Brrrr........

Winter, although not officially arrived, has certainly settled in.  We are in the deep freeze, with a good layer of snow on the ground and more falling as I write.  Can we say “White Christmas?”….how nice that will be for a change.   Christmas is fast approaching, and the hustle and bustle is increasing to frenzied proportions.

With so much activity in these weeks and days leading up to Christmas, both Pam and I find it’s hard to concentrate on much writing.  However, I’ve recently discovered “Bit Strips” on FaceBook and am using them to poke some fun at our writing world.   We plan on a writing day early in January to get back on track and see what the New Year will bring for Jamie Tremain.

I don’t often get to the movies, but have seen two in the last two weeks.  Philomena with Judi Dench (love her!) and Steve Coogan, is a heart warming tale based on true events.  A gentle movie that could require Kleenex, and one I’d watch again.   And last night my oldest son, William, and I met at our local theatre to take in  The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug.   Even though we had to sit quite near the front, it was a fast paced adventure.  More enjoyable than the first instalment and now am waiting for the third.   Since watching The Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey last year, I’ve become a huge fan of Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch through  the BBC series “Sherlock”.   So that added an extra layer to my enjoyment of the film last night.

On the home front I’m looking forward to experiencing Dickens’ Christmas Carol with two of my grandchildren next week at the RiverRun Centre and then later in January it will be Peter Pan for the other two.   My daughter, Christine, will come along as well, and I’m really looking forward to both productions and hope that it will ignite a love of live theatre in the younger ones.

With Christmas comes expectations, family gatherings, excesses of all kinds, and stresses.  This year in particular I am sobered by the thoughts of friends and co-workers who are battling serious illnesses.  There is never a good time to be ill, but Christmas time seems to really tug at the heart, especially when there are little ones involved.  My thoughts and prayers are with one family in particular and it’s put a different perspective on what’s truly important.  Not just at this time of year, but every day. 

I hope you’ve been enjoying the series of interviews which Pam has done so well.  Don’t go too far away, because there will be more in store for 2014!

We’re looking forward to Bloody Words in 2014 and becoming more involved with this amazing community of writers and authors we’re fortunate to be part of – a more encouraging, educational, and fun group I’ve never known.

So from this half of Jamie Tremain I wish you a Very Merry and Blessed Christmas, Happy Holidays and all the Best for a Healthy and Happy New Year.

Cheers!

Liz

Belated Happy New Year

The Christmas season is now finally over for yours truly.  One last family get together yesterday at my sister’s lovely new home in Oakville.  A chance for this side of the family to gather and exchange gifts and a whole lot of food.  Hor d’ouevres and snackie food to start.  Later followed by a non-traditional holiday meal, it was pure comfort food!  Baked macaroni and cheese, some meatballs and salads.  All so delicious and set out buffet style.  Pies and brownies were among the finishing touches with coffee and eggnog.

Two of the grandchildren brought along their new Furbys.  Made for some interesting conversation among the adults and one of the resident cats didn't quite know what to make of them. A lot of Furbish dialogue between the two toys only made sense to them.  The better discovery of the day was learning my granddaughter appears to be a budding chess player, and she’s not eight years old yet.

Also now coming to an end are the recent shortened work weeks – not sure how I’ll cope with a full week as of tomorrow.  No doubt the traffic volumes will be back to their usual capacity.  The past two weeks have been so enjoyable with very light traffic, but all good things…….

Speaking of good things – unlike Pam I'm thoroughly enjoying a new Tassimo.  Last month I had the good fortune to win one at our work Christmas luncheon.  Experimenting with different styles of coffee and hot chocolates; its only limitation in my opinion is tea.  Nothing beats a good pot of tea made with freshly boiling water and being allowed to steep.  Just can’t duplicate that with an instant coffee machine.  The kitchen table is currently doubling as a T-disc dispensary, with a multitude of different coffees to choose from while the novelty is new.

Another highlight, for me, over the past month was taking in the première of “The Hobbit” with my oldest son.  He and I share a great love for Tolkien’s work, as well as all things Star Trek – the next film coming in May by the way.  It’s become tradition for the two of us to take in new releases at the cinemas whenever possible.

As Pam mentioned ‘Jamie Tremain’ plans a get together later this month on a Saturday to brainstorm ideas for book number three.  We are excited to start something fresh.  At the same time Body Perfect will be set loose now upon publishers and/or agents in the hopes of finding the right connection for us.  I've been using my excel skills to create spreadsheets for keeping track of resources, potential agents, our favourite authors and other useful information to store all in one place.  Keeping it revised and current is now much easier than hunting for a multitude of different files.  A fresh start for 2013.

Hoping that all of your fresh start resolutions are manageable and that 2013 brings you all good things and success in your endeavours.

Cheers!

Liz