Things that inspire me to write #63: This cake

November 25, 2012.Reading time 1 minute.

When I was ten my mom made me a quilt with my name in the centre and words like ‘creative’ , ‘funny’ and ‘clever’ sewn around it in pink and yellow satin. I thought it was pretty embersassing at the time, hiding it under my bed whenever I had friends over, however years later I […]

Things that inspire me to write #68: My son

November 20, 2012.Reading time 1 minute.

A trip to the recycling bin is no longer a trip to the recycling bin, but an epic quest with Spiderman and Iceman to locate Dora’s lost macaroni. An orange is not an orange, but a dinosaur egg / woodpecker egg. And of course, bed time stories are always up for revision–why shouldn’t the three […]

Things that inspire me to write #71: Rain

November 17, 2012.Reading time less than 1 minute.

The grass has turned a mushy brown, the winds are kicking up, and the sky looks like one big doggy bowl. There is nothing like ugly weather to make sitting at the computer for hours on end that much more inviting— especially so when you are in your mother in law’s fifth wheel trailer and […]

Things that inspire me to write #73: Fluevog Shoes

November 16, 2012.Reading time 1 minute.

There are cakes, and then there are double chocolate tuxedo cakes. There is coffee and then there are hazelnuts Americanos. There are shoes, and then there are Fluevogs. Curving lines, flared heels, and funky-licious black trim—whenever I put on my maroon Mini Darlings I can’t decide if I feel like going out for lobster […]

Things that inspire me to write #74: Dear Teen Me

November 14, 2012.Reading time 1 minute.

Adolescence—it is a brutal stage of life filled with anxiety and doubt but wonderful highs I could probably only achieve these days with illegal drugs. And it’s for that reason that I am always drawn to that period of life as the setting for my manuscripts. And what better way to truly connect to that […]

Things that inspire me to write #75: The Velveteen Rabbit

November 13, 2012.Reading time 1 minute.

Frustration. It can be painful and annoying and when it comes to the craft of writing, exceedingly persistent But it can also create wonders. Reading The Velveteen Rabbit to my son this afternoon, I discovered that this wonderful, magical classic in children’s literature was born out of the author’s, Margery Williams, frustration with her previous publications. According to the […]

Things that inspire me to write #76: East End Culture Crawl

November 12, 2012.Reading time 1 minute.

What does Margaret Atwood’s office look like? Does she have a parking lot view or forest panorama? I have always been interested in artist’s spaces and how they set them up to support and stimulate their work. However as Mrs Atwood does not appear to be on the verge of inviting snoopy strangers into […]

Things that inspire me to write #78: Carrie Mac

November 10, 2012.Reading time 1 minute.

At a writer’s event I attended last summer, a celebration of Christianne’s Lyceum of Literature of Art, I had the good fortune of meeting Carrie Mac–author of numerous award winning YA novels including The Gryphon Project. While we exchanged only a few words what really stuck with my afterwards was the fact that Carrie arrived at the […]

Things that inspire me to write #80: Craft fairs

November 9, 2012.Reading time less than 1 minute.

With Thanksgiving and Halloween finally out of the way (in Canada anyway) the pre-Christmas shopping bonanza has officially started–which means it’s time to get your craft on. Circle Craft, Vancouver’s biggest craft fair, is fast approaching and already I’m looking forward to spending hours upon hours feasting on every kind of artistic creation from […]

Things that inspire me to write #81: Americans

November 7, 2012.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Four more years of a US president who is intelligent, open minded and seems to really care about people. In a news world filled with pipeline disasters, melting polar ice caps, and federal bank failures, Obama’s re-election brings me a little bit of hope for the future—in both your country and hopefully my own as […]