Writer's Retreat - Part 2

 August 31 2021

A sequel to the previous post.

Pam and I enjoyed a rejuvenating, and much needed, three-day writing retreat with our fellow Genre5 members – Gloria Ferris, Donna Houghton, and Donna Warner. The location was Donna Warner’s cottage in the Muskoka’s (prime cottage country in Ontario, don’t you know). Thank you, again, Donna, for hosting and seeing to all our comforts!

 

Early Morning - Lake like glass

    

Water Activity

                               

There were only five of us, but the amount of food and refreshment we brought along would have fed a crowd three times the size! No starving artists this time around. And with no readily available internet, distractions from the outside world were kept at bay for three days. Imagine – we survived!

The weather was perfect to enjoy the clear waters of Sparrow Lake. Barbecues, hot tubs, kayaking and paddle-boarding helped round out the days.  Evenings were spent by the water, safely ensconced within a bug free gazebo. A propane-fueled fire pit added to the relaxing atmosphere.

Gloria added to the fun by providing an activity to help cool us all down. “Wear a hat, and red lipstick”, were the instructions we heeded. As well, we coordinated our clothing for a photo ‘shoot’.  Our historic, laughable, attempts at selfies have been rectified. A proper stand and light ring for our group shots have solved the problem!  Next up – videos???

 

But yes, we did ‘work’. After not having a real get together in a year and a half, we had much to discuss! Brainstorming over marketing and promotion. Along with the next steps in our group collaborative writing project.

We’ve decided to be more serious with marketing our Genre5 ‘brand’ – especially if we intend to write a book together! Stay tuned for more details on this.

Genre5
Donna Warner, Liz Lindsay, Pam Blance, Gloria Ferris, Donna Houghton

 

An Instagram account has been created – Genre5Authors – and you should be seeing lots from us in the future. Make sure you follow us to stay up-to-date!

Award-winner Gloria  is the gifted creator of her successful Cornwall & Redfern Mystery series, as well as 2 books in her YA series – Blood Patch and its sequel, Blood Shield.  She co-wrote two novellas with Donna Warner – Targeted, and Death’s Footprint. Donna Houghton has a wonderful, and enthralling, fantasy in the works which is nearing completion. 

Yours truly, of course, as Jamie Tremain, have 3 books in the Dorothy Dennehy Mystery Series, and are this close to the launch of our new series – Grant’s Crossing. The first in the series is called Death on the Alder, and we hope to have its debut in October. This series is more cozy than crime/mystery, and we hope our fans will continue along for the ride! With a slight change in the genre, we are hoping to attract new readers as well.

Once again, we are delighted with the cover work for Grant's Crossing - Death on the Alder, provided by our cover designer, Jennifer Gibson.  She is also an author and her series focuses on Jessie, a high school student who is hearing impaired. Learn more at her site here.

September is upon us, and all around, there is much to be unsettled about. For me, reading a good book is such a wonderful distraction – when I’m not writing! Currently, I’m enjoying  “You Will Remember Me” by Hannah Mary McKinnon. I’m a big fan of her writing! Next up will be Louise Penny’s “All the Devils are Here”. As well, I’ve added to my Kobo, Edward Rutherfurd’s “China”.  So, as you can see, I’m prepared for the autumn!

What books have carried you through the summer? And how tall is your 'to be read' pile?

The retreat was a week ago. Memories made to last a lifetime! I feel incredibly blessed to say I'm an author, but even more blessed to say I have wonderful friends within this special group. Long live Genre5 Authors!

Cheers!

Liz

Click on the name to buy on Amazon

Jamie Tremain:  

Gloria Ferris     

Jennifer Gibson   

Four Favourites

As a writer, one piece of sage advice stuck with me; to write well, one must also read. If you know me already you know that books are my passion. I have changed genres over the years but usually arrive back at crime/ mystery/thriller/suspense. After I retired, not surprisingly,
my to-do list was to read all the classics. That never happened. By then I was writing with Liz Lindsay as Jamie Tremain.

This week on Jamie Tremain's blog I have featured four different authors. Two are crime/mystery fiction, a comedy/farce series and a literary drama of the domestic and family life genre. I don't discriminate. These books all had a different location so, I travelled vicariously with these characters.
Reviews are not my forte, so I keep them short and sweet. If you see a book here, you know I like it. I hate to give too much away as that annoys me when I spy a spoiler for a book I want to read. But saying that, reviews are so crucial to a writer so please let the author, or where you purchased the book, know you enjoyed the book or didn't. Feedback is important.


Launched a few weeks ago, the always funny Melodie Campbell has one more in the Goddaughter series. 'The Goddaughter Does Vegas.' This time Gina Gallo has eloped from 'the hammer,' Hamilton, Ontario to Las Vegas. What could possibly go wrong after they discover a double of Gina is front-page news where fraud and her wacky family is involved.
For a fun and quick read try The Goddaughter Series from Orca Book's Rapid Reads.





