99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall...

The last whole bottle of beer I drank was in Amsterdam at the Heinken factory at 9 am, sometime in July of 1983. Not much of a beer drinker, I'm afraid -- but what the heck -- this is my ninety-ninth post, so let's raise a bottle to celebrate this particular blogging habit I've picked up.

I promised I'd start to offer profiles of some of the presenters coming to visit the Surrey International Writers' Conference in October. I'm coordinating the conference this year, with the help of an able and widely experienced board of directors, and the event promises to be a special one.

So here's a chance to celebrate some of the people you'll get to meet if you come to Surrey this year...

Let's begin with the reigning Queen and King of our hearts -- and of the Storyteller's Award -- shall we?

The Storyteller's Award is the prize offered to the writer of the best fictional short story as judged every year in the SiWC Writing Contest by Diana Gabaldon and Jack Whyte.

Diana Gabaldon is the New York Times Best Selling author of both the Outlander and the Lord John series. There are some fabulous pictures of Diana on her website at http://www.its.caltech.edu/~gatti/gabaldon/gabaldon.html but I like this one that I took of her at the conference a couple of years ago, with another writer of great renown, Pamela Patchet. Pam has won many prizes for her writing over the years, and is a multiple-awardee in the Bulwer-Lytton fiction competition, (details of which can be found here: http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/). This particular shot of Diana and Pamela was taken very late one Saturday night, after a day of much hard work and revelry. This year, Diana will be participating in panels on the subject of genre-bending and the use of history in fiction as a reflection of present-day issues. In addition, she's sharing a workshop with the effervescent (and deadly) Michael Slade on the subject of plotting stories against the turbulent events of history. Diana will also give the closing keynote speech this year -- an event not to be missed. When she is not traipsing around the globe promoting her books, or being hauled off to shine at SiWC and other conferences, Diana can be found at home in Arizona, writing her astounding and vivid stories. (I am currently in the middle of the final story in her latest Lord John collection right now -- LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS. The book will be available in stores this fall, and I can tell you it's a great read.)

Jack Whyte, Diana's co-sponsor (and co-judge in the contest) will also be present in fine form for this year's conference. Jack's new book on the subject of the Knights Templar has just hit the shelves --STANDARD OF HONOR. Sequel to KNIGHTS OF THE BLACK AND WHITE, this book continues the chronicles of the St. Clair family during the crusades. Like his Dream of Eagles series, these new books are filled with heart-in-the-throat adventure and are must-reads. Jack is trying something new at the conference this year. He is taking on a Master Class -- that is, a class offered to writers who have some wide experience with writing -- but with a twist. In order to attend Jack's Master Class (on the subject of learning how to best accelerate tension in your novel), you must earn a place in the class. To find out more, check out the Master Class page of the SiWC website, found at http://www.siwc.ca/ . There are those who swear they come to the conference just to hear Jack speak, but if you really do want to learn to improve your writing, this is the man to listen to. You can read more about Jack, the man and his books, at his website http://www.camulod.com/ These days, he spends his time writing (with the odd round of golf thrown in) in Kelowna, BC.

I'll try to profile a couple of presenters every day until the conference gets here. If you have a special favourite, let me know and I'll see what tidbits I can dig up. And if you want to find out more about the conference, check it out at www.siwc.ca

As for me, I have a little contest reading to catch up on...

~kc

Chocolate and Chat

I LOVE this picture.


Meaghan took this shot, on a beautiful summer day, of James McCann discussing his books (RANCOUR & PYRE) with fellow author Meg Tilly and her partner Don.


This shot was taken at the second of our Chocolate & Chat Teacher Appreciation Travelling Road Show events. The Road Show found us at Edgemont Kidsbooks in North Vancouver for this particular event, and because the day was so beautiful, we set up our books outside. Meaghan was sitting behind the book display table when she took this shot. We had a great time talking with people who dropped by, and everyone (teacher or not) got their share of chocolate and chatting.


