Write-Off was great!


So the Write-Off–IFWA’s semi-annual writers’ retreat–was awesome. Managed to revise a whole short story and re-submit, as per the editor’s request–fingers crossed!

A Ski Week


So, last week my husband had off work, so we skied in Golden and Rossland, B.C. Had some awesome conditions with lots of fresh powder and steep slopes. One adventure in Rossland looked as though it was going to lead us over a cliff, but we were able to ski off to the side and get back onto a regular run. Untracked powder through the trees–pretty tempting!

John Carter of Mars–fun movie!


My dad grew up reading Edgar Rice Burroughs in the thirties, so as an adult he checked out the second-hand bookstores for his favourites and brought them home for my brother to read. That’s how I first got hooked on science fiction. So when I saw A Princess of Mars had been made into a movie, I knew it would be the perfect film for IFWA members to see as a group. We all went tonight, and it was great. Action and CGI. I read several in the Tarzan series, of course (my favourite was Tarzan the Terrible), one in the Pellucidar series and Thuvia, A Maid of Mars, but never A Princess of Mars. However, Gary tells me the movie follows the book fairly faithfully. Had fun!

Reconnected with Kensington Writers


Had a great meeting tonight with my Kensington Writers’ Group–critiqued two chapters from the beginning of a novel and caught up with the amazing things the group is up to. Naomi Lewis has a collection coming out this summer, for which she has already won an award by the publisher! Governor-General’s Finalist, Shenaaz Nanji has finished the first draft of her next novel, but says she wants to do another pass before she lets us read it for critique–sounds like a fascinating premise, and I can hardly wait to read it.

Rainforest was awesome!


Aside from writing (and submitting) a complete short story and making a good start on a second, travelling to Washington to write with other like-minded people has been great. This is my fourth year at the Rainforest, and it was great to meet up with old friends and acquaintances, and meet new authors as well. My two daughters were completely starstruck that I met one of the writers for “Portal.” Good times!