'Tis the season

The official start to winter is less than a month away. Do you have your winter emergency kit in your car yet? Warm boots, coat, jumper cables, a candle? Even for those of us in the middle of an urban area, you never know when you'll be stranded!

I need to get mine prepped. When I moved out of the house many years ago, I got rid of my snow shovels thinking I'd never need them again. I realize now that I should have kept one. I guess a trip to Canadian Tire is in order. It could be a snowy drive down to Blairmore next week when I start my month-long residency at the Gushul Writer's Cottage and I'll feel better with a well equipped kit in the back of the Honda.

While I'm in Blairmore, don’t forget that I will be doing a reading and book signing at Tuesdays Bookshop in Bellevue on December 17 at 6:30. Copies of “The Aquamarine Necklace” will be on hand, and also a few of “The Dragon Problem”, a lighthearted YA collaborative novella. It’s a nice stocking stuffer for a young reader.

Though I mentioned When Words Collide in a previous post, I want to tell you about it again because you can still take advantage of early bird pricing until the end of the year. Adults $105 / Seniors $95.

When Words Collide is Canada’s largest multi-genre writer/ reader/fan/ festival. It is being held this year at the Hyatt in downtown Calgary from August 14-16. There’ll be more than 800 readers, writers, agents and publishers of commercial and literary fiction from across Canada and the world. Terry Brooks and Kevin McDonald (The Kids in the Hall) are the Guests of Honour.  Terry Brooks has written The Shannara, Landover, Word/Void, and Viridian Deep series, and was also hand-selected by George Lucas to write the novelization of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. WHEN WORDS COLLIDE - When Words Collide

The energy of this event is off the charts! I’ ve attended it for 3 years and am always amazed at how welcoming and inspiring it is. This is a golden opportunity to meet writers at every stage of their journey (new, emerging, established), both traditional and independently published, agents, & publishers. Whether you're writing poetry, fiction, or your memoir, this is the place to go in August!

There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer, too. If you’re intrigued, please let me know (I’m the Volunteer Coordinator).

Now that it's winter, and especially during the holidays, maybe you have time to curl up with a good book? AFTER you’ve finished “The Aquamarine Necklace" of course, here’s another great murder mystery for you.

“Dead Simple” by Peter James. Published 2005 by Pan-Macmillan.

I am partial to British crime writers. There’s a grit to their writing that draws me in, and Peter James does just that in this first book of the Detective Roy Grace series.

What was supposed to be a harmless stag-night prank (although how anyone could think that this stunt would be harmless is bonkers!), turns into a nightmare for the groom-to-be after his buddies are killed in a car wreck.

What started as a prank becomes a golden opportunity for someone else.

Some scenes made my heart pound and almost took my breath away, but maybe that’s because I’m claustrophobic!

James skillfully points us in one direction, then another, on the way to finding one culprit, then another, on the way to a very satisfying ending.

But enough about other authors! My next book in the Janice Maidstone series is coming out in July, 2026. My initial working title (A Dish Best Served Cold) has been scrapped and you’re going to have to wait for me to come up with another one.

I wish you a wonderful Christmas and New Year, regardless of how you celebrate it. Whether you go all-out with decorations, parties, and feasts, or have a quiet day by yourself with a shepherd’s pie from the freezer, I hope you find joy in the simple, quiet things. And finally, let’s all hope that in 2026, we are a little closer to “peace on Earth, and goodwill to all.”