Jen Gilroy's Blog, page 19
January 4, 2018
Resolutions for a new year: “With a Little Help From My Friends”
Now that the holidays are over, and it’s time to look ahead to the New Year, I’ve decided to devote this first blog of 2018 to resolutions—not just mine, but also those of three good friends from across The Pond. Tara Greaves, Kate Field and Susanna Bavin are all fellow-writers, but the resolutions we’ve made are to do with our lives in general.
My friends are a great support to me in life, as well as writing, and their resolutions have given me inspiration and food for thought—as I hope they do for you as well.
Tara Greaves is a freelance journalist whose “After The Rain” website covers lifestyle, books and writing.
If you’re planning a UK holiday, including going to the Norfolk area (one of my favourite parts of the country), “After The Rain” also has a useful section about things to do and places to visit.
Tara says:
‘In 2018, I’m going to try and embrace one of my favourite quotes and ‘start each day with a grateful heart.’ I have so much to be thankful for but it can get a bit lost in everyday life so I’m going to make a point of thinking about it first thing in the morning (and maybe last thing at night).”
If you’re a regular visitor to my blog, you may already have met Kate Field when she joined me for one of my “Meet Me At The Diner” interviews. Kate is the author of the The Magic of Ramblings and The Truth About You, Me and Us, both of which I loved reading.
Kate says:
“For the first time in many years, I’m entering a new year without any major plans. I don’t have a book due to be published, or a writing deadline to meet; I don’t have any holidays booked or dates in the diary. It’s unsettling in some ways, but also an opportunity. My resolution is to make the most of each day as it comes, not waste time regretting the past or anticipating the future.”
“On a practical note, I want to walk more this year. I spent too much time indoors in 2017 and so in 2018 I’m determined to don my walking boots and enjoy the beautiful Lancashire countryside whenever I can. Housework can wait!”
Susanna Bavin is another writer-friend who has also appeared on my blog. Her debut novel, The Deserter’s Daughter, was published last summer and, along with Kate’s books, was one of my favourite reads in 2017.
Susanna says:
“I’m with Kate on this—I definitely want to get out and about more this year. I live in North Wales, which is a beautiful part of the world, and after spending practically the whole of January to July last year indoors writing my next book, I’m looking forward to going for lots of walks. North Wales has a wonderful mixture of countryside, mountains and seaside, all within a stone’s throw of one another and the air is gloriously fresh and invigorating. I count myself lucky to live here.”
And now me:
As some of you know, I choose a word to guide me each year and my word for 2018 is “courage.”
This year, I’ve resolved to face life’s challenges by consciously practising living courageously—not in a risk-taking sense but in terms of emotional growth and well-being.
I want to keep learning, embrace new opportunities and continue to move forward even when I’m fearful.
And like Tara, I’ve also drawn inspiration from a favourite quote, this one by C.S. Lewis:
“There are far better things ahead than we leave behind.”
On a lighter note, I’m with Kate that “housework can wait” and with both she and Susanna on the need to walk more!
Wishing you happy times in 2018 and good friends to share your path. Do you make New Year’s resolutions?
December 14, 2017
My favourite Christmas memory
When I was growing up, Christmas was a magical time of year. Although money wasn’t plentiful, my parents made sure I never did without and, even when times were lean, brightly wrapped presents were always piled beneath the tree on Christmas morning.
However, as an only child herself, and the mother of another only child—me—my mom was mindful that we’re often negatively stereotyped as spoiled, selfish and self-centered. As such, and even if family finances hadn’t been an issue, I’d never have been given all the things I thought I wanted for Christmas and birthdays.
The Christmas I was six was a particularly tough time for my family, and when I was scouring the glossy store catalogues to make my “wish list,” I already knew the season would be more modest than usual.
I’d heard that times were hard at the North Pole too, and even Santa Claus, who had millions of children to give presents to, had to cut back on expenses. So, when I went to a big downtown department store to visit him on the Saturday before Christmas, I was careful to ask for only one Barbie doll.
And then, as we left Santa’s grotto and passed the toy department, it happened.
On a shelf facing the escalator and just at my eye level, sat a perky, white stuffed dog with a jaunty red ribbon tied around its neck. Its amber eyes glowed and seemed to focus on me. I stopped in the middle of the busy store, oblivious to the people diverting around me, and my dad bent down to see what had captured my attention.
