In January 2022, I set myself three clear writing goals. I failed at my 2022 goals, completely dropping the ball on my fishy kids’ spy novel. There were small wins. I submitted short stories, and some received the best kind of rejection letters, which ends in “send us more.” In my impatience, I published a […]
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Changing thinking about exercise and the brain Written by bestselling author and psychiatrist John J. Ratey with Eric Hagerman, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain is a positive book that looks at how exercise can improve neuroplasticity, learning, and executive function. It suggests exercise as a helpful addition to medication, or sometimes even a replacement
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10 Reasons Speculative Fiction Writers Benefit From Conventions Do you read or write speculative fiction such as fantasy, horror, science fiction, magic realism or slipstream? Consider the benefits of attending a fan convention. I know what you might be thinking. The stereotype of conventions is that they are full of movie fans in Klingon costumes like something
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Do you love costumes? I love Halloween parties and dressing in creative costumes when I go to school (as a teacher-librarian). Here are five of my favorite costumes: Animal Costumes Panda. When pandas came from China to the Toronto Zoo, I wanted to dress up in their honour. The fun part of this costume is suggesting a panda face with
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What will humanity be reading in a century? Will paper books still be read? Visionary author Margaret Atwood is the first to contribute a secret story to Future Library, a unique 100-year artwork. Designed by Scottish artist Katie Paterson, Future Library is a real place, created for Oslo, Norway. Part of this project is a forest of 1000 trees, planted
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I was recently accepted as a judge for the Mash Stories Competition. The Mash Competition appeals to my fascination with randomly inspired art, and artistic experiment. Each quarter, Mash posts three unrelated words. Participants incorporate these words into 500 word stories of any type. It’s not necessarily Dada poetry, but in the right hands, it certainly could be!
Author Bio and Bloor West Writers Read More »
Is this Wattpad’s First Serial Anthology? This project is a paranormal thriller with a twist – author collaboration in a serial anthology. If you have ever wanted to read a suspense novel that combines mystery with lots of surprises, this innovative novel, the first of its kind on Wattpad. Exciting writers compete to display their unique style, in conjunction with
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Here is the new Loon Lake Books logo, in colour. Thanks to everyone who gave me input on FaceBook, and elsewhere. It’s probably a good idea to have a colour, and a black and white logo, but I like this one best. Entries to this blog will slow down as I concentrate more on writing
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I was lucky enough to interview the witty, award-winning Canadian author, Richard Scrimger. Versatile, he writes for small children, middle grade, young adult, and adult categories. My current favorite is his YA novel Zomboy, in which a new student turns out to be undead, and unwanted, by unenlightened members of his community. Zomboy provokes thought but still
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Could Wattpad be for you? Are you a traditionally published author, looking to open up new markets? Do you have an idea for a book that would make good serial fiction? This interview with Linda Poitevin is partly about writing, partly about marketing, but mostly about how Wattpad can help you find new fans. Since
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