are a window cleaner blue. “Your honour, members of the jury,” he stares their way till all of them pay attention, “we will prove that on February 14, 2011, the defendant entered the Paradise Court Longterm Care residence and willfully fed hard candy to Helen Demers, a known diabetic who had difficulty swallowing due to her Alzheimer’s.” The jurors squirm under his stare and he swivels to focus on me instead. “Not only was the candy full of sugar and therefore toxic to her, it was also in a format that would cause her to choke.” He looks towards the judge now. “Evidence will show Sonja had a relationship with Cole, the victim’s grandson, and that she carried out his pact with his grandmother to assist her in suicide so that when the victim began to asphyxiate, the defendant walked away purposely failing to provide medical assistance.”

Twenty-four Hours in Ottawa

2011-10-19T14:15:00.001-04:00

It was a grey drizzly afternoon when we arrived in Ottawa but I hiked from the hotel to Parliament Hill immediately. Just the sight of these buildings inspires me into belting out "Oh Canada" and I wanted to get that nationalistic feeling for when we broke bread with MPs next morning. I felt a little depressed at the desertion of the hill worrying that it foreshadowed attendance. When I saw the statue of the lady listening to the man I thought it might prove a metaphor (me begging for someone to listen to us).

I'm happy to say this was not the case. Ten people attended. I won't list the MPs but my table included Burlington's Mike Wallace and Dufferin/Calidon's David Tilson. I had a simple mission, to explain how a writer earned her living, to talk about what copyright means in terms of income and to talk about how the educational fair dealing exception would negatively impact my earning stream. This while we ate, always conscious that politicians had other places to be. I thought it might be hard to squeeze it all in without madly ranting non stop but when Mr. Wallace, conversationally, asked if I earned a living at writing, it was easy to dive in.

Carolyn Wood, my publisher partner, spoke more on the business sides of the problem. Mr. Wallace and Mr. Tilson asked questions and I believe they were sympathetic.

Next I headed to parliament to hear the discussion of the bill. Wow. All the arguments seemed more to be about the digi locks that the educational exemption. The example of the mom who buys a dvd and wants to put it on her Ipod for her child to watch on a long trip was cited over and over. We don't want to fine her 5 to 20 thou do we? Another problem that was discussed was Distance Education. According to discussions, after 30 days students are required to erase/destroy notes. This was like book burning, according to the MPs. Really. Can't they just pay for the usage they actually need. Remember when we used to have to buy text books?

At the end, however, one politician whom Kelly Duffin had spoken too, actually suggested including the three step Berne test. Fair dealing won't mean free chunks of our work then. Hurray for Kelly.

Was the trip a success? Yes, because we said what we wanted to. Just like writing books, you have to celebrate the effort and process. If things don't go our way in the end, we know we did our utmost.

What People Should Know About Writers

2011-10-12T11:08:00.000-04:00

Currently the rotten economy has made the publishing industry leaner and meaner. Rejection notes sound curt and dismissive. So much so that I caught myself telling a relatively new writer the other day that I couldn't believe I could make a living at it all these years (25). She pondered at how difficult that must be herself.

The truth of the matter is that many writers earn a living besides blockbuster writers such as J.K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins or Stephanie Meyers. What even new writers don't understand is that advances and royalties alone rarely make up that liveable income.

Writing-related income does.

So, the moment you write a book, you are often asked to teach others how to do it. This could be in a community college or university depending on your own educational background. Or it could be a session at a writer conference. Children's writers also instantly become experts on how to make kids read--parents wring their hands as they approach me about advice on this matter--so income can come from family literacy talks. We also know how to inspire writing in young people.

If you listen to anyone who is passionate about their work, you realize the potential to motivate and inspire students and others. Income, and book sales, therefore can be derived from school, library, and bookclub visits.

Strangely, I'm often paid to judge writing contests. Minimally, still usually enough to pay for a full grocery cart.

Looking at, evaluating and/or suggesting changes on a manuscript should pay the mortgage for one month, depending on the size of the home and manuscript.

The expertise required to write a book can lead to the ability to edit others' work. I love my part time job editing a parenting magazine called Today's Parent Toronto.

Freelance writing opportunities have become less frequent since everyone gives away information, such as what I'm doing right now, on blogs. But I have, in the past, written for newspapers and magazines. This month I hired myself to write a feature called Creating a Passion for Pages.

Additionally I have earned my way through being an electronic writer in residence, through writing a proposal for an internet travel journal and even bartered a museum membership by "trying out" to write the (wall) speech balloons for some microbes.

My family vacations have been structured around weeklong readings where the hotel has an amazing waterslide.

Lately, most of my royalties come from other countries where I guess kids buy more books than in Canada.A windfall gain might be an Ontario Arts or Canada Council Grant. I have been fortunate in the past.When a writer wins a GG, TD or other major monetary award, don't even ask what they're doing with the money. They're paying down their VISA and/or personal line of credit.

Two fairly steady streams of income are public lending rights (moneys paid through Canada Council for books available in libraries) and Access Copyright (blanket licensing that charges small fees for small unrecorded photocopying and digital downloading--saves the user time if he/she doesn't have to write me for permissions) Monday, I'll be flying into Ottawa to try to convince MPs to tighten the educational exception on the copyright bill C11 to protect the AC income.

Grocery cart by grocery cart, the bits of income all add up.

I think every writer longs to be a blockbuster author. We feel inadequate when we're not, especially when signing a contract in the publisher's office. Or when a government (municipal, provincial or federal) makes cuts to the arts.

But, does the world only want blockbuster hits? Think of all the wonderful surprising books that have changed your life that weren't best sellers.

I fondly remember a waitress hugging me after serving me my lunch because her child had stayed up reading her first book (mine) the night before. I've heard that a young victim of parental abuse came to therapy clutching her favourite comfort, one of my books. I know at least two young women who have fostered many guide dogs after reading my fiction on the topic. There are many other touching stories I know about that make me realize that blockbusters are not the only important literature out there.
In fact, I often find the bestsellers rather disappointing.

So for the general public, don't begrudge the writer the fees for talks and other writing related activities. Also buy the book even if you can put it on hold at the library or borrow it from a buddy.
Finally, tell your MP that the arts and a strong copyright bill are important to you.

Warbird, by Jennifer Maruno at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre

2011-10-11T10:46:00.000-04:00

This, the new Burlington Performing Arts Centre, makes a great setting to read Burlington's newest children's author, Jennifer Maruno's Warbird. While the publisher was Napoleon, that press has been digested by Dundurn. I bought the book from my favourite bookseller A Different Drummer and then strolled over to this beautiful new building and read while my husband took photos for his architecture photography classes. For once I really read the book in the location I picture. (In 1647) 10 year old Etienne swaps places with an orphan in order to escape farm life and explore like his hero Champlain. His adventures cause him to see and experience things that finally make him turn around and go home. I remember learning Canadian history in grade 5, fur traders, Indians, Jesuit priests having their hearts eaten by Iroquois (frankly the most exciting part). How wonderful it would have been to have read Warbird instead of our history texts. This would be a great book to read before visiting the historic park Sainte-Marie among the Hurons.

TD Canadian Children's Lit Award Gala

2011-10-05T20:02:00.000-04:00

The TD and The Canadian Children's Book Centre know how to make an author feel special. Even if you're not nominated, this year I don't even have a book, out but the speakers always thank all of us for enriching kids' lives and all the spectacular little entrees and drinks and special touches, like this tophat escort helps make me feel celebrated. I had read the John Spray winner, A Spy in the House. Congratulations to Y.S. Lee and her beautiful baby. Can't wait to read The Glory Wind by Valerie Sherrard. She beat out so many spectactular GG winning authors, her book must be fabulous. I've read some of Susan Hughes animal chapter books so was happy for her win in non-fiction. I Know Here is the picture book winner--we heard the illustrator Matt James speak at CANSCAIP and he was a riot. The big win went to Erin Bow's Plain Kate. I really love her hubbie James writing so I wonder if there will a family talent connection. Has to be I guess. Hope they invest the win wisely and yet have tons of fun too.

Inspiring Girls - Visiting Saint Mildred's Lightbourn School

2011-09-30T14:53:00.000-04:00

For a long time I've wanted to visit Saint Mildred's Lightbourn School. Sometimes in co-ed schools I feel like I've let the boys down because I've written female protagonist stories. Teachers have said to me "Girls read anything, but boys won't read anything with a girl main character." I don't believe every piece of fiction should be tailored to try to get boys to read. That kind of marginalizes girls. Allow male readers the pleasure of nonfiction if they don't enjoy following a narrative. Invite male authors in one year, and female the next to get a balance.

In any case, finally yesterday I had the opportunity to visit. It was a wonderful afternoon with some two hundred young readers and potential writers. The girls asked some great questions, too. I hope to visit them again.

500 Show for Burlington Public Library/ Sally Armstrong Event

2011-09-29T09:04:00.001-04:00

Thank you Burlington Public Library for hosting, not only another successful literary event: Sally Armstrong's The Nine Lives of Charlotte Tayler evening, but for all the great programs and support you give writers as well as readers. I heard BPL's Andrea Gordon say over 500 tickets were issued and the One Book, One Burlington celebratory night needed to move locations from a fairly large venue at Central's auditorium to Port Nelson United Church where the beautiful stained glass windows and subdued lighting created a wonderful atmosphere for Sally's inspiring talk. Sally spoke about the connections between history and identity and the power of women's stories. Women can create peace. Several audience members identified themselves as Charlotte's descendants and Sally said when she approached her computer each morning to write her story, it was as if Charlotte were waiting. After watching her sign books to her audience, I said goodbye and Congratulations, Charlotte. Thanks again Burlington Public Library for supplying me with wonderful opportunities that have launched my career as a writer, saved my sanity as a parent, enriched my children as readers and entertained and enlightened my whole family.

The Tiffin by Mahtab Narsimhan on Hamilton Beach

2011-09-26T21:25:00.001-04:00

Much of where I think would be a great place to read is not where I actually do. Here's where I would have liked to have read The Tiffin a very moving story of the lives changed when a message goes astray in one of those large metal lunch buckets used to deliver hot lunch all over Bombay. Kunal is the perseverant orphan who searches for family through the story and ultimately finds it, maybe not exactly in the shape and form that he wanted it. I fancy myself as an empath which sometimes makes me take on a story too much so I found it hard to handle what beggars go through in India. I have a 10 year old grandson with some east Indian in his background and I can too easily imagine different circumstances for him. Pretty sure children can handle the difficult parts better than I did. This is a powerful story. And why I wanted to read it here is not just because of the water. I love to be close to a lake or ocean for ultimate Zen. But here I am close to the spirit of the girl who is inspiring my next story. I'm waiting for her to answer my questions. It's easier if I'm reading a good story.

PS As soon I clean off my desk, I hope to post a close up of The Tiffin. Or maybe that little girl stole it.

The Yo-Yo Prophet by Karen Krossing on Sugar Beach

2011-09-22T07:40:00.000-04:00

Early Saturday morning I was heading to an Access Copyright meeting in the Star Building at the foot of Yonge. At the south end of Lower Jarvis I happened on a location I'd heard about and always wanted to see: Sugar Beach. And I had the perfect book to read, Karen Krossing's The Yo-Yo Prophet (Orca Book Publishers) Her main character Calvin actually performs and predicts from the harbourfront not far from here. I show two photos of the location only because it's such an oddity. You can't swim from this beach and while it's inviting, the setting is quite industrial with that rusty ship docked nearby. It took all my will power to keep walking and head for One Yonge Street. Not only could I not stop to enjoy the book at this beach but on the Go Train in I re-read the black binder full of notes for the meeting. I only hope my sacrifices give writers like Karen MORE MONEY.