From at least fifteen feet away, I knew that dog was mine, and I wanted it for Christmas with every fibre of my six-year-old being.
I pointed and dragged my parents toward the shelf where the dog sat and reached out a tentative hand. Its fur was soft and, when I rubbed my cheek against one of its floppy ears, it was exactly the right size to cuddle—almost like a real dog would be.
I swallowed and my eyes smarted. Without being told, I knew it would be too expensive, at least that year and only a week from Christmas. Besides, I already had lots of stuffed animals. And, as my dad reasonably pointed out, I didn’t “need” another one.
Maybe not, but I certainly wanted one. And as we left the store, and during the days that followed, all I could think about was that dog. In my imagination, I’d already named him “Snowball” and could picture him tucked into beside me in bed each night—friend, protector from the monster I thought lived in the closet, and more.
On Christmas Eve, I set out cookies and milk for Santa as usual and then tried to go to sleep. Why couldn’t I have seen that dog earlier? Maybe if I had, and it was the only present I’d asked for, I could have had it. I knew I couldn’t ask my parents, but Santa had always granted my wishes before. However, this time I hadn’t asked him for what I wanted most.
Although I finally fell asleep, when I woke the next morning, I didn’t have my usual Christmas day excitement.
With my parents’ hovering behind me, I went into the living room to get my stocking where it hung over the fireplace and stopped. Beside the tree and below my stocking sat Snowball, as white and perky as he’d been in the store. His amber eyes glowed, his red bow was still jaunty, and his fur was as soft as I remembered.
I don’t remember what other presents I received that year, but that moment of surprise mixed with childish joy is still as fresh as it was on that long ago Christmas morning.
I never knew what sacrifices my parents made to give me that stuffed dog, but it was a present that had a powerful impact on my life. It made me believe in miracles and that dreams can true. And throughout the rest of my childhood and adolescence, Snowball sat on my bed as a tangible symbol of how much my parents loved me.
Now as an adult with a family of my own, Snowball is still part of my life. Although these days he’s more gray than white, and his red ribbon is frayed, his amber eyes still gleam brightly from his perch in the bedroom my husband and I share.
And especially now that my parents are gone, each time I look at him, I’m reminded of the love of family, what it means to be a parent and, when December comes around, the true meaning of Christmas.
Happy holidays, and may you find joy in special seasonal memories of your own. I’m taking a break from blogging over the holidays but will be back with a new post for a new year on 5 January 2018.
If you’re following my release tour for my new book, Back Home at Firefly Lake, there are only a few days left to win a giveaway (open internationally) to win an Amazon gift card and paperback copies of my Firefly Lake books. Enter here (the link is at the bottom of the post under “Giveaway”) and also read a guest post from me on Bookish Jottings about having a happy British Christmas in Canada.
And if you missed it on social media, Christmas came early for me this year when Back Home at Firefly Lake was chosen as one of Amazon.com’s best books of December. See “Best books of the month: Romance” here.
November 30, 2017
Back Home at Firefly Lake — Book birthday & reader giveaway
Back Home at Firefly Lake, the third book in my series of small-town romantic stories set in the fictional Firefly Lake, Vermont, is out in digital and mass-market paperback next Tuesday, December 5th (28th December for the paperback in the UK), and I’m excited about sharing it with you.
It’s the story of single mom Cat McGuire who returns to her small hometown where, as an awkward teen she never fit in. She doesn’t expect to fall for her childhood crush, former pro-hockey player Luc Simard, now a grieving widower. In Firefly Lake, though, and with a little winter magic, Cat and Luc may just find second chances in life, as well as love.
As Publishers Weekly says: “When these two broken souls come together, magic happens.”
Back Home at Firefly Lake is also a story of family and community relationships, and I enjoyed writing a secondary romance to give a sixty-something couple a happy ending of their own.
If you haven’t read the other books in the series, don’t worry because like The Cottage at Firefly Lake and Summer on Firefly Lake, Back Home at Firefly Lake also stands alone.
Books are a bit like children so I can’t choose one that means more to me than the others, but Back Home at Firefly Lake has its own special place in my heart.