The next book I enjoyed is a prequel to the first in the Austin Starr Mystery series. The first two were placed in the sixties, but this book features Austin’s grandmother at twenty-three in prohibition America. ‘After You’ve Gone’  written by Kay Kendall takes place in fictitious Gunmetal, Texas. Bootleggers, flappers, and floozies with lots of adventure for Wallie McGregor when she lands in the sin city of Galveston. Loads of characters with shady pasts, an ornery aunt, and a romance. Oh yes, and a couple of murders. Published by Stairway Press.

Louise Penny can do no wrong in my book. Pun intended. We all have our favourites, and I have been in love with Chief Inspector Gamache of the Quebec Surete for many years. But is he still the Chief Inspector? You will have to read the 'Kingdom of the Blind' to get the answer to that question. I want to live in her fictitious town of Three Pines. Her understanding of human nature and interpretation of the foibles of her characters is brilliant. This is the fourteenth book in this series. Did I mention I loved Louise Penny's books? There will be a new book out this fall.

This author is new to me. We met at a book signing for her book "Neighbors" that launched in 2018. Hannah Mary McKinnon is from the UK via Switzerland and now lives here in Canada with her family. "Neighbors" is her second book with a soon to be released book  'Her Secret Son' next month.
'Neighbors' deserves all the accolades it has been getting as this is what I would call a domestic suspense novel. Loads of twists and turns and the edge of your seat prose. And that surprise ending. WOW! Looking forward to her next book.

Published by Mira Books.


Next month I will have four more books for you. I have quite a pile on my bedside table. Not the least will be Jamie Tremain's new book in the Dorothy Dennehey Mystery series. 
"Lightning Strike" was a labour of love for Liz and I as we continue with our protagonist, Private Investigator Dorothy Dennehy. As soon as we receive a release date from our publisher, Black Opal Books, we'll let you know. Stay tuned for an invite to the launch.

I think Spring is finally here. Enjoy the sunshine.

Slainte,

Pam

And How was YOUR Monday?

 

Mine started out normally – that is, I really didn't want to get up.  Stayed up a little later than usual Sunday evening in order to watch the première of Louise Penny’s “Still Life”.  Quite enjoyed it, although it’s always a challenge to condense a book with multi-faceted characters into a set time limit.  And I think the Quebec atmosphere was downplayed somewhat, perhaps for future consideration to the American market.  The setting could pass for New England, but was filmed in Quebec, which is where the story plays out.   Loved Inspector Gamache, played by Nathaniel Parker and hope that there will be subsequent episodes based on the rest of the Gamache/Three Pines series.

Back to Monday morning.  Left at the usual time, and began my 40 minute or so trip to work.  Hadn’t gone but five minutes when my car started chugging and no amount of pressure on the accelerator would get it going beyond a crawl.   This as I’m entering a fast paced express-way!  With hazards flashing I managed to creep to the next exit and limp my baby back home.  Nerve wracking with other commuters buzzing past and I’m sure muttering a few comments at my turtle pace.

She’s now been towed to my local garage, where I received the verdict about an hour ago.  Because I’d googled  for the meaning of the dashboard warning light I wasn’t surprised to learn I need a new throttle assembly, along with a fistful of dollars!  Make that a trunkload of dollars.   Now I wait to see if a) the part is available today, and b) if it can be repaired today.   Yes, a day off is nice, but this is not the way I would have chosen it.   I’ll be making up lost hours for the time over the next week or so as well.  

However I’m very grateful this didn’t happen right on the 401 Highway, or at the end of the day coming home. So there’s always a somewhat of a bright side I suppose.   And while I’m waiting for an update on my car I can spend some time reading.  Right now, I’m enjoying Barbara Fradkin’s  “The Whisper of Legends”.

Last Monday’s work day ended with a gas leak in my neighbourhood, here’s hoping by the end of today, THIS Monday will have settled into something resembling normal!

Cheers!

Liz

Theatrics, Food and Sunshine

Another weekend is fast coming to a close.  Lately they all seem to be going by in a blur – so hard to believe it’s May already!   But at last Spring really seems to have taken hold.  Trees have greened overnight and the lawns are sporting their first crop of dandelions. 

And huge congratulations to Louise Penny - THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY has just won the Agatha for Best Mystery Novel in the US!

Hope you managed to catch the excellent interview Pam had with Barbara Fradkin last week – if not, be sure to check it out and see what this successful author has to say.  Another interview is in the works for later this month – the guest to be announced later.

Pam spent most of the day with me yesterday.  We had some business items to discuss and then set aside in order to concentrate on polishing up our 3500 word short story submission.  This afternoon Pam sent our newest tale away to compete with others at August’s Scene of the Crime.

Aside from working hard – and oh how we suffered sitting outside in the warmth of the afternoon – we found time to enjoy a light summery lunch and shared it with two friends as well.  Pam brought along some delicious treats for dessert.   And for break I supplied scrumptious shortbread cookies produced by Sprucewood Brands.  If you haven’t sampled any of their handmade shortbread cookies, you are missing out!