Meetings done, I made the time to read The Yo-Yo Prophet from a more mundane setting, my dining room.I love the characters, Rozelle especially. She's such a feisty big-busted girl full of spunk and innovation. I wish Karen would write a story all about her. I like the premise and I'm always intrigued by yo-yoing. Can't get one to return unless I buy a cheater automatic return. I think I now need a trick book so I can read it again and try to perform the things Calvin did. I like the unpredictability of the story. Calvin has problems that don't solve themselves sitcom-like. He acts on them and manages to shift the balance in his favour but in the end...well you'll have to read it yourself. And by the way, this is not a book Just for Kids. You don't have to wrack your brains for whom on your shopping list you should get a copy. Buy it for yourself and enjoy. There's no reason young adults should always have all the fun.

How Do You Read to a Rabbit by Andrea Wayne von Koningslow

2011-09-07T09:25:00.000-04:00

This is my grandaughter Violet's official first book. I'm sure there were many other board books that she gummed along the way but How Do You Read to a Rabbit is her go-to favourite because she loves the pictures. She loves animals, anyway, but how can you resist Andrea Wayne's whimsical gentle drawings? I love her Bing and Chutney characters too and have a portrait of them hanging in my bedroom. Violet currently likes the dolphin page in her book and has learned the phrase "all wet" from it. Her dad, my son Craig, also enjoyed many Annick picture books. I remember his favourite used to be Mashed Potato Mountain by Laurel Gugler. I'm so grateful to Annick for those little handsized picture books that I used to carry around in my purse, the emergency stories that I used to entertain my three children in the waiting rooms of life. They introduced my kids to reading and to many great Canadian children's writers like Andrea.

Linwood Barclay and Chevy Stevens' Thrillers on my Ereader in the forest

2011-09-06T16:32:00.001-04:00

My e-reader, just like my laptop, closely resembles my favourite childhood toy, my etch a sketch. Okay, hands down physical books are still better. I like to know where I'm at in a book, if I'm close to the end in physical page thickness. My ereader makes me read faster just like SRA did when I went to school. Who remembers SRA in the late 60s and early 70s? Scientific Reading Association. You were tested and put into a colour and then you had to read short stories on that colour of cards while being timed. Afterwards you answered questions, again timed, and corrected your answers from another card. Faster and faster, up the ladder of colours. Yes I can speed read now and it can be a blessing and a curse. I don't savour details like some people. Instead I gallop through plots which makes me a pretty good concept editor. Too bad I have to copy edit things too.

I am a big Linwood Barclay fan as I first encountered him as a Star columnist who wrote about his Burlington (my town) home life. His first mysteries still had that comfortable suburban feel and column humour. Now they're gone to thriller twists and turns, but still with the great funny characters. I loved The Accident and read it in this copse of trees at Bronte Creek, in their dog park. Now I hate using any Chinese electric products. Thanks Linwood!

Chevy Stevens is a BC thriller writer whose stories Still Missing and Never Knowing were great reads to gobble up on an Ereader. In the first, the real estate agent is kidnapped and lives a year with her abductor, bears him a child and all things creepy. In Never Knowing the main character finds out some horrible truths about her birth father. Twist seekers charge your Ereaders please.

L.M. Falcone Ventures into Graphic Novel

2011-09-04T14:02:00.000-04:00

Lucy usually writes scary novels like The Mysterious Mummer or Walking with the Dead (a Silver Birch Winner) but here she's collaborating with my daughter Robin McNicoll to touch up some illustrations on a new graphic novel. It's still in grant proposal stage so I don't want to say too much about it. I did read the first fifteen pages and it's hilarious. I hope Canada Council juries like having their funny bones tickled. Still who cares, as long as I can buy and read the whole book soon. Attracted by the hum of creativity, Hunter sat down to watch the process and in the end, received an autographed first draft, worth millions once Lucy takes over for J.K. Rowling.

Emceeing Discovery Landing's 2011 Sandcastle Competition

2011-09-04T13:45:00.000-04:00

Nothing to do with writing or selling books, I just love sandcastles. For the past couple of years I've been a judge in Burlington's Sandcastle Competition. I wouldn't say I'm an expert in anything sandy but I just love the sculptures and the beach, watching the sailboats come in. This year they made all their past winners judges and really didn't need me. How about I emcee instead? So same deal, great sandart pirate themed this year, hot hot weather, good beach music and lots of yachts and other boats drifting in. I intro'd bands and events into a microphone, something authors are pretty used to doing and enjoyed the day. Now I said it had nothing to do with writing but as I stood there looking out on the lake, I remembered the scene from Dying to Go Viral. As part of her redo of her last week on earth, 14 year old Jade wants to go to the beach but has no car or means and can't share with her family that she's only got a week to live either. So she hops a bus and heads for Burlington Beach and it's a great day even though it's not Hawaii or California or any other exotic beach locale. Dying along with Jade, taught me to appreciate local sunrises and sunsets and beaches as well as sand pirates like this.

Death on Track Take 2 Learning how to live

2011-09-01T08:48:00.000-04:00

This is the second book in a series I'm working on where the main character dies in the first chapter, stupidly, and meets someone dead from her past at the gates of entry into the next life. The character begs to return to life to address regrets and is granted the last week of her life to do over. Can she avoid death? Maybe sometimes.

In Death on Track, Paige evades bullies by taking a shortcut along the rails during a snowstorm. Working on the second draft (and by second, I really mean about the hundredth, only this one is as a result of feedback from writers) I wanted to find an actual location where this might have occurred. Here it is in summer, along Dundas Street. The mall nearby is unfortunately a strip of box stores. The high school, unbuilt and unnamed as yet.

When visiting schools and conducting writing workshops, I'm often asked to address rewriting but usually in the sense of how hard we work at it and how many times. It makes it all seem like such a burden.

Going through this second draft and painting on a second coat of detail was actually a delight. I visited and interviewed an independent grocer, Mario of Marilu Foods on New Street. I think I changed 10 words because of this interview but the story become so much more clear and real to me. Most of the anxiety of writing is gone too as a result of the feedback. My writing critiquers made me feel the actual plot of the story was a success. The way it sounds in the creator's head is not always the way the public reads it so this was a huge relief.

Now I'm waiting for a second round of reviewers to write a third draft.

Around the campfire, The Magic Mustache by Gary Barwin

2011-08-28T11:30:00.001-04:00

This is my daughter Jen reading to her four year old son William at their campfire at the Pinery Campground. What amazes me is how intent he is in a story that he's had read to him a hundred times, The Magic Mustache by Gary Barwin. In it the son who is a nose, is given the task of selling the only family possession left, a set of glasses. His parents, a set of eyes, expect a good exchange in return. But the nose settles for a magic beard. The eyes throw it out and it grows similarly to the magic beanstalk. The nose climbs it to the castle of a mouth who threatens to eat him. Lots of great rhyme and hilarity ensues.

There's a pretty happy ending about a face coming together and staying like that. The magic of reading, the magic of a great story.

On my living room couch Soames on the Range by Nancy Belgue

2011-08-22T16:36:00.000-04:00

You read about all kinds of non-traditional families but you have to wonder how a child feels when their mom or dad announces something like a sex change or in Soames' case a father declares he's breaking up with Mom and moving in with his guy lover. Soames lives in a really small town and looks and even moves like his father. I cringe for him as I read about what he experiences. That's the beauty of books, you can go through all the emotions and come out stronger without suffering the slings physically.

In the end something really exciting happens to Soames and while that might not be the case for every kid who has to experience a lifestyle change like this, it does feel right to me. Even if everything goes wrong, wonderful things can happen too.

I read a lot more books than I posted about right here on this couch in my living room where the air conditioning makes it perfectly cool.

Who Goes to Literary Festivals

2011-08-08T13:37:00.000-04:00

It had been a blistering hot week but for Imagine in the (Gage)Park, there had been a cooling rain the morning of the July 24th event. Gary Barwin, Jean Little, Gillian Chan, myself as well as facepainters, voice coaches, puppeteer and Frontier literacy volunteers were on the site to entertain and delight.

Who comes out for these events? You just never know. Ozo the dog came attached by leash to his master on a scooter. He has appeared on the screen in various roles, Ozo, not his owner. For my audience, some very intense young writers complete with their manuscripts showed wanting to me to share some writing tips. I read some of their work and know they'll be presenting at a festival some time.

I only wish I could have come to one of these events when I was kids.

In a Lazyboy chair, The Second Trial by Rosemarie Boll

2011-08-02T14:38:00.000-04:00

The lazyboy chair makes a very comfortable seat for reading this gripping but uncomfortable story. It's about a boy who is the only member in his family who gets along with his abusive father and misses him after he, his mom and sister, go into a witness protection plan. His new life is his second trial and it spirals downward till he engages in abusive behaviour himself. Here's where I have to burrow into my chair. I no longer sympathize with him when he stands by and even helps restrain a red haired boy as he is beaten and set on fire for the colour of his hair. Can you enjoy a read where the character sinks below your level of tolerable bad behaviour? Recently a book of mine was rejected because the main character lied and was therefor unsympathetic to the editorial panel. I think the only rule, really, is for whatever reason if the reader feels compelled to continue, the story succeeds. The abusive behavior bottomed out there and was the turning point for the character. The Second Trial by Rosemarie Boll is a great argument for adults to read young adult. The books can be just intense as adult novels but are usually shorter with more of a concrete ending.

Mortie, the Jackapoo, reads The Art of Racing in the Rain

2011-07-18T14:15:00.000-04:00

You're not supposed to judge a book by its cover but this novel is a Chapters' staff pick fave. I could have paid way less had I bought it in eversion but then I couldn't have shared it with Mortie. Honestly, the cover made me smile. The dog who narrates has an uncanny resemblance to Mortie, my Jackapoo, The story incorporates racing philosophy with life but (spoiler alert) a key person and the dog die in the end. It feels very Marly and Me. Maybe this is a trick to sell books. So often the cover doesn't match the story but if we stick to favourite dog breeds, maybe the cover can sell the book because the readers, like me, likes pictures of their dogs.

In a stream: The Writer's Life, The Margaret Laurence Lectures

2011-07-17T11:52:00.000-04:00

This series on where and what we're reading was started as as kind of personal PR for books. I think in this fast paced world of technology where you press 1 for English and 2 for French and never get anyone who really wants to speak to you (although the conversation may be recorded for quality ensurance), we're searching for more and more peaceful happy moments. Or is that just me. Yoga, hot and cold, is suddenly popular. Non fiction books that connect to spirituality in a mainstream way get gobbled up: The Book of Awesome for example.

When I speak to my fellow writers, I realize we're all trying to create more to sustain our living when the answer might be to do less and read more. Think of it as both job sharing and job creating. When we go on holidays whether to the tropics or the local beach, we usually most enjoy a quiet read. And so for my own purposes I slowed down this summer and tried to document my reading. I still write, edit for Today's Parent Toronto, and work as director on Access Copyright but I am making a point to READ and enjoy it and to document enjoying it in my favourite places. Planking, writer's style?

