Can Hens Give Milk Has Been Reviewed.

Please check out the reviews in the latest Publishers Weekly and the University of Manitoba's CM Magazine, April 1, 2011, as well as Kirkus Review for the same date. Thank you lovely reviewers. I'd toast you all with a cup of coffee, but I'm not in Italy anymore (great coffee over there). I can, however, toast you with my favourite drink - hot, strong, tea with a dollop of honey.

Travel is Always an Inspiration

My husband and I recently returned from a short - too short - trip to Italy. I took that sketchbook I told you about and used it as an illustrated notebook (Tom: 'Why do you always draw me with only three little hairs on top of my head?') I'm not so good with journals because I don't get into a lot of detail unless the mood hits me - and it sometimes does - but I like to jot down the daily events along with feelings I might have about something I see, or an observation or two about a piece of art or architecture. What I also do is jot down ideas for stories. It's quite surprising how a street, a view or a bit of local history can spark an idea. In Venice I learned some social history I hadn't known before that would add colour and authenticity to a work of fiction. And, of course, we had adventures - small ones, I admit - but an adventure is an adventure. It's all material for a story. The question is, which story?

The Right/Write Kind of Notebook - Help!

A few years ago a friend of mine gave me a wonderful little gift. It was a small, hardcover notebook with a difference. The size of a diary it had pages that were blank on the top half - suitable for drawing, sketching, cartooning etc. - and lined on the bottom half - suitable for writing witty bon mots or diary entries. I held on to it for about a year, then took it on a trip. It turned out to be the perfect book in which to jot down my adventures, and attempt to illustrate them at the same time. As I've said before, I'm not an artist, but I enjoy scribbling, in a cartoon sort of way, with bubbles for comment and dialogue. At the end of the trip I even used this notebook for photos and theatre tickets and cards from restaurants etc.
BUT ... I can't find another like it! Moleskin puts out lots of lined or plain notebooks, but not both. I've tried stationers and bookstores and found a lot of spiral bound (which would be perfect) lined or plain notebooks. Again, none has both. I tend to need lines because I don't write in a straight line. If anyone sees what I'm looking for in Vancouver please let me know. Otherwise I'll have to go with the blank page notebook and make an effort to write in straight lines. Thanks one and all.

Graphic Novels Might be For You.

I attended an annual event of the Vancouver Children's Lit. Roundtable, called Serendipity, and this year the theme was The Graphic Novel. It was an eye opener and an inspiration. And as the first speaker began to describe his childhood and the writing and illustrating collaboration he has with his sister, I got an idea! That's right, an idea for a short graphic novel. I admit, it could be a picture book, but it would be quite different in tone as a graphic novel, and that's how I see it. I'm not an artist, but I did some scribbles and captions in squares and it started to feel possible. The story was based on an incident from my childhood, but grew much bigger from that little seed. (The seed was actually an old photograph)
So here are two ideas for you. Read some graphic novels - or comics - and see if this is your kind of genre in which to write.
Pay attention when you are listening to any kind of lecture or talk, because a word, a sentence or just an idea might light a little flame in your mind that will grow into something bigger. Pluck what you need out of the presentation, or pay attention when it waves a flag at you!
Happy discovering!

A Lot is Two Words

That's right, there's no such thing as 'alot.'** And while I've got your attention 'there's' is singular, as in 'There's a small hotel, by a wishing well.' As opposed to 'There're wishing wells, by some small hotels.' (plural). You'll rarely see 'there're' anymore, and I think that's a tragedy of small proportions (compared with all the serious problems of the world, I mean). I still say and write it, however.
Maybe I've said some of this before, but in the newspapers and on Facebook and on t.v. and in the classrooms of the nation, they don't seem to understand.

** I know some of you don't believe me, so look at it this way. You wouldn't say 'abunch' of flowers or 'apile' of laundry or 'aheap' of trouble. So you wouldn't say 'alot' of homework.

Keep trying. We all have trouble with the language. English is not easy, even for those of us who grew up with it.

Quick and Dirty Grammar Tips

No, alas, this probably won't help with our eternal spelling problems or my fast fading memory for the names of simple household objects (yesterday, for example I couldn't remember 'fuse box.') I'm sure there are plenty of 64 year olds with minds like sharp tacks, but I'm not one of them. Anyway, this isn't about my sad brain cells but about grammar! I recently wanted to know two things. When to use WHO and WHOM and also ... why do I keep seeing 'that' where I used to see 'who?' I became so confused that I would interchange them just to be on the safe side. When I finally broke down and Googled these life and death questions I came upon the attached link. You might have to actually type it in, but if you type your question followed by 'quick and dirty grammar tips,' or something like that, you'll probably get the site, and your question will be answered with speedy simplicity. Go for it.



http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/who-versus-whom.aspx

Can You Ever Have Too Many Re-Writes?

Apparently not. The story that no one will publish - the brilliantly witty story - grew from a 2000 word 'book' to a 6000+ word 'book.' Not the first time I've done that. It's had more re-writes than 'War and Peace' probably had, and I still find typos. Learn this valuable lesson - and not just about typos - that two sets of eyes are better than one. Remember, I've been working on this story and sending it away and getting it back (the boomerang syndrome)for years. And I mean years. But still - my dear friend Cynthia (writer, artist) who probably wishes to remain surnameless in this article - found a few 'bits' that need tweaking. The problem is - as usual - that I know what I see in my mind's eye, and I know what I mean, but the reader won't unless I make a few things clearer. Cynthia certainly didn't know what I meant in a couple of spots. Only someone who hasn't a clue what's in my mind would be able to spot a blockage in the flow, preventing the story from rushing headlong through the artery (Sorry. Got carried away there. Only someone who has had a heart attack would use that kind of imagery. It even makes me cringe when I read it over.) And no one ever knows what's inside your head except for you, unless you tell them, and even then you have to be telling the truth. And even THEN ... there are some things that are unknowable. But we must do what we can to connect. And so we must edit, proofread, and get a hawk-eyed pal to read it over and comment. I can't emphasize this enough (obviously!) In fact, even last week the editor of my next book spotted a slight inconsistency. Don't worry though. By the time you buy your ten copies of it (I need those royalties) all will be as perfect as is possible.
Cheers.