Shortly after Pam’s departure, two of my grandchildren, Makenna and Max, arrived for a sleepover.  Makenna is quite theatrical and I believe she’d do well in that area when she is a little older.  The genes go back to my mother, who was quite the amateur actress in her day.  Several photo albums attest to her various performances in England prior to her settling in Canada after WWII.

This morning, after a good night sleep, we enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast of French toast, bacon and fruit….marvellous way to start the day.

And too nice of a day to spend inside, it was off to the local park for some playtime.  My son and his wife came to pick them up just after noon, by which time they were nicely wound up after a few rounds of pretend sparring and other gymnastic activities!  Sorry about that – no not really.

Which then left a few hours with nothing specific to do – except head for the outside with a book, sunglasses and the complete intention of dozing off – mission accomplished.

And now as the afternoon lengthens and the sun’s rays sink a little lower in the Western sky, I know its time to start gearing up for the week ahead….a bright spot will be the return of a good friend at work who has been away for a few weeks.  It will be good to get caught up on all that’s been happening and even better, to have someone to share lunch with again.

Here’s hoping your week ahead will be full of sunshine and all things good.

Cheers!

Liz

A Plane Weekend

So nice to see the days lengthening – amazing how a few extra minutes of daylight can lift the spirit. Now if only one could figure out how to lengthen a weekend!  


Hopefully Pam has been enjoying her weekend away and didn’t become snowbound in the process.   We are scheduled to have a mid week get together on Tuesday and compare notes on our progress with the changes to Body Perfect.

Yesterday I visited the Canadian War Plane Heritage Museum and spent an enjoyable afternoon there.  They are doing a remarkable job of keeping history alive; maintaining these vintage aircraft to keep them participating in air shows as well as being loaned out for films.  While there I picked up a couple of DVD’s; one of which was lengthy documentary on the Battle of Britain. 

My mother lived through the Battle of Britain and I grew up hearing stories of her war time experiences – spending nights in the bomb shelter, food rationing etc. And the older I become the more interested I have become in that part of history, with a special appreciation for the sacrifices made.  A favourite recounting was of how she and my father met.

He, a Canadian infantryman, was assigned a billet in London, where he was stationed.  The billet was with my mother and grandmother, who were willing to share their home with one or two soldiers, in return for the comfort of having  trained soldiers nearby during these scary, but exciting, times.

Early evening and a knock at the door announced their arrival.  My mother went to the door and was happy to see two handsome soldiers.  As introductions were made, my mother commented on how these two single women were glad to know they would now have a couple of brave Canadian soldiers on the premises.  And then the nightly air ride siren screamed into life – a routine occurrence for residents of the times.  The women prepared to trek to the shelter in the backyard and turned to get the men to follow.  They had disappeared from the doorway! Quickly glancing around the room they were soon spotted – cowering under the dining room table.

He must have redeemed himself at some point as they were married some years after the end of WWII, and he brought her to Canada to begin a new life.

There were countless other stories, most amusing in one form or another. Both my parents often said it was still the best time of their lives, and I wish now I’d paid more attention to the stories they loved to recount. Even my oldest son now has remarked he wished Grandpa was still alive so that he could learn firsthand of a soldier’s experience.

But back to the present and with it another work week.  A week of vacation in February is just around the corner and that helps me stay motivated on those cold and dark mornings when its so difficult to throw the covers back and start all over again.

Registrations are done for Bloody Words and we are excited about that. For my part, I’m still inspired to get the work done on Body Perfect that we vow to complete.  But oh, the distractions – I’ve just started A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny and its promising to be a page turner -  I must be strong!

Have a good week

Cheers!

Liz

GPS!

I was wishing I had the GPS system I received for Christmas as I headed out to Liz’s place in Guelph this morning. I had general directions and was sure I would recognize the cut off but after a few attempts and making a couple of u-turns I phoned for help and arrived a few minutes later. It does not help when you don’t carry a phone as I had to find a call box and they are in short supply these days.

After a surprise snow storm on Wednesday that crippled traffic and covered up my tulip bulbs, today was brilliant sunshine but still very cold. Roads were dry though so it made it easier to travel around the different campuses at Guelph University when I was lost this morning. There are seven colleges in all; the main ones are agriculture and veterinary medicine. So all was not lost except for me!!! I did get to see some really diverse architectural buildings and residences. There was also the Arboretum that is frequented by horticulturists and botanists from around the province. This is all within 10 minutes of Liz’s place.

After I was introduced to the four cats again we settled down for some revising. With lots of coffee, chocolate covered almonds , yummy biscotti and a break for lunch we managed to read and revise six chapters before calling it a day at 4pm. We were very happy with what we had accomplished. I made the trip home by 5pm. No detours this time.

An election was called today for May 2nd. That’s all I will say on the subject today. Let’s see what they all have to say first before I make any comments. The back stabbing has started already.

