“You’re not from around here, are you?”

I often describe myself as linguistically confused. Although I grew up in prairie Canada, I haven’t lived there in many years. As Tech Guy would attest, and except when I’m speaking with old friends, any remnants of my childhood Midwestern twang have long...

What’s in a name?

In the past month, I’ve been called Rebecca, Mary, Megan, and Jessica. At church last Sunday, another parishioner asked me where “Jennifer” was, mixing up English Rose and I.   Together with a struggle to name a character in my work in progress, and a...

Letting go

“You’re the writer. Spin it.” I didn’t appreciate it then, but those words, spoken by a sales guy with a swagger, a bespoke suit, and a Porsche, marked a defining moment in my life. Although I’d dabbled in fiction, I wasn’t writing it...

Life lessons in ABC

We’ve all had times which have brought more life lessons than we wanted to learn. As the primary caregiver for a child diagnosed with a chronic illness, the past five months have been that way for me.Yet, as I look back, I realize that maybe they were lessons I...

Friends

I’ve been thinking about friendship lately because relationships between friends (and family) underpin the stories I write. In parallel with the central romance, my heroes and heroines are part of a larger cast of characters and a community (in my current...