Here I am at the Bronte Creek Dog Park Swimming hole reading an appropriate title: A Writer's Life, the Margaret Laurence Lectures 25th Anniversary of the Lecture Series

I realize that when I invited others to share their reading holes and material how difficult it is to include a photo of themselves with a book. It requires a photographer, plus a lot of us don't like pictures of ourselves. So...to make it easier, if you wish to share, send me a photo of your book where you're reading it.

On the Beach (Lake Erie) Winter of Secrets by Vicki Delany

2011-07-11T14:20:00.001-04:00

We never stop talking unless it's to read. Sometimes we discuss our books. Gisela Sherman's reading one on world war II as research for the novel she's working on. I'm reading a mystery set in the Kootenays, one of my favourite parts of the world, by Vicki Delany a writer who once took a course I taught (Creative Writing Its Realities--not my title). While I'm not a serious mystery buff, I like to follow her cast of small town characters, including Constable Molly Smith, as they fumble through and solve crimes.

As we strolled the beach, we met a lady enjoying the latest Harry Potter before she gives it to her granddaughter. Next door to us in a hammock lay a man who read his ebook for about four hours straight. One of the problems with those is the next door neighbors can't tell what you're reading!

Summer is one of the best times to relax with a great story, in whatever format.

Under a tree: Miss New India by Bharati Mukherjee

2011-07-07T20:47:00.000-04:00

Often in between writing scenes, I will walk the dog but in the summer Mortie gets too hot and must pause for a treat and water break. I now carry a book on the hike and here I am conveniently doing research for my latest project: Death on Track. The main character is a 14 year old adopted Chinese orphan and her best friend Jasmin is an Indian girl nervous her parents will discover her Canadian boyfriend.
Miss New India by Bharati Mukherjee gave me lots of insight but I also went out for an Indian buffet lunch with a new friend Beena. Of course I watched Bend It Like Beckham.

This tree is close to the library so I could get a new book once I'm finished if only they allowed dogs.

In the dentist's chair, Beyond Blonde by Teresa Toten

2011-06-28T15:27:00.000-04:00

By no sheer coincidence, I needed emergency dental attention on the same day as Margaret Buffie's dog.
I broke a tooth but her literary inspiration needed some teeth removed. I'm sure he read in the dental chair also 'cause it is so comfy, with a head and foot rest and a nice tilt to it. Here I'm reading Beyond Blonde by Teresa Toten and it's funny enough to keep me happy while my freezing is not taking.

It's another reason why adults should read YA. The character is a combination of my best friend in highschool and me, her being the blonde and me the brunette who aspires to be and yes, we both played basketball. Of course, in my highschool everyone's parents spoke and acted like different versions of Auntie Eva.

The second needle didn't take either so the dentist continued anyway. He removed a chunk of tooth and installed a temporary filling and I didn't feel a thing--all because of Teresa's hilarious writing.
You can read Beyond Blonde anywhere. You don't need to wait for a dentist's appointment.

After Dinner, The Gaggle Sisters River Tour by Chris Jackson on Father's Day

2011-06-22T16:00:00.001-04:00

This was intended as a Father's Day read. Craig McNicoll read The Gaggle Sisters River Tour , by Chris Jackson, to his baby girl, Violet on the deck. But then his wife continued out loud while we were waiting for dessert. Eireann drew a crowd, all the grandchildren plus one adult squeezed around to hear the compelling story of two geese sisters, Dorothy and Sadie and their sail down Wriggle River.

These are computer kids, even two year old Jadzia knows how to operate a mouse and loves to watch a good YouTube still when Eireann read out loud, they all listened.

On a Garden Swing on the Deck, Karleen Bradford reads This Body of Death

2011-06-20T18:10:00.001-04:00

Karleen Bradford, author of A Desperate Road to Freedom, the Underground Railroad Diary of Julia May Jackson, Scholastic Canada is my guest reader/blogger today. I'll have to read that one. The Dear Canada books come with their own ribbon bookmark which is wonderful because no matter how many bookmarks I own, I never have one at the right time. My favourite story of Karleen's' is The Other Elizabeth which I'm desperately waiting to get on my ereader sometime this summer. Currently, Karleen is writing another Dear Canada. Well, ahem, ahem, currently she is reading.

WHAT I AM READING NOW
I’ve been on vacation, so have been indulging in my favourite holiday reading: mysteries. The one I’ve just finished is This Body of Death, by Elizabeth George. It’s a long book—873 pages—and densely plotted. The kind of book you can only really read when on vacation because there’s no way you can put it down to do mundane things like make dinner or do the laundry. When I finished it, I sat and thought for a long time about how Elizabeth George developed that dense and complex plot. How she kept the story moving and the reader’s interest high. At the end of the book there was a blurb for a non-fiction book of hers, Write Away: One Novelist’s Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life. I decided to order it and find out how she did it. That’s what I’m reading now and I’m finding it interesting and instructive. There’s always something new to learn about the art and craft of writing, there are always problems that we all share.
One thing that she brought out is how she works on the development of her characters before she begins to work on plot, then the characters show her the plot. Not the way I would have thought a mystery writer would work, but very intriguing. I have had the germ of an idea for a mystery running around in my head for a long time, but not ever having written one, I was at a loss as to how to tackle it. I think I will follow her advice and just do some work on the characters—their problems, their motivations, their fears—and see if they can show me the way into my story.
Karleen Bradford
karleenbradford@bell.net
www.karleenbradford.com
http://karleensblog.wordpress.com

My Guest Reader: By her Garden Pond Gisela Sherman Reads The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

2011-06-19T15:36:00.002-04:00

Let me just introduce my guest reader/blogger today. You have to run to the library and get King of the Class, Snake in the Toilet, or my personal favourite Grave Danger, Gisela Tobien Sherman wrote those.
One of the things you might not know about Gisela is that, besides being able to bring words to life, she can coax herbs, vegetables, flowers and trees into a much richer more colourful life. If you step into her lush green garden you will hear the water babbling, too. Ahhh! Here's what she says about where and what she's reading:

In my garden, with pond and flowers, reading The Lacuna. Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favourite authors. Her use of language is brilliant and beautiful. Loved her Poisonwood Bible, and especially Prodigal Summer. Lacuna's first chapter was a work of art. The book was a bit harder to get into than her others, but ended up fascinating me. It wove the lives of the fictitious writer Harrison Shepherd, with artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, the final days of Leon Trotsky in Mexico and his betrayal by Stalin, and showed how easily a life could be destroyed in the McCarthy Era. So many gems of wisdom and perception. "Don't just listen to what someone says, pay attention to what is left out," has stayed with me.

In a Tub, Reading That Summer in Franklin

2011-06-16T09:10:00.000-04:00

Lots of times I read my friends' books and it's a way of staying in touch with them or getting to know them better. My writing buddies are all Canadian so often I enjoy a fairly local setting too. Here I'm reading That Summer in Franklin by Linda Hutsell-Manning. Franklin seems a shoe-in for Cobourg where Linda really lives (and so does my brother).

The two main characters are struggling with failing aging parents, one a father and one a mother. I can identify with that. They both share a history that involves a death in a hotel during their summer job.
Three-quarters of the way through...must read on to find out what happens or happened in the case of that murder.

In a tree The McGillicuddy Book of Personal Records (Colleen Sydor)

2011-06-15T09:12:00.001-04:00

Today I snagged a guest reader, 10 year-old Hunter McNicoll, who was enjoying The McGillicuddy Book of Personal Records (Red Deer Press)in a tree near the library. "I like that what happens is unexpected," says Hunter. He also enjoys the interesting quotes from random famous people at the beginnings of chapters.

From Chapter Seven: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. (Mark Twain)

I had the pleasure of driving author Colleen Sydor from a Mississauga school to Paris (yeah I wish the Eiffel tower one) Ontario. Immediately I asked the Canadian Children's Book Centre which books she'd written and when I heard about the personal records story thought it might be for Hunter. Why? Because he likes the Guinness Book of Records.

Even during her tour for Children's Book Week not one Chapters or Indigo had a copy on hand,
so I crossed my fingers that she had brought some and would autograph a copy in time for Hunter's birthday the next day. Hurray! She had!

Now I was warned the book was perhaps for advanced 10 year old readers. Hunter is a lively enthusiastic sports a holic and I passed the warning along to him, not as a comment on his own reading habits, more in case he found it slow slugging.

My honesty worked like some kind of reverse psychology and he snatched it up as a challenge, calling out to me during the good parts.

I can't wait to read it myself. We're lucky that nowadays we can just order books like these online, we don't have to depend on the boxstores' buyers' decisions.

My email is sylvia.mcnicoll@cogeco.ca if you want to show/tell me what you're reading, where and why.

The perfect passtime for summer, reading. Ahhh!!

Reading Karma on the Deck

2011-06-13T16:00:00.000-04:00

This is one of my favourite spots to read, on my back deck overlooking an overgrown garden, Brant Hills and in the distance a sliver of blue, Lake Ontario. I met the Calgary author, Cathy Ostlere, at The Writers' Union AGM and also while writing an article on book trailers.

You don't have to read Karma (Puffin Canada) in a sari but I was attending an East Indian/Asian themed wedding shower and was dressed this way for the event. The 500 or so pages are in verse and follow Mata as she travels to India with her (Sikh) dad to bury her (Hindu) mom's ashes at the time when Indira Gandhi is assassinated.

There's a passionate yet innocent love story and in fact Mata's sari gets unravelled at least twice.
My friend who showed me how to wrap mine promised me that this NEVER happens.
While at the shower, however, I suddenly found myself unravelling. I had to do some quick tucking.

This summer find yourself a beautiful spot and read a wonderful book like Karma. Send me a photo and an email and I'll post it on my blog.

What I'm reading and where and why

2011-06-12T19:35:00.001-04:00

For Death Goes Viral, my character 16 year-old Paige Barta gets hit by a train when she walks along a track listening to an Ipod in a snowstorm. She gets another chance to relive the last week of her life and she visits BodyWorlds as she did first time through; this is an exhibit hosted by the Ontario Science Centre which features plasticized bodies, real cadavers mumified with polymar. (Oh yes I have been there for Today's Parent Toronto.) In researching details for the exhibit as well as the character who wanted to work in biological research of some kind I emailed Sarah Miyata, a research doctoral student who is author Cathy Miyata's daughter. Turned out she had volunteered at the heart, lungs, and liver table where visitors actually get to pick up a real plasticized organ. She told me exactly what the organs looked and felt like and she also suggested I read Stiff by Mary Roach.

It's fascinating stuff. The author has a wicked sense of humour in writing about all the different ways in which a dead body can be reduced, reused and recycled. I didn't realize that plastic surgeons sometimes practise on cadaver heads (picture them in an aluminum roasting pan on a rolling wagon with a white table cloth) or that crash test bodies (not dummies) save 147 lives a piece. There's a chapter that talks about how scientists grafted a head of a puppy on another dog--made me feel the same way as when I was reading Arthur Slade's Hunchback and the dogs were partially mechanized.

I could only read a chapter a night--as you can see I like to read it in bed. Afterwards I had to read something fictional to cleanse my mental palate as it were. Still I do recommend Stiff.

What are you reading and where and why?

CANSCAIP: Bob Barton Makes Fifty Kids' Authors Free Write

2011-06-09T09:39:00.002-04:00

Me without my camera! For CANSCAIP's last meeting before the summer break, Bob Barton came to introduce his new historical fiction Trouble on the Voyage with Napoleon now turned Dundurn. His introduction was also intended to show authors how to introduce their work to kids in an interactive way.

