Lilian Nattel's Blog, page 18

Shout-Out to Young Women

Picture the Isobel Bolton Hockey League finals, Blue team against White. Blue had been the best team from the beginning of the season. But White came from behind, improving week by week until they were facing Blue in the final game. My older daughter M was on White; a classmate of H's was on Blue.

My family knows most of the girls by name, strong, bright kids. They skate fiercely, defend their goals, cheer their goalie when she stops the puck, console her when she lets it in. At the end of the game they pile together like puppies.

We can all learn something from these girls. Today I celebrate their fierceness and their joy. It was a close game, a tight one. At the end of 3 periods the scored was tied: 1, 1.

In sudden death overtime, Blue won. But the White teams has my heart because they played theirs. Good game White–way to go number 14, MMNG!

Filed under: Beautiful, Fun, Personal Tagged: celebrating girls

Israel & Iran: A Love Story

Amidst the war-mongering rhetoric of politicans, a quiet message is being passed back and forth on Facebook between ordinary people. Here's the story:

Filed under: Uplifting Tagged: antidote to politics

My Favourite Spot for an Interview

I met Greg Quill (Toronto Star) at Faema's, a coffee shop 5 minutes from my house. It's on Dupont Street near the Jaguar dealership which is rumoured to be turned into a Target or Walmart in the next few years. It's large, airy and bright with natural light from the floor to ceiling windows. But best of all, it's in the old Ford building (ca 1915) that's featured in Web of Angels.

I turned Faema into a long-standing neighbourhood restaurant, McGee's, in my novel. The adjoining space, now an empty Blockbuster's, had been the fictional store where Jake sold cigars to reporters from the Evening Telegram. Fifty years ago the Telegram building was at the corner across from Faema's where a grocery store now stands.

Greg is a shaggy, big, middle-aged man…and a kindred spirit: a musician as well as a journalist. I had a blast talking with him and left our interview energized.

You can read the full profile here.

Filed under: Literary, Personal Tagged: interviews, Seaton Village

Celebrating a Bestseller in the Best Way

Here's what my children did yesterday. First a creation by H landed on my desk.

Pen holder by H, click to enlarge

The congratulations section swivels to reveal To and From, click to enlarge

Then M cleaned the kitchen counter and stove top within an inch of its life, upon which she retired to her computer. Sometime later she emerged. "Mom," she said, "you're number 5 on the CBC bestseller list." (Canadian fiction)

But the best was yet to come. A and I snuggled on the couch reading, while our kids nested on the loveseat kitty corner. There was hilarity, pushing, and silent reading. It was an ordinary evening and yet extraordinary.

Did I mention that we spent the afternoon at the library?

Filed under: Literary, Personal Tagged: bestsellers, celebrations

Web of Angels: Bestseller

This morning, after oatmeal (with maple syrup, a Sabbath treat), I was at my desk drinking coffee. Emails had arrived from my agent, editor, and publicist. After I read them, I walked downstairs to share the news with my family, weeping and scaring them in the process. "It's good," I whispered to A as I clutched him. My younger daughter came into the living room holding Piggie, her big stuffed pig for security. "What happened, Momma?"

"Web of Angels is on the Globe and Mail Canadian bestseller list," I said. "It's number 7."

My book is on the same list as Anne of Green Gables. Me and Lucy Maude–buddies.

And I'm in great company among the living, too!

Here's the link for the list, just click on Canadian when you get there.

Filed under: Fun, Literary, Personal Tagged: Canadian bestsellers, Web of Angels

Spring and a Breather

It's uncanny…I saw crocuses a couple of days ago. In 2008 I kept a daily journal of spring's coming–it was a typical year–and the crocuses were up on April 10th a full month later.

These days are precious, between the sleet of winter and the smog of summer, the sun and clear skies enticing. I'm catching my breath from the first flurry of promoting Web of Angels. Walking out in the sun reminds me to watch the earth and the sky and to take lightly all else.

Filed under: Beautiful Tagged: spring

Braving the Police Station

Some of you may remember how I had to overcome my shyness to do the final research for Web of Angels. I'm very comfortable in interviews and I can do the extroverted thing when required (though admittedly after days of it, I just want to sit quietly in a semi-dark room!). But the thought of interrupting the important work of police officers out to catch the baddest of the bad guys–well that brought out all my bashfulness.

But I never did post about the full experience here. So when I was asked to do a guest blog for Indigo, it was the perfect opportunity to recall it:

When I went to see the station, I was fascinated by what I saw there: the posters that said "You've Got the Power" and "Murdered"; the photograph of the division's hockey team; the weight room where officers can work off stress; the joking notes taped to chairs; the cells with their green bars. I saw a man slumped on a bench, waiting to be processed. I saw an interview room, small, windowless, barred.

The full post is here.

Filed under: Interesting, Literary, Personal Tagged: researching a novel

Anthem

From Leonard Cohen's Anthem, sung here by Newfoundland's The Once:

You can add up the parts

but you won't have the sum

You can strike up the march,

there is no drum

Every heart, every heart

to love will come

but like a refugee.

Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack, a crack in everything

That's how the light gets in.

h/t DD

Filed under: Beautiful Tagged: inspiring songs

My 5 Favourite Books

I read Emily of New Moon when I was 10. I wasn't the first Canadian girl to love Emily because I wanted to be a writer, and I'm not the first to blame Emily for becoming a writer. But I'm not sure if anyone else did this: when I decided to write seriously, I took the summer off and went to PEI where Emily (and Lucy Maude) had grown up.

That's an excerpt from a guest blog at Chatelaine. It was so much fun to think about and write–do have a look over there.

Which of the 5 would you pick to read?

Filed under: Fun, Literary Tagged: great books

My Girls on IWD

There are a lot of posts today about important things: women's safety, rights, equality or lack thereof all around the world. But this morning, I was talking with my 13 year old, who is just a few months from high school.

I spoke about what she's going to start seeing among her friends and other people she knows. Drugs or adventure; unprotected sex or leadership experiences. A lot of them will probably make some better and some worse choices as they experiment with freedom. I am putting my faith in her ability to see her way clearly and to follow her own solid path.

And I think of this:

Filed under: Beautiful, Concerning, Personal Tagged: adolescence