I’m excited to be able to share the trailer for my new e book, Moonsnail Song. It’s published and produced by Crow Cottage Publishing. The book is available through iTunes and Kobo.
Moonsnail Song is available
27 Sep 2013 Leave a comment
in News
The Fox’s Kettle book trailer
26 Sep 2013 Leave a comment
Here’s a new book trailer for an old favorite…The Fox’s Kettle by Laura Langston and Victor Bosson. I love this classic tale and I love the audio enhanced e version just as much. It’s available on iTunes.
A word of advice for David Gilmour and writers in general
26 Sep 2013 Leave a comment
in Help for writers, interviews
Not surprisingly, Canadian author David Gilmour’s words are coming back to haunt him. Mr. Gilmour, who teaches literature at the University of Toronto, may be having nightmares over an interview in an online magazine in which he dismisses, Canadian writers, Chinese writers and women writers.
I know. It’s hard to believe that anyone could be that dumb!
Unfortunately, for Mr. Gilmour, the interview went viral with widespread accusations that he was both a racist and a misogynist. Instead of apologizing, Mr. Gilmour made the further mistake of blaming the interviewer for taking his words out of context and missing that his remarks were supposed to be humorous. News flash…that isn’t an apology David.
You could almost feel sorry watching him dig himself deeper and deeper…Until he goes on to say that he only apologized because his publisher was concerned about a backlash against his latest book.
Really?
This guy badly needs advice. So here it is.
My advice to you David Gilmour, and to other writers:
- Think before you open your mouth
- And, if you’re stupid enough to offend more than half of your reading public, have the good sense to apologize
‘Nough said!
Celebrate Science 2013 Make It Fun!
25 Sep 2013 Leave a comment
in Events, For Educators, For Parents, News
Are you a parent, teacher, writer, or a librarians who wants to engage youth in science and math?
Here’s your chance to learn about books, a few simple hands-on activities, scientific collections and quests—designed to help you make science and math fun!
9:30-12:30 pm Beaty Biodiversity Museum 2212 Main Mall, UBC Saturday, October 26, 2013
Featured Scientist—Dr. Andrew Trites, Professor & Director,
Marine Mammal Research Unit, Fisheries Centre at UBC
| Dr. Trites’ research on pinnipeds (Steller sea lions, northern fur seals, and harbor seals) is designed to further the conservation and understanding of marine mammals. In 2007 as part of the Big Blue Project team, he unearthed a blue whale skeleton in PEI. This experience plus his driving passion to resolve conflicts between people and marine mammals are compelling. “I don’t know what questions will raise their heads tomorrow, that’s partly what makes this so interesting”. Find out more about this awesome scientist. |
Featured BC Science Writers
Claire Eamer , author The World in Your Lunch Box, Lizards in the Sky, Spiked Scorpions & Walking Whales and more; Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone, hands-on science writers with over 70 science books including the Dirt Book, Kitchen Science, and Hockey Science; Carol McDougall, creator of Salmon Sky View; Lori Sherritt-Fleming, artist, aRYTHMetic poet; Ashley Spires, illustrator of Scary Science and Blinky the Space Cat books and E.Paul Zehr, writer of books using superheroes to improve scientific literacy, Becoming Batman & Inventing Iron Man.
Special Tribute to science educator, Gordon Gore and founder of the Big Little Science Center in Kamloops.
Go on a guided tour of the Beaty Biodiversity Museum and learn about their fascinating collections and exciting programs. Did we mention the best part? Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors this year’s event is FREE! Who could turn down a fun-filled morning featuring the skeleton of a blue whale?
Register: Go to CelebrateScience.eventbrite.com
A delightful unexpected surprise
23 Sep 2013 4 Comments
in Writing Life
I went out to put some new books in the little free library I keep in front of my house, and guess what I found?
A lovely little card,
and some hand made book marks…
I love my neighborhood 🙂
My new ebook is now available on Kobo
23 Sep 2013 1 Comment
in For Educators, For Kids, For Parents, News
The audio enhance e-book version of Moonsnail Song is now available for $4.99 on Kobo and should be available later this week on i-books.
SYNOPSIS
Throughout the day, April daydreams her way to her favorite place in search of elusive moonsnails.