It was a dark and stormy night. Bob shakes a thunder drum (what it most resembles) to draw his audience back when he needs to give further instructions--practical point number one: finding a way besides shouting to get kids' attention again when you need it.

But it really did thunder and lightning throughout his talk, proof that the higher powers agreed with him.

At one point he asked some fifty CANSCAIPers to write for two minutes on what they felt about being in the room. "I've been writing all day and now I HATE having to write again for free," is what I suspect many of us were writing. At least I and my elbow buddy Teresa Toten were "free writing" about that.

However, it was great of fun with some fabulous tips just in time for the outdoor literary kid festival gigs.
(You know the kind where there's no place to plug in a screen and projector for a Powerpoint presentation.) Besides the pressure switches off when you're not giving the workshop and kids' authors try everything when roles are reversed, from reading scripts, to giving imaginary lectures and interrupting with imaginary questions. So competitive too!

The writers even bought-out Bob's supply of Trouble on the Voyage and they didn't use loonies and toonies in ziplock bags either.

Social Media is not this much fun

2011-06-09T09:17:00.000-04:00

A lot of writers are struggling between the demands of Twitter, Facebook and Blogging so that when a fun event comes up, well, I suspect they stay at home and Twitter, Facebook and Blog.

The Writers Union of Canada hosts some of the best dance parties in the world. Writers who have argued bitterly against each other all day jump up the moment the band strikes up. I wouldn't say they are classical ballroom steppers either. And the bands the Union comes up with! Whoa! Who knew Alison Gordon, the wonderful baseball mystery writer, was such a fabulous tambourine diva.

Here I am with BC's fab Chocolate Lily winning author Norma Charles. In November she'll be back in Toronto touring for her new winner Run Marco Run. This is an author who understands the power of boogie.

Dinner Before Margaret Laurence

2011-06-03T08:24:00.000-04:00

The real fun of The Writers Union AGM, or perhaps any day of workshops, is the people you meet over dinner. Sadly in a bid to save money for writers, there is no forced breaking of bread at current meetings. Except for the banquet which is very, very fun (no one dances quite like a writer) but pricey.

But through the magic of social networking, 17 of some of my closest buddies from across Toronto and Canada got together at Jack Astor's before the Margaret Laurence Address. Ah, you have to love Facebook sometimes cause it helps us meet up face to face. Let's see if I can name the writers, Jo-Ellen Bogart, Della Buford, Ann Walsh, Norma Charles, Barbara, Ellen Jaffe, Sylvia McNicoll(me)
Gisela Sherman, Andrea Wayne von Koningslow, Jocelyn Shipley, Deb Loughead and Jack.
Tucked away at the other table are a few more friends, but the waiter didn't include them in the shot.
Maybe they were late. Feel free to fill in the last names I'm missing.

Do they laugh? Ontario Arts Council Part Deux

2011-06-03T08:08:00.000-04:00

When I wrap a package, I feel like Ms Bean (Mr. Bean's feminine counterpart). I often have to re-open it to see if I've lost my watch in it or a chicken part. Or if that extra draft lying around was meant to go in. I understand my last Artist in Education application did not include a book list. (Even though the jury took note that you were an accomplished writer) Oh come on. Really? Or enough creative process in how I teach kids. Or enough detail in how I go about getting schools. "We regret to inform you..."

Sigh. This is after making piles of papers on my bed and checking off a list (and mailing said list)
and wrappings the dread parcel.

What adds to the fun part of the process is that the gatekeeper sounds a bit like Inspector Clouseau.
He must be sick of answering my same question every granting season. "When do you open?"
I imagine him sighing in a Parisian accent. (Quelle idiote)
I just can't believe they only fling the doors open at 9:00 a.m., 8:30 a.m. would be so much more convenient.

I also imagine him shaking his head when he opens my oversized package. And then while removing the watch and chicken part.
Still maybe this time I'll be lucky. Maybe everything will be there as it should. All the checky boxes checked. My "peers" will find me worthy. Or worthier than the other
peers that applied.

Still hoping for a postal strike to help the odds.

Do Not Photocopy this page--Grant Me Less Confusion

2011-05-27T13:37:00.000-04:00

Today I'm writing from the conference of the Courtyart Mariott during the Writers' Union AGM lunch break. On the way here, as it was close, I delivered a grant application to Ontario Arts Council.

It's a sweaty process. From finding the correct box in which to mail five copies of 40 pages, to deciding whether your manuscript is (tick the box off) Literature or Young Adult. Also I'm confused by the instructions to "Not Photocopy" certain pages What if I do? I'm supposed to keep a complete copy of the application afterall. How would "they" know. It's like removing the White Material tag from a stuffed animal.

We're supposed to use a 12 pt font, put name and address on one title page and use a header with the title of the work exactly as it appears on the application form (the one you can't photocopy) AND use both sides of the page. That was a new one on me. Too late. I think it's an environmental move so redoing the 200 pages to comply would be counter productive.

No matter. At least I delivered it by hand. I almost hope for a postal strike so mine will be one of only a few applications. Then they won't throw me away over the photocopying issue or the one side of the page usage.

A lunch date with writers--the best kind of social media of all.

2011-05-27T06:54:00.000-04:00

It takes a lot to pry writers from their offices but once a year I make the trek to Marilyn Helmer's in Bellwood for a potluck lunch. The drive involves a winding country road with lots of horses gamboling on the side in the fields. The food is delicious as this gang (Marilyn, myself, Deb Loughead, Liane Goodall, and Gisela Sherman are all great cooks. We enjoyed cranberry meatballs, grilled vegetable orzo salad, smoked salmon carrot souflee, wild leek and potato casserole and a coleslaw with brocolli and walnuts that defies the very label. Plus we had great conversation, discussing the dilemma of how much of our time should be spent blogging, twittering, face booking and creating book trailers when we'd rather be writing...or eating for that matter. We decided that some minimal public effort needed to be made for the publisher's viewing but after that it was whatever we enjoyed because who knows if anything really works. Writing the best book we know how is what we're really in it for. Problems solved for another year we drove home.

A dream day at R.H. Lagerquist Senior Public School

2011-04-20T14:27:00.004-04:00

A brilliant writer herself, Amy Corbin, a teacher

from R.H. Lagerquist Senior Public School, arranged a day of writing workshops for the students who wrote to tell her why they wanted to work with a published author.

I lead four short workshops to groups of about 20 students in the library. Look how attentive and hardworking they were. The last group liked computer writing and as we had a little extra time, we wrote scripts, one of the choices being, a student tells his parent (father in this case) that he's in trouble. In turn the ending has to be a resolution of some sorts where his dad metes out punishment or deals with the situation. I don't know how it got to that point, but striped shirt boy plays the part of the gun wielding dad who helps red hoodie son wipe out some other dudes. This is the last scene in which father and son get handcuffed and taken to jail.

Strange developments and hilarious creations. The future writers of Canada.

Beauty Guide Dog Novel Series Trailer

2011-04-18T10:48:00.001-04:00

The Beauty Series: Bringing Up Beauty, A Different Kind of Beauty and Beauty Returns, represents the books for which I'm best known. Essentially they follow Elizabeth as she fosters first a black Lab, Beauty I, then a Chocolate Lab, Beauty II, and finally a golden retriever, Magic.

In the second book, the view point splits to hers and that of sixteen year old Kyle's who gets a white cane instead of a driver's license. In the third, they go out. No dogs every die.

Over the course of creating Kyle, I met and chatted with many people with visual impairments.

I also wrote the lyrics for a song because I wanted him to sing a lullabye but darned if I wanted to track down rights. Angela McKay, one of the women I interviewed, is a singer songwriter and she and her husband Brian helped me set the words to music.

This trailer gives snippits of all three novels with Angela singing Kyle's Lullabye.

My son, Craig McNicoll, did the filming and editing. There are voiceovers for Elizabeth (Jennifer Filopowicz, my daughter) Alicia (Eireann McNicoll, my daughter-n-law) and a scene with Kyle acted by Ian Garden, Eireann's brother. Many dogs acted in this video including Buster, Beauty's brother. Yes there is now a real Beauty named for the book. Also the golden retriever belongs to Amy, another young woman who fosters guide dogs because she readBringing Up Beauty.

The covers of my novels were painted by Shariff Taribay.

For me the video reminds me of a huge voyage in my life and all the wonderful docks (as well as dogs) along the way. Listen carefully to the end and you'll hear my granddaughter Violet give a cry.

If you know a dog lover, you should buy these three books. Available from the usual online sources but also at Burlington's A Different Drummer Book Store.

Baby Show for Today's Parent Toronto

2011-04-17T19:45:00.002-04:00

To keep up with trends for babies my editing job with Today's Parent Toronto, I like to go to the various baby shows.

I dragged my son Craig (and film maker for my excellent new trailer, and his baby girl Violet. Not in the photo is beautiful Mom Eirean and Bob, my photo sidekick and partner in life.

We had a really good time testing out all kinds of equipment. Here you see me trying a Fisher Price infant chair for editors.

Sudbury Catchup Post-Coppercliff School

2011-04-17T19:36:00.002-04:00

A writer wears many hats. Here I am wearing antlers. Visiting Sudbury to present in schools, this time Coppercliff and then the next day Walden Public School, allows me a chance to browse Science North and report on the new Wild Life Rescue exhibit. I loved the Born to be Wild 3d Imax as well. After seeing it, kids will be happy to pledge to help save the environment. In the exhibit there are several posters suggesting different commitments the children can make to help save endangered species and all animals in general. The antlers are part of the exhibit.

In the schools, I talked about different novels depending on the age group. The response was phenomenal. Kids stopped me in the hall to thank me or tell me how wonderful an author I am.

In the photo, the whipped cream on the face is a demonstration on rewriting for plausibility.

Believe it or not.

Panoramic Paul A Fisher

2011-04-01T15:19:00.002-04:00

All of these students' parents gave permission for photos so witness protection programs weren't ruined or anything. You have to love panoramic shots because once the students noticed what I was doing they would try to sneak across to be in all of the shots. Didn't work. To my disappointment as well

Last week I had a great time with grade 5, 5/6 and 4/5 at Paul A Fisher School. Look at all my young writers hard at work, nose to the pencil. I love the sound of students writing.

The challenge this week was we divided the day in three to match the wonderful nutritional breaks. Stopping to eat twice a day, sheer brilliance I think. This made switching classes easier than what I normally do which is teach only two classes and leave mid third period to divide the time equally.

But there wasn't a lot of time for my fun little exercises such as team menu writing for the apples I hand out. Or a lesson on putting the quotation marks in and changing paragraphs (not so much fun). Or even finishing a draft of a story.

Hmm, I guess I'll have to rework my AIE lesson plans to allow for less time.

I only hope if I offer this three class day, the teachers don't insist I fit two classes in each time segment.

Arizona Libraries

2011-03-16T17:36:00.002-04:00

Not sure if you can enjoy the great panorama of White Tank Branch Library.

You can play spot the Sylvia in the photo. Outside there's a park full of my favourite cacti, the Saguaro.

I also visited Tombstone Public Library as it was right next door to the Wild West show and we had 15 minutes to spare.

I find librarians the best source for local tourist hotspots, they can tell the truth about restaurants etc, where as government tourist people have to remain unbiased. They know the history of towns better and plus they like books and are often thrilled to meet a writer.

The librarian at Tombstone was exceptionally friendly and asked for a business card, promising to buy my book as well as my traveling buddy Gisella Sherman's.

