Spring into Summer 2018

Hello and welcome to new subscribers!
Here’s to summer! Warm sun, blue skies, green grass, bright flowers.
It’s time to take this newsletter outside.

Featured in this issue:

Writing in Progress

Spring in a Nutshell

Summer in a Snapshot

REMINDER: Book me for your Book Club in 2018-19

Writing In Progress

Usually, these newsletters highlight Separation Anxiety book events and Writeshops. Truth is, from January to April 2018, I have been in my basement, writing in a room I refer to as “Studio B.”
Although I was alone, I never felt lonely. (But not for the reasons this cartoon suggests.)

This next writing project is sort of a “prequel” to Separation Anxiety which began: “Three months before I was born…” Now I’m exploring the story of my mother before she became my mother at 33. Her childhood and young adult life have always fascinated me. Mom died three years ago, at 92, so I am looking through her photographs, keepsakes, cards and letters trying to piece together the story of her life. Which is why I need this timeline on my wall.

This life was filled with so many more people, places, and events than I could ever know. Which is why my “lifeline” on this project are librarians and archivists across Canada. They have helped me find newspaper articles, rare books, obscure documents. They also help me navigate this new world of digital research as I try to imagine a world from years ago.
Research. Write. Repeat.

Spring in a Nutshell

Remember April 1st? The coldest Easter Sunday in Alberta since 1940. No fooling!
It wasn’t until mid-April that I emerged from the solitude of Studio B. Writeshops, conferences, and book events were springing up.

Time to hit the snow-free highway!

I led a “Gift of Story” Writeshop at the Calgary Young Writers Conference: a magical convergence of 1200 students in grades 4-8 with 40+ artists offering an array of workshops. Both the view and the day were inspiring!

Onward to Jasper for the Alberta Library Conference. “My Companion Librarians” presentation was a tribute to the librarians in my life. When I was a child, they were my guides to the enchanted world of the Children’s Corner. Now they guide me to the far corners of real and virtual bookshelves. (Horses were mentioned but not ridden.)

Separation Anxiety was the May book choice for the discussion group at Calgary’s Nose Hill Public Library. What a warm and welcoming group!
Separation Anxiety can be borrowed from the Calgary Public Library in book-club quantities. Additional details here.

This author also makes house calls — in person, on Skype or FaceTime.
Visit my website for information and to download free resources: G oing (book) clubbing with Separation Anxiety.