where deadly meets fabulous
There is nothing crappier than discovering you are the same age as someone who is way more successful than you. Yes,that’s right, John Greene, the YA author of like a billion awesome novels is just one year older than me! And yes, I might still be wallowing in a box of Oreos and self pity if […]
Read MoreMy city seems to be growing wetter and greyer and slimier by the day. Sadly, that magical thing called snow which wraps the world in a blanket of blemish hiding, fuzz-ifying white perfection rarely visits Vancouver. But thankfully, we do have Walmarts and Home Depots and thus, Christmas lights. Somehow those five dollar strings of electric-infused wire […]
Read MoreBecause, she thinks leaning over the keyboard with a crowbar spine, I never believed, I could get pulled into a novel, Written in verse. Or that it was even possible. So thank you Ellen Hopkins, for disrupting–and expanding–my concept of what a novel can be, you inspire me.
Read MoreMetal bars, concrete floor, those super unflattering orange uniforms. If I ever found myself in prison I’m pretty sure I would spend the whole time wallowing in self pity. Martha Stewart, on the other hand, was probably carving bars of soap into matching sofa sets. Though many people predicted her media empire would be over […]
Read MoreEvery year around this time my family and I embark on afternoon of truffle making. It’s a pretty good time–how can anything that involves chocolate, marzipan and liquor filling not be? However, despite all our thermometer watching, ever-so-gentle butter stirring and measured sprinkling–the end results generally resemble very chunky cat-turds. Making chocolates that looks as good as […]
Read MoreThere is nothing like a novel’s first line. Setting, character, tone, some delicately hinted at conflict—it’s always intriguing to see how authors blend all of these elements together and hook a reader into their story with little more than a handful of words–and of course, totally impressive. And no opener has ever wowed me more, […]
Read MoreIt takes a lot of work and time to produce a novel manuscript. At least for me. My very first attempt took almost five years. Granted, the subsequent works have not been quite so painfully long to create, but only marginally so–which is why I am always completely blown away when I see Meg […]
Read MoreMatisse, Van Gogh, Picasso—Europe has practically been bursting with master painters since I don’t know, um…FOREVER–which is exactly why Emily Carr has always had a special place in my heart (and I mean aside from the fact that she had a pet monkey). A painter and writer from the 1940s, Emily Carr was one of […]
Read MoreRape, incest, and abusive rich grandmothers. Though I adored anything V.C. Andrews when I was a teenager, looking back on her novels now I have to say the woman created some pretty dark and demented plots. In fact, I would be surprised that my parents even let me read them back then if they hadn’t allowed […]
Read MoreAs if the cheese and chocolate dipped cookies weren’t enough, I went to a meeting of my monthly writing group last night, housed out of Christianne’s Lyceum and was once again reminded of the power of community in the creative process. I have always prized my writing groups as a place where I gain new […]
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Book reviews, the occasional rant, and more