I also visited Phoenix Pubic Library to thank the "Ask the Librarian" for all their previous e-suggestions on what books are set in Arizona. When you respond to same, there's no inbox to accept your thanks. That librarian wanted to know if I was hoping to "break into the U.S".

"No," I answered. "I've written for 25 years and lots of my books are in the U.S. Just not in this library." She took my bookmark to order Last Chance for Paris but I'm sure, as an urban librarian, she was a bit jaded, perhaps even besieged by budding (or ageing)writers.

But the library was gorgeous with a pond in the middle and wide open spaces throughout.

All three libraries were worth the mini detours.

Bringing Up Piggy

2011-03-16T17:26:00.002-04:00

While I'm known for writing about Beauty the dog, in Arizona we went horseback riding 'cause I love horses. Mac, my steed, apparently has been on TV as bounty hunter Dog's ride.

Well, Mac, I'm a bit of a celebrity myself as I've been on Sonja Dunn's television show reading from Bringing Up Beauty.

For the trail ride I brought my shockproof, waterproof, dustproof camera (love it!) but sadly it is not idiot proof. I left the camera on after downloading so there was no battery left and hence no riding shots of me and my fellow cowboys.

My husband only took photos with his high-potential-for disaster camera before the ride when all the farmyard animals befriended me. As I was patting an Australian shepherd puppy, this pig came up and nuzzled me for attention. I felt like a barnyard Cinderella when the chicken came up from behind to check me out.

Animals of Arizona (the ones I've spotted anyway)

2011-03-12T23:08:00.007-05:00

Trying to blog while on hotel internet is always a bit of a challenge. I'm trying to upload photos of the animals I've spotted on holiday so far. First was the famed javelina, which seems a lot like a wild boar only smaller. We saw a mom and her baby cross the street a car ahead of me. In an effort to alert my friend Gisela and her hubbie, driving in back of us, I honked and made Mommy Javelina rush into the bushes. No real photo only this lovely statue in tribute to her. They're usually grey coloured not pink.

At every rest stop in Arizona there's a sign warning of dangerous snakes and poisonous scorpions. I keep my eyes peeled but never spotted anything but this lovely lizard. Let's hope my photos land close to my description. No such luck. This must be what publishing children's novels was like in the early 20th century.

At the Arizona Desert Museum, we saw mountain lions, rattlers, bears and racoons. In the Grand Canyon Park, we saw these mules. You can ride these guys down Angel Trail to the bottom of the canyon if you book a couple years in advance and pay a few hundred dollars.

Then I saw this black Lab at the canyon. He was very friendly, wagging hopefully anytime anyone came within patting range. His owner told me his name was Kay-oh-

tay. "Oh, he doesn't look like a coyote," I said. "No," he explained, "Kayohtay means wolf in First Nations." Yeah, well he doesn't look like a wolf either.

Why I took his photo was Kayohtay was desperately trying to join his owner on this stone fence. Where is this fence? Overlooking the Grand Canyon. "Noooooo! Don't stand there!" I wanted to shout. "I wrote about this once and it doesn't end well, trust me."

Finally, I spotted this brave squirrel who posed for me in an effort to extract treats from me.

"No feeding the wild life!" I told him as I snapped away. His good natured scurrying about against the vastness of rocky beauty behind him still makes me smile. We should never be daunted.

Standing at the edge of my life

2011-03-12T01:17:00.006-05:00

Here I am standing at the edge of one of the seven natural wonders of the world, The Grand Canyon.

The wind blows strong here and it's jaw droppingly beautiful. Everyone waits, camera poised, for the sunset. Then the whole sky glows and the clouds become eerie wisps but the canyon turns too dark.

You have to keep the moment perfectly in your heart instead of on your camera.

Sylvia McNicoll Public School

2011-02-26T00:18:00.004-05:00

The other day there was a message on my answering machine. "This is Jane Doe from Halton District School Board..." (Jane Doe is being used to protect the identity of the real caller)

My first thought: Ah, Hunter, what have you done wrong. Gee I hope you're okay.

"Your name came up..."

Second thought (the authors reading this will appreciate this line of thinking): Yay, they're hiring me to talk at a professional development day. Mortgage payment, score.

"...because there's a school opening in the fall ...

third thought(still thinking like an author here): Oh a school visit, okay half a mortgage payment. Still it's nice to be asked.

"...and we want to name it after you."

What? No really. The message said to call back immediately. How long had I been gone for?

Of course when I returned the urgent call, Jane Doe was gone so I had to wait, gobsmacked, tidying 'cause you shouldn't have a messy kitchen if someone's going to name a school after you.

Crazy thoughts come into your head. You feel like you should write your memoirs and/or die fairly soon. You feel like you should be a better person. That afternoon I returned my grocery cart from the other end of the strip mall where I had originally parked to go to the bank.

Immature thoughts too: wow, think of all the cool personalized stuff that will be available.

Sylvia McNicoll mugs, Sylvia McNicoll hoodies, Sylvia McNicoll pens--I'll try to buy some of those if they come available.

Jane Doe finally called back and it seems there are three other names in the running, can't remember any others but Dundas Heights.

No I don't think I'm famous enough or all that worthy but, yes, I feel honoured. I drove by and took a photo of the potential Sylvia McNicoll Public School. No matter what it's called, in my heart it will always be mine.

You're Welcome Bruce T Lindley Grade 4

2011-02-26T00:09:00.003-05:00

Favourite kids' quote of the thank you card:

"Lots of people may think you're not a professional author, but I think you rock."

And just how many ways are there to spell author wrong!

I love kids' thank you notes. All the authors I know must get them. And each must be told that her/his book is the best. Ah the enthusiasm! Just keep reading kids.

Visiting Bruce T Lindley School

2011-02-23T07:22:00.004-05:00

"Are you used to being up at this hour?" the teacher asks me. It may be because I've agreed to her offer of a coffee, explaining that I haven't had my required third of the morning yet. Up until this point, I thought I had been competently connecting my Macbook to the LED projector.

My mixmaster hair is styled messy deliberately. Costs a lot of royalties to keep it this way.

My face is fully made up, teeth brushed etc. It's 9 a.m. and by now I've looked at a couple articles for the magazine I work for, copy edited a chapter of a basketball novel my Norwegian publisher wants to look at (hey I'm losing a whole writing morning to this class), fed my grandson Hunter breakfast and made his lunch, double checked to make sure his homework went into his backpack, walked the dog and packed up all my author visit gear. I know people in 9 to 5 jobs do a lot of stuff in the morning but still I can't help wondering about the public perception of the writer's life from her question. Or her perception of me.

"Oh yes," I answer. "I am an early riser." The first image of my Powerpoint presentation rises up on the screen with no difficulty at all. Ha! I think. When we first approached the idea of me visiting the teacher cautioned me that she knew nothing about technology and that I might be "on my own" getting the projector and computer to communicate.

I should add, we first approached the idea three days prior when Hunter told me I was expected.

The 21 students were a captive audience. Yes, I took the entire first period English as they may have hoped since their book review presentations were due that morning. We all had fun.

The teacher gave me a lovely plant which I will post a photo of a little later when I try my new camera on it.

That afternoon I continued editing articles for Today's Parent Toronto and matching up my basketball novel in text form to the book it was published as. While I walked the dog in between, made supper, went to aqua fit etc, I only put the laptop down at 10:30 p.m.

And here it is 6:30 a.m next day and I'm up and at it again. "Are you rich?" one of the grade fours asked me.

"Not in the way you think I am," I answered.

Still Milking the Award

2011-02-11T07:48:00.003-05:00

Here's a photo from Creative Burlington awards night. I'm in the middle. Barbara Orr (writer) is on your left and Don Ford(The Burlington Post)is on the right. They presented me with my award, performing the opening-of-the-envelope-with-the-winner ceremony.

As in all the arts, merit is not always rewarded fairly. The real successes in a writer's life have to be measured internally. Certainly, I have my share of fan mail to show me that my stories have connected with my audiences. I have two readers(that I know of) who have gone on to foster many guide dogs as a result of reading the Bringing Up Beauty Series. A girl with an eating disorder wrote me over Walking a Thin Line.

A waitress spontaneously hugged me because her daughter had read Grave Secrets the night before after one of my school visits, her first book ever. There have been so many great testimonies to emotional responses to my stories.

I guess I'm listing these non-trophies because I'm feeling unhappy with my commercial success of late. I love all three of my jobs, writing novels for kids, editing Today's Parent Toronto and spending time in schools as an "artist in education" or as a visiting author.

But I would like the option of donating more to charity, paying off my mortgage as well as handing out down payments to my wonderful kids who give me so much joy. Or taking a friend to lunch and paying the tab.

Instead, I'll take another moment to savour this award as I sip from my cup of coffee this morning, watching the sunrise. Ahhh.

Award winning can be fun

2011-02-06T16:32:00.002-05:00

Just before Halloween, Andrea Gordon of Burlington Public Library forwarded me a notice about this literary achievement award. With the recommendation letter of another writer Gisela Sherman, I dutifully submitted my CV and an excerpt from my favourite book so far, Last Chance for Paris.

I also forwarded the notice to my daughter and what fun, both of us became finalists along with a communications writer named Bobbi Smith.

It was time for Burlington to vote for their favourite.

I'm not sure if anyone read our excerpts or if we just

got all our friends to vote for us. Creative Burlington drew

1,500 votes which was amazing for a first year event.

A few weeks ago our artist statement was video taped and we got an "artsmatter" t shirt. The rest of you can buy one for $15 from creativeburlington.ca.

Last Thursday, I won the event. My camera chose not to work so you won't see me grinning along side of our new mayor Rick Goldring. But here is the the plaque. Because there was a great silent auction full of theatre and dinner certificates, I pretty much spent my whole award.

No paying off my mortgage early, I'm afraid.

Still how nice to be so celebrated. Thanks to all for voting and for their congratulations.

CANSCAIP OLA Book Launch

2011-02-06T16:28:00.002-05:00

Despite an awful publishing climate out there, the seventh annual CANSCAIP Ontario Library Association book launch drew over 30 applicants this year. We cut our list down to 23 and had a tremendous launch Friday February 4. This photo obviously doesn't show all our plucky quick witted presenters.

You can't keep that many writers in one spot when there are so many librarians, publishers and books out there for them to visit. Still at least all of these have their eyes open. Congratulations to all of them. Good luck with your books.

Science North and Macleod Public School

2011-02-06T16:23:00.002-05:00

Why go to Sudbury in January? I love Sudbury any time of year but especially in the winter. I skated on Lake Ramsey and enjoyed the Imax Festival. This time I enjoyed a personal tour of the renovations and will be excited to return in the spring and see the Rescue Animal exhibit and the all Canadian Born to be Wild Imax film of lions.

During the week I taught a great bunch of grade five writers in Macleod Public School. They wrote terrific poetry and wonderful stories but there are new privacy rules in place. Out of respect for these, I can't publish photos or even snippets of their wonderful work. But it was a lot of fun writing with them. What a lucky writer I am.

The Residency that Got Away

2011-02-06T16:16:00.002-05:00

Every Canadian YA writer I know applied for the Writer in Residence position at North York Library and it should be easy to hate the winner of the post Allan Stratton, especially since he'd only written a couple of YA books and wasn't a member of CANSCAIP.

But then I read Chanda's Secret and wanted to applaud.

When I contacted him to try to get him to join CANSCAIP, I instead persuaded him to speak at the January meeting.

