A Travel Writer Again by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

Amazon US: https://us.amazon.com/Road-Tripping.../dp/B0GNJFDZMF

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Road-Tripping.../dp/0228639352

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/.../road.../1149544339...

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/1968339

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/.../road-tripping-southern-alberta...

 

I took a few writing courses and began my published, writing career (as opposed to my unpublished writing career) with a short story titled A Hawk's Reluctant Flight, in a small magazine called Western People. With that on my short resume, I had travel and historical articles accepted by other magazines, one of which didn't pay anything to the author. Then I took another writing course and one of the speakers was a publisher, Grant.

At the time Alberta was divided into tourist zones and I had been thinking about doing a book on what there was to see and do in each zone. I sent a query letter to Grant's publishing company and the senior editor responded with a phone call. We set up a time for me to go to the city and meet with both of them. I outlined my idea and Grant said yes it was a good one but he thought the books should be more on the people and culture of each zone. He liked his idea and I liked mine so we decided we couldn't work together. As I stood to leave I said. "Well, at least as I research the zones I will see all the backroads of Alberta." He replied. "I've always want to do a book on the backroads of Alberta." I sat back down and that was how I began my backroads series. Over the next ten years I travelled through and wrote two travel books on Alberta, four travel books on British Columbia, and one travel book on the Yukon and Alaska.

My favourite books to read have always been mystery novels and after much thought I decided to write one. Since one of the mantras of writing is to write what you know I made my main character a travel writer. Since then, I have written seven mystery, six historical, two sci/fi, two holiday romance/comedies, and one non-fiction. Now, thirty-three years after my first Alberta travel book was published, I am a travel writer once again.

My latest book is titled 'Roadtripping Southern Alberta' and here is the Introduction, and the section of the book that explains the front cover. Enjoy reading and hopefully you will visit the area soon.

Introduction

Unfortunately, many people have lost the art of the drive. It’s been replaced by the art of the destination. Everyone wants to get to their journey’s end instead of enjoying the drive, the travel. This book is about travelling through southern Alberta. Each chapter in this book is a loop, so you start and end in the same place. Some of the loops are close enough to each other that you can hop off one and onto another, tour it, and then hop back onto your first loop. You are free to take as long as you wish on each chapter to enjoy the whole experience.

Most hamlets, villages, and towns have museums that are preserving and chronicling the unique history in each area. After visiting those, and other places cited in this book, drive or walk around the communities. You might see children selling lemonade or iced tea on a street corner or you might meet the residents who are friendly and helpful. You can check out the shops, galleries, and stores. There is always something unique and interesting to see. Plus, you might be fortunate enough to find a Farmer’s Market where you can pick up fresh vegetables, baking, eggs, and meat products.

Regrettably, not all sites, adventures, or experiences are mentioned here- it would take a book much larger than this and I extend my apologies to those places. This book is designed to give you an idea of the natural and man-made attractions, the stories and history of the areas, and the famous and infamous people who lived here. In the process, it is my aim to get you out exploring this part of the province. So, if you see a sign for something not mentioned in here, or if you wonder what is down a road, feel free to go check them out. It is your holiday and hopefully this book will make you love the journey again.

Alberta is a large province with wide, open spaces. In places you have an unobstructed view in all directions. Sometimes there is a long distance between towns or locations so you can check to see how the crops are doing, count the number of cattle in a field, watch for wildlife, and wonder about the dreams of the people who built the houses, barns, and granaries that are now in various stages of decline. Or you can play a new game: I spy with my little eye in the far, far distance something that is….

It doesn’t matter how you are travelling, there are campgrounds (some with hook-ups, some primitive), resorts, national and provincial parks, recreation sites, hotels, B&B’s, and motels for you to stay at. Most towns have parks for picnics and golf courses, and some have RV sanitation dump stations.

If you decide to reverse the route in which you explore any of these roads, remember to also reverse the direction in which you turn off that road. Once off the road, all other turns will remain the same.

Relax and enjoy the trip and remember, many of the sites you will see can only be found in this province. As one man I met said: "This is the true Alberta."

