Posted Oct 30 2020 in A Wish in Irish Falls, About Jen, Books, Reading, Writers Life, Writing
Books have been part of my life as far as back as I can remember and almost as soon as I learned to read, I shared and talked about books with others. In childhood At school, book reports were a feature of elementary (primary) school and in sorting through old papers, I recently came across […]
Read More...Posted May 29 2020 in About Jen, Books, Firefly Lake, Libraries, Reading, Writing
As both reader and author, one of the things I’ve missed most during this time of self-isolation is visiting the library. From childhood until now, libraries have been one of my happy places—to learn, get book recommendations, find a sense of community and more. Learning about the world One of my favourite childhood memories is […]
Read More...Posted May 1 2020 in About Jen, Reading, The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls, Writing
Hello everyone, This week, I’ve written a guest post for Women Writers, Women’s Books (WWWB) about ‘Reading (and Writing) for Hope, Comfort and Happy Ever After.’ Especially at this time of global pandemic, I’m sharing the importance of ‘comfort reading’ and why I think books with happy endings are more essential than ever. Read my guest […]
Read More...Posted Apr 17 2020 in About Jen, Covid-19, Family, Reading, Writing
As life continues to be unsettled, I’ve thought about my late mother even more than usual recently and, in particular, how she coped during rough times. Both practical and pragmatic, when life was difficult Mom turned to baking or knitting. If she could give the results of those activities to comfort or help someone who might […]
Read More...Posted Mar 20 2020 in About Jen, Ballet, Community, Family, Home, Reading, Small town life
With the rapid spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, in only a few weeks life as we know it has changed almost beyond recognition—and in ways unprecedented in my lifetime—so we’re all adapting to a new normal. Yet, as I stay apart from others (and social distancing is one of the many new expressions I’ve learned […]
Read More...Posted Nov 1 2019 in About Jen, Books, Family, Firefly Lake, Friendship, Reading, The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls, Writing
Last week, I finished writing the sequel to The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls. For those of you who have read the first book in this series, the sequel is Annie’s sister Tara’s story. It will be my fifth published book (or eighth including the German editions of my Firefly Lake series) and together with the […]
Read More...Posted Aug 23 2019 in About Jen, Family, Friendship, Home, Reading
One of my favourite series of books, loved in childhood and which I still return to as ‘comfort reads’ as an adult, is the Little House stories by American author Laura Ingalls Wilder. Those books taught me about resilience, cheerfulness in the face of difficulties, and finding a silver lining, no matter how grey the […]
Read More...Posted May 31 2019 in About Jen, Ballet, Reading, Writing
On social media and elsewhere recently, many people are giving advice to their younger selves. Some posts are short and pithy (no major accomplishment without significant “butt hurt” is an especially topical one for writers!), but others are longer and thoughtful reflections about the meaning of life. Long or short, they’ve made me think about what […]
Read More...Posted Feb 8 2019 in About Jen, Reading, Writing, Writing craft
In a Facebook group this week, another writer asked: “Why do you write?” While the answer is different for each writer, the question made me think about the constants from when I first started my writing journey—enthusiastic and starry eyed—through to now—still enthusiastic but more realistic. Making sense of the world Making sense of the […]
Read More...Posted Jan 25 2019 in About Jen, Home, Reading, Winter
I grew up in a Canadian city (profiled in a documentary “Colder Than Mars”) that is either celebrated, or depending on your perspective, reviled for the harshness of its winter weather. Now I live near a place that this week garnered the dubious distinction as the world’s coldest capital city. Yet, despite proximity to this […]
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