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May 05, 2016The Unscripted Idle
I spent this past Saturday at Books & Company in Picton, under the auspices of Authors for Indies, and I came away feeling happy, but with a top note of frustration, because I passed the afternoon ...
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May 06, 2016Comics in Parkdale - the Draw of a Good Comic Book Store
My interest in superhero movies has plunged to zero in the past couple of years, but I’ve found myself steadily reading more comic books. Thinking about this just after the recent Authors for Indies ...
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February 27, 2017Book Criticism Is Not Book Promotion
Most people won’t read most books. It seems like a truism, but it’s an important fact to keep in mind if you’re thinking of reviewing a book. Whether it’s a brief write-up in an industry magazine ...
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May 08, 2017Tips from a Festival Director
One of the surprising things to happen when I moved to Yukon was that I became director of an annual writers’ conference. As part of my role, I secure authors, negotiating their fees, even signing their ...
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February 25, 2014
Multimedium Publishing and the Future of the Literary Press (Part 2)
Part 2: The death of the traditional press and the birth of the multimedium publisherThat's right, I'm coining a term to describe what I have been observing. Presses that have roots tied to micro publishing ...
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September 24, 2019
A Writer's Best Friend
I think I could be accurately described as an outgoing introvert. I can make small talk, and I even enjoy it, but I find it exhausting. Most of the time I’m happier just hanging out by myself or with ...
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January 23, 2020It's a Long Story: Ian Hamilton Goes Back In Time in His Newest Novel
At the start of the 1980s, China sits on the precipice of a new era of economic growth and prosperity, but not everyone is welcoming it.This exciting and tumultuous time is the setting for best-selling ...
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September 29, 2019
Bookstore Love
This is my final post as September Writer-in-Residence for Open Book. It’s been such a pleasure to spend the month thinking about my writing life and what I’d like to say about it. I’m grateful ...
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May 21, 2018On racialized motherhood, writing, and sleep deprivation
The day before my son’s due date, I sent what I thought was the final draft of The Better Mother to my editor. The baby’s bedroom was finished: yellow walls, penguin stencil, gingham curtains. My ...
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February 19, 2019On Burnout
I’ve finished my first book. I’ve done the writing, the rewriting, the editing, more rewriting, the copy editing, the fact checking… I think you get the point. It was a lot of work. But now I’m ...