Medicine Hat and Red Rock Coulee

‘The city with all hell for a basement’ was the way Rudyard Kipling described Medicine Hat because of the gas fields discovered beneath it in the 1880s. By the early 1900s most homes, offices, schools, and churches were heated by the gas.

The city was named after the Saamis, or Medicine Man's, hat which was lost by the Cree's medicine man during a battle with the Blackfoot. This was considered a bad sign and when the Cree were all killed the site was given the name Saamis.

The Saamis Tepee, which can be seen from the Highway as you drive through the city, was originally constructed for the 1988 Olympics in Calgary. After the Olympics, it was bought, dismantled, and moved to Medicine Hat where it overlooks the Seven Persons Creek Coulee. The teepee is 20 storeys or 65.5 metres high and its poles are made of steel with a concrete foundation.

To see the teepee, exit off the highway onto Southridge Drive/College Avenue SE and the teepee plus the Medicine Hat visitor information centre are to your right along Southridge Drive. At the centre you will find information on sights not mentioned here such as the city's historic walking tour, the viewpoints, and the many parks.

The poles of the teepee are not covered so it is open to the sky. Walk inside the teepee to see the round storyboards, which are paintings depicting stories about the history of the first people, such as the Plains Cree, the Blackfoot Confederacy, the arrival of the non‑First Nations, and the Metis. There are interpretive signs below explaining each board.

From the teepee you can walk to the edge of the cliff and look down on the Saamis Archaeological site in the Seven Persons’ Coulee below. It is believed that the area was occupied as far back as A.D. 1525 and as recently as A.D. 1740.

With the abundance of clay along the banks of the South Saskatchewan River in the Medicine Hat area, it was natural that a pottery industry began and grew in the early 1900s. There was natural gas to fire the kilns and a railway to transport the finished products to market. Three potteries, Medalta, Medicine Hat, and Alberta, were all operating at the same time. Medicine Hat Potteries later became the Hycroft China, Ltd.

To see the products of Medalta Potteries and to take a tour of the building, museum, and huge kilns at 713 Medalta Avenue SE, turn left onto Southridge Drive when you come out of tourist information. Southridge Drive becomes College Avenue when you cross Highway 1. You reach a four‑way stop at Kipling where you go right. Head straight through the lights at Dunsmore and when you come to Allowance Avenue turn left. You cross the railway tracks on an overpass and just after the tracks is Prince Avenue where you again go left. Head one block to North Railway Street and bear left once more. You have the railway tracks to your right as you drive and then turn right on Highway 41A east. At Wood Street you turn right and in one block is the Medalta Potteries. There are signs to follow to make these directions easier.

The building now houses an industrial museum and art gallery. Tours and workshops are offered and once you have finished your tour, visit the large gift shop which sells all their pottery.

As you leave Medicine Hat going west, get onto Highway 3. At the west end of the city you will pass Holsom Road which leads to Echo Dale Park. In 20 km from Holsom Road turn left on SH 887S to go to the Red Rock Natural Area also called Red Rock Coulee. The road is paved and at km 24.7 from the highway it curves to your left. However, you continue 1.8 km ahead on the gravel road to the small parking area on the right. After walking through the gate, stand and look at the large masses of stone in the coulee.

 

You will be intrigued by the huge, red or reddish-brown rocks that are shaped like gigantic balls with flat tops. These are called concretions and are scattered over a wide field. Many of them have been split in two or more pieces by the elements. While they seem to have been randomly thrown in the coulee, they are actually finely layered, red sandstone boulders emerging, through erosion, from the softer ground around them.

They were formed over 74 million years ago in a shallow sea which covered the area. The reddish color is from hydrous iron oxide or rust.

Just remember as you wander through the rocks that you are in rattlesnake country. And because the soil content is comprised of bentonite (volcanic ash) and clay, which, when mixed with water, forms gumbo (smectite), if it starts to rain get out of the field as quickly as possible. You could sink in the soil up to 8 cm or even slip and fall on the gel‑like surface.

