where deadly meets fabulous
There 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 […]
Read MoreI have always loved stories—everything from the pink princess bed time kind to the funny-thing-that-happened-to-me-on-the-way-to-the-grocery-store kind. I guess that’s why I write—and why I was first attracted to the Centre for the Digital Storytelling. A few years ago I took a week long workshop at the Berkeley campus of this organization, and learned not only the […]
Read MoreIt was with a sad sigh that I read a review of Dead Ever After today—the last and final book in the Sookie Stackhouse Novels (due to come out this May). There are some books which feel more like experiences than a collection of printed paper—and every one of Charlaine Harris’s novels in this series are exactly […]
Read MoreMaybe it’s that CupcakesDaily instagram account I’ve been looking at way too much lately, or those chocolate candy cane sprinkle cookies they were giving out at Costco the other day, but already December has got me thinking about yumminess in a major way. So here I am, celebrating another master of sweet culinary perfection: my […]
Read MoreCinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Arial. I love them all dearly, however after watching Brave last week I have to say they seem a little…boring. But before you think I’m about to go all anti-passive-female-prototype on you, it’s not their personalities or even their story lines that bother me so much: it’s their hair. Disney’s trademark long sweeping sheet […]
Read MoreLittle knitted booties, paper and ribbon greeting cards with hand-dyed envelopes, double dipped, cashew dusted truffles. December is definitely the king of arts and crafts–and there is no event which takes it to the extreme like Vancouver’s Gingerbread Lane. Hosted at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, its a veritable feast for the creative appetite featuring some of the most elaborate, finely crafted and just plain […]
Read MoreThe Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards Blog
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Book reviews, the occasional rant, and more