How generous of him to say yes and he spoke about the luck involved in getting the book into a movie. The happenchance of being at the right place in the right time which kind of convinces me that it's okay for a writer to go out once in a while and not keep there fingers to the keystone, so to speak.

Over dinner he told me about his residency and how much he enjoyed it. So despite all logic I applied once again, this time for the children's writer residency at Osborne Public Library. Hopefully, something good will come of it.

A Decade at CANSCAIP

2011-02-06T16:10:00.002-05:00

Lena Coakley was a fabulous executive administrative for CANSCAIP but she's also a talented writer. We bought her picture book On the Night of the Comet and were mesmerized by the story. Lena made a dedicated pursuit of an American agent as she wrote a fantasy. This fall The Witchlander will come out and Lena's decided to devote herself to writing rather than other kids' writers.

January was her last meeting and here she is hugging CANSCAIP's vicepresident Karen Krossing goodbye.

It was the only shot that I could capture them together, if ever so briefly. Good luck, good fortune and many great books Lena.

Mortie's Wild Dog Party

2010-12-17T06:52:00.005-05:00

Am I trapped in a Linda Bailey picture book? After icing the yule log, I gave Mortie a bath in preparation for his party. That's right, HIS party. We were invited to Pawsway Appreciation Night.

As part of my other job, features' editor for Today's Parent Toronto, he had joined me for the opening of the Pet Discovery Centre at the Harbourfront. He generated more press interest than any of my novels.

We were on television

together and in the newspapers.

Three years later, he had to look his best for a return visit. After his towel-off, he hid under the bed and refused to come out. I used my stern voice. "You have to look good. They'll probably take your picture again," I explained as I brushed him.

Talk to the paw. Mortie was not happy with me. After a tedious drive downtown, though Mortie forgave me. And yes the press trained their cameras on him again.

He loved meeting the other dogs. His tail hardly stopped wagging. Except for some reason he took a dislike to Sasha the Malmut. Maybe he was jealous of his Santa coat. Although there were plenty of water dishes around and lots of human treats, Pawsway forgot the dog snacks.

I felt a bit guilty sneaking Mortie bits of my grilled cheese and pear sandwich. As for the "So you think you can dance competition" I think Mortie could do just as well as the dog dancers. He has just as good a sense of rhythm and responds equally well to the rattle of the treat bag.

Maybe next year.

Kids in the Hall

2010-12-12T20:23:00.002-05:00

Real writers can work anywhere. Proof positive are these students from Brier Park School in Brantford. The signal from the router couldn't get through to the computer lab/stage although the thunder of the basketballs could. So we tried in the hall. Sometimes when I squatted down to help them, I wasn't entirely sure I could get up again. But I did and we had a great week.

On the final day we celebrated by reading poems and stories and acting out skits in front of keen parents.

This will be the last school visit for 2010 and it was a terrific way to end the year. Congratulations to Mrs Genge, Mr. Sturgeon and Mrs. Coulis for hosting it.

The School Where Revenge on the Fly Actually Takes Place

2010-12-05T22:09:00.004-05:00

This week I visited Central Public Junior School

in Hamilton to perform my writing workshop.

I also read to them from Revenge on the Fly, a story about 12 year old William Alton, an Irish boy who emigrates to Canada in 1912 and ends up participating in the Hamilton Spectator Fly Catching Contest in order to avenge the deaths of his mother and sister. This story takes place at Central Public. Yes it's a very old school.

I love reading to the kids anyway, gives me a break from yelling at them. Just kidding. But think they enjoyed having a story set at their schoo.

Meeting a Famous Author

2010-11-08T08:07:00.002-05:00

Working with 50 grade 7 students in the morning and 40 grade 8s in the afternoon proved no greater challenge than working with 30 kids at a time. Except when it came to one on one editing, that went out the computer screen since we had to divide the groups into two to type up their stories and poems.

Also my training as writer in electronic residence helped as I needed to read 90 stories in one night. Okay and my SRA training in grade 4 (speed reading for content but the initials stand for Scientific Research Associates).

In my last Artist in Education Stint, one of the teachers suggested I include more physical movement in the workshops so that's my new challenge. Instead of passing around stories, the students now need to get up and shift seats. If I could get taller desks, they could walk on the spot while writing the way Art Slade and the other treadhead writers do.

The first challenge is always getting students to write on task when they're in such a social atmosphere. Next time I must try playing classical music to blanket over ambient noise.

I miss the kids at St. Joseph School in Acton.

Beauty Returns--Book Trailer Part Deux

2010-10-24T13:09:00.002-04:00

Readers would probably be shocked at how much research goes into a work of fiction. When I wrote A Different Kind of Beauty and Beauty Returns, I needed to get into the head of a blind 16 year old boy so I interviewed some blind people. I hate the way that sounds and could write instead "visually challenged" or something else but it would all suggest that I'm interviewing the handicap instead of the person. And it's the people details in which a writer is really interested.

I met Angela Wice and she helped shape Kyle immensely by sharing the sounds, smells and feelings along the path of losing losing your sight and then somehow gaining a new vision.( for example she let me test my bloodsugar level exactly the way diabetic Kyle would.( I became a regular at her coffee house where musicians often visited to showcase new work. I became a fan.

When I write stories, I know I need music in my character's lives but can't really afford the time or money to purchase rights to songs. I believe after seven words of a quoted song you need to get permission. So I write caricatures of songs. They're shorter with bits of verses and minimal refrain so that a book reader gets a sense of the music but doesn't get bored.

Kyle's Lullabye in Beauty Returns is one that Angela helped me develop into a real song. I have sung it at the OLA launch of the story and at various author visits (one in a grade 9 prison).

Angela consented to sing it for the book trailer and my son Craig filmed it yesterday. The moment the first note left her mouth I felt so touched. A creation of mine had reached a new tangible level for me.

More poignant too because Craig and Eireann's baby Violet was there and cooed all the way through it. I also loved how three artforms were cooperating to produce something totally different. It will be awhile till Craig can put this all together. His daytime job at Emotion Pictures keeps him busy and I know he cherishes his family life in the hours he has left. But I also know it will be a masterpiece t.

Author Visit to Clarington Library

2010-10-22T21:07:00.002-04:00

First a two hour drive on a clear sunny day with no traffic at all. A good omen. Then at noon an interview with a journalism student, Nancy Ellis. Her story on me counts for 25% of her final grade, a replacement for a midterm. No pressure. She has to tape the interview.

I do this a lot with younger kids usually. No one's ever gotten lower than a B, no worries Nancy.

Hurray for Laura Martin, the hospitable librarian who hooks me up with a large cup of butter pecan coffee and a private room for the interview. Sample question: best advice someone's ever given me on writing. Best is such a hard judgemental word. Recently we had Vicki Grant speak at CANSCAIP and she said something about her best ideas being very close to her worst ideas.

That resonated with me. What about the best advice I can give a young writer. Explore your likes and dislikes and find yourself. Then connect what you find to your work. That goes for all young people not just writers.

Nancy can't stay for the talk which is in the adjoining city hall chambers. Gorgeous like a techno courtroom. The two techies provided to me swore off on my Mac--although helped get me some sound to my trailer.

Three classes of Grade 8s from Vincent Massey sat on two levels facing me. They are terrific. I would guess there are some good writers in the crowd judging from their thoughtful participation. Plus I have some superb actors perform my scene from Last Chance for Paris. Appropriate aws for cute puppy shots.

We all had a good time. I enjoyed a visit with Laura who previous hailed from a Manhatten Library. Then she gave me a souvenir library bag and pen.

Now what would make this all perfect would be to hear that Vincent Massey will now read my books and that Nancy goes on to earn an A+ and quotes me to future writers.

Teachers grabbed some writing tip sheets and the kids hiked back with them to school.

I drove off into the rushhour traffic.

Filming the trailer for the Beauty Series

2010-10-19T10:30:00.003-04:00

Why film a trailer for a series of books that has already been out for awhile? Does a book have any value once it's off the boxstore bookshelf?

Certainly in the past, kids' books had a shelf life of over ten years. Of course most bookstores don't have enough shelves. But now everyone can order online. Why did I want a trailer?

Because it's fun for me to put some creative energy into a project this way and I like working with my kids.

Here's my son filming random shots of dogs who resemble Beauty 1, the black Lab, Beauty 2, the Chocolate Lab (he will actually be played by Buster, Beauty's real brother) and Magic, played by Grand Torino. When I asked his owner for permission to film him, she told me she had read Bringing Up Beauty in grade 6 and in grade 7 had started fostering guide dogs with her family as a result. When I wrote that Buster was Beauty's real brother, you probably thought "hey Beauty is a fictional dog." However, his foster owner is also a fan of the Beauty series and she's raised several dogs for Canine Vision Canada. The last dog was born into a B litter, meaning the pups all get names starting with B. For the first time she was able to have her own Beauty she told me.

And Beauty sent me a Christmas card. Does a book have any value once it's off the boxstore bookshelves? Of course it does.

Shooting Covers for Dying to Go Viral

2010-10-11T12:52:00.002-04:00

Last Tuesday Dying to Go Viral sold to my favourite publisher in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Hurray!

After a few cover attempts failed for the Canadian publisher, my husband Bob shot the cover for Last Chance for Paris. Turned out to be my favourite cover of all time. This time I thought

I would try to give him first crack. My niece Kelly is the perfect age to play the 14 year old character Jade who dies in the first chapter when she "skitches" on a Mustang while riding her skateboard. Of course for the shoot, we couldn't have the Mustang driving. Then we'd be as stupid as the boy who attempts to capture this video for youtube in the story. So the car is parked and we hope for the designer to add the illusion of movement.

I like to get more creatively involved with my books. I'm an idea person so I can write good copy for back blurbs, I took scriptwriting for a year so I can envision and write scripts for booktrailers and I work at a magazine part time so I can think of how I'd like a cover to look at least conceptually. The actual colours and design, well really that's up to the visual professionals. But I also like to stretch creatively using the talents of my family. Traditionally publishers don't like authors to suggest or submit illustrations. And they may not like us submitting potential photos. But who knows maybe they will love it. For more photos of the skateboarding cover shots, see this url

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcnicollphotography/sets/72157625009561933/show/

Last Chance for Paris--the book trailer

2010-10-11T12:08:00.002-04:00

It occurs to me that while I posed some photos of the filming of the video, I never posted the finished product. My son did the shooting and editing. He's a talented videograper/editor who works for Emotion Pictures.

Will everyone buy a second and third copy of Last Chance for Paris? Maybe not. But my family working together creatively makes me happy. In the meantime, the autographed book is available at A Different Drummer's on Locust Street in Burlington.

Writing Lakeshore Public School

2010-10-01T16:31:00.002-04:00

Wednesday is dialogue day. Middle of the week, by now students might be tired of writing stories. They've done description and character so they need something light and fun. So I get them to write scripts and act them out. The grade 5/6s at Lakeshore were great script writers and wonderful actors. We laughed a lot and had a great time.

Seven reasons not to vanity google

2010-08-29T11:11:00.005-04:00

While trying to find a good Internet address to send people to view my Last Chance for Paris trailer, I inexplicably became hooked into reading about myself, this entailed googling my own name in quotation marks: "Sylvia McNicoll"

The results weren't pretty. First of all I discovered that on Boomer Counter they had a tribute already for me in case I died. On the good side, the content providers insisted I was still alive.

Then I saw that there was another Sylvia McNicoll in Edinburough Scotland who had a somewhat lascivious photo of herself up on some social network site.

