Happy Autumn! I did promise, way back in June, to return this month, so here I am, squeaking in under the wire with a September missive…

Lovelies, how are you? Did you have a wonderful summer?

The photo above was taken on my birthday over the summer. We hiked up the winding paths within Mont Royal Park in Montreal on a hot sunny day; our reward was this stunning view from the Chateau Mont Royal. The trip to Montreal wasn’t exclusively or even partly for my birthday, but I’m grateful we were able to take time to be outdoors on the day-of. (Later that evening, I enjoyed dinner under the stars, too, at a little outdoor patio.) Urban parks like Mont Royal or Queen Elizabeth in Vancouver or Prince’s Island in Calgary truly are a godsend. If you haven’t recently, please do pop into your local urban park and enjoy some time to partake of the miraculous healing properties of being outdoors with no purpose but to be.

I don’t think I have a specific theme for this month’s musings. That—and the fact that this is so late—is because my schedule and brain space has been taken over by caring for our oldest daughter, who had surgery in late summer. She came through quite beautifully, and has been diligent with the extensive daily rehab involved for her recovery. It’s been pretty much all-encompassing, even with the two of us (my husband does what he can around his work hours) supporting her. As the ‘primary’ caregiver, I’ve been reliving my days as a young mum, playing nursemaid, housekeeper, and cook, all rolled into one. All in all, though, I’m grateful everything’s been going smoothly.

In Other News...

Season Two of the podcast kicked off only two weeks ago! My first guest of this season is Bree Bridges, one half of dynamic author duo, Kit Rocha, and one of the incredible organizers behind Romancing the Vote and the Whistle Crew. If you haven’t already, please have a listen. But also—please share! I’m always excited and happy to learn that my show brings people joy. The more you spread the word, the more joy you help create! Episodes drop every Wednesday. I didn’t plan it this way, but this season also has 9 episodes, so new guests will be introduced going into mid-November.

As of two weeks ago, I have another book out on sub(mission)! It’s a contemporary thriller, involving two sisters navigating their escape—and their relationship—during an unexpected lockdown in a “smart” building. Intrigue! Family drama! Vengeance! This one’s got all those and more, against the backdrop of the U.S. tech industry.
Normally, I’d be working on another book while I wait im/patiently for news from the submission process, but the caregiving stuff has made it really hard to write lately. So, this time around, I’ll have to rely on podcasting and volunteering to keep my impatience anxiety hopes in check!

Joyful Things

• I gave a lecture to an advanced creative writing class at MacEwan University here in town on the 21st, as part of The Visiting Authors Series hosted by the English Dept. Thanks so much to Jacqueline Baker, the course instructor and a lovely friend, for suggesting me. I also appreciated that she made sure her students took notes by hand, because I specifically requested ‘no recordings’ and esp. ‘no recording with chatbots’! Those 80 minutes flew past in a blur, lemme tell ya.

• NEAGLEY! I am a Reacher novels fan (since book 9, The Hard Way) and also one of the legion of fans of the TV series adaptation. It’s basically the main reason I subscribe to Prime lol. I binged the new spinoff series, NEAGLEY, last week and though it is far from perfect, I quite enjoyed it. I became a big fan of Maria Sten as Neagley as soon as she showed up in REACHER Season One, and she does not disappoint in her own spinoff. I haven’t heard if a Season Two has been greenlit yet, but I live in hope!

• The Korean historical series, The East Palace, on Netflix was really fun to watch. A little spooky, a little comedic, a goodly amount of ghostly/demonic action with a sprinkling of court intrigue. Samesies re: a second season.

• Boucheron aka the world mystery convention happens next month! This time, it’s being hosted in Calgary, which means I can actually go. I’ve been assigned two panels, and I’m organizing the Underrepresented Authors Event this year, too, on behalf of Crime Writers of Color. (It’s a bit like herding cats, not gonna lie lol)
  I’m excited to reunite with friends I haven’t seen in years. 💜

Oh, there’s just one more thing...

I get to be a part of LitFest again this year! Canada’s only non-fiction literary festival takes place every October in Edmonton. In the past, I’ve given a workshop on self-publishing, and I’ve hosted a sparkling evening of poets. This time around, I have the honour of hosting/moderating a double book launch.
Liminality features new poetry collections by Nisha Patel and Kathryn Lennon, respectively. We’ll talk about inspirations, aspirations, and other things poetical.
If you’re in the area, please join us at the Muttart Theatre in the Stanley Milner branch of Edmonton Public Library, on Saturday October 17th, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm. It’s certain to be a thoughtful and thought-provoking event.