10, 20, 30, 40 and counting...and counting!...by Sheila Claydon

 Find my books here

Saving Katy Gray is Book 3 of my When Paths Meet trilogy. All three books are about love and the messiness of family. Book 3 is especially pertinent to me at the moment, however, because two of the characters are growing old. Initially without the support and understanding they need. Katy Gray, who has already lost the older people in her family, is determined they will live well until their last breath. 

* * *

They happen to all of us if we are lucky. The big birthdays that arrive once every decade. The birthdays that bring squeals of delight at 10, partying at 20, a quiet satisfaction that we are now really and truly adults at 30...and on and on it goes. 40, 50, 60, 70...I wonder how many of us will make it to 100. Do we even want to? If we are still active and healthy, then probably. If not, then probably not. As I said, we need to be lucky. And if we know someone like Katy Gray then we are doubly lucky.

Well one of my big birthdays is coming up. Another 10 years has flown by since the last one and yet it seems like yesterday. That's another problem with growing older, time shrinks! 

I celebrated the last one in Australia with our son and family, and because Australia is sunny and hot in March, we ate in a very relaxed restaurant near the beach. Then I had another 3 separate celebrations with Australian friends, all of whom seemed to be vying to give me the best time. I remember Oysters Kilpatrick, fine Australian wines, a surprise fish and chip picnic at the end of a fabulous boat trip, a concert at the Sydney Opera House...that birthday seemed to go on and on and I cherish the memories.

This one will be in the UK with daughter and family. It will be a far more formal affair I'm told. Glad rags are the order of the day although I still don't know where I'm going. When I was given the choice between a party or a family meal it didn't take more than a moment to choose the meal. There were a couple of reasons. The first is that I don't really enjoy being the centre of attention (it's an only child thing!) The second is, however, far more serious. I don't want to look like a 'Billy no mates!'

Because we have travelled a great deal so many of our very dear friends live in different countries. Once that would not have been a problem but now we are all so much older, it is. Even those who live in the UK, friends and family alike, have mostly stopped travelling. Too many cars on the road, too many old age ailments, preferring to sleep in their own beds, the list is a long one. There will be Zoom calls and WhatsApps. There will be smiling faces on FaceTime. I'll still get to see or hear from all of them without putting them through the pressure of travelling or having to say no. Again, how lucky are we to grow old in a world where we can talk to friends across the world at the click of a button. I remember so clearly my grandmother waiting and waiting for those tissue thin airmail letters that were the only thing that kept her in touch with her sons when they lived and worked overseas. 

I believe there will also be a small celebration with neighbours but as they are all within walking distance I won't feel bad about that:) And there is one other positive to look forward to. Shortly after the birthday celebrations are over, we'll be travelling to visit our son and family again. Now they live in Singapore we are looking forward to warming our cold English winter bones while we still can. And my decade birthday present from them is an en-famille long weekend in Indonesia (a short ferry trip away) so I'm still travelling...just. But then a son and daughter-in-law and, ten years on, a nearly 11 year old granddaughter, is a great pull. I might not be able to travel on my next decade's birthday though, so I'd better make the most of this one.

Happy birthday to anyone else out there who will have a decade birthday in March.

Blog: Sales/Promotion by Paul Doucette

 

 

            Hello everyone, here I am once again with another brief suggestion for all of you to consider.

            I have developed a ‘package’ which I have put together and mailed to all the Senior Residences in Nova Scotia. This includes an introduction to myself as an author (Bio); a listing of my titles and series; a general overview of my main characters in each series, and, a copy of all the covers for each book. I have also included an overview of BWL Publishing with attention to their various categories/genres.

            So far, I have received some positive feedback and, an invitation to read and/or set up a displayed of the books for sale. Jude has been most helpful in providing parts of this information.

