Blog
Staying apart but joining together: The rise of ‘caremongering’
With the rapid spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, in only a few weeks life as we know it has changed almost beyond recognition—and in ways unprecedented in my lifetime—so we’re all adapting to a new normal. Yet, as I stay apart from others (and social distancing is one...
Celebrating women who have gone before
To mark women’s history month (celebrated in March in the United States, UK and Australia), I’m this month’s featured author on my friend Mel Greenberg’s ‘Notes from the Nest' blog. I've written a personal piece about what ‘women who have gone before’ mean in my own...
Falling down, getting up and moving forward
Several weeks ago, while walking in my small town I slipped and fell on a patch of ice that lurked under a blanket of fresh snow. Since three generations of women in my mother’s family broke their hips, one when she was not much older me, that ‘legacy’ flashed across...
Meet guest author Anita Kushwaha & celebrate her new book, Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters
I don’t often host guest authors on my blog, but this week I’m happy to be celebrating with a dear author friend, Anita Kushwaha, whose new women’s fiction novel, Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters is now out in Canada before releasing on February 18th in the US,...
Four things about “real me” that shape “author me”
Every so often, I spot posts on social media asking people to share things about themselves that others may not know. In the case of friends, it’s a fun exercise because even when I think I know someone well, I also usually learn something new about them. And for an...
Looking back and moving forward
For me, 2019 wasn’t a wonderful year. Although it had happy moments (my trip to England in July was a special highlight), there were many more months when life was stressful and difficult in both my writing and personal lives. As such, scrolling through recent annual...
A different kind of Christmas
With less than two weeks until Christmas 2019, the few presents I’ve bought are still in a drawer, unwrapped. My holiday cards remain in their packaging and apart from a vintage Santa candle and musical angel, my cherished Christmas decorations are still tucked away...
Grit, passion and more: How my hometown shaped my life and writing
Last weekend, something extraordinary happened for my hometown (American) football team. After twenty-nine long years, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers won the Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship. Unlike my late mom, I’m not a football fan. I gleaned...
In praise of ‘virtual’ friends
While I’m blessed with many friends in my ‘real’ life (including one who goes back to my high school years and often reads this blog), my author life means I also have many ‘virtual’ friends—people I’ve connected with via social media who, at the click of a mouse,...
Photo by Robin Spencer, Spencer Studio