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EmailWalking my way through lockdown
Posted May 15 2020 in About Jen, Covid-19, Family, Small town life, Writing
Like many of you, and although certain restrictions have eased a bit, I live in an area where we’re still sheltering in place and ‘normal life’ remains in almost complete lockdown. As such, and with gyms, my dance studio and other fitness facilities closed, walking is even more of a lifeline for me than usual. […]
Read More...Reading (& Writing) for Hope, Comfort and Happy Ever After, plus a 0.99 deal on my latest book
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...Looking to the past to cope with the present
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...Life and writing in lockdown
Posted Apr 3 2020 in About Jen, Covid-19, Family, Friendship, Home, The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls, Writing
When this is all over… I hear that phrase often these days as everyone, me included, wants life in 2020 to go back to ‘normal’ as soon as possible, whatever that ‘new normal’ will be. For the moment, though, life (and for me, writing), have to go on in lockdown. As such, I’m finding new ways […]
Read More...Celebrating women who have gone before
Posted Mar 6 2020 in About Jen, Family, Friendship, Womens Fiction, Womens History, Writing
To mark women’s history month (celebrated in March in the United States, UK and Australia), I’m this month’s featured author on my friend Mel Greenberg’s ‘Notes from the Nest’ blog. I’ve written a personal piece about what ‘women who have gone before’ mean in my own life, and how their example has helped me become […]
Read More...Falling down, getting up and moving forward
Posted Feb 21 2020 in About Jen, Family, Motherhood, Small town life, The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls, Writing
Several weeks ago, while walking in my small town I slipped and fell on a patch of ice that lurked under a blanket of fresh snow. Since three generations of women in my mother’s family broke their hips, one when she was not much older me, that ‘legacy’ flashed across my mind as my feet […]
Read More...Four things about “real me” that shape “author me”
Posted Jan 24 2020 in About Jen, Family, Music, The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls, Writing
Every so often, I spot posts on social media asking people to share things about themselves that others may not know. In the case of friends, it’s a fun exercise because even when I think I know someone well, I also usually learn something new about them. And for an author or other public figure, […]
Read More...Grit, passion and more: How my hometown shaped my life and writing
Posted Nov 29 2019 in About Jen, Community, Home, Small town life, The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls, Writing
Last weekend, something extraordinary happened for my hometown (American) football team. After twenty-nine long years, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers won the Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship. Unlike my late mom, I’m not a football fan. I gleaned the little I know of the game from glimpsing my high school team practicing […]
Read More...In praise of ‘virtual’ friends
Posted Nov 15 2019 in About Jen, Friendship, Social Media, The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls, Writing
While I’m blessed with many friends in my ‘real’ life (including one who goes back to my high school years and often reads this blog), my author life means I also have many ‘virtual’ friends—people I’ve connected with via social media who, at the click of a mouse, have been a source of encouragement, inspiration, […]
Read More...Finishing a book, ‘nesting’ for winter, and celebrating writing milestones
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...The Latest News
- May 01, 2020: Reading (and Writing) for Hope, Comfort & Happy Ever After: Guest post for Women Writers, Women’s Books
- Apr 22, 2020: Author Q&A: Chatting with Anita Kushwaha about ‘The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls,’ favourite authors, lockdown life & more
- Mar 10, 2020: Penguin Verlag buys German rights to The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls
- Mar 06, 2020: Celebrating Women’s History Month & ‘Women who have gone before’: Guest post on Mel Greenberg’s ‘Notes from the Nest’
- Mar 05, 2020: Paperback of The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls releases April 12, 2020 & now available for pre-order
- Feb 26, 2020: Meet me at the Local Author Showcase, North Grenville Public Library, February 29, 2020
- Dec 20, 2019: Talking about life & writing on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat
- Nov 18, 2019: Chatting with author Maggie Blackbird about my writing life & ‘The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls’
- Nov 15, 2019: Interview with author Susan B. James about ‘The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls’
- Oct 30, 2019: Asking ‘what if’ and building a book: The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls