Peter Kingsmill's Blog, page 3

Do we need immigrants in Canada?

It is difficult to define the impact of immigration to Canada without starting at the (apparent) beginning, when a handful of explorers and opportunists from Britain and France began what became a ceaseless invasion of this country. Doubtless our indigenous inhabitants were curious (and probably amused) and welcoming to these strange new people with strange … Continue reading "Do we need immigrants in Canada?"

Awan Lake: on planning a novel (!)

I’ve really only just started work on my second novel. Awan Lake was the working title of my first book as I was writing it, and it stayed that way until I wrote “End” on the last page, when I realized I had created a mystery with a two-week time-line that finished at sundown just … Continue reading "Awan Lake: on planning a novel (!)"

Nothing new: religion, culture and conflict in 2018

Over the last week, the international news media have once again underscored the depths of depravity to which the world’s religions can descend. Nothing new, perhaps, but so much at once: paedophilia rampant among Pennsylvania’s Catholic clergy; escalating internecine warfare between Islamic sects in the Middle East; murderous conflict between Buddhists, Hindu and Muslim communities … Continue reading "Nothing new: religion, culture and conflict in 2018"

As a Matter of Fact I like Beer

I didn’t write that title. Singer and songwriter Tom T. Hall wrote those words – indeed a whole song – about beer in 1975. Over forty years have gone by, and nothing much has changed: I still like beer! It has never defined who I am (although there were a couple of years when it … Continue reading "As a Matter of Fact I like Beer"

Now in print!

Just published Sunset at 20:47 in print (and KDP) on Amazon! While I was doing this, and joining Crime Writers of Canada as a professional author member, I re-connected with a much admired colleague from my days in tourism - he still lives in the mountains near Banff (where he works with Canadian Mountain Holidays) and is now writing some great mysteries... try "Full Curl" by Dave Butler!

Mystery May promotion...

Just received the results of the "Mystery May" promotion - over 500 people downloaded "Sunset at 20:47" and getting lots of nice feedback, like this one from South Africa: "My husband and I both read "Sunset" & enjoyed the book & characters especially Anderson good mystery & something different. Keep them coming!"

Folks can purchase my book for $4.99 at https://www.books2read.com/u/bape2x

Or, you can go to my website and learn some stuff about me, read some reviews, and buy Sunset at 20:47 from there!

www.peterkingsmill.ca

Finally launched!!

The first day a book launches into the deep waters of the marketplace is a day to celebrate! April 17th is such a day for Sunset at 20:47 !
https://www.books2read.com/u/bape2x

Whatever made me think I could do this?

Now that I have started to concentrate on writing novels, the day-by-day inspiration to sit down at the keyboard and "just do it" comes easily. But, there has been a long road between my parents and teachers and even a professor telling me "you should be a writer" and actually becoming a fiction writer.
My first job offer after high school was to write operation and maintenance manuals for railway locomotives, a job I probably shouldn't have turned down - but did! A second offer was from a small community weekly newspaper, which I did accept and shortly became editor (all eight pages of it, twelve on a good week!)
After a year or so of that, a year of college got in the way. It was almost two decades later that I spent a few years as a full-time singer/songwriter, and became convinced that writing country songs was a perfect fit for my attention span: two verses, one chorus, repeat... and done!
Later, I took on some good editing gigs for business and professional magazines and even (with a lot of encouragement and help from my spouse) started a relatively successful community weekly newspaper of our own.
Of course I have been doing a number of things over the years to earn a living, including farm worker, logger, trucker and riverboat captain, but it took until just over a year ago to arrive at the conclusion that I actually wanted to do what I probably should have done many many years before: write my first novel. And, here it is: Sunset at 20:47 !