Narrated by the author and accompanied by an evocative ocean soundscape, Moonsnail Song is a rich and poetic reading experience for children. The rhythmic text and Sheena Lott’s evocative watercolors make it easy for readers to follow April into a world of misty morning fogs, sea stars, sand dollars and sideways scuttling crabs. Young readers will discover hermit crabs, tidepool sculpin, sea urchins, and a moonsnail egg case made of sand and slime and a million un-hatched eggs. As the day draws to a close, April’s daydreams drift seamlessly into a bedtime lullaby and sleep.
Narrated by Sheryl McFarlane
Sound design and engineering by Crow Cottage Publishing.
Reviews for Moonsnail Song
“Reading this book is like holding a seashell to your ear; you can almost hear the pounding of the ocean and smell the sea fresh air.” – Canadian Children’s Book Centre
“The text ebbs and flows like the sea. The words chosen emulate the sea setting; occasionally they are as crisp and stinging in rhythm as salt air. Or the words imitate waves…This book would be a great introduction to a sea unit or as a preamble to a shore walk. Recommended.” — Canadian Materials
The Wedding
18 Sep 2013 Leave a comment
in News
Weddings are wonderful, but also exhausting. We were lucky…the outdoor ceremony (at Beacon Hill Park) slipped between the morning and afternoon fog banks, and the rain held off until the next day. My daughter and my new son-in-law were a stunning couple, and their adorable baby, little B, was a gem throughout. So many wonderful family and friends helped to make it all happen, including my other two lovely girls who were bridesmaids. I was especially blessed to have my husband’s sister with us for a week, and of course, John was there in spirit.
As promised, here are a few pictures.
The girls in our family including baby B
And now I suppose I’d better start working on rewriting the novel I promised my agent I’d have ready…Sorry Harry, I will try to catch up 🙂
A hiatus
06 Sep 2013 Leave a comment
in News
Just wanted to let everyone know that I’ll be on a bit of a blogger hiatus while I help my daughter get ready for her wedding next week.
That includes everything from fluffing giant yellow and blue pompoms, to wrapping cutlery in napkins tied with twine and rosemary, babysitting my grand daughter while she attend her bachelorette party…lucky me :)…, making multiple pies because she doesn’t want a cake, and doing the wedding bouquets, boutonnières, corsages and flower arrangements for the tables. Since her dad passed away when she was young, it will also mean walking her down the isle and giving the traditional father of the bride speech, which I’ve written but will tweak obsessively until the day of. Getting through the speech without tears will be a serious challenge. You poor dads out there. I totally sympathize.
My husband and I did not have a big wedding when we married. Neither did most of our friends. This return to tradition has some advantages though. I particularly appreciate how it brings people together. Gathering friends and family together just doesn’t happen often enough these days. And of course, it’s good to have a real opportunity to welcome a whole new family into ours.
It will be fun, but emotional, not to mention hectic. I’ll update you about the happy event when I return…probably obsessively, so I’ll ask for forgiveness in advance. 😉
I have a dream…
28 Aug 2013 Leave a comment
in For Educators, For Kids, For Parents, for teens
50 years ago today, a great man gave a speech. I watched Dr. Martin Luther King ‘s speech 50 years ago when I was a a kid of 9. It gave me shivers back then. I watched again today, and iIt still gives me shivers. The message of this speech still resonates. “I have a dream…meeting physical force with soul force…I have a dream…from every mountain side, let freedom ring.”
Another classic brought to ebook life
28 Aug 2013 Leave a comment
in For Kids, For Parents, Picture Book Reviews
I loved this book when it was first released in print, and I’m so glad to see that it has been release as an ebook for a whole new generation of children and parents to enjoy.
Midnight in the Mountains a lovely book that celebrates a snowy family vacation in the mountains. Julie Lawson lyrical text perfectly contrasts the snow quiet night safely tucked in the cosy cabin with the joyous activities of the sparkling white snowy day. Sheena Lott’s illustrations almost ski right off the page and she brings the snowy night to life in a way that few illustrators could. This enhanced picture book features the author reading the story with sound effects that almost make it better than the original.
If you’re looking for quality ebooks for your children, you could hardly do better than Midnight in the Mountains.



















