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Book review: A dystopian novel I really enjoyed

Just finished reading a terrific speculative novel by an author I wasn’t familiar with, Jennifer Anderson. I don’t normally like dystopian literature/movies, as they’re usually so grim they’re just depressing. But once in a while such a good story comes along that it’s well worth the read/watch. When I read the book description on Amazon, …

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Historical research – a wealthy 1800s estate

While I love doing research online for historical authenticity — let’s face it, I could get lost for hours — there’s nothing to beat actually visiting a historic site to give a writer all the fine nuances of life on a grand estate. To that end, hubby and I spend some time at the locally-famous …

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Hot tips from my first Book Launch Party

My launch party was a mixture of greatness and controlled chaos. I’ll explain that. I’ve done a lot of event planning in my time, and had every detail worked out, on a substantial spreadsheet — or so I thought. Actually, all my planning went…well, as planned 😉 Where I lost some control was in the …

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News items for budding authors

A couple of news items this week: July Camp NaNoWriMo is starting soon One of NaNoWriMo’s (National Novel Writing Month) less formal events. As they describe it, “…you’ll have plenty of fun honing your writing skills  alongside thousands of other participants cheering you on. During Camp NaNoWriMo, you can map out your own writing adventure, novel …

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The clandestine activities of ghostwriters

My book launch party for Through the Monster-glass, available now in both ebook and paperback, went very well this past weekend, despite printing glitches. I need time to decompress from that experience, though, and will share more about it in a future post. In the meantime, I read a fascinating article written about his own …

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Down to the wire!

Today my hubby and I checked out the venue for my launch party on Sunday, mainly to see what type of coffee machine they’d be letting us use (because good hot coffee, and tea, are critical!). Mosquitoes are out and I’ve posted warnings for guests who want to stroll the forest afterward to bring insect …

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Cherry blossoms, lilacs and a new Facebook page!

After a few chilly, rainy weeks, it’s undeniably spring in southern Ontario! The ornamental cherries, just tight little buds last week, have opened up into magnificent blossoms after a little warmer weather. The lilacs at the Centennial Lilac Garden in Niagara Falls have also burst into blossom, drenching visitors in their wonderful scent. Along with …

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Code like a Victorian

Where did criminals, blackmailers, jilted or illicit lovers post their coded messages in Victorian England? Why, in the Agony Column, aka Personal Ads, of the venerable The Times newspaper. Without any censorship or disclosure of the identity of the ad-placer, and widely read by everyone, including the Queen, the column was ripe for intrigue from …

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