Good at The Bad, by J.C. Kavanagh

Book 2 of the award-winning The Twisted Climb series

Peace and tranquility are by-products of sailing. Capturing these serene moments are difficult. You have to choose between ‘leaving’ the moment to concentrate on a photo/recording device, or, still your soul to imprint the moment on your mind.

Georgian Bay art in the sky

 

Imprinting these special moments adds to the hundreds if not thousands of imprints in the playground of your mind. As I write this, I’m on week two of a month-long sailing vacation in Georgian Bay, Ontario. I’ve mentally captured hundreds of images and stored them all over the playground in my mind. Some are on the ladder steps leading to the zipline platform; some are tied to a slim-shady bridge made of vines, and others are stored in the dark recesses of an old wooden cupboard. All patiently waiting for the perfect moment, for the perfect scene, for the perfect character.

 

 

I’m anchored at The Bad River on the northeast side of Georgian Bay. When the weather is bad here, it’s really bad. But when it’s good, it’s an earthly paradise. This is the place that jumped from reality and into the playground of my mind – and then leapt into the pages of my award-winning sequel, The Twisted Climb – Darkness Descends. There you will find the Devil’s Door Rapids. There too, you will find the treacherous waterfall and the great cliff.

Devil's Door Rapids at The Bad River
Georgian Bay, Ontario

My sailboat, Escape Route II,
anchored at the cliffs of The Bad River

Adventures are calling. Who will respond?

 

J.C. Kavanagh

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
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
Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)

Hosting a Teddy Bear Picnic, by J.C. Kavanagh

The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends
Short-listed for Best Young Adult Book 2018 at The Word Guild, Canada 

I've never been to a Teddy Bear picnic. In fact, I didn't know there was such a thing. But when imagination is rampant and your two granddaughters are visiting from Ottawa for a week - well then, everything and anything that is entertaining comes into play.

The imagination of a child is beautiful to behold. Unfettered, it is limitless. Witnessing the unfolding of ideas gives me great joy and is a powerful reminder to tap my own imagination when it comes to writing. The adventures that take place in the playground of your mind can be shifted to real life. Ask any child and they will show you how it's done.

So our Teddy Bear picnic adventure began with a dress code: stripes. Paddy, the name of our big teddy, was too big to carry so we carted him around in a stroller. He was dressed in a striped shirt too. A light lunch was prepared (PB&J wraps, granola bars, grapes) and we headed outside and took a walk through the trails on our property. We had to stop regularly to give the bears a 'drink' of water. Of course, the girls had to have a drink too. We pretended the bears could talk and we held silly conversations with them. I stepped back in time and became a silly kid too.

Their visit became a refresher course for me in the art of creative thinking.

Sometimes we have to pretend our minds have no boundaries.

Because imagination is not just for kids.

J.C. Kavanagh

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

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

Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)

Country living: not just for hillbillies, by J.C. Kavanagh

The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends, 

voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018

I grew up in the city of Toronto and moved to a small town (population 1,200) in the mid 80s. I raised my children there and later, moved with them to a slightly larger town. When they left the roost, so to speak, me and my partner headed to the country. Real rural, that is. A bit of property (about four acres). Neighbours far enough away you could walk around naked, if you wanted to (I don't want to).

But I could.

There was a time in my life when I would gently mock the 'hillbilly country folk.' I guess what I saw on TV perpetuated the hillbilly mentality and I totally bought into it.

Shame on me. They're not like that at all. I can say that because now, I am a total hillbilly.

When I say 'hillbilly,' I don't mean it in the TV sense. I mean 'hillbilly' as someone who loves nature as much as they love people; someone who appreciates the smell of the woodstove burning smoke out the chimney; someone who stops to not only feed the birds on a daily basis, but someone who stops to hear the birds singing, whistling and chirping all day and into the early evening.

My 'hillbilly' is someone who has their eggs delivered to the door by the local egg man ($5 for 2 1/2 dozen) and who calls their neighbour to help re-locate a pesky racoon.