I have mentioned Louise Penny many times before as one of my favourite authors. She has a new nomination today to add to her many accolades. This evening is the judging of the Dilys Award given out by the Independent Mystery Booksellers for the book they most enjoyed selling last year. Lots of great nominees but of course I am rooting for Louise. Good luck Louise.

I try and learn a new lesson every day. So what did I learn today.......
1. Do not go out of the house without a GPS system when you get lost at every turn. That is why my sons bought it for me!!!
2. This is not a new lesson but needs to be repeated often. If one continues to eat chocolate covered almonds as if your life depends on them one will most certainly always look like the Goodyear blimp!

Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

My to-do list was very long and I was not sure I had the energy or the inclination to get much or any of it done. I answered a few emails, threw on some laundry and took some pork chops out of the freezer for dinner. Now I could do what I really wanted to do. Every year I attend the "Word on the Street" It takes place all across the country and every Fall I take the train to Toronto to meet up with and listen to some of my favourite Authors. It's a nice relaxing way to get some inspiration and motivation of which I am in dire need of.

I decided to go to Kitchener instead of Toronto as I don't mind driving and I like to see the colours in the country. I Googled the directions..... but I still got lost when I arrived in Kitchener.
I have not been there for 40 years or so and I forgot how large a city it is. It should have taken me an hour but it was more like 2hours and 20 mins. I did stop for lunch as I had to get directions. Then I needed gas so I asked a taxi driver where the park was and I finally made it.

It was worth the struggle to get there. GPS system is on my list for Christmas.

Victoria park is a stunning area of winding trails and small bridges over the Grand river. The tents were set up all along the river's edge and as I parked the car quite some distance to the tents I was able to enjoy the nature in the area. Small islands of trees were populated with nests of ducks , swans and of course Canada geese. Much to my suprise a Blue heron was fishing for his afternoon snack. Only the one and he did manage a large fish that soon went down the gullet.

When I made it over to the tents I was just in time to listen to the end of Louise Penny discuss her latest novel and read from it. It is called "Bury your Dead" . Set in Quebec City it still has my favourite gumshoe. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Lovely man. I can't wait to get started on this latest from Louise.
I bought a book and stood in line for her to sign it and say a few words. We had a hug and she signed my book but by this time she was a little frazzled as the lineup was long. Just what every author wants. Lots of sales. I will let you know how this one turns out.

I would like to tell you that I made it home in a hour but...well I was cruising along nicely on the 401 hwy when I spied Guelph Line and thought I would head home that way but I seemed to be off in the wrong direction again. But I did get to see some wonderful colours in the trees and not just your usual sheep and cows but LLamas and Alpaca's and directions to a Bison farm where you could partake of a ride on one if you so choose!!! Must take a note of that for the next time I am bored.

I do have some pictures of my adventures today but as usual I will have to spend some time trying to figure out how to put them on here.

Well it has finally taken me almost as long to put these two pictures on here as it took me to drive to Kitchener. Not my forte.

I enjoyed the rest of the event and hopefully Liz and I will be there soon to sell you our wee baby.

Talk later,

Slainte,

Pam

Home Again

What a weekend! The Bloody Words Mystery Conference in Ottawa ended yesterday and it was terrific. Canada has a blossoming network of superb and masterful crime and mystery writers, worthy of international acclaim they have received! Name dropping will follow shortly. And Pam will be providing some photos.

The flight to Ottawa was less than an hour, or equal to my daily commute to work on the highway each day. We flew with West Jet and it was a good experience - nice to see a company live up to their advertising!

Ottawa weather was sensational and Pam and I took to the streets on Friday. Wandered the Sparks Street mall - with an unplanned visit to a local jewellry store which Pam can tell you about, and then over to the ByWard Market, http://www.byward-market.com/ which was established in 1826.
Stopped into a tea shoppe and enjoyed a delightful pot of Earl Grey and sinfully delicious scones sitting outside in the sunshine, watching shoppers and tourists (hard to tell the difference) pass by.

As we wound our way back to the Marriott we strolled the grounds of the Parliament Buildings, enjoying the scenery and appreciating the fact that we could even get that close to our icon of government and political history. No barricades or guards to impede your walk.

Back to the hotel to get ready for the registration and the start of workshops and panels, but lamenting the fact that we seemed doomed to the Starbucks facility within the hotel, not finding a Tim Horton's coffee shop within easy walking distance! (We are SUCH java connoisseurs!) As well, the hotel was situated in the government area of Ottawa so there is not much business activity after 5 pm...in fact the Starbucks in the hotel closed up at noon on Sunday!

The weekend found us mingling with established authors, newly published authors, and those like us who have finished their work and seek the means and venue to get it published! We received a valuable critique of Madelaine and agreed that the points and concerns raised need attention. So we will need to do some rework and polishing.

Our favourite Canadian author, Louise Penny, had an amazing interview which we sat in on. At the end of the interview Pam went up to Louise, who reached across the table to give her a hug, and then Pam mentioned that I was with her. Louise immediately rose from her seat and came off the podium to give me a hug and say it was wonderful for us to meet! She is a very classy lady...throughout the conference we often ran into her and her lovely husband Michael - in the lobby and the elevators, and she was always quick with a greeting and warm smile.

