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April 16, 2021No one is coming & it's not your fault: on money
As promised, folks, today we're moving on from my previous three posts on boundaries and talking about money. I'm going to share a few horror stories with you, strongly advise you to not quit your day ...
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March 01, 2017The Lucky Seven, with Kathy Stinson
If you've ever needed a second chance to achieve your dreams, you won't want to miss Kids' Lit favourite Kathy Stinson's newest book. The Dance of the Violin (Annick Press), illustrated by Dušan Petričić, ...
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February 26, 2016Writing Hangovers Are Denim on Denim: Part 2 of Four New Writers to Watch
I posted the first half of my interview with four exciting writers-to-watch, Noor Naga, Sofia Mostaghimi, Kristel Jax, and Faith Arkorful, earlier today. We talked about writing into dark places, what ...
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February 16, 2021Brittany Luby's New Picture Book is a Love Letter to the Natural World and Anishinaabe Family Life
Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh/This Is How I Know (Groundwood Books) by author and academic Brittany Luby (illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley) is warm, colourful story-poem for young readers ...
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July 30, 2016The Problem with First Books
In an interview with New York magazine’s Vulture blog, comic book creator Brian K. Vaughan makes clear his feelings about his early work:Do you go back and read many of your older books?Oh, God, no. ...
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June 02, 2014A Day in the Life of a Launching Author: Then I Spot the Audience
Yesterday, I celebrated the first day of June and the first official day of my Open Book residency – hi y’all! – by appearing on the slate of a Globe and Mail/Ben McNally Books Authors' Brunch event ...
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June 04, 2020Straight-Razors, Scissors, and Deadly Secrets: Ross Pennie on His New Mystery Novel
Barbershops, unsettled scores, and a sweeping epidemic are at the center of Ross Pennie's newest novel, Bitter Paradise (ECW).The latest installment of the celebrated author's Dr. Zol Szabo Medical Mystery ...
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January 22, 2020Rugged Beauty, Stolen Horses and Tragic Circuses: Nick Tooke Takes a Trip to BC's Great Depression in his Debut Novel
Set in the ragged B.C. interior during the Great Depression, British-Canadian author Nick Tooke's debut novel The Ballad of Samuel Hewitt (Porcupine's Quill) tells the story of a teenage boy who, fueled ...
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May 28, 2020
Something on race.
I had planned to post something on race. I was going to look at how it has affected me, including the friendships I have (and don’t have) today in real life. I was going to explore race in story and ...
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April 12, 2014
Oh, Suspense!
In some literary circles, "suspense" is a bad word. Some feel that rich language and interesting characters should be enough to engage a reader's attention, and those who need a little pep in their fiction ...