I discovered that a young person was reading Last Chance for Paris but she added (HORRIBLE) immediately following the title. Why does she read a book she thinks is horrible? Conclusion:

it must be a novel study for school which could be good, I suppose.

I read the title of an article I'd written for Today's Parent Toronto with no stars beside it as no one had rated it. Not true, by the way, as I'd rustled up 20 some close friends to give it a full five star rating.

My blog entry about Exercising Creativity had been counterfeited over to an exercise machine site. Yeah, yeah they violated my rights. But who really knows what I signed in order to have this free blog site? Does anyone read those pages of small print that we have to check off

before using a program? Should I hire a lawyer and blow all my royalties for the last few years?

There is a page out there that says I wrote The Snow Queen published by Tundra. Ken Setterington actually wrote it. This reminded me of how I was once hired by a school to do an author visit based on a book I also never wrote (There's a Cow in the Swimming Pool) by Martyn Godfrey.

I found out a lot of other stuff like Grave Secrets is out in Braille.

Some teachers were discussing whether to use Walking a Thin Line as a novel study for grade six. It's been out of print so long, I know there are no royalties in it for me.

Also that you could have Google translate the sites about yourself in other languages, Norwegian and Chinese in my case. Surprising how many countries seem to want to sell my books on some version of ebay.

The best reason not to Google yourself is that it took up a couple of hours of time that could have been spent reading a good book.

Oh and that tribute about me? All it says is: "Sylvia McNicoll is a Canadian children's writer who lives in Burlington." So I'm relying on all my good friends, a lot of whom are writers, to make sure that at least they get the tense right in my obit.

Filming the trailer of Last Chance for Paris

2010-08-02T17:25:00.002-04:00

It's always fun when the McNicolls + Filipowiczs get creative together. Here we all return to Lowville Park to film the trailer of Last Chance for Paris. While my husband Bob and I have travelled over eight times to Alberta to research the series, the cover photo for the novel was shot at Lowville by Bob due to time and budgetary issues. The model with , what a cooincidence, the same tatoo as my main character Zanna, daughter Robin posed wading into the stream. In the book she falls in the icy rapids and tumbles down the stream. Here we try to re-enact the cover moment. Craig McNicoll, videographer and video editor supreme for Emotion Pictures, donated his time and skills to the event.

Robin looks like she's way too happy being buffeted by the currents in the shot. Afterwards the crew discusses whether the splash sounded loud enough or whether we should make Robin fall again and again.

Exercising Creativity

2010-06-28T08:38:00.003-04:00

This wasn't my idea. As far as I know Arthur Slade (author of The Hunchback Assignments) first started the trend and I wanted to get on board immediately. Only treadmills cost money and Arthur is ten years younger than I am. But then Gillian Chan (author of The Turning) appeared on CBC also using a treadmill while writing. She's the same age as I am and has similar joint issues.

Coincidentally Canadian Tire had a sale offering about 50% off on a Temp 621 T which I knew would work as Art had done all the research on the model. It also had the 90 degree handles required to mount a shelf/desk.

Still it took me a week of agonizing to decide. The day I went to purchase the treadmill, to my horror the sale was over. A more expensive model without the right handles was on sale instead. I used my persuasive language (begging and whining) and got them to sell me the Tempo at the past due price.

Then I borrowed a truck from Gisela Sherman (author of Grave Secrets)

My husband took the day to put it together. The screws are hard to fit properly. He bungee corded the shelf to the treadmill.

It's only been a week, but I love it. Even if I don't lose weight, I think it keeps me more alert and certainly I'm getting more exercise. I usually walk my Jackapoo Mortie about 5 times a day. I know what you're thinking. But Mortie can't have a treadmill of his own unless he starts writing books too.

Digital Camera--my favourite writing tool

2010-06-11T09:11:00.003-04:00

For Today's Parent Toronto, I was invited to a photo tutorial at Riverdale and then given the camera to keep! Hurray! These two photos are taken on my year old Sony. I love digitals for taking notes on fiction and non fiction projects. Helps my description immensely. I take photos of food,menus, and decor, for restaurant reviews. It's my visual memory.

I went mostly because I'd never been to Riverdale Farm before. I've written about it which always feels slightly fraudulent. We were encouraged to bring a child-subject so three year old William and I were off on an adventure.

Negin Sairafi gave us tips on the features of our new Kodak plus general hints in exporing our photographic creativity. I enjoyed the tutorial very much.

I loved the animals and the idea that here was this green and organic oasis in the middle of the hustle bustle city. I would post a lot more photos of horses and goat and donkey bottoms (that's how they faced us) except I accidentally deleted ALL instead of PICTURE. Maybe Kodak makes it too easy?

Recouping from the holiday.

2010-06-10T08:07:00.003-04:00

The first few days back from Alaska and in between blowing my nose from an airplane cold, I wrote like crazy trying to sort out the sites of Toronto. I checked websites, talked to people, looked over event calendars, asked Today's Parent people for some KidSummer sites, double checked neighborhoods and hours and prices, cut hours and prices because of space issues.

Readers don't realize how much work is behind an article, sadly publishers don't either. You only see the end result, you don't see the mass of info that got sculpted into a slant.

Now I feel better and I'm onto writing a feature on Art Slade. It's how I began my published career, writing about authors. First off I'm rereading as many of his books as I can get my hands on. A joy, really, no problem there. I'm also reading everything written on him. I've already been to one of his presentations with kids at a school in Newmarket, I've also seen him speak at launch and interact with a fan. Friday I will skype with him. I present in Saskatchewan all the time but just not conveniently in time for this piece. I'll meet his new daughter( just arrived from China ) on a computer screen.

Then will come the hard part, sculpting it all into a slant. Watch for it in the Canadian Children's Book Centre Magazine.

Back from Alaska

2010-05-27T20:53:00.002-04:00

No internet for me on the Coral Princess, well I did pay for 15 minutes to wish my son a happy birthday but otherwise I un-addicted myself. It helped that I forgot my camera-downloading cord at home. I hate blogging without an image. The surprise gift on the cruise was an upgrade to balcony which meant not stop beauty from my bedroom window. Listening to silence as we drifted through Glacier Bay was inspiring and eerie. Immediately below is a small iceberg broken from Mendenhall Glacier a short shuttle ride from Juneau. Incredibly I heard an explosion and actually saw one break off while I was standing there. Next are views from the boat of Glacier Bay and from my window of Whittier. Last is a snapshot of Denali Mountain. It needs to be a bright clear day for the highest peak in North America to appear. We had perfect weather. Over so quick, like a dream.

On the trail of the Feature

2010-05-09T21:56:00.002-04:00

I inherited a "staycation" feature from my fellow editor who became too busy. I love Toronto and always feel I should get to know it better so I started off on Harry the Hippo, an amphibious bus tour. Leanne, the tour guide, gave random trivia about Toronto like that the Royal Bank Building has $90 worth of gold dust in every window. No wonder bank charges are so high! The cool factor of course was when Harry splashed into the water off Ontario Place

We were pretty cold after our hour and a half tour, mainly 'cause we unsnapped the windows over the lake. After a hot soup, we headed to Harbourfront for a coffee with the dogs at the Pet Discovery Centre (Pawsway). Always fun to meet with animal people. No chihuauas in mini skirts today.

Then we headed for the AGO. Absolutely awesome in the true sense of the word. In the wooden atrium, there is a massive (sculpted )palm tree on its side, complete with roots. The exhibit is called palm Sunday. We also checked out the whimsical Bata Shoe Museum. I tried on some Elton John type shoes. We finished with the longest streetcar ride in the world ending in the Beach.

A great day. I have a bunch more museums to try to squeeze in before my trip to Vancouver and Alaska. Then the irony will be writing about a staycation while away on an cruise-cation.

Mining for Magazine Stories

2010-05-04T09:09:00.004-04:00

My writing job consists of three parts, one: writing novels which I consider the main part, two:talking about writing with students, there by exciting them to read and write and three: writing and editing for Today's Parent Toronto. All of these jobs crisscross in lots of fun ways.

I visited Science North while I was teaching at Alexander Public School a couple of years ago with the idea of writing a travel feature on Sudbury and their great museums and instead wrote Slam Dunk Robot, a piece of fiction for grade twos, set in Science North.

So on the way home from Timmins and the highschool art day, I stopped in Sudbury to shorten the drive and meet up with other writers and storytellers Aubrey Davis and Bernice Hume to give them a lift home. To pass the time waiting till they were done their readings, I visited Dynamic Earth and Science North on a complimentary pass they so graciously granted me.

I used to feel guilty about asking for these when I didn't know whether the visits would lead directly into a marketable piece of writing that would get them more visitors. Now I realize you can never tell where an idea will come from or what kind of story will evolve from it and so everyone shares in the gamble and process.

Violet's Celebration

2010-05-04T08:44:00.003-04:00

On April 24th Gisela Sherman (another great writer and good friend) hosted a welcoming celebration for my new grandaughter Violet Vivien McNicoll. Because the ladies who came seemed so much like fairy godmothers to Violet, I asked them each to write out their wishes for her, hoping that no 13th fairy would show. Now there is at least one wish missing so I hope that "fairy" will write me theirs so it is not lost for all time. Also the painting wish needs to be identified.

Because most of the attendants were writers, their take on the assignment varied. Here are their wishes:

Cathy Miyata: Expensive jewellery, opals and diamonds (I asked for specifics and this one is so juicey and decadent, it's perfect

Grandmama Maureen: In your search to find love I hope, just like Mom and Dad you find it in an easy and obvious place. (This wish refers to the fact that Erin, Violet's mom, and Craig, her dad and my son, saw each other a long time before actively seeing each other, if you know what I mean. Erin is Jennifer, Craig's sister's best friend. Complicated but they found love through family and friendship. A lovely wish.

I wish for Violet to have extreme skills in breakdancing and to be fluent in Mandarin. Auntie Robin

I wish for Violet to become an awesome Karaoke Diva Auntie Jen.

May your favourite colour be violet and may you use it in all your paintings.(I think this is Becca's)

May you enjoy the company of many siblings and cousins.(This one's mine and I made it because every Friday we have large family dinner gatherings that are loud, messy and hopefully fun for Violet. )

Vivacious

Intelligent

Outstanding

Love

Elegant

Ticklish Acrostic poem by Estelle Salata and her daughter Paula

I hope you read 11,000 great books! (including mineJ Gisela

We wish for you the ability to time travel and meet all the great McNicolls of the past. Jane and Wendy McNicoll (I agree with the sentiment behind this one. There are people who have passed on to a different leg of the journey who would have loved to meet Violet and give her their good wishes)

Arts Day at Timmins High

2010-04-30T09:26:00.005-04:00

It starts with the whole school playing frozen tag when Oh Canada broadcasts over the intercom. The arts day presenters get introduced in the theatre room by an enthusiastic drama student. Then I head for the conference room and present, over the course of the day, to four grade 9 and 10 students, some gifted, some improv, some so bored with life that eyerolling is their only exercise. They can pretend they don't like it but I know they did. "You can't say you don't know, there are no wrong or right answers," I tell them. "You should say instead 'I need a moment to consider your question'" . In my mind I figure I've given them at least one lifeskill to use in the all important job interview.

It's amazing how alive some of their words can become with some coaching. The last group became way more willing to share their work once the cool kid decided he would read his romantic poem aloud in order to win a juice box. The Juice Box Writing Competition was on.