Other authors we met and listened to on panels include Anthony Bidulka , http://www.anthonybidulka.com/home.php from Saskatchewan. I definitely will be looking for his Russel Quant series! Rick Mofina, http://www.rickmofina.com/ from Ottawa, was also a treat to listen to and I have purchased one of his books, "Six" to read.

And so many of these wonderful writers are also incredibly funny....we attended a "Liar's Panel" first thing Saturday morning and I have not laughed so much in a long time. Great story tellers (of course), their task was to answer questions posed by the moderator and then the audience had to determine if they were telling the truth or not...all in aid of fundraising for literacy awareness. If their story was true, the attendee had to cough up a loonie ($1 dollar coin), but if the author had been rightfully deduced to be fibbing, their penalty was $5 or more. Great fun moderated by another wonderful and very funny Canadian author, Mary Jane Maffini http://www.maryjanemaffini.ca/

The international guest speaker was Denise Mina http://www.denisemina.com/index.htm- again I purchased one of her books. She is from Scotland and was an absolute riot to listen to...can't wait to start reading her work as well. Pam will likely tell you more about Linwood Barclay http://www.linwoodbarclay.com/ and Vicky Delaney to mention a couple.

Saturday evening was the Gala Dinner, good meal, and even better conversations.

The time went far too quickly and as we were checking out of our hotel room, I took one last look out of our 16th floor window. As my gaze wandered over the streets below, I called to Pam and asked her to look at the scene below. "Tell me what you see" I said. Puzzled Pam did so, but wondered what she was looking for. So the first clue - "Look for something red" resulted in her seeing a red car parked on the street. I asked her to look just past that red car; she still wasn't sure what she was looking for....until I pointed out the familiar red and yellow of a Tim Horton's coffee shop! All the time just up the street from the hotel! Obviously our attention to detail needs some fine tuning.

What a wonderful time we had, far too much information to even scratch the surface here, but it was well worth every penny (and lack of Tim's coffee) to be there.

I'll leave room for Pam to add more and look for more links to favourite authors to be added soon.

Cheers!

Liz

Four More Sleeps.....

….and then we are off to Ottawa and “Bloody Words”. I’ve spent a lot of this weekend trying to decide what to pack and then of that what is absolutely necessary! The conference promises “reams of books” as part of our package, so there must be room left in the suitcase for that.

But even more difficult than deciding what to pack is deciding which items on the agenda we want to attend. Saturday has been booked in blocks, with 3 topics and/or speakers running concurrently. And so many of them are of great interest…how to decide which is of more benefit?

No question though about wanting to hear Louise Penny, that’s a given!

Hard to believe its June 1 tomorrow, the weather has been sunny but definitely cool. Not that I’m complaining, for I do not suffer gladly the humidity our Canadian weather produces starting anytime now. Don’t get me wrong, I love sunny days and warm temperatures, just keep the energy-sapping humidity away please.

And only three days of work this week. Fly into Ottawa Thursday afternoon and return Sunday evening..and THEN I can enjoy a whole week away from work.

My granddaughter will be 4 in a week’s time, so a shopping/lunch trip is planned on her special day with her mum to see what Nana can buy for the birthday girl.

The afternoon is winding down and there are still chores I need to attend to, so I probably won’t post until after Bloody Words, or if Pam has her laptop with her and we can get it connected, perhaps we will blog from the hotel.

Cheers!
Liz

Ahh- ah - chooo!

Four weeks of coughing and NOW I get the head cold? Two doctor visits and a chest xray provide no information other than its probably a very stubborn virus and has to be waited out. I've never had a cough that's held on like this before. Seems to be on its way out and then returns with a vengeance....and just for more fun it seems a head cold is finally settling in. I see a trip to the drugstore for more cough and cold remedies and a ton of kleenex.

Pam has had a week of roller coaster emotions; she lost a sister in law very suddenly and is grieved that she is unable to make the trip to Scotland for the funeral - my prayers and sympathies are certainly with her and her family. Plus dealing with all the ongoing stresses at work.

But at least a highlight - she was able to chat with two favourite authors (Peter Robinson and Louise Penny) at a recent author's gathering down at Harbourfront in Toronto. And she was able to get Louise Penny to autograph my own copy of her latest book in the Gamache series, "The Murder Stone" - certainly now a prized possession of mine!


Pam had several photographs of her meeting with Louise, seen below.

Unfortunately the photos taken of her and Pam didn't turn out all that well, but I'm going to post this one as the best of the lot:

I wish I could have been there with Pam to meet Louise, but perhaps some day we will be able to meet at the launch of "Madelaine - Shadows and Light". Which of course is our priority to get finished ASAP!

Last night was Halloween, and like Pam, its not an event I care for. We did go over to our son's house to see the grandchildren's costumes: 5 year old Michael was a Transformer; brother Noah an adorable walking Pumpkin. 3 year old Makenna was a fetching Pirate Captain, with her curly blonde hair! and baby brother Max toddled about in a Turtle outfit.

