My Favorite Books of 2017

Here are the books I enjoyed reading the most in the past year. They fall into various categories of fiction and non-fiction, old and new, and are listed in the order that I read them. The only thing they all have in common are that they are generally positive and upbeat! I Remember Nothing by … Continue reading My Favorite Books of 2017 →

Thunder and Lightning and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

While listening to a radio program which mentioned Santa’s reindeer in the song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, something occurred to my mom about Donner and Blitzen. In her native German language, donner means thunder, and blitzen means lightning. We were both curious to know if the creator of the song chose these names because of … Continue reading Thunder and Lightning and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer →

He Lifts his Voice, the Earth Melts

One of my mom’s favorite verses of scripture is Psalm 46:6, so I decided that for Christmas I would make her a poster of the scripture that she could hang on her wall. I added my visual interpretation of the verse, using pictures that displayed the chaos and terrors of today’s world in contrast with … Continue reading He Lifts his Voice, the Earth Melts →

Snail-mailing kindness and hope

Although I love being able to text and email, there is really nothing like a card or letter to hold in your hand and a handwritten message inside. (I guess the only thing better is being there in person, but it isn't always possible, right?) I have been greatly inspired and encouraged to revive my … Continue reading Snail-mailing kindness and hope →

Book review of The Sojourner by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

If you had offered me a book with a rather off-putting cover drawing about a family who endured the hardships of trying to make a living on a farm in the late 1800’s, I’d have probably declined. That’s been done in various scenarios, and sounds depressing. I’d have preferred something with more pizzazz and originality. … Continue reading Book review of The Sojourner by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings →

Sustainability Alberta Style

Alberta was formally declared a province of Canada on September 1, 1905. To celebrate the 112th birthday tomorrow of my province, and to celebrate the publication this month of my book, Respect Our World: Sustainability, I thought I’d share some of the ways that Albertans work toward sustainability. I admire the leadership Alberta has taken … Continue reading Sustainability Alberta Style →

Goodnight Poems of Eugene Field

A while back I was browsing the shelves of antiquarian books at Fair’s Fair on 9th Avenue, and ran across a beautiful set of books, The Works of Eugene Field. Two volumes particularly caught my eye, A Little Book of Profitable Tales and A Little Book of Western Verse, and I perused wonderful pieces such … Continue reading Goodnight Poems of Eugene Field →

August 1st publishing date for my book Respect Our World: Sustainabililty!

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. What a surprise I had yesterday, when I noticed stores are posting my children's educational book for pre-order! It all started last summer... I received my usual copy of the Children's Writer newsletter, produced by the Institute of Children's Literature (see my post about ICL here) The newsletter … Continue reading August 1st publishing date for my book Respect Our World: Sustainabililty! →

Oceanside Poetry

Art begets art. I usually try to escape the long, cold Calgary winter when I have time off for spring break, and if I'm not exploring I like to write. The warm relaxing climate and the inspiration of the ocean brings out the creativity in me, and judging from the freely-offered art and writing that I … Continue reading Oceanside Poetry →

Positive, uplifting, and humorous reads

I've just realized how much time I spend looking for good, upbeat, contemporary fiction. My friend said she doesn't want to read depressing books and did I have any to recommend, so I browsed my yearly lists of books read for happy fiction. I was surprised at how many serious titles were on there and … Continue reading Positive, uplifting, and humorous reads →