Yeah, but my hillbilly would certainly lose if there was ever a 'best dressed outdoors' look. My outdoors look is definitely old-style hillbilly where nothing is colour-coded or even matches, and there are rubber boots that come to the knees as well as a Fargo-inspired furry cap that's a necessity in the winter.

And when the weather turns bad, we have it real bad here. And I guess that also contributes to a 'hillbilly' outlook. We just go with it. So.... power's out for four days? Crank the wood stove.

Snow's one metre deep on the roof? Shovel some off.

Snow's two metres deep on the driveway? Crank up that snow blower.

Winter thaw brings a flood? Bring out the canoe.

Trees are dying or branches breaking? Fire up the chainsaw.

A million stars shine brightly at night and the gossamer waves of the Northern Lights appear in the sky? Pour a giant Caesar, pick an outdoor chair and gaze at the sky.

It that makes us better hillbillies, then I guess we're doing allllright.

A wee, temporary flood in the back... bring out the canoe!

Feeding birds in your pjs? Yup, hillbilly style, right in the hand.

Beautiful, gentle deer all winter long.

Me, not in a fashion show.

These are two bush cords of wood I stacked - 

we use four bush cords per winter for our wood stove :)

Relaxing in overalls by the firepit after a day of cutting wood.

Bald eagle nest and bald eagle guard, near our home.

Our neighbour's Guinea hens come to pick around our bird feeder, almost daily.

Our neighbour's geese also come visiting.

Birds to our bird feeder include Grosbeaks and Baltimore Orioles.

Cardinals are here year-round.

Cheeky blue Jays also here year-round.

Enjoy nature today - it's as beautiful as you are.

J.C. Kavanagh

The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2)

voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018, Critters Readers Poll

AND

The Twisted Climb,

voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers Poll

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

Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)

And.... ACTION! Generating word movies, by J.C. Kavanagh

VOTED Best Young Adult Book 2018, 

Critters Readers Award

Reading fiction out loud is an art form - but only if you want it to be. You could read the printed word without nuance and without intonation. Yawn. Or you could bring your story to life by embracing the 'actor' within, by proactively taking centre stage. Because reading your book out loud is actually an audition of sorts - an audition to generate credulity and confidence in your story, in the characters and in the details and descriptions of the various settings. Reading out loud triggers the auditory senses, which triggers brain function and hopefully, triggers a sequence of images in the internal playground that is within your mind - images that I call 'word movies.' The writer/speaker is in charge of setting the mood and instilling uniqueness to each character, all by using tone of voice, hand gestures, facial expressions. It's acting out your own novel and generating a word movie.

How exciting is that?

Yeah, it seems that way until you're challenged to read your novel to a group of teenagers. In a classroom.

That's where I'm headed in the next couple of weeks - to 'read' my second novel, The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends, to a group of Grade 8 students. My throat gets dry, my knees knock and I tremble at the thought of 'acting' out my book. Basically, I'm performing my audition of every character and every scene in Darkness Descends. But... I believe in my book. I believe the story. I believe and love/hate the characters. And I believe that a truly good book will draw the reader into the playground-mind of the writer so that they both 'see' the same word movie. If I can keep a group of teenagers engaged, then I'll know my audition was successful.

I hope everyone who's read The Twisted Climb series enjoyed the word movies. I did. I'm proud of the fact they both were voted Best Young Adult Book (The Twisted Climb in 2016 and Darkness Descends in 2018).

Speaking of auditory senses, kudos to authors Jude Pittman and John Widsomkeeper for delivering the first audio-book for BWL Publishing, entitled "Street Justice." You can find the audio book via this link:  http://www.bookswelove.net/authors/pittman-jude-mystery-romance/

TWO Book Signing Events

Come see me on Saturday, March 30 at the Chapters store in Newmarket, Ontario from 1 till 5.
Two weeks later, I'm heading to the Chapters store in Barrie, Ontario (Saturday, April 13). Drop by!