            This may be something you may want to consider doing in an effort to advance your name and work. It need not be seniors; it could be schools, book clubs (I know that Chapters has a book reading club here at their Dartmouth location). For those of you whose work falls into the historical fiction genre, I can tell you that most every senior’s residence I have spoken with has indicated that their residents favour this genre.

            Anyway, that is all I have to offer at this time. I will be posting again in the future. Good luck and good sales.

            H Paul Doucette

Is it Spring yet? by Nancy M Bell

 

To explore more of Nancy's work please click on the cover above.

This is the cover for my next novel which is releasing in April of 2025. Night at the Legislature is the first book in the new collection of paranormal novels being released by BWL Publishing Inc. This collection joins the Canadian Historical Brides and the Canadian Historical Mysteries collections already available.

But now to my point. Is it spring yet? I know, I know,  you're all thinking 'what else could she expect? she lives in central Alberta'. This is the time of year when I get antsy, wanting to buy flowers, bedding plants, bulbs for the garden. Only problem is there is about three feet of snow over my gardens right now and the temperature is in the -20 degrees Celsius. Yup, no digging in the dirt for me for  awhile. Somehow, I always manage to make it through the dark days when the sun is sinking further and further to the south, the hours of daylight shortening with each passing day. It's not Christmas that I look forward to (although that is of course part of it) but the winter solstice. The moment when the Holly King at the height of his reign gives over to the Oak King. 

Slowly, the light returns, the days getting longer and the sun strengthening. Gradually, the sun will make its journey into the northern skies, the sunsets will slant shadows in different directions. Winter will release her strangle hold and the snow will begin to melt, dripping in diamond tears from the trees and the eaves of houses. Creeks and streams will find their voices again as snow melt swells their ranks. The bright chatter and music of running water will fill the air...and finally...the earth will warm enough that snow drops and prairie crocus will push toward the light , followed by daffodils, tulips and hyacinths. The brilliant gold of forsythia will wave beside the pearly grey pussy willows.

But for now, I'm stuck in the middle of February with its frosty nights silvered with moonlight  and starlight. While I watch Orion stalk across the eastern skies headed toward the west as the dawn light approaches. And the jewels of the planets burning in the cold winter skies, somehow more sparkling than in the warmth of summer. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and if I'm lucky enough to see it before he slips beneath the horizon, Mercury. 

Winter can be spectacular with motes of fairy dust floating in the sunlight as the moisture in the air freezes in the breeze. Snow reflecting the moonlight and starlight. Tall evergreens mantled in heavy frost like hoary giants guarding us.

But, oh spring...spring...the renewal of life, the return of the light...young animals starting their lives, the song of birds growing ever stronger. The return of the hawks and geese and that harbinger of spring the robin. My heart years for spring in the midst of February. So...is it spring yet?

Until next month, be happy, be wise, be healthy 

    

'til... something freezes over, by J.C. Kavanagh

 

To purchase the award-winning Twisted Climb series, click here:

https://www.bookswelove.net/kavanagh-j-c/

I live in central Ontario, Canada - where winter is a months-long celebration for skiers, snowmobilers, and outdoor enthusiasts. However, last winter (2023/24) was not the typical celebration-type weather. No no no. We saw precious little snow because the temperatures were higher than normal, which means for Canadians, it's t-shirt weather. 10° Celsius (50° Fahrenheit) is a balmy temperature for us hardy souls. And because December/January/February seemed like a prolonged Autumn, I refer to it as "the winter that wasn't." 

This year is a totally different story. It snows and snows and snows and snows... and gets colder and colder and colder... well, you get my point. 

Will it ever stop? 

My partner, Ian, clearing a path to the bird feeder - December 2024

Baby it's cold outside :) 
-21° Celsius but with the wind-chill, feeling like -30°
(-6° Fahrenheit feeling like -22° F)

January snowbank on our driveway

Map of the 5 Great Lakes surrounding the border of Canada and the U.S.

But will the Great Lakes freeze over?