Back on Highway 3 and heading west, you will reach Bow Island in 35 kms.  

A trip back to Pine County by Dean Hovey

 D.L. (Deanna) Dixen and I have written two Pine County mysteries together and this latest release has possibly the most twisting plot and intriguing characters in any of the Pine County books. We each bring things to our collaboration, and Deanna's experience in the criminal justice system brings additional depth to the story and the CJ and Pam characters. Riley, a rookie recently added to the series, is growing into his badge. (Did I forget to mention there are horses?) I'm the nerdy partner who digs into technical details and spend hours in research. Deanna's thoughts and approach are neat and orderly. One beta reader described my mind as looking like a pool table after the break with balls (ideas) banging into each other and bouncing around inside of the bumpers. That said, we have blended our styles, taking the best of each to create a story that twists and turns. 

With the upcoming April release, we've been busy preparing for local promotions, The Pine County History Museum (May 17) and the Milaca Library (6/27) were locked in early. There are several other venues on our calendars throughout the summer. I'll be at the Moose Lake Train Deport Museum for "Depot fest" on 5/23. The rest of the summer is filling in with Lake Country Booksellers in White Bear Lake on 7/10 and the Cambridge Library on 7/11, and Northern Bloom and Gifts (Sandstone) TBD.

At each venue we'll see readers who are now old friends. Deanna's Pine County Dixen family will show up in Askov and Sandstone for signed copies (she has deep familial roots in northern Pine County).

 One of my favorite readers loves to hear about the "off the beaten path" restaurants the Pine County deputies are visiting in each book. I'm sure he'll be disappointed when he learns we've used a fictional location, The Dusty Muskie, where CJ and Pam find a dead body is fictional. It's inappropriate to describe a real restaurant as a seedy location that maintains a drunk tank (Back room) with cots for customers who don't want to risk getting ticketed for drinking and driving. Nope, just didn't seem like any "real" establishment would like to be described like that. We also have a fictional neighborhood bar where a few illegal transactions transpire. 

I hope our readers will forgive us. I'm also sure they'll whisper questions like, "Is the Dusty Muskie really Bob's Bait or the Muddy Muskrat?"

Check out our new release, "Woke Up Dead" at the BWL Publishing website, Amazon, or your favorite book outlet. Or visit us when we make our Pine County book tour in Moose Lake, Sandstone, Milaca, Two Harbors, Silver Bay, Chisago Lakes, and other scenic Minnesota locations.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GSCKCG1W   Digital

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0228640520  Print

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dean-L.-Hovey/author/B00J78JMLY

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=DL+Dixen&crid=238TP8OXXQQTW

Will Luke Survive the Ruthless Oyster Police during the Potomac Oyster Wars? by Diane Scott Lewis

 

To Purchase, click HERE

In 1956 the state of Virginia fought a war with Maryland over dredging oysters on the Potomac River. Maryland had their own Oyster Police Force, who shot at the Virginians.. Dredging ruined the oyster beds but collected more bounty. Here is a scene from my story where my protagonist Luke is involved in this illegal and dangerous business. Enjoy:

This is a fictionalized account of an event that actually happened:

Luke cringed and leaned over the port rail. Images were blurry in the mist, though the faint light of dawn appeared in the direction of the Chesapeake Bay. Miss Ann’s engine roared to life.

The two police boats closed in, pushing strong waves against Sally. Their boat rocked. Bobby and Frank shoved up on either side of Luke.

Miss Ann sped across the water toward Monroe Bay, the two police boats in pursuit.

At a noise in the sky, Luke stared up. “A seaplane, too?”

“Mama won’t like this,” Frank said, though didn’t sound scared.

“Virginia should have a plane,” Bobby groused. “We’re too timid.”

Jim grabbed his binoculars. “Hell, this looks bad.”

Gunfire exploded, shot after shot. Luke winced, though the shots were in the opposite direction, toward Miss Ann.

Captain Jim started their engine. They nosed out into the water. “We should find a safer place, or head to port.”

