Writing...Just because!

As I sat down to start writing this blog about being persistent, I mentally stumbled because, well… persistence is tough. Especially during the lull that inevitably comes after the flurry of a book launch. Actually, it’s not a lull, it often feels like a crash and burn! How can I write about persistence when all I want to do is hide away and curl up with a good book? Love those Sugar Highs It’s like the crash after a sugar high. My new book, Deep Deceit , came out with a bang! It reached the Kindle Top 10 in mystery/suspense on Amazon.ca during launch week. Heady stuff. The problem is, there’s no way, other than huge sales or continuous free downloads, to keep it there. But, the idea ultimately is sales, right? My book is in a very popular genre so I’m competing with some heavy hitters, but I persevere. Helpful Resources I read self-publishing and marketing books voraciously. One I read a while back and pulled out again recently is called Let’s Get Visible by David Ga...

MT and me at my graduation from MSVU in 1990 I would like to wish a very happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, especially the amazing woman who brought me (and 4 older brothers and sisters) into the world. We call her Mother Theresa or MT for short. Her name really is Theresa so it wasn't a stretch to nickname her after the famous nun who healed the sick and cared for the poorest of poor. We think our MT is pretty special too. It's hard to describe how I feel about her without getting a big lump in my throat. She fills my heart with love, she's my best friend, my confident, my counselor and supporter. Reading my favourite book, Teddy Bear's Picnic, with MT At a very early age she instilled a love of reading in us that kept us entertained over the years right up until this very day. Being an avid reader herself, she is also my biggest fan, of course. I should dedicate every single book I write to her as she has also been the most enthusiastic ...

Book launch for @Home in Dubai at Central Perk, Dubai (2012) I'm writing a bit of a different blog today that puts the spotlight on the publisher of my first book, @Home in Dubai - Getting Connected Online and on the Ground . Jo Parfitt of Summertime Publishing was among the first to see a proposal I had written for a book I had in mind called 'A Year in Dubai'. I'll never forget the rush when she told me she thought I had a great idea and then how my bubble burst when she suggested I shelve it! She quickly brought the light back when she asked if I would write about life in Dubai from a bit of a different perspective... more of a 'how to' peppered with my personal experiences and interspersed with interviews with other expats and lots of links to online resources. The contract was signed and @Home in Dubai was born! And, Jo and I have since become great friends and collaborators ;) Expat Books Fast forward four years and Summertime Publishing has c...

I'm totally excited, relieved, nervous, thrilled... and any other adjective you can come up with to describe how it feels when launching a new book! Deep Deceit is finally available on Amazon in both print and Kindle and I'm heading out on tour to spread the word. I'd like to thank all the bloggers who have agreed to participate in my Virtual Book Tour and encourage you to visit their blogs not only on the day they join the tour but make sure you go back and visit regularly! Here is the line-up of blogs I'll be visiting and featured on with interviews, reviews or guest posts. As the posts are live, I'll update the links here to go directly to the post. I look forward to interacting with everyone at all the stops! Book Readers Heaven  - kicks off the tour on March 8th! Arabian Tales and Other Amazing Adventures, March 10th Retired? No one told me!, March 11 Morgen Bailey's Writing Blog - March 12 Ask David - March 14 The Written Chakra - March 15 ...

Ah, the ever elusive 'writing process'. I've been a writer for years but as an author I’m a fairly new having published my first book in 2011 and two more since. Over the past three years I’ve been happily writing away, working towards my dreams of being a famous novelist, and feel pretty good about a strong ‘author voice’ that seems to be developing. The more you write the closer you get to finding the voice that’s uniquely yours, pulling bits and pieces from those you admire and drawing from your own experiences and mental meanderings. I think the same goes for landing on a writing process that works for you. However, I’m having a slightly more difficult time nailing that down. I read a blog a while ago that talked about famous writers’ writing processes. I found it fascinating as I struggle to find one that works for me day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year. I did a search to see if I could find that particular blog again so I could at least giv...