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as of January 25, approximately 23% of the Great Lakes were covered in ice. That breaks down to:

Lake Ontario: 15% ice coverage

Lake Erie: 85% (was 28% on Jan. 15. Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, averaging 19 metres, or 62 ft. In mid-January, a 663' freighter hauling wheat from Buffalo, New York, to Sarnia, Ontario, got stuck in the rapidly building ice. An ice-breaker ship had to carve a path to 'rescue' the freighter and free it from the 4-foot thick ice. The boat and crew were not harmed!)

Lake Michigan: 22%

Lake Huron: 25%

Lake Superior: 9% (Lake Superior is the deepest of the Great Lakes, averaging 147 metres or 483 ft. The deepest part is 406 metres, or 1,332 ft.)

Apparently the above stats, with the exception of Lake Erie, are normal for end-of-January.

By the time you read this blog, the lakes should be 40 or 45% covered in ice. That is, if the temperatures remain steady. Another 'arctic blast' may drastically, and for the better, increase the amount of ice building over the lakes. Higher water levels are better for shorelines, shipping lanes, and marine life. The last time the Great Lakes almost froze over was 2014 and 2017. During last year's winter (2023/24), the average ice coverage was less than 5% across the Great Lakes - a significant drop since the NOAA began recording ice statistics in 1979, and sadly, confirmation about the negative effect of climate change. You see, it's the melting ice that contributes to higher water levels. Without ice cover, snow simply evaporates on the lakes. 

I'm standing about 100 feet from shore on the partially frozen Georgian Bay,
adjacent to Lake Huron.

'Ice wave' formations - where waves turn into ice (Georgian Bay)

Sun setting over the frozen shoreline of Georgian Bay.
Blue Mountains of Collingwood, Ontario, are in the background.

My home base in central Ontario has been blasted with about 140 cm of snow since December. For my American readers, that's a little over 55 inches, making our property a true winter wonderland. Kudos to my partner, Ian, who has the good fortune (?) of being 'in charge' of snow clearing :)

Fortunately for the characters in The Twisted Climb trilogy, the story does not occur during winter months - so they don't encounter snow or ice monsters. What they do encounter, though, will bring chills up and down your spine. Check it out! 

Until next time, stay safe and don't forget to tell the ones you love that you love them :) 

J.C. Kavanagh, author of
The Twisted Climb - A Bright Darkness (Book 3) Best YA Book FINALIST at Critters Readers Poll 2022
AND
The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2) voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018, Critters Readers Poll and Best YA Book FINALIST at The Word Guild, Canada
AND
The Twisted Climb,
voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers Poll
Voted Best Local Author, Simcoe County, Ontario, 2021
Novels for teens, young adults and adults young-at-heart
Email: author.j.c.kavanagh@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/J.C.Kavanagh
www.amazon.com/author/jckavanagh
Instagram @authorjckavanagh

Well, I did it. It's done. I got my book published. by Tobias Robbins

 

 

Available now at your favorite digital store!

And in Print from Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Ingram

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0228634644

Well, I did it. It's done. I got my book published. 

 

I am honestly still in a state of shock about it, like it isn't real yet. 

 

You spend just about every day for the past handful of years thinking about something then suddenly it's just finished. It feels weird. I can't escape the feeling that I'm forgetting to do something, but nope, there is nothing to work on, no revisions, no plot problems to solve, and no formatting. It's similar to when you work several long shifts at your job all in a row then you get a day off and wander around in a stooper looking for something to do. Free time is a new sensation. 

 

I am grateful though. So many people helped me get here and I owe them big time. Everything good in my life is the product of the assistance I was lucky enough to get from other people. It's not really my success, it's more like "our" success. Now to help make their efforts worth it, I want to push the book as much as possible. 

 

In case you haven't heard, my book is a sci-fi/fantasy, geo-political drama, telling interconnecting stories through a variety collection of ancient documents that span the full history of their lost civilization. 

 

And if that is up your alley it’s now available in ebook format.