Jen Gilroy's Blog, page 19

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)

 

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?

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. 

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!  

 

 

 

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.

 

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 

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. 

Kindness

As many of you know, “kindness” is my word for 2017. All too often, though, it can seem we’re living in a world where kindness is in short supply.

The global news headlines are almost unceasingly grim. My social media feeds catalogue ills large and small. And in my own life and family, worries and problems are as thick as the weeds clogging my back garden after this rain-soaked summer.

Even when I stepped out of my small-town church after service last Sunday, it was into conflict and cacophony. Three dogs had met on the sidewalk at the bottom of the church steps. Amidst the snarls, barks and growls (and rising voices of owners trying to calm their animals), all I could think of was that the scene was somehow symbolic of both my life and the present world stage.

I wanted to scurry home, climb into bed and pull the covers up to my chin. Yet, I couldn’t. Whether I wanted to or not, I had to “adult.” And when I logged into my Twitter account last Sunday afternoon, it was as if the universe was sending me a message.

My timeline was topped by tweets about kindness and the power of small actions to spark large and impactful changes. A bit further down, I found links to several heartwarming stories—just what I needed to help restore my bruised faith in humanity.

In 140 characters, I was reminded that we all have choices. In choosing kindness as my word for this year, I’d made a conscious decision to look for opportunities to be kind, as well as acknowledge such actions in others.

There are many things in my life, as well as the world at large, over which I have no control. What I can control, though, is how I respond to those forces, and how I act when faced with challenges and moral questions large and small.

So, for the remainder of 2017, I need to take more opportunities to stop and note how kindness makes the world—and my life—better. Instead of focusing on what is wrong, I’m making a dedicated effort to focus on what is right. 

From an unexpected message of cheer from a friend, to a good news story (like this one about a woman whose wedding was cancelled and who is giving away her unused designer dress to a bride in need), noting daily instances of kindness is a powerful tool.  

A late family friend, who was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known, always said: “Don’t thank me for a kindness, just pass kindness on.” In fiction, she helped inspire the character of Liz Carmichael in Summer on Firefly Lake (who also appears in the third book of the series, Back Home at Firefly Lake, out in December). In life, her words have come back to me this week like a touchstone.

As for the dogs at the bottom of the church steps? Calm was soon restored, dog treats were shared, and dogs and owners continued civilly down the street.

In that experience too is a lesson for life and living it.

Sand between my toes & memories in my heart

Tech Guy, English Rose and I have been on holiday this week. After months of bouncing between writing deadlines (me), school and medical appointments (English Rose), and work in big-city Toronto and our small-town home (Tech Guy), we all needed time to stop, reconnect and simply “be.”

And so this week we’ve been in Nova Scotia, a province on Canada’s Atlantic coast. It’s a place where the tourism board advises visitors to “pack light, breathe deep,” and the pace of life is just a little slower.

I’ve set writing aside to wiggle my toes in the sand of an almost-deserted beach.

Instead of a keyboard at my fingertips, I’ve had ice cream in my hands because really, what is a vacation without the delights of local ice cream? 

Here, it’s Cows and, with flavours ranging from Fluff N Udder to Messie Bessie, there’s been a whole sweet language of taste temptations to explore.

I’ve also savoured lobster sliders, chunky seafood chowder and that quintessential Canadian delicacy, the “beavertail,” a sweet, fried pastry topped with cinnamon and a dash of lemon.

To work off all that food, I’ve ambled up hills and down, and I’ve stopped to smell the wild roses that grow along paths leading to the ever-present sea.

And while spending time with my own little family, I’ve also rediscovered a part of myself.

My parents met and became engaged in Nova Scotia. My mom, a small-town Ontario girl, was a nurse at a hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia’s capital city. My dad, a small-town Manitoba boy, was stationed at a local Royal Canadian Navy base. 

I grew up with stories of a place as foreign to me as those I read about it books. It was as magical too because without my parents’ Nova Scotia past, there might not have been a me.

This week, I’ve followed in the footsteps of my parents all those years ago. I’ve toured a ship that’s now a museum holding some of my dad’s Navy memorabilia, crossed Halifax harbour on the ferry as they once did and walked in the gardens where they courted.

In seeing where my parents’ life together began, I’ve forged new links between my past and present. And in sharing bits of who her grandparents were with English Rose, their past will, I hope, go on into her future. 

And while every holiday is a time for making memories, I’ll carry those I’ve made on this one in my heart for the rest of my life. 

As for that ice cream I’m carrying on my hips? I still have a few days of vacation left—and more Nova Scotia hills to scale!