We have four more teacher appreciation events coming up on September 30 and October 1 in the Chapters stores in Surrey, Langley; the Park Royal Indigo in West Vancouver and the Chapters at Granville and West Broadway in Vancouver.

Please come to see us! We're launching our new books, but we are also sharing ideas with teachers as to how to get authors into the classroom. (And don't forget the chocolate!)

~kc

Travel...

...booking, organizing, liaising...

for the Surrey International Writers' Conference right now.

The SiWC will be bringing in writers, editors, agents, publishers and more from all around North America for the conference in October.

But before that happens, flights have to be lined up, tickets have to be organized and many MANY emails must be sent.

This is my life at present. Starting tomorrow, I will do up a small feature on some of the presenters that will be gracing our conference here in this blog.

Will also try to get some pix up from the first two stops on the Terrific Teacher Appreciation Travelling Roadshow that happened over the course of last week. James McCann and I will be doing it all again on September 30 and October 1 in Surrey, Langley, Vancouver and West Vancouver.

Stay tuned for more details. (I can tell you this...the chocolate was luscious.)

~kc

Blueberry Season?

The interview I had with Suzanne Lieurance late last week for Book Bites for Kids showed up on the Blubrry.com podcast site today. It's a cool site -- I hadn't seen it before and had a bit of fun poking around.



MS.ZEPHYR'S NOTEBOOK and PYRE got off to a quiet but fun start tonight at our first Terrific Teacher Appreciation Event, held at Vancouver Kidsbooks on Broadway. Chocolate hearts courtesy of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory -- made the event complete. Anybody who is anyone in the Vancouver literary community was there, so you'll not want to miss the next event, this Sunday at Kidsbooks in Edgemont Village, North Vancouver. See you there!




~kc

Podcast of Interview now Available

I was recently interviewed by Suzanne Lieurance of The National Writing for Children Centre for one of their 'Book Bytes for Kids' segments. You can listen to a podcast of the interview here:

http://writingforchildrencenter.com/2007/08/22/book-bites-for-kids-welcome-childrens-author-kc-dyer/

The Centre is a very cool on-line resource for readers and writers. Their stated goal is to "help educate and connect aspiring and successful children’s writers, elementary school teachers and/or librarians to provide books, stories, and opportunities for literacy development for children everywhere."

You can find the home page for the site at http://www.writingforchildrencentre.com/

~kc

Rocky Mountain on Board...

Just a quick note tonight (as I am still writing, writing) that Chris from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory contacted me today -- and they are on board as a sponsor for our 'Chocolate & Chat' Teacher appreciation book launch events!

This is thrilling news, both because we are now guaranteed to have a great selection of chocolates at our first launch on Thursday night, AND because I am typing this with a bite of dark chocolate cashew cluster melting in my mouth. (Technique tip -- let the chocolate dissolve before crunching up cashew...).

A good chocolate omen, wouldn't you say?

~kc

Meetings, Launches, Chocolate...

Great meeting yesterday with CWILL exec, planning for a fun year. We're going to raise the profile of this organization and have a good time doing it. Or that's the plan, anyway. Had another fun little get-together with some CWILLers today, celebrating the return of Julie Burtinshaw from the wilds of the North. Sounds like she had a terrific experience in Dawson City and other hotspots in the coolest place on earth.



James McCann and I are gathering our forces for the first of our book launches this Thursday night. If you are in the vicinity of Vancouver Kidsbooks on West Broadway around 7:30 pm, make sure you drop by. We'll do it again on Sunday in North Van. Lots of books to be had and chocolate for all.



Now I am off to finish my critique of The Jesus Booktour -- a little piece by my buddy Michael Hiebert. This one has breakout novel written all over it.



~kc

This and That

Got a lovely review of Ms. Z this week, courtesy of Marsha Skrypuch. Marsha, who founded and is currently in the throes of running the Brantford Writers' Camp, submitted a series of book reviews to her local paper, The Brantford Expositor. They did a beautiful job of laying out the page. I wish more Canadian papers would devote this kind of space to great books for kids by local authors. Go Brantford Expositor! Go Marsha!

