Seeing a hopeful future through the eyes of young artists and Olympians
Watching the “2020” Olympics gives me such a boost, mainly because of the athletes’ positivity amid so much global uncertainty. We get to...
Watching the “2020” Olympics gives me such a boost, mainly because of the athletes’ positivity amid so much global uncertainty. We get to...
As the Games begin in Tokyo this week, I wish every single Olympic athlete well and I thank them for their strength and optimism in the...
May 10, 2021 It struck me recently that my work as Arts Editor and Art Beat Feature writer for the Old Ottawa East community newspaper...
Over the past year, during this COVID 19 pandemic, seeing our neighbourhood kids walking to and from school has reminded me twice daily...
Wednesday, February 19 is I READ CANADIAN DAY. When did I first read Canadian? At age nine, when I discovered Anne of Green Gables. It...
Ottawa's recent flooding caused the cancellation of this year's high school rowing season
Getting feedback from a reader is a bit like getting an A on an assignment, or a “well done!” from an admired teacher or boss. But, for...
A book’s setting, of course, isn’t just a backdrop, it’s a world. I once took a course at the University of Western Ontario with poet,...
I’ve heard writers debate this before. I do think about this, especially when I’m considering my next fiction-writing project. In some...
When I wrote Crash Course, the first in my Maryn O’Brien series about a teen mountain bike racer, I was focused on writing just that one...
I departed walking on air, feeling certain that books really do matter to kids. This past sunny warm Saturday (September 15), I presented...
Authors choose words like builders choose bricks and siding. I was the alien in my family growing up because I didn’t like board games or...
In high school, Atwood's novels, short stories, and poetry could keep me up past 2:00 a.m. on a school night... When my publisher...
She…allowed me to lock myself up for two days and two nights UNINTERRUPTED to get the final edits/rewrites of the book done. This is the...
Here I am in early June, for the third time since beginning the series, enjoying the final dance with my story just as Maryn’s racing...
For my second post for Dog-Eared Books, I found myself getting nostalgic about moms and reading with the approach of Mother’s Day. Come...
“There’s power in naming yourself, in proclaiming to the world that this is who you are.” – Janet Mock English director Richard Eyre...
Our great friends and neighbours the Levins gave me a 2018 Bike Art Calendar not long after the launch of my second book last autumn. I...
Most of these passionate readers are moms of teenagers involved in athletic or other competitive pursuits. I was thrilled to be the guest...
These “before” and “after” shots of my office/writing space re-organization show that I am finally ready to hunker down and immerse...