J.C. Kavanagh

The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2)

voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018, Critters Readers Poll

AND

The Twisted Climb,

voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers Poll

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

Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)

Snowmageddon by J.C. Kavanagh

The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends 

Voted BEST Young Adult Book 2019

We Canadians believe ourselves to be a hearty bunch - and with this week's record-breaking snowfall in multiple cities, we are living proof of its truth.

Take for instance, Kanata, Ontario. It's located about 23 kilometres (14 miles) north of Canada's capital city of Ottawa. Since January 1, Kanata has been inundated with approximately 147 centimetres of the white stuff - that's almost 58 inches - and add to that record-breaking temperatures of -40 Celsius with the wind chill factor (which is about the temperature when hell freezes over). Yes, Canadians are a hearty bunch!

And still, the city of Ottawa holds its very successful Winter Carnival, where participants can skate on the ice-covered and very beautiful but cold, Rideau Canal. There, you can buy your favourite Beavertail and partake of the sloppy sugary confection that Native Indians used to call 'Pigs' Ears.'

The famous Canadian 'Beavertail' confection, a deep-fried, doughy delight sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. That's me (below) enjoying the pastry on the Rideau Canal.

How much snow is too much snow? 

My daughter on her driveway in Kanata, Ontario.

Then there's my home, about 90 minutes northwest of Toronto. We didn't get the snow accumulation like Kanata, but we got a good dumping.

The path to the bird feeder

The laundry stoop

Me clearing the driveway for the umpteenth time in my best Jawa-look.

(Jawa is a fictional creature from the Star Wars movie series)

A Jawa creature from Star Wars.

Umm, a snowman creature

I still love the outdoors, the cold, and yes, even the snow. Just a Canadian, eh?

Enjoy your environment, wherever you are!

J.C. Kavanagh

The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2)
voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018, Critters Readers Poll
AND
The Twisted Climb,
voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers Poll
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
Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)

Eyeballs without auto-correct, by J.C. Kavanagh

VOTED Best Young Adult Book 2018 by Critters Readers Poll

My partner Ian and I decided that 2019 was a great year to embrace the idea of a joint new years resolution. We're not as young as we'd like to be. Or think we are. I mean, how many times can you be '39' again? So, we decided to pay more attention to what we eat and to review more thoroughly the ingredient labels on all store-bought items.

At the grocery store, we trudge to the 'healthy' aisle. That's where the old eyeballs come in - oh if only we could read what's written on the packages. We check every label, comparing products that look tasty and healthy. Many of them look like cardboard that's been flavored with salt and more cardboard. The selection becomes harder and harder. Why? It's tough reading the ingredients without the use of an electron microscope. Could the print be any smaller?

I discover a new type of cracker made solely from vegetables, mostly beets.

"This looks interesting," I suggest to Ian, holding up the box. "And they're garlic-flavoured."

Ian squints and turns the box over. He holds the box away from his body until his arm won't extend any more and begins to read the ingredients out loud.

"Potato flour," he says hesitantly.

"Spinach starch with germs removed," he adds. I cock an eyebrow. That doesn't sound right.

"Beetroot something-or-other. And ball sac vinegar."

I look at Ian with alarm. "What kind of vinegar?"

He squints some more and tries to focus, holding the box as far from his eyes as possible. His arm is going through the shelf and into the next aisle.

As he tries to focus, I suddenly get it. What he's trying to read. Balsamic vinegar.

Oh - my sides! I begin to laugh and laugh and I just can't stop.

Ah. Fun times with Ian even when the eyeballs dim.

Update on the Kavanagh clan that made my 1889 church pew
Sorry - research still not complete... will keep you posted!

GREAT NEWS!