I do love working with this age group. Not a lot of warm fuzzies like with the younger groups, the rewards are much more subtle.

Making writing "Apeeling" at Clarksdale

2010-04-30T09:20:00.003-04:00

How do you start a book? Where do you get your ideas? Bah! It's the flashing curser and nothing-happening moments that create the real problems in writing sometimes.

Here I demonstrate how I insert day to day real life in my stories. My grandmother used cucumber peels as a facial mask on her kids. My mother put them on our faces. I did on my kids, and then on my character Elizabeth in Bringing Up Beauty and now of course on volunteers in writing presentations. What does it look like, smell like, feel like...and click, click,click (pores closing under the cool sensation) sound like? Here I am at Clarksdale, getting a volunteer writer to peel the cucumber and another to describe the experience. Ahh writing!

Aww kids!

Charles R. Beaudoin--The Burrow

2010-04-12T15:16:00.003-04:00

This was my final Artist in Education stint for this school year. The gifted grade 5s reside in a portable at the back far away from the school. No wonder they call it the Burrow and have renamed themselves after Harry Potter characters. This is a photo of script day because my camera battery died on our end of the session celebration. For that many parents came and enjoyed poetry and story readings as well as a few scripts acted out. Hurray for the students and Jennifer Reid, their teacher. It was a wonderful sendoff for this year!

Schoolbus driver

2010-04-12T09:18:00.002-04:00

For years my husband Bob worked as an IT manager. Say what? No one ever understood what he did, especially the kids. Now he works parttime as a schoolbus driver while he pursues his passion of photography. Both are things our descendants, kids and grandkids enjoy and understand. Here's William and The Driver, as well as William with his mom enjoying the school bus.

Our Newest McNicoll

2010-04-12T09:04:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I wonder about posting family events in amongst writing process but, really, in my career it's so integral. Here is my new granddaughter Violet Vivien McNicoll born April 1. She may be fourth in line to the throne, if we had one, but she is every bit as special to me. I have attended too many funerals of both young and old to take for granted healthy, happy children or parents for that matter. And while I always seem to write about the end of the human cycle, I am overjoyed at the beginning of this one. Of course some aspect of Violet's birth or life will end up in a story. My readers just have to watch for it.

Halton Oakville Speech Contest

2010-03-26T08:06:00.002-04:00

Last night I acted as a judge for a speech contest. The students spoke on topics such as volunteering, smiling, technology, epilepsy, miracles, child labour,Emilia Erhart, positive attitude--okay that accounts for nine of 15 of them--volunteering was tackled twice.

I sat at the back of the room and had to watch for eye contact (do they even have eyes, next time I'm bringing binoculars) and check for a whole list of things including correct use of language, logic and devolopment of topic etc (I was given a ruberik). Whenever I hear that word I'm worried I'll have to move coloured squares into the right position.

The problem, of course, was this 15 students were all winners from their own schools so they were masters. You couldn't eliminate anyone for obvious errors such as mistiming or reading her/his entire speech.

Whenever I judge a contest, whether it's for writing, plays or speeches, I hope that someone stands out as the best because really, many are very good. And in this case so did the other two judges, really nice people--an Oakville city councilor and a consultant for the board--can't find their names in my notes right now.

Here's our unanimous vote for winner: Sabrina Freeas. She spoke on Child Labour and actually gave out brands that employ it. Lucky I can't afford those brands anyway. I wonder if we should all just sew.

Congratulations to Sabrina and Halton Separate Schools for hosting such worthwhile activities.

Coming up with ideas is hard-Charles R. Beaudoin School

2010-03-26T08:00:00.002-04:00

This is a shot of the grade 5 gifted class at Charles R. Beaudoin. They are my last students for this year's Ontario Artist in Education stint and for each of the six weeks I essentially taught the same thing in various degrees of intensity depending on abilities. This could get boring after a while except for the kids. They're all so different. These students like to offer up random interesting facts much like my adult writing friends do. Sometimes they're all over the place with their thoughts and things, pencils, paper etc. Just like me. So I feel at home with them.

So far my favourite comment has been "This isn't as easy as it looks," from a boy who was trying to come up with his license plate motto. So true about coming up with any idea or writing in general.

March Break

2010-03-26T07:52:00.004-04:00

Besides rewriting Death on YouTube till it was Dying to Go Viral and recovering from a cold, I spent March break recovering from a cold and hanging with my favourite people, the grandchildren. What did we do? Well, one hillarious passtime was spinning until Omi wanted to hurl or until you dropped. See the first shot. Jadzia has already dropped but even Mortie the Jackapoo enjoyed the challenge.

Of course we read together. I love the shot of Hunter and William reading together. Wish I could say they were entranced by one of my Canadian friends' writing. But no, it's Captain Underpants.

Thirdly we had great weather and went to Crawford Lake. Hunter loved the aboriginal stuff he saw on his trip with his grade three class. He's making cornbread with a gang of volunteers here. We also went to Bronte Creek twice and ate maple candy. A great holiday all around.

The Writer Talks on Voice without one

2010-03-21T17:56:00.003-04:00

The week before March break, I was stricken with one of those annoying colds that makes your throat sore for three days and then launches you into a full blown sneezy wheezy grumpy dopey (and all the other dwarves) colds.

The irony was the teachers at Charles Beaudoin had hoped I might address "voice" in writing.

Well sure. It was hard to do without one. Sucking on Halls and ice cubes, drinking tea and sipping on homemade chicken soup all didn't help.

To crown it all, I performed my first virtual visit at Aurora Public Library's YA book club.

I rested my voice for hours only to discover I hissed like a crazed granny when I tried to talk about Last Chance for Paris. ( Also I need to figure out lighting because either I was totally in the dark or I looked as though a divine light was shining through my face.) I wanted so badly to chat with them too. Although many of them were fantasy readers they said they all enjoyed my book.

With a week off from AIE (artist in education) duties, I'm all better. I did manage to write without a voice. I finished Death on YouTube and renamed it Dying to Go Viral. Now I'm dying to hear how my agent and Norwegian publisher like it.

Grade 5 Character Charles Beaudoin School

2010-03-11T08:51:00.002-05:00

Wednesday at Charles Beaudoin I led a workshop with grade 5s on character. Then, while currently I forget the names of the great teacher and student teacher in the background, I did remember to take a few snapshots. You can tell a lot about the character of the school and teachers by the energy and verve the students exhibit. Look at these walls--they're covered in stories and writing tips. The students were terrific to work with as they went straight to writing from our prewriting exercise. It's easy to talk about writing, it's another to work quietly inside your head when all around you the world is teeming.

Death on Youtube--the rewrite

2010-03-11T08:43:00.002-05:00

First of all we need to change the title since YouTube is a trademark. So we have suggestions from grade 5 at Charles Beaudoin: Killing on the Internet, Death on a Skateboard (mine), Killing on Video.

Well as brainstorming goes, I've come up with this one because of something my good friend

and fellow writer Gisela Sherman said: Death Goes Viral.
Another friend and writer Lynda Simmons (Getting Rid of Rose) suggested I need more of a sense of place. So off I went to Maple Skatepark and took some photos. Who remembered that it was so small. There's also a tiny one at Brant Hills but only one BMX biker at a time could go in that one.

The push is on. I want to have this off to my agent and Norwegian Publisher on Friday.

Wish me luck.

Writing--the best job in the world

2010-03-05T08:14:00.003-05:00

Wednesday I took some of my favourite people to see Disney on Ice--these were complimentary passes from my employer Rogers--I'm the features editor for Today's Parent Toronto. Also we needed to squeeze in a restaurant review, called Whine and Dine in the magazine. Last minute I discovered Arriba which overlooks the interior of the SkyDome or the Rogers Centre. Here's my two grandsons enjoying each other's company as well as the view.I will admit going on an event you have to write about is a bit stressful. Not because of the writing, I can think it out on paper pretty quickly when I have to--but because I worry things will go wrong especially when there's only one go through. For example, Arriba staff said they were open at five where the website said 6:30. If it had of only opened that late we couldn't have made the 7:00 show. Also Hunter had a stomach ache in the morning. You never know if

that would have turned into something more serious later.

As it was it went away and he ate well.

Mostly, I worry that the kids will have a meltdown. Magazine experiences tend to be manic.

You have to squeeze everything in quickly so you can write about it ...quickly.

But we all had a great time. Okay I'll post one photo of the show since blogging is considered personal use.

The End...Death on YouTube

2010-03-05T08:03:00.003-05:00

You think that it would be a relief to type "The End" when you're done a book. First of all many writers don't even do that--they type "-30-" some old-fashioned printer's code to signal not to look further for more text to print.

Instead, I , and many other writers I've spoken to about this, get depressed. My process is to write as quickly as I can, much the way I read. I gobble up stories when I read, I spit out first drafts when I write. Then I have to decide whether I've shaped it correctly. Off it goes to fellow writers whose job it is not to applaud--although we can all use a lot of that--but to pick it apart before an acquisitions editor can. I think it's the next leg of the journey that depresses me. The knowledge that there will be a whole bunch of flaws in my baby that I have to "correct".

Really, though, it's more like adding a second and third coat of paint. I splash down a first draft and the reader can't see the colour that well until I add a second and third coat.

Anyhow, for this book, I feel pretty good. Thanks to the five classes I visited this year:

(two at) Canadian Martyr, Alexander Public, Brant Hills. The students were so hooked from the first reading, I felt inspired to continue. It also helps that my Norwegian publisher liked the first three chapters and outline.

Memorable Event--Sixth Annual CANSCAIP OLA Booklaunch

2010-02-27T10:15:00.005-05:00

I can't remember having a better time than at this years CANSCAIP Launch. So many different approaches. Some read--authors read beautifully. Some sang--yes authors sing beautifully. Ted Staunton played a mean banjo and had the audience clucking and wiggling in their chairs like chickens laying eggs. Spring showed up in full costume and promises to return later. Some of the authors dressed up in crazy hats to help demonstrate Kari-Lynn Winter's book--all the while I was timing. So much fun watching them try to beat the clock. Next year it might be nice if we didn't launch on a blizzard day and if more librarians showed up to enjoy the wonderful performance.

New Writers on the job

2010-02-26T07:38:00.002-05:00

Here they are hard at work, creating stories about some strange stuffed animals, most of whom want to go for the gold at the Olympics. I love the Artist in Education Week,( it gives me much more of a closer and longer contact with my readers than an author visit) and it was especially fun at BrierPark School because the teachers and principal understood how much creative writing can contribute to their curriculum. It's often difficult to convince educators, despite the literacy push, that giving up half a day to writing stories with a professional author can enrich, empower as well as educate the students. If they can reason through the peaks and valleys of a story, thinking about how stuffed crocodiles can practise shotput let's just say, they will increase their powers of critical thinking for all subjects and for the real problems in their life. And along the way, they'll also learn some writing technique, practise their computer skills and sure, improve their spelling.

Brier Park Public School

2010-02-18T19:16:00.004-05:00

Forgot to charge and bring my camera or there would be a photo here of some outstanding actors delivering the great lines they wrote today. Two grade five and one grade six class write with me in the morning and in the afternoon. It's already day three of this Ontario Artist in Education sponsored week. Day three is always dialogue one of my favourite activities. I pair the young writers and they collaborate on one of three scenarios involving (usually) a young person trying to talk an adult into something.

It's interesting how the parents respond. In these skits they always seem to cave in and the young person wins. Is this wishful thinking or do all adults allow their kids to have dragons and aliens as pets?