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=640375&catname=Books+%26+Literature&classif=

In other news, I've got two new blogs to add to my regular reads, both by excellent writers for young people. Mahtab Narsimham is a new Dundurn author and her blog can be found at http://mahtabnarsimhan.blogspot.com/

And the Most Excellent (and prolific!) author Shelley Hrdlitschka is now blogging too, at http://shelleyhrdlitschka.blogspot.com/

Be sure to check both these new sites out!

~kc

Ms. Z. Blasts Off!

Launching at last.

It's been a busy summer, but Ms. Z. is finally going to get a chance to formally make her way out into the world.

She will be joining hands with PYRE, James McCann's new novel for teens in a series of launches around the Lower Mainland.

James and I have decided to celebrate teachers as a theme for our launch, and so are welcoming all our colleagues, friends and relatives to grab their favourite teacher and bring 'em along for the celebration.

Here's our press release:

Teen Authors Launch Books with Teachers in Mind

Authors James McCann and kc dyer love teachers.

“Teachers and librarians spend a lot of time directing young readers to our books,” says McCann. “As authors of books for teens, we appreciate how important they are in getting our books into kids’ hands.”

McCann is the author of a new book for teens called PYRE, a prequel to his hugely successful debut novel RANCOUR, both published by Simply Read Books. He has teamed with fellow author kc dyer, who is launching her fourth novel for teens, MS. ZEPHYR’S NOTEBOOK, published by The Dundurn Group.

“We want to let teachers know that Canadian authors appreciate the work they do in getting our books out there for kids to read,” says dyer. “So instead of a conventional book launch with just families and friends present, James and I have created the Terrific Teacher Travelling Road Show. Our goal is to bring good chocolate and good books to the teachers out there who deserve a little appreciation for all they do.”

With books from her earlier Eagle Glen Trilogy nominated for The Chocolate Lily Award and a Canadian Children’s Book Centre Our Choice designation, dyer is no novice to the world of the book launch. “I’m looking at this Travelling Road Show as a warm up for the Children’s Book Week Tour this fall,” she says. “This is our chance to thank teachers in the Lower Mainland for sharing our books with their students.”

McCann and dyer were a part of a cross-Canada Mock Protest earlier this summer, urging readers to pick up a book by a Canadian author after closing the cover on the last Harry Potter novel.

The Chocolate & Chat – Terrific Teacher Appreciation Travelling Road Show will be making stops at both Vancouver Kidsbooks locations in August, and will move to Chapters bookstores in Vancouver, Langley, Surrey and West Vancouver in September and October.

Who: kc dyer, author of "Ms. Zephyr's Notebook" (the Dundurn Group) http://kcdyer.blogspot.com James McCann, author of "Pyre" (Simply Read Books) http://www.jamesmccann.info/Where:
Vancouver Kidsbooks, 3083 West Broadway, Vancouver, Thursday, August 23, 7:30 pm
Vancouver Kidsbooks, 3040 Edgemont Blvd, North Van, Sunday, August 26, 2:00 pm
Chapters Strawberry Hill, 12101 72 Ave., Surrey, Sunday, September 30, 1:00 pm
Chapters, Langley, 20015 Langley Bypass, Sunday, September 30, 3:00 pm
Chapters, Broadway & Granville, Vancouver, Monday, October 1, time TBA
Chapters, Park Royal South, West Vancouver, Monday, October 1, time TBA

-30-

James put together an awesome melded graphic of our two new novels, and we've turned it into a poster to celebrate the events. This particular version is aimed at our Kidsbooks launches, as they are coming up first.

Everyone is welcome -- we'd love to see you there!

~kc

Back From a Brief Hiatus...

Happy summertime to all!

Here's some news courtesy of Marsha Skrypuch, who is currently busy as a bee running her Brantford Book Camp.

Check out this new publishing resource for young writers...

Launch Pad: Where Young Authors and Illustrators Take Off! is a new print magazine devoted to publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, book reviews, and artwork by children ages 6-12. We do not charge teachers, children, or their parents any sort of publication fee.