Good news about today is that the clocks go back! Yeay - an extra hour of sleep...personally I just wish the powers that be would leave the time set at either Daylight Savings Time or standard time and be done with it!

Well enough rambling, time to get on with the day. Now where did I put that package of cough candies?

Cheers!
Liz

Ghosties & Goblins

It seems to get longer and longer between posts but life gets in the way sometime. I am at home today as a day of bereavement for my sister-in law who died suddenly Sunday morning. I was going to try and make the funeral in Scotland but my husband pointed out that we had let our passports expire. Lesson learned. I will visit with my brother next year, but my heart and thoughts will be with them all this Saturday.

Liz is back from her much needed break but is still nursing a very bad cough and is into the fray at work. She is moving in the next month so I am not sure how much writing she will manage as packing boxes and all that a move entails will be foremost in her mind. Life certainly takes twists and turns sometimes.

The editing is coming along and Peter is working on Chapter 12. Not finding a great deal to change and that makes me very happy. When Liz revises the last few chapters we will be ready to format and make editing changes and then it will be done. May send to the printer to be bound so that we can have an original copy each.

Earlier in the week I went to the Harbourfront ,International Festival of Authors in downtown Toronto. It must have been the coldest night of the year so far.I walked from the train Station to the venue ,with the cold wind almost knocking me off my feet and chilling me to the bone I wondered what I was doing there all by myself. And why did I not drive? Especially since I was not sure where I was going and lots of strange characters around at night.

I made it with nose running and no feeling in my feet or hands but it was worth it.
Standing in line for my ticket was a guy I recognized and when he moved away I turned and introduced myself to Peter Robinson, one of the greatest writers of crime fiction with his Inspector banks series. Chatted for a few minutes and then he was pulled away by his adoring public. he has a new book out but the name escapes me.

I had gone specifically to hear Louise Penny read from her latest book "The Murder Stone" and there she was standing chatting with her husband Michael and another couple.
Again, I introduced myself. Don't know what she thought. Still blowing my nose and trying to get the blood back into my hands and rattled on about how much I was enjoying her book. Although we have had a correspondence before and she had critiqued our book she was having a hard time remembering who I was. She meets so many people. Well it came to her eventually when I said Jamie Tremain. Ah Ha. The magic words.

The evening was very interesting. One poet and four novelists of crime fiction. Louise speaks so well and she was the only one that I completely understood. She was a CBC journalist on Radio for 20 years so her voice carried. Such a striking woman and we had a nice chat later. Took some pictures and hope to put them on whenever I figure that out. I picked up a copy for Liz and she signed both for us.

The walk back was not as cold as the wind was behind me. I missed the street car and did not have enough cash for a cab. Had to wait 40 minutes for the train and Peter picked me up at 11.30pm. Past my bedtime but the whole evening took my mind off the sadness I felt about my brothers loss.

Today is Halloween and I am being a humbug about it. I will keep the lights out as I am not in the mood for ghosties and goblins. Tomorrow is a visit to two of my g kids in Barrie and I will help them eat the chocolate candies they receive tonight, if there are any left.

Have a good w/e.

Pam

We've Built the House.....

....now we need to decorate it!

These sage words were uttered by me, myself, and I during our weekend writing endeavour, in Paris (Ontario).

As Pam has mentioned, we were thrilled to have received feedback from Louise Penny on our first three Chapters on the eve our planned writing weekend! How kind of her to actually take the time to read our work and then reply with suggestions and praise. And how true that a little bit of praise can do wonders!

What we have written so far, seems to be comparable to building a house. We have the framework and basics, we just need to add those touches which will make it more complete and the best that it can be.

Part of the advice she gave us included the suggestion we visualize scenes as if we were watching them on television or in a movie. And then to describe what we see. For me, that was pure inspiration and helped lead to a more successful re-write of Chapter One over the weekend. This helps to avoid an essay-type of writing which we seem to have fallen into.

It would be wonderful if Pam and I could work full time at this enjoyable occupation of writing! The weekend proved that we are more productive and creative when we can actually sit together for a good chunk of time. At times we seemed to not only read out loud what we had written, but almost to act out some of the scenes as well! Somehow I think that behaviour might be frowned upon at the cafeteria where we work.

My thanks as well to Rebecca, and her mom, for allowing us the chance to enjoy their trailer as a writer’s retreat. (The pork tenderloin and grilled veggies were amazing, yum!)

Well it’s been another long day at work. I’ve been covering my manager’s desk while he is (hopefully) enjoying a two week vacation. All I can say is that the day is not without its stresses!

The humidity threatens to stay with us – not my favourite kind of weather, and also takes its toll on one’s energy level. Having said that, I will now say goodnight and ready myself for bed – the morning appears to arrive earlier and earlier each day!

Cheers!
Liz

Nothing ventured nothing gained.

My goal is to write something everyday but life sometimes gets in the way. Yesterday was very unproductive with a weather induced headache that I could not shake. Today the weather is not much better and it is gloomy and overcast but everything is relative. Compared to the American Midwest flooding and the latest typhoon to hit the Philipinnes we have been let off lightly.

This past week I have been rereading the chapters that Liz has been revising. She is at Chapter seven and doing a super job. She has found a program that we will use to send our chapters back and forth and communicate easier. Well, easier for some as I take a bit longer to learn something new when it is technology driven.

I was very bold this last week and wrote to Louise Penny. She is a Canadian author that we both admire and have mentioned before.When she offered in one of her books to help new writers as she had been helped I took her at her word. Very cheeky. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
I heard back from her within the hour and she very graciously said she would read three chapters, time permitting. You could not keep the smile off my face.
So the plan is to polish those first three chapters and ship them off to her. Stay tuned for an update on that.

Liz and I hope to get away again next month for a w/e to do what we hope will be the last revisions. There is also a two day writers workshop at Humber College I want to look into as the subject is "How to deal with Editors, Publishers and agents "and also how to market your books. It's expensive but maybe we can write it off as an expense??

Today my husband and I are travelling up to Barrie to visit my daughter and her boys to celebrate her 30th birthday. It is a very strange feeling having all of your children over the age of 30. Yes, do the math. But I was a child bride!!!

I will get back to reading and revising tonight before I get myself sorted out for the week ahead and planning my weeks vacation the 1st week in July.

Cheers
Pam

A Small Break Needed!

It’s only page six! Page six of Chapter One of Madelaine. I finally had time this evening to start typing up our revision efforts of the weekend past. Almost as slow going as the process of revision – I have to keep fighting the temptation to just keep reading, and miss all our little changes and notes!

Pam has already moved on a couple of chapters with changes she feels need to be made, so once I’ve got the first couple of chapters updated, I’ll need to see what she has reviewed. If in agreement, then that will go back to the keyboard as well.

Pam left work early today – not feeling well at all – and hopefully she got some medication into her and was able to rest. Work is always so busy and it’s a sad thing when you feel guilty about having to take time off due to illness!

And I’m so exhausted when I get home. Here it is not quite 7:30 pm and I’m ready for bed! I’ve had a twitch under one eye for the better part of two weeks and its driving me nuts – of course people keep wondering why I’m always winking at them!

Well this break is over and I would like to get a few more pages cleaned up, so guess I’d better get back to it.

Enjoy your evening – I hope to be soon in bed, and reading a few more pages of Louise Penny’s “Dead Cold” – she has just finished writing her 5th novel in the series – amazing!

Cheers
Liz

" Sounds like a good summer read"

That is the comment from one of the ladies who critiqued "Madelaine" at the workshop yesterday.

The other was a young woman whose own writing was divine and she said "I know exactly who the characters are and how vulnerable Madelaine is and I get the feeling that Raphael is a bad dude. Am I right? Well, it was hard to take the grin off my face as that is what we wanted to portray right from the beginning.

It was a most enjoyable day except for the accoustics. Even with my Hearing Aids ( I am hard of hearing) a great deal is lost to the rafters in the church where the workshop took place. Thank goodness we get handouts and Liz takes good notes.

Dinner at a Greek restaurant was a good place to hash over what we had learned and it will all be put to good use as we start the rewrite. The major thing we did learn is... We have been doing things correctly so hopefully the rewrite will not be such a long journey.

I just had a pop-up from another blog that I read almost daily. You have heard us mention an author that we are in correspondence with, Louise Penny. We are both great admirers of her work and as a fellow Canadian we are so proud of her success . Last night in Washington she won and "Agatha" award. Bravo Louise. Read her books any chance you get. She has finished number four and is halfway through her fifth. You too will fall in love with Armande Gamache.

It is a beautiful day today but I am so full of the workshop I will need to get something down on paper while they are fresh in my mind. A writers work is never done!!! Maybe I can throw on a wash and stick a roast in the oven while I let the ideas germinate so that I can finish the finale of Madelaine.

Those of you waiting on chapters I believe Liz has another ready to send.

Enjoy your day and feel free to comment on anything you see written here.

Pam

Where is human nature so weak as in a bookstore!

My overnight guests, in the form of two energetic grandsons ,except when they are competing
with a video game, was most enjoyable. Lovely to see them and waved fondly when they left to visit their Uncle for a couple of days.