The awkward girl gets the cool guy
The heroine, Cat McGuire, is my tribute to all the bookish girls out there (like me) who spent their high school years in an awkward social wilderness—a world where Barbie always gets Ken and, especially if you grow up in a small community, your high school persona can follow you long into adulthood.
In Firefly Lake, hockey play Luc Simard “had been a god. The kind of guy who dated the pretty, popular girls.” He’d never looked at Cat except as the quiet family friend who helped him pass chemistry.
As adults, though, Cat and Luc find they have more in common than they thought, and it’s those unexpected similarities—as well as their vulnerabilities—that made both characters a joy to write.
A winter wonderland
Back Home at Firefly Lake starts just after Christmas and most of the story takes place in the winter months.
As a Canadian, winter is part of my DNA so I incorporated some of my own favourite winter things into the book.
From ice skating on the frozen lake, to the stillness of the woods on a cold day, a winter carnival and more, Back Home at Firefly Lake celebrates everything that’s special to me about a north country winter.
Mother-daughter relationships
As the heroine’s mom tells her at one point in the story: “It’s a dangerous business being a mom.”
Although relationships between mothers and daughters run through all my books, this theme is particularly important—and meaningful to me—in Back Home at Firefly Lake.
The heroine, Cat, is a single mom to twelve-year-old Amy who is obsessed with ice hockey. While Cat wants Amy to realize her dreams, she’s also frightened by where those dreams may take her and wants to keep her safe. And as Cat mothers Amy, she also builds a new and better relationship with her own mother.
Many of the feelings about mothering in this book were shaped by my experience as both mother and daughter—and the push and pull in that dynamic over time.
Subscriber giveaway*
As a small thank you to my blog subscribers, I have a signed paperback of Back Home at Firefly Lake up for grabs. Anyone who subscribes to my blog by Sunday, 3 December 2017 will be entered to win. I blog every two weeks about life and sometimes writing. If you aren’t already a subscriber, you can sign up here.
See & hear me on video
I’ve just made a video with my local Romance Writers of America chapter, Ottawa Romance Writers Association and stepped way out of my cozy, introverted comfort zone to talk about Back Home at Firefly Lake, as well as my writing life. Check out “7 Questions with an Author” on YouTube here.
And find out more about Back Home at Firefly Lake, including buy links, on my website.
Keep in touch
Make sure you follow my Facebook author page for news of other book giveaways, as well as upcoming guest posts including a piece about my favourite winter reads for Fresh Fiction.
(All quoted excerpts copyright © Back Home at Firefly Lake 2017 by Jen Gilroy)
*This giveaway is now closed & the winner has been notified (4 December 2017).
Back Home at Firefly — Book birthday & reader giveaway
Back Home at Firefly Lake, the third book in my series of small-town romantic stories set in the fictional Firefly Lake, Vermont, is out in digital and mass-market paperback next Tuesday, December 5th (28th December for the paperback in the UK), and I’m excited about sharing it with you.
It’s the story of single mom Cat McGuire who returns to her small hometown where, as an awkward teen she never fit in. She doesn’t expect to fall for her childhood crush, former pro-hockey player Luc Simard, now a grieving widower. In Firefly Lake, though, and with a little winter magic, Cat and Luc may just find second chances in life, as well as love.
As Publishers Weekly says: “When these two broken souls come together, magic happens.”
Back Home at Firefly Lake is also a story of family and community relationships, and I enjoyed writing a secondary romance to give a sixty-something couple a happy ending of their own.
If you haven’t read the other books in the series, don’t worry because like The Cottage at Firefly Lake and Summer on Firefly Lake, Back Home at Firefly Lake also stands alone.
Books are a bit like children so I can’t choose one that means more to me than the others, but Back Home at Firefly Lake has its own special place in my heart.
The awkward girl gets the cool guy
The heroine, Cat McGuire, is my tribute to all the bookish girls out there (like me) who spent their high school years in an awkward social wilderness—a world where Barbie always gets Ken and, especially if you grow up in a small community, your high school persona can follow you long into adulthood.
In Firefly Lake, hockey play Luc Simard “had been a god. The kind of guy who dated the pretty, popular girls.” He’d never looked at Cat except as the quiet family friend who helped him pass chemistry.