The magazine offers children a wonderful opportunity to get published!

Children do not have to pay to submit, and we do not charge any sort of publication fee for works that get accepted. Successful contributors receive a free one-year subscription, three additional copies of the issue containing their work (also free) to share with family and friends, a free T-shirt, and a free bookmark. We also send a letter (free of charge, of course) of commendation to their school principal, favorite teacher, or other individual. At present, we do not pay successful contributors.For more information, go here:
http://www.readingrockets.org/newsletters/rrnews
http://blog.reading.org/archives/002905.html

More soon.

~kc

Rats...

I meant to post before midnight, but it's suddenly tomorrow. This happens a lot, somehow.

I am going dark for a week to finish the final draft of DEADLINE. Don't know if it will sell. I hope so...but, you know...new genre and all that. Who knows?

I'll likely still be around here -- a writing thing, after all, but putting work stuff on hold for a few days to get this thing done.

In the spirit of things I won't be doing, here is a picture of what my house looked like the morning after a little Ms. Zephyr Gets Released celebration I had a couple of weeks ago. I forgot to take a picture of it before the party, of course, or during, when the candles brought a little magic to the night outside. In this shot, Seamus is very kindly offering to help me with the dishes. Since it's pretty hard to get good help with two teenagers in the house, I may take him up on it this week.

~kc

One Week to SiWC Contest Deadline

Have you sent in your story yet? There is still time!!!



















Here are the guidelines in a nutshell. (For more detail, go to http://www.siwc.ca/).


Submission Rules and Guidelines
All submissions must contain original material, and may not have been previously published, accepted for publication, or have been a winner in another contest prior to the August 3 deadline.


2007 Contest Categories
Each of the following four categories has a first prize of $1000 and an Honourable Mention prize of $150.


1. Storyteller’s Award: short stories 3,500 – 5,000 words


2. Non-fiction Award: maximum length 1,500 words


3. Poetry Award: one poem per submission; 36 lines max.


4. Writing For Young People Award: short stories, max. length 1,500 words.

Standard manuscript format - double-spaced, typed, one side only of white 8-1/2 x 11" paper (letter-sized), each page to include title and page number only. No staples, please. Poetry may be single-spaced.

Blind submissions - the author's name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript except cover page.


Include a cover page listing the writer's name, address, email address, phone number, entry title, word length, and award competition category.


In addition to hard copy, all entrants must be able to submit their work by email if requested.

Entries are also accepted by email. Please follow the submission guidelines as noted above and copy your submission into the body of your email. Send your email to contest@siwc.ca .

Attachments will be deleted, unread.


Send your cheque or money order for $15 per entry to Surrey Conference Centre, Unit 400, 9260 - 140 Street, Surrey, BC, Canada, V3V 5Z4


No entries will be returned. If you want the receipt of your entry acknowledged, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard.


DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: All entries must be received at the addresses noted above by 4 p.m., Friday, August 3, 2007. No late entries will be considered.

Winners will be informed by October 1, 2007. Prizes will be awarded at the Awards Ceremony on the first evening of the Conference, Friday, October 19, 2007. Winners will be listed on the conference website http://www.siwc.ca/ in the week after the conference.


Writers under 18 years of age should check out Surrey Public Library’s Young Writer’s Contest.

And the best of all luck to those who enter.

~kc

Jeffrey and Sloth...

...get a great review!

The Georgia Straight's John Burns reviewed my friend Kari Lyn Winters picture book this week -- check it out at

http://www.straight.com/article-102884/jeffrey-and-sloth

Kari is a multi-talented person -- founding member of the Tickle Trunk Players, playwright, actress, teacher and one of the most cheerful and upbeat people I know. A month ago we taught together at the CWC summer camp. It was there that I was the lucky recipient of the first reading of a new Jeffrey and Sloth book -- a most excellent story that some clever publisher should snap up right away.

Congratulations, Kari!

~kc

SiWC Registration Opens Tomorrow!

July 26th, 2007. The big day -- registration for the Surrey International Writers' Conference opens up. