Month: July 2018

Writers Extraordinaire

July 18, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Thanks to Marion Ann for the photo

Summer time and these writers are taking it easy.  This is my local authors group, VIRA.  On a hot, sunny Saturday we retired to the front porch to enjoy a picnic pot luck and talk writing.  The food was delicious.  The company was entertaining and the writing was downright terrific.  Part of the day included an anonymous reading for one or two pages of a member’s wip.  The pages were all dropped in a basket. Volunteers selected one submission and read it out to the group.  We then did a little kindly critiquing.  And we weren’t being kind just because we’re nice people.  We were kind because the writing was excellent.  We had to really nit-pick to find something that could be improved.

I’ve always enjoyed and admired the women in my group, but this week I really applaud them for their creative talents, their command of language, and their ability to spin a tale.

I recommend you check them out here.  There’s a new release page on the website.  I’d encourage you to look at both the romance releases and the non-romance.  These writers are funny, clever and daring.  Read one of their books.  You’ll be glad you did.

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A Painful Lesson

July 11, 2018 / / 0 Comments

This week I’ve been given the opportunity to experience what it is like to count the minutes until your next dose of pain medication. Complications from a dental procedure left me with a swollen face and an aching jaw that sent me to emergency over the weekend.  For two days I literally counted the minutes, day and night, until my next set of pills.  Of course, my pain was no where near that experienced by cancer patients or trauma patients, but I now know a little of how it feels when pain rules every moment of your day. Perhaps I can use that in a story some time.

Some writers will tell you that they use writing to get through the bad times. Not me.  I couldn’t put myself into an imaginary world when the real one demanded so much attention.  However, I could read.  I’m so grateful to authors who tell stories that, even for a little while, distracted me from my aching jaw.

And on that note, here’s a link that may interest you.

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Summer Day

July 3, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Ah, the thrill of the open road — on my bicycle. It’s summer time and tooling down a country lane on two wheels makes me feel like a kid out of school.  I wish I could enjoy the wind in my hair too, but I’m a grown-up and wear a helmet, as all sensible cyclists do.  But even with the helmet, there’s a sense of freedom in gliding down a hill, then pedalling furiously to keep the momentum and get up the other side without stopping.

On my journey I passed a field of new-mown hay.  Nothing says summer like the smell of fresh-cut hay.  That wonderful combination of green and dust and sweetness and a touch of engine oil fill the air with music and memory.

If this were the perfect summer day of my school days, my ride would end at a clear blue lake with a sandy bottom.  I’d dive into the water, gasp at the sudden cold, then settle in for a gentle swim, before turning on my back and floating while looking at the sky above.

We just celebrated Canada Day in my land.  It’s a day we commemorate the confederation of our country.  There’s a big party on parliament hill, but most of the population marks the day with a BBQ in the backyard, or a picnic at the lake.  Sometimes there are fireworks, but mostly it’s a day to enjoy summer and the freedom to bicycle down a country lane without fear.  A time to enjoy family and neighbours, maybe get a little sun-burned and collect a few mosquito bites.  That may sound dull, but to me it’s a lot like my bike ride — an exercise in freedom and the pleasure of summer.

Happy Canada Day to my fellow countrymen, and Happy Independence Day to my American neighbours.  

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