Book 2 of my Twisted Climb series, The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends, was just voted Best Young Adult Book 2018 by the Critters Readers Poll. I am beyond thrilled! If you like action, adventure, drama and a dash of paranormal, you will love my books. Check them out and please leave a review on Amazon or Chapters or your favourite book site.

J.C. Kavanagh

The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2)

voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018, Critters Readers Poll

AND

The Twisted Climb,

voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers Poll

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

Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)

A pew and a Kavanagh link, by J.C. Kavanagh

Darkness Descends, 

Book 2 of the award-winning Twisted Climb series

It started with an old church pew. I bought it in 1989 from the St. James parish church in Colgan, Ontario. The church was celebrating a 100-year anniversary, and part of the celebration was replacing the pews, which were built from local trees and by local carpenters in 1889.

The 6' pew was in decent condition when I brought it home - made from pine, oak and walnut. The 'legs' were cast iron, fashioned in the Gothic/Romanesque style of the day. The wood holder for hymnals and booklets was intact, as was the card-sized metal plate frame that displayed the name of the family that donated money for the pew / church. Even the kneeler was included. And so a new life began for the old pew, first in my kitchen. Children and their friends ate meals on this historic pew - a pew that had once been reserved for peace and quiet. Not so in a kitchen filled with youngsters.

Years later, it began another life - outside on my covered porch. Many a person sat on that pew with a cigarette or drink in hand (back when smoking was discouraged inside your home and encouraged outside). It sat for many years on that porch, holding strong and steady.

And then this year, we brought it back to its original glory. My partner and I love to refinish/refurbish/re-do oh, just about anything. We had just built a 7'4" table for our kitchen, using 100-year old maple planks from a local tree. We had the planks planed, glued and kiln-dried through a Mennonite business and then finished it ourselves - sanding, staining and then two coats of epoxy. That project led to the next project - re-finishing the kitchen chairs, including my father's old captain chairs. And that of course, led to the thought, "Well, wouldn't the pew look grand in here too?"

So the pew was resurrected from the basement, where it had been resting for the last six years. We carefully separated the back from the bottom, the arms from the legs, and began a two-week project that included hours and hours of sanding, re-gluing cracks, re-gluing the back/bottom tongue-in-groove joiners, staining and varnish. Oh, and sand-blasting the iron legs and then spraying a protective clear-coat gloss varnish.

New table (temporary legs as we're still designing permanent legs), 
re-furbished chairs and pew.

We kept most of the original nails in place - the heads were rectangular! 

That's when I decided I would research the history of the pew, because I do love history. And to my surprise, I discovered that the pew may be linked to my own history - the Kavanagh clan. Back in the 1800s, the Colgan area was being settled by Irish Catholics in large numbers - sufficient to build several churches within a 5-mile radius. St. James was the grandest of them all, first built in 1851 and then replaced in 1889. The main church, still an active parish, accommodates about 700 people and the upper gallery about 150.

Artist's sketch of St. James church in Colgan, Ontario. 

Top right, weather-beaten church circa 1855.

And who were the builders contracted to construct this magnificent church? The Kavanagh brothers, Sam, William and 'Lil.' They had already built a small mission church, St. Francis Xavier, in nearby Tottenham. My mom told me that some of her father's uncles had emigrated to Canada and New York during the Irish potato famine (1845-1852). Unfortunately, they didn't keep in touch with their Irish kin. My grandfather's name, by the way, is William Kavanagh, born in 1902 and named 'William' in keeping with the tradition of carrying on the patriarch's given name. Coincidence? Only one way to find out. Research.

I'll keep you posted.

Current photo of St. James church, Colgan, Ontario, 

built in 1889 by the Kavanagh brothers. 

Total construction cost: less than $15,000.

Don't forget to add The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends to your Christmas list! Fantastic reading for young adults and adults young at heart. You won't be able to put it down.

Merry Christmas to all!

J.C. Kavanagh 

The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2) 
AND
The Twisted Climb, 
voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers' Poll
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
Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)