Blog
Springtime in Canada: Otherwise known as ‘whiplash’ season
It’s been a long, hard winter here in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Except for the Pacific coast, Canadian winters are known for being cold and snowy, but the winter of 2025-2026 has seemed especially severe. And while the calendar says spring, winter still hasn’t fully...
Do you feel ‘quanked’ too? The joy of unusual words
As an author, I love words. In fact, my family might call me a bit of a ‘word nerd.’ From subscribing to Dictionary.com ‘Word of the Day’ emails to looking up new-to-me words used in books, news articles or conversation, I’ve rarely met a word I didn’t like. This week...
Down the high school yearbook rabbit hole
High school wasn’t the best time in my life, so I don’t often think of it. Yet, when I was recently in search of character names beyond online sources and a baby name book, I turned to a stack of old yearbooks—and took a stroll down memory lane. Long-forgotten...
Persistence pays and how I manage stressful times
I’ve never been a sporty type. From lurking (and surreptitiously reading!) in the outfield during a middle school baseball game, to spraining my back when I first attempted a forward roll and huffing and puffing in the gym as classmates ran around me, my lack of...
Book inscriptions and untold stories
I’ve collected vintage books since childhood, and you may remember a post from last year, For the Love of Old Books, about that collection. Lately, given several recent "finds", I’ve been thinking about the untold stories bookplates and inscriptions in old, often long...
For the love of libraries: Guest post by Eva Glyn, author of ‘The Croatian Island Library’
This week I'm delighted to welcome my British author friend Eva Glyn (who also writes as Jane Cable) to my blog. Eva has a special post for you about what libraries mean to her and how they feature in her recent book, The Croatian Island Library, a moving contemporary...
My top three tips for winter coziness, comfort & cheer
Despite living in Canada, I'm not a winter person. While British friends post photos of snowdrops and green daffodil shoots, I look out my window at snowdrifts knowing it will be almost three months before I see any such signs of spring here. This January has seemed...
How book editing is like January decluttering
Hello, 2026 and wishing you all the best for this new year. While the holiday season is over, it’s still Christmas in my world as I’m working on edits for two seasonal books. One is A Small Town Family Christmas (September 2026), third in my Jen Gilroy Strawberry Pond...
All I want for Christmas
For those who mark Christmas, it’s the season to celebrate the Nativity, gather with family and friends, put up sparkly decorations, exchange brightly-wrapped gifts and more. It’s also a time of joy and renewal, love and hope and to observe the turning of another...
Photo by Robin Spencer, Spencer Studio