The Miss Ann careened back and forth over the waves in the glimmer of dawn like a combat maneuver.

“We might get in the line of fire,” Silas said. “Damn fool, Harvey. We should stay put.”

“I should have brought my pistol,” Frank said, breath rasping.

“I warned you about that.” Luke glared at the boy. “Silas is right, we could all be shot. Have some sense.”

“Shut up, Frank.” Bobby pushed on his cousin’s shoulder to force him to kneel. “Stay down. I hope Harvey blasts those bastards.”

Spray dampened Luke’s face and shoulders as he held onto the boat’s rail, balancing with the slap of the river. On shore, as the sky lightened further, the sun straining to shine through the murk, people gathered. They cheered for Harvey and cursed at the police.

Bullets flew. Luke and Bobby ducked beside Frank on the slimy deck. Jim navigated near the shore, toward a creek’s mouth they knew about. Up on the bank, tree trunks splintered, struck by gunfire.

Harvey careened around bars and in and out of coves, then he cut a hard turn as the seaplane lowered to the water’s surface. The Miss Ann revved, and Harvey steered her right at the plane.

“Oh, shoot,” Jim muttered. “He wouldn’t.”

In a splash of flying water, Harvey gunned his boat. The people on shore gasped. The seaplane lifted just as the Miss Ann swerved beneath her pontoons.

“He’s as insane as Bozo.” Luke gripped one hand to the port rail as he still kneeled.

A boat roared up behind them, lights flashing.

“We’re spotted.” Jim slipped Sally into the creek, amongst thicker foliage. Little sunlight had penetrated in there yet. The mist clung like a smoky curtain.

A sudden shift in water again, and a low engine sounded behind them. The police had followed! A spotlight lit up their boat. “Stay where you are!” a disembodied voice shouted. “We’re coming aboard to check your equipment.”

Luke cursed. He couldn't risk being arrested. He had a wife and young son to support. Their boat pushed into deeper shadows, scraping the starboard side.

“Dammit. Jump overboard. All of you.” Jim flicked his cigarette away. “I’ll take the heat.”

Find out more about me and my books

                                         

Diane lives in western Pennsylvania with one naughty Dachshund

Can you see me?...by Sheila Claydon

 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

In Remembering Rose, Book 1 of my Mapleby Memories Trilogy, visions of the past keep messing with Rachel's head. In different ways, the same happens to Millie in Book 2 Loving Ellen, and to Ellie in Book 3, Many a Moon. I loved re-imagining the past and developing characters who saw, heard or experienced things differently from other people. It was all fiction of course. I could play around with the characters thoughts. I could direct their actions and reactions, my only responsibility to ensure that the historical parts were as accurate as possible. If I thought about them at all after they were published, it was to hope that anyone who read them would enjoy them, maybe even enough to leave a review. What I didn't think about was the brain of those readers and how they might 'see or hear' my book.

I have known for a while that my son has Aphantasia. This is an inability to create mental images, meaning he doesn't have what is commonly called a mind's eye. He cannot conjure up an image of an apple, the sea, a dog, even the faces of his loved ones. This doesn't prevent him for recognising these things. Instead he relies on his conceptual knowledge and factual recall to such an extent that he only discovered his neurological variation a couple of years ago. This was during a conversation with a friend when he couldn't understand the concept of a 'mind's eye.' Between 1-4% of people are affected worldwide and it is thought to involve different brain connectivity. It certainly hasn't held him back. He's a Doctor of Behavioural Science, an academic who trains people and businesses, and he's also someone who seems to hold a vast amount of knowledge in his head. 

So far so good! 1-4% people right. So what are the chances of meeting another one? Well I've just met another two, which makes me wonder just how accurate that low percentage is. After all my son lived and thrived for many years without being aware that he functioned differently. And he can't be the only one.

So how did I meet two more? Well my daughter is an educationalist specialising in the management of autism from birth through to adulthood. Consequently she is very interested in different styles of thinking and behaviour, as am I, so it is something we frequently discuss, and recently we came across some research about the 'inner voice'. Now as someone with an inner voice, I thought this was universal. Wrong! Between 30-50% of people have Anendophasia i.e. no inner voice. 