As adults, though, Cat and Luc find they have more in common than they thought, and it’s those unexpected similarities—as well as their vulnerabilities—that made both characters a joy to write.
A winter wonderland
Back Home at Firefly Lake starts just after Christmas and most of the story takes place in the winter months.
As a Canadian, winter is part of my DNA so I incorporated some of my own favourite winter things into the book.
From ice skating on the frozen lake, to the stillness of the woods on a cold day, a winter carnival and more, Back Home at Firefly Lake celebrates everything that’s special to me about a north country winter.
Mother-daughter relationships
As the heroine’s mom tells her at one point in the story: “It’s a dangerous business being a mom.”
Although relationships between mothers and daughters run through all my books, this theme is particularly important—and meaningful to me—in Back Home at Firefly Lake.
The heroine, Cat, is a single mom to twelve-year-old Amy who is obsessed with ice hockey. While Cat wants Amy to realize her dreams, she’s also frightened by where those dreams may take her and wants to keep her safe. And as Cat mothers Amy, she also builds a new and better relationship with her own mother.
Many of the feelings about mothering in this book were shaped by my experience as both mother and daughter—and the push and pull in that dynamic over time.
Subscriber giveaway
As a small thank you to my blog subscribers, I have a signed paperback of Back Home at Firefly Lake up for grabs. Anyone who subscribes to my blog by Sunday, 3 December 2017 will be entered to win. I blog every two weeks about life and sometimes writing. If you aren’t already a subscriber, you can sign up here.
See & hear me on video
I’ve just made a video with my local Romance Writers of America chapter, Ottawa Romance Writers Association and stepped way out of my cozy, introverted comfort zone to talk about Back Home at Firefly Lake, as well as my writing life. Check out “7 Questions with an Author” on YouTube here.
And find out more about Back Home at Firefly Lake, including buy links, on my website.
Keep in touch
Make sure you follow my Facebook author page for news of other book giveaways, as well as upcoming guest posts including a piece about my favourite winter reads for Fresh Fiction.
(All quoted excerpts copyright © Back Home at Firefly Lake 2017 by Jen Gilroy)
November 16, 2017
Books on my nightstand
Confession time. To my husband’s dismay, and as the teetering pile of books on my nightstand attests, I’m the kind of person who reads multiple books at the same time, happily skipping from one to another as the mood takes me.
I’m also the kind of person who reads multiple genres and historical periods, again at the same time, tucking away inspiration and story nuggets like a squirrel burying nuts for winter.
Tech Guy is more methodical. When he finds an author whose books he enjoys, he will often read their entire backlist. He also prefers to read one genre at a time and rarely mixes fiction and non-fiction.
After more than twenty years together, we’ve learned to accept our differences in reading—as in life—although in the interests of marital harmony, it’s lucky he doesn’t have a view of all those to-be-read titles on my Kindle!
Here’s a sampling of how I’m feeding my soul with books on these dark November days—cozy slippers on my feet, Floppy Ears snuggled at my side in front of the fire, and a steaming mug of hot chocolate to hand.
RaeAnne Thayne is one of my favourite contemporary romance authors and her new release, Sugar Pine Trail, is a treat. As a lover of libraries since childhood, how could I resist a librarian heroine?
Add a sexy but sweet and surprisingly vulnerable pilot hero, a magical small-town at Christmas, and two young boys who desperately need love and family, Sugar Pine Trail tugged at my heartstrings and was a timely reminder of the true meaning of the season.
Next up is a trio of books I just received from my publisher, Forever Romance: Sugarplum Way, a new release by my friend Debbie Mason; Totally His by Erin Nicholas; and an advance copy of Can’t Forget You, out next month from Rachel Lacey.
Follow my Facebook page for giveaways with these authors coming soon!
We visited Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada this summer, and December marks the 100th anniversary of the Halifax explosion, a devastating First World War maritime disaster.
To learn more about this part of Canadian history, I’m reading my grandmother’s copy of Barometer Rising by Hugh McClennan. First published in 1941, this “romantic realist” novel takes place in Halifax during that fateful week in 1917. 