I spend Saturday afternoon in a comfortable chair in the bay window of my bedroom reading the book that Liz is anxiously waiting to read. The book is called "Dead Cold" by Louise Penny. This is her first book. I always do things backwards as I have read two others she has written.Very appropriate reading for a day like today. I am fortunate to look out onto a ravine with towering trees and a pond. The first few hours of this morning the flakes of snow were the big fat fluffy kind and it just filled up all the nooks and crannies in the garden. By three o'clock the storm started in earnest and the wind whipped up a constant and relentless snow.
I did not read as much as I thought as the snow was fascinating to watch and I imagined my self transported back to Varykino in the Ural mountains of Russia where Julie Christie and Omar Sharif played out their love affair as Lara and Yuri. The book & the movie of " Dr Zhivago" by Boris Pasternak , is one of my all time favourites.
To be a good writer or at least to be any kind of writer one has to read. I find more and more I am reading as a writer and look for better ways to say or write a sentence or characterize my protagonist.
The title of this blog says it all. I spend a lot of time and money in bookstores. I don't go to libraries for two reasons. One I never get the books back on time and I like to keep my own library of my favourites.
Well this nattering is not getting the writing done. The plan is for the am if i don't start dreaming while I look out the window!

Keep warm,
Pam

What Else is There to Say - MORE SNOW!!!!!

March 8

We are in the midst of a very major winter storm!! Ho hum, what else is new? Apparently the phrase 'major winter storm' does not have as much punch as it did about 6 major winter storms ago!

But truly today, has to be the worst of this winter! Its blowing around now and I see no one is even bothering trying to shovel - no point! So grateful I am that it is a Saturday, although it would most likely have been a legitimate snow day from work - otherwise by this time of day, I'd be booking an overnight stay at a nearby hotel close to work.

So other than snow, what else is news? The beginnings of a cold that threatened me earlier this week seems to have morphed into laryngitis - I have an interesting cough that accompanies it, starts out with a very good bark and ends upward on a little squeak.

And what is new with the children? I refer to Body Perfect and Madelaine, of course! Today I find not much flowing creatively, so have been tidying and organizing. If too much clutter surrounds me, either mental or physical, it really bogs down the thought process. The tidying and organizing concerns mostly Madelaine, bringing the Chapter Summary up to date, and consulting Pam on some ideas at the beginning of Chapter 18. Then some file back ups were in order. It may be time to send out a couple of completed draft chapters to our reading distribution list as well.

Both Pam and I are great fans of Louise Penny and left comments on her blog, she was so kind to respond quickly, offering encouragement to us both. Pam, have you finished reading Dead Cold yet?? (Is that a subtle enough hint that I am anxious to read it as well!)

So perhaps something to eat for dinner and then I will set myself back down here and see what words will flow -not "and if" either!

Oh and something else to remember - Daylight Savings Time comes into effect this weekend.

Cheers
Liz

March has arrived....

March 1

Good afternoon!

Our latest deposit of snow seems to have finally tapered off, the sun is shining and the temperature climbing. Does this mean March has come in like a lamb and will roar out like a lion in 4 weeks? No matter, I'm just always glad to see the end of March, however it decides to leave!

Saturdays always bring conflict - whether to have a lazy day, or try and catch up on all those chores that get bypassed during the work week. So far I think the lazy day is winning. Although I did manage to get caught up on laundry and turf 2 bags of clothing bound for Value Village - so not a total loss.

Pam forwarded me a newsletter from Louise Penny (one of our favourite authors!), which was quite a good read - yes I've now subscribed myself!

Since our writing endeavours began, and we have progressed ever more strongly with our writing, and desire to be published, I fear I have become somewhat shameless in promoting Jamie Tremain! Just this week I was at the dentist for a cleaning, and the hygienist inquired what I had been doing to occupy myself over the winter. Well, give me an open door and I'm walking right through! Even with a mouth crowded with dental implements, I told her about Jamie Tremain, and she genuinely seemed quite excited and interested. Thanks, Karen!

And today, I've gone a step further - leaving a comment on Louise Penny's own blog, congratulating her on her success and telling her how much I enjoy her books, but also plugging Jamie Tremain!

I've never considered myself a sales person - believing that you can only truly sell that which you believe in. The realization is slowly dawning - I do believe in Jamie Tremain!!

I hope Pam is enjoying a productive day, she has some research to do on poisons (shhhhh...don't tell anyone!).

And as Pam noted in her last comment, we sincerely do appreciate any comments, and are grateful for a loyal group of friends and family who critique our work on an ongoing basis and offer encouragement when it is much needed!

Come back again won't you?
Cheers
Liz

Sunday evening.....

....and for now the revision of Madelaine is up to date...all 16 Chapters!! As well I've managed to create a chapter summary which I think will be helpful as we move forward.

So this means I now get to be freshly creative once again! I have both Body Perfect and Pam has just sent me her latest addition to Madelaine. Just wonder which one I'll tackle first.

Today I managed to finish reading "The Cruellest Month" by Louise Penny - that's the second of her books I've read, and all I can say is that I wish I could move to Three Pines - murders notwithstanding! She manages to evoke the atmosphere of murder in a close knit village so reminiscent of murder mysteries I enjoyed growing up with!

And now another work week looms! Just how does Monday get back around here so quickly!

Pam and I have decided to attend another writing workshop in April, hosted by Brian Henry. This one should be very timely for us as it will focus on Writing and Revising.

Well, I feel the day saw some accomplishment and now with tired eyes and fatigued brain, I'm going to call it a day.

Cheers
Liz