Intrigued by this we carried out some distinctly unscientific research amongst friends and family and the differences were amazing. Some people could create highly coloured and intricate images in their mind's eye, while others could just project a 3D image onto a black or a white background. Others, like my son, could see nothing at all or, in one case, just a grainy grey image like a TV that has lost its signal. 

Most had an inner voice although it varied in strength, with several people complaining that turning it off was the problem, while others seemed to be able to more easily control and/or direct it. In one case the inner voice was always music and song. While none of this interfered with their lives in an immediately discernible way, several said it affected how they read things. Some 'heard' their inner voice reading a book to them. Others disliked reading because it was just words as they were unable to visualise the story, with one admitting she only liked to read if there were explanatory pictures, something that doesn't happen much in today's adult fiction. 

These were all highly intelligent people, most of them young post graduates although some oldies were included too, and more disliked reading fiction than liked it, with one saying the visual images slowed her down.

It is an absolutely fascinating study which I know my daughter will take further in due course. In the meantime, I have discovered that I am a chatterbox in my head the same as I am in life! My inner voice rarely switches off and I control it by listening to a lot of podcasts, audio books and the radio while going about my daily business. Reading changes it into an inner dialogue. I have also discovered I have a very active mind's eye. One that conjures up whole scenes. If I am asked to visualise an apple I see every apple I've ever known, including apple trees and those in bowls and in superstore packaging! This might sound exhausting but it's not. I didn't realise I was like that until I answered the questions I've posed for you below. I think, in fact, it's what makes me a writer. Maybe most of the writers in Books We Love are the same. It would be interesting to know.

So here are the five questions. When you answer them they will give you a real insight into how you think and how you see the world, and why you act as you do. It also is a great topic for a dinner party or a get together with friends and family. Try it and see.

1.    Do you have a visual thinking style e.g. a mind's eye? If someone talks about an apple do you 'see' an apple in your head, or just conceptualise it as round, red, green, crunchy, stalk etc.

2    Do you have an inner voice? Can you hear it all the time? Sometimes? Can you control it? Does it differ depending on other factors?

3.    When you read, how does your visual imagery and/or your inner voice impact? Does it change depending on what you are reading i.e. for pleasure (fiction) or learning, news etc.  (factual)

4.    What is your autobiographical memory like? How do you think about childhood memories? Do you visualise certain things and scenes, or do you recall them differently, via conceptualising for example.

5.    Depending on your personal style, how did/does this impact learning/memory/recall in education.

 

 