And because Ireland is one of my favourite places, I’m dipping into a book of black and white landscape photographs by Giles Norman, together with the Irish Baking Book.
The only problem with the latter? The descriptions of baked goods make me hungry and prone to snacking!
I’ve also raided my childhood bookcase to re-read Little House in the Big Woods, the first book in the beloved “Little House” series by Laura Ingalls Wilder and a long ago Christmas present from a dear cousin.
When life feels grim and I need a comfort read, I spend a cozy hour with the Ingalls family in frontier America. I read these books differently now than I did as a child, but they never cease to give me hope, inspiration and encouragement when I need it.
And if you’re looking to add to your seasonal reading, the third book in my Firefly Lake trilogy, Back Home at Firefly Lake is out on December 5th (December 28th in the UK) and available for pre-order in mass market paperback and digital format from all major retailers (find the blurb and buy links on my website).
Happy reading, everyone! What book (or books) are keeping you company in these last months of 2017?
November 2, 2017
Meet me at the diner – Contemporary romance author Jennifer Wilck
If you read my blog regularly, you know that I occasionally feature writer friends in a series called “Meet Me at the Diner.” Today it’s my pleasure to welcome Jennifer Wilck, a contemporary romance author with the Wild Rose Press.
I met Jennifer at the Romance Writers of America’s national conference in New York City in 2015 and, since then, we’ve chatted via social media about writing, the challenges of raising teen girls and more.
Jennifer lives with her husband, two daughters and one canine fur baby in New Jersey where she writes stories with love, laughter and happily ever after.
I’ve recently read Jennifer’s July 2017 release, Addicted to Love and am excited to talk with her about the inspiration for her book, as well as what’s next.
Since some of Jennifer’s stories reflect her Jewish heritage, I’ve made Pumpkin Chocolate Rugelach and Jewish apple cake for today’s diner specials. They’re perfect desserts for fall—or any other time!
As we’re chatting over (virtual) food, I have to tell you that reading Addicted to Love made me very hungry! Hotdogs from a street vendor, a melt-in-your-mouth artichoke appetizer, hamentaschen cookies on Purim and more, the story has many wonderful foodie references. Since food plays such a prominent role, did you include any personal or family favorites?
Ha! It’s funny because people either love that I include food in my stories or hate it. There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground, so I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Yes, I typically include food that has special meaning to me in my stories. One of the meals I included in Addicted to Love is stuffed cabbage, a dish first made by my great-grandmother. She never actually had a recipe or specific measurements, and it was my mother’s favorite.
One day, when my great-grandmother was fairly old, my mom had her make it. She watched her and every time my great-grandmother took a handful of this or a pinch of that, my mother would measure the amounts and record it. As a result, my mom now has the “official” recipe.
I love the relationships that are made over cooking and eating, which is why I so often include them in my books.
Those food-based relationships have been important in my life too, Jennifer, and I love the story of your great-grandmother’s stuffed cabbage. I grew up in western Canada in an area with a large Ukrainian population and stuffed cabbage rolls, holubtsi, were a staple of community suppers. Happy and delicious memories!
In Addicted to Love, you tackle the painful subject of drug addiction with sensitivity and compassion. What inspired you to write about a topic that doesn’t usually feature in romance novels?
I really like the trope of the tortured hero. I like adding depth to my characters and examining how experiences from their past affect their future and their relationships.
With addiction, I was trying to play with the idea that you can be addicted to anything—from something serious like drugs, to something we all joke about like chocolate or shoes—and how sometimes, despite your best intentions, you can take “doing the right thing” too far.
Until I read your book, I hadn’t thought about addiction in that way. Kudos to you for writing about such a complex and emotional subject in a way that makes readers think and, potentially, challenges pre-existing assumptions.
Alongside the central romance, Addicted to Love is about family relationships—for example, between the hero and his teen daughter, and between the heroine and the grandmother with whom she lives. Were any aspects of these relationships drawn from your own experience?
While I never base a character completely off someone I know, I will often take pieces of someone’s personality and incorporate them into my characters. I especially like to do this with the children.
So Tess, the hero’s daughter, has mannerisms that my daughters have—like eye rolling, for example, or a particular manner of speech.
The grandmother has some personality traits of my mother and grandmother, although to say the grandmother is my mother would definitely be a stretch (sorry, Mom!).
I do the same when developing my fictional characters. Although she’s an entirely different person, I certainly recognized bits of my daughter in Tess. Teen girl mannerisms must be universal!
There is a strong sense of place in Addicted to Love, and the New York City/New Jersey setting gives the story an urban, cosmopolitan feel that is a refreshing change from the contemporary romances I usually read—ones set in small towns or rural areas.
Do you write what you know?
It’s funny because I love reading small-town romances—one of the reasons why I love your books—but my Jewish books seem to set themselves in cities naturally.
It could be because that’s what I know personally or maybe because my characters and their traits—snappy dialogue, for example—lend themselves better to cities. There’s a fast-paced energy that comes with city living.
I’m so glad you enjoy the small-town world of my books but yes, I can see why your characters are more “at home” in cities. Although I’ve only been to New York City once, in different parts of your book I found myself nodding in recognition. I also liked that your characters took taxis frequently whereas in mine, the vehicle of choice is a pick-up truck!
The hero and heroine of Addicted to Love, Dan Rothberg and Hannah Cohen are Jewish, and while their romance and the challenges they overcome transcend religion and culture, I enjoyed learning more about Jewish traditions and holidays and reading about diverse characters.
How has your Jewish identity influenced your writing life?
Again, while I love reading Christmas books and romances where the characters get married in a church, there’s a lot to be said for being able to identify with the characters. I think diversity is another way of adding depth to characters.
I’ve also found readers like to learn about traditions that aren’t their own. My goal was to put the culture in the background, so I’m not hitting anyone over the head with it, but it weaves itself into the story seamlessly.
For me as a reader, you wove those cultural references in so well. In an era when we very much need diverse romance, and often improved cross-cultural communication and understanding, your books make an important contribution.
Since Addicted to Love released in July 2017, you had another new book, In the Moment, come out in early September. Can you tell us about it?
Sure! This one is actually set in a small town and is based on a local Victorian mansion that my daughters and I toured when it was up for sale. We all fell in love with it, but couldn’t afford to buy it.
The house spoke to me and I could imagine the people who lived there in the past and how amazing it would be to be able to live there now. So I decided to set my book there.
Cassie, the heroine, is a former foster child who grew up in that house as a teen. When her foster mother died, she bought the house and is restoring it, with the intent of living there and raising a family there. To her, the house represents stability.
Rayne, the hero, is a war photographer who can’t handle permanence right now—his friends were killed in the war and he’s on a mission to deliver a photo he took to one of the soldier’s parents. He blames himself for what happened to the soldiers and is afraid to cause any more damage to anyone else.
He’s passing through Cassie’s town on the way to deliver the photo and agrees to help her out with the house for a short time.
And the rest, well, you’ll have to read the book. 
October 19, 2017
Family ties
My mom grew up in a picturesque Canadian village in rural eastern Ontario—twelve miles from where I now live.
Dotted with stone buildings and tucked into a rolling landscape of century farms and historic waterways, it’s a place that shaped me as a person, as well as the writer I’ve become.
Several weeks ago, I attended Sunday service in my mother’s home church.
That church marked the different seasons of her life from baptism through to Sunday School, marriage to my dad and finally, a service to celebrate her life after her sudden death.
On the Sunday I attended, pews that would once have been packed with villagers were mostly empty. The organ was shuttered, the choir made up of a handful of stalwart voices, and most of the parishioners were near or beyond retirement age.
After the service, as I wandered through the almost deserted sanctuary with its memories and shadowy ghosts of a bygone era, an older woman approached me.
“You look familiar,” she said. “Do you have a family connection with this church?”
When I explained that I did, her face creased into a broad smile. “I remember your mother and grandmother and recognized the family resemblance.”
As a child and young adult, visits to both my parents’ hometowns were marked by a similar refrain. In the small town where my dad grew up, everyone insisted I took after his side of the family. With my mom’s kin, and despite my blue eyes and lighter hair in a family of “Black Irish,” I was her miniature.
I always insisted I looked like myself, but on that Sunday, at a time when both the church and my family of origin are sadly depleted, recognition of a family resemblance warmed my heart.
How wonderful to be told I looked like my dear grandma and mom and chat with someone who had known them both.
And how wonderful that my ties to family and place are etched on the contours of my face.
In a world that can often seem anonymous and rootless, I’m celebrating that connection to my past—although I could do without being confronted by my dad’s nose whenever I look in a mirror!
October 5, 2017
In search of comfort food
“When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.” Or in my case, shopping for comfort food.
As the weather cools, and darkness comes earlier, it’s the time of year for comfort food. However, in addition to childhood favorites like chicken pot pie, macaroni and cheese and hearty vegetable chili, when life feels uncertain, I also seek out a whole other realm of foodie treats.
As many of you know, I lived in England for many years. During that time, trips back across the Atlantic from Canada to my English home weren’t complete unless various food items were tucked into my suitcase.
If a custom’s official had opened my luggage, they might have suspected me of operating a dry goods import business. From saltine crackers to jars of NoNuts Golden Pea Butter (a peanut butter substitute for those with a nut allergy like me), and Bear Paw cookies to Old Dutch potato chips, I filled my case with cherished tastes of “home.”
Now I’m living in Canada, I have different cravings—this time for the British foods I miss and that are either difficult or impossible to secure here.
But this week, I found my personal nirvana.
Tucked into a typical Canadian strip mall in a busy city suburb, the shop windows gave no clue as to the delights inside. And even when I went in—and was confronted by what appeared to be acres of Scottish tartan, enough Irish Claddagh rings to outfit half the population of my small town, and an array of British souvenirs to rival a central London tourist stall—I still had my doubts.
Yet, there was a whiff of a special something. And after wending my way around shelves heaving with Scottish clan mugs and shamrock-patterned china, I found it.
The overhead fluorescent lights showcased a miniature British food shop in all its glory!
There were the digestive biscuits I’d been craving, right across from packets of Walkers prawn cocktail (shrimp) flavoured crisps (potato chips). One long shelf displayed chocolate bars and other sweet treats and beyond it were my favourite Scottish oat crackers.
I opened a chiller cabinet to inhale the scent of Double Gloucester and creamy Lancashire cheeses, and (discreetly) popped open the lid to sniff a bottle of green Fairy washing up liquid (dish detergent).
For that brief instant, all was right with my world.
When you’ve lived outside your birth country for any length of time, “home” becomes a fluid concept. For me, it means having multiple homes, and grocery items become part of the language of cross-cultural communication.
As I left the shop with a bulging carrier bag, I took a business card with me. Christmas is coming, and a special shipment of Marks & Spencer Christmas puddings is coming with it!
For now, though, I’m stocked with British goodies for a very Canadian Thanksgiving.
For those celebrating this weekend, and from my family to yours, warm wishes to you and your loved ones.
September 21, 2017
My reading life
Long before I became an author, I was, and still am, an avid reader. Since early childhood, reading has been a huge part of my life—so much so that I’m always perplexed when asked how I find time to “fit” reading in.
How could I not fit it in? Reading is almost as fundamental to me as breathing, eating and sleeping and, especially during life’s darker moments, delving into the pages of a favourite book is my go-to comfort blanket and feel-good remedy.
So, at this time of year when the nights are drawing in, and I’m curled up in a comfy chair with a mug of cocoa and good book, here’s to the reading life and some highlights from mine.
My favourite childhood book…
Is actually a trilogy, the Emily books by Canadian author L.M. Montgomery. Although less well known than Anne of Green Gables, Emily is a young girl who wants to be a published author, and the series traces her writing journey from childhood to early adulthood.
As a child and young adult, I didn’t know any writers. Reading Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs and Emily’s Quest nurtured my dream of achieving publication—one that never died despite many years and career detours along the way.
The first book that made me cry…
As a tween, I sobbed over my grandmother’s copy of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Beth March’s illness and death were heartbreaking because I cared about the March family almost as if they were my family.
The first book that scared me…
The Tale of Samuel Whiskers, or The Roly-Poly Pudding by Beatrix Potter.
Mischievous Tom Kitten being rolled up in dough by the evil rats, Samuel Whiskers and Anna Maria, gave me nightmares for weeks—and left me with a distaste for that classic British pudding, the jam roly-poly, that persists today.
Literary pilgrimages…
My favourite holiday is one that includes a visit to at least one place associated with a book or author to “see” it through a fictional lens.
In England, I lived near Jane Austen’s home at Chawton, while the Georgian heritage in Bath that Austen depicted so beautifully in her novels was only a day trip away. I also travelled to the English Lake District to follow in the steps of Wordsworth and other Romantic poets and, despite the lingering terror of Samuel Whiskers, explore the places that inspired Beatrix Potter’s tales.
In the US, I’ve made pilgrimages to sites associated with Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House stories (more childhood favorites) and, at home in Canada, have visited L.M. Montgomery’s Prince Edward Island. 
And, of course, book boyfriends…
Although I’ve been happily married for over twenty years, there’s always been something special about book heroes.
From Gilbert Blythe to Captain Wentworth, Rhett Butler to Jamie Fraser (and a host of others), fictional men have made me sigh, smile, swoon and (on occasion) seethe because when it comes to the world of the imagination, I’m an unrepentant serial dater.
Not only do I fall in love with the hero of each book I write, but as I delve into each new title on my to-be-read list, book boyfriends parade through my life in quick succession.
Happily, I’m not alone in my fondness for fictional men. A cursory scan of Goodreads reveals that from “men who define the word love,” to “nice heroes,” and “book boyfriends I wish were real,” readers everywhere create lists of what they like (and don’t) in guys between book covers.
So, happy reading, friends in that comfy chair with a favourite book and beverage of your own!
“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.” – Anna Quindlen, How Reading Changed My Life
September 7, 2017
Endings and new beginnings
The leaves on the maple trees are changing from green to red, yellow, and orange here in the Rideau Valley, and as another summer transitions to autumn, endings and new beginnings are much on my mind.
English Rose started high school this week, a major life milestone for her and me as well. In what seems like a blink of an eye, my bouncy little girl, who went off to her first day of school so proud of her new uniform, has grown into a thoughtful and compassionate teen.
With her elementary days behind her, a fresh path is opening in front of her with new teachers, classes and friends. Even her old friends look much bigger and more confident, as if the few months of summer vacation resulted in growth spurts both inside and out.
In these first few days of high school, English Rose has discovered a new world in both academics and life.
In English, she’ll read To Kill a Mockingbird—a book that’s “so old” I read it in high school, too!
In geography, she’ll develop her knowledge of Canada’s peoples and landscapes, beginning with the Great Lakes. As I was reminded yesterday, Lake Michigan is indeed the only Great Lake entirely in the USA.
And thanks to a hallway collision between lessons, she’s learned to steer clear of upperclassmen, many of whom already boast the weight and height of the NHL ice hockey players some aspire to be.
Much as for English Rose, this summer-autumn transition has brought me some “endings” of my own.
I finished the third book in my Firefly Lake series, Back Home at Firefly Lake, out in December. It’s a winter book with a holiday feel and available for pre-order from all the major retailers.
The second book, Summer on Firefly Lake, which came out at the end of July, has been well received, earning a Barnes & Noble Bookseller pick for August, as well as a Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss, Selection, September 2017 award. I continue to be so grateful to all the readers and booksellers who have taken Firefly Lake into their hearts and onto their shelves.
Along with endings, though, I’ve also had some new beginnings. I’ve just finished a new book, the first in a new series, and it’s been great fun getting to know a new setting and characters. Since the heroine works in her family’s bakery, sampling of baked treats was a summertime must.
I’m also writing proposals for several other books and novellas, digging into my “inspiration folder” for visual stimulus.
Even though it’s many years since I returned to a classroom, September has always been my favorite time of year.
The crisp new school supplies in stores bring a sense of limitless possibilities. And the whiff of a fresh box of crayons takes me to one of my happy places, and the feeling that the world is there to discover, one brilliant colour at a time.
So, as I dust off the slow cooker and search out recipes for hearty soups and stews, walk Floppy Ears in the cool stillness of autumn mornings, and cocoon into the cozy warmth of my English cardigans beside the fireplace, it’s the time of year when I’m also refilling my creative well.
Happy September, friends. May this “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” (as the English Romantic poet John Keats described it in “To Autumn”) bring you happy new beginnings of your own.