Spring’s Knocking! by Bonny Beswick

https://www.bookswelove.com/shop/p/the-aquamarine-necklace

The Aquamarine Necklace: A Janice Maidstone Mystery, by Bonny Beswick — Books We Love Publishing Inc. www.facebook.com/bonny.beswick/ Spring’s Knocking! I love March! Okay, it’s my birthday month, so maybe that’s part of it, but there are plenty of other reasons to look forward to it every year. The first is celebrating the Worm Moon. Just as almost all civilizations and religions throughout history, I honour the moon that illuminates our night sky. She represents the feminine (the sun is the masculine), symbolizing the cyclical nature of life, our subconscious, renewal, and mystery. The waxing and waning, from the dark new moon to the glorious full disc, represent moving from the maiden, to the mother and finally, the wise crone (Wiccan belief). The moon’s mystery has fizzled with space exploration. NASA has begun a new study of the moon with the Artemis missions. The first, Artemis I, was unmanned, and the Artemis II rocket is already waiting on the launch platform. Sometime this month (the original launch on February 11 was scrubbed when a hydrogen fuel leak was discovered), four astronauts, including one Canadian, will hurtle around the moon on a ten-day mission preparing for deep space capability and future lunar landings. The Artemis program’s overarching goal is to build a lunar base and a space station called The Lunar Gateway. Though much of the romance of our rocky satellite has faded with advances in science, who can’t be moved by the full moon shining in a black velvet sky, or the awe of the power of the moon on the oceans’ king tides. March features the Worm Moon (you might have missed it on March 2). You may assume that it’s named because the soil warms and earthworms become active. No, it actually got the name from Captain Jonathan Carver in the 1760's who recorded beetle larvae emerging from thawing tree bark at this time of year. Whichever reason you prefer, the idea is the same. Spring is (almost) here! March is also the month with the coolest, ominous prediction. Beware the ides of March. Thank you, William Shakespeare for taking the historical assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. and turning it into a play with a quote that’s stood the test of time. I can’t help but intone the warning every March 1, alternating it with the weather prediction – if March comes in like a lion, will it end like a lamb? Does anyone really believe that? Has anyone done a study? But most of all, I love March because tomorrow (March 20), the day’s finally here…the first day of Spring! It makes me think of flowers, but of course, here in Calgary, we can’t count on the weather to cooperate; there could be sun, rain, sleet, or snow (even all four in the one day). It is, on average, our snowiest month of the year with an average of 23.8 cm falling, but when the snow melts, the tulips and crocus are bravely blooming underneath. I got to watch the Worm Moon from the deck of a cruise ship. My older sister and I took a fifteen day cruise from San Diego to Miami, through the Panama Canal. This is my fourth time through the canal, her second. No matter how many times, though, it continues to be an amazing transit. Though I marvel at the engineering of the canal itself, the variety of ships going through the locks is always interesting. To accompany the voyage, a must read is “The Path Between the Seas” by David McCullough. Path Between The Seas by David McCullough | Owl's Nest Bookstore. Since I left my laptop home for much-needed maintenance while on the cruise, I worked on a few short stories the old fashioned way – by hand. I love the tactile feel of pen on paper, but the process is so much slower than the electronic word processing programs. I am so spoiled! One of the stories is destined for the War of the Words competition, associated with When Words Collide, an epic literary festival for all things writerly in Calgary. It will be the fourth year I’ve attended WWC, and it just keeps getting better. Panels, presentations, workshops, masterclasses, a games room (role playing, Dungeons and Dragons, etc.), Noir at the Bar socializing, opportunities to pitch to agents, and to receive critiques from well-known editors are some of the fabulous things that take place over a long weekend in August (August 13-16 this year). We’ll be at the Hyatt Regency, and I’ll be heading up the Volunteer Committee. For more information, check out the website: WHEN WORDS COLLIDE - When Words Collide. If you are interested in volunteering, keep an eye on the website, or let me know. I’ll make sure to put you on our list. The short fiction writing competition (for both prose and poetry) is open to writers across Canada, the US, and attendees of When Words Collide 2026. Whether you're an experienced writer or new to the craft, you’re invited to showcase your creativity and storytelling abilities. The contest is open to all writers, regardless of whether you attend the festival. Deadline for entry is March 31, so sharpen your pencils and submit! The theme this year is the view from within and beyond. War of the Words - WHEN WORDS COLLIDE. Click here to buy a copy of the winning stories from last year. War of the Words Story Competition And a big BY THE WAY! Hopefully, I’ll be able to launch book two of my Janice Maidstone Mystery series at When Words Collide this year! Watch for it at the Sisters in Crime table in the Merchant Room! So I leave you now to enjoy the first days of spring. If the tulips in your garden aren’t blooming yet, I’m sure Safeway will have a beautiful bunch available. Spring’s Knocking! www.bonnybeswick.com The Aquamarine Necklace: A Janice Maidstone Mystery, by Bonny Beswick — Books We Love Publishing Inc. www.facebook.com/bonny.beswick/ I love March! Okay, it’s my birthday month, so maybe that’s part of it, but there are plenty of other reasons to look forward to it every year. The first is celebrating the Worm Moon. Just as almost all civilizations and religions throughout history, I honour the moon that illuminates our night sky. She represents the feminine (the sun is the masculine), symbolizing the cyclical nature of life, our subconscious, renewal, and mystery. The waxing and waning, from the dark new moon to the glorious full disc, represent moving from the maiden, to the mother and finally, the wise crone (Wiccan belief). The moon’s mystery has fizzled with space exploration. NASA has begun a new study of the moon with the Artemis missions. The first, Artemis I, was unmanned, and the Artemis II rocket is already waiting on the launch platform. Sometime this month (the original launch on February 11 was scrubbed when a hydrogen fuel leak was discovered), four astronauts, including one Canadian, will hurtle around the moon on a ten-day mission preparing for deep space capability and future lunar landings. The Artemis program’s overarching goal is to build a lunar base and a space station called The Lunar Gateway. Though much of the romance of our rocky satellite has faded with advances in science, who can’t be moved by the full moon shining in a black velvet sky, or the awe of the power of the moon on the oceans’ king tides. March features the Worm Moon (you might have missed it on March 2). You may assume that it’s named because the soil warms and earthworms become active. No, it actually got the name from Captain Jonathan Carver in the 1760's who recorded beetle larvae emerging from thawing tree bark at this time of year. Whichever reason you prefer, the idea is the same. Spring is (almost) here! March is also the month with the coolest, ominous prediction. Beware the ides of March. Thank you, William Shakespeare for taking the historical assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. and turning it into a play with a quote that’s stood the test of time. I can’t help but intone the warning every March 1, alternating it with the weather prediction – if March comes in like a lion, will it end like a lamb? Does anyone really believe that? Has anyone done a study? But most of all, I love March because tomorrow (March 20), the day’s finally here…the first day of Spring! It makes me think of flowers, but of course, here in Calgary, we can’t count on the weather to cooperate; there could be sun, rain, sleet, or snow (even all four in the one day). It is, on average, our snowiest month of the year with an average of 23.8 cm falling, but when the snow melts, the tulips and crocus are bravely blooming underneath. I got to watch the Worm Moon from the deck of a cruise ship. My older sister and I took a fifteen day cruise from San Diego to Miami, through the Panama Canal. This is my fourth time through the canal, her second. No matter how many times, though, it continues to be an amazing transit. Though I marvel at the engineering of the canal itself, the variety of ships going through the locks is always interesting. To accompany the voyage, a must read is “The Path Between the Seas” by David McCullough. Path Between The Seas by David McCullough | Owl's Nest Bookstore. Since I left my laptop home for much-needed maintenance while on the cruise, I worked on a few short stories the old fashioned way – by hand. I love the tactile feel of pen on paper, but the process is so much slower than the electronic word processing programs. I am so spoiled! One of the stories is destined for the War of the Words competition, associated with When Words Collide, an epic literary festival for all things writerly in Calgary. It will be the fourth year I’ve attended WWC, and it just keeps getting better. Panels, presentations, workshops, masterclasses, a games room (role playing, Dungeons and Dragons, etc.), Noir at the Bar socializing, opportunities to pitch to agents, and to receive critiques from well-known editors are some of the fabulous things that take place over a long weekend in August (August 13-16 this year). We’ll be at the Hyatt Regency, and I’ll be heading up the Volunteer Committee. For more information, check out the website: WHEN WORDS COLLIDE - When Words Collide. If you are interested in volunteering, keep an eye on the website, or let me know. I’ll make sure to put you on our list. The short fiction writing competition (for both prose and poetry) is open to writers across Canada, the US, and attendees of When Words Collide 2026. Whether you're an experienced writer or new to the craft, you’re invited to showcase your creativity and storytelling abilities. The contest is open to all writers, regardless of whether you attend the festival. Deadline for entry is March 31, so sharpen your pencils and submit! The theme this year is the view from within and beyond. War of the Words - WHEN WORDS COLLIDE. Click here to buy a copy of the winning stories from last year. War of the Words Story Competition And a big BY THE WAY! Hopefully, I’ll be able to launch book two of my Janice Maidstone Mystery series at When Words Collide this year! Watch for it at the Sisters in Crime table in the Merchant Room! So I leave you now to enjoy the first days of spring. If the tulips in your garden aren’t blooming yet, I’m sure Safeway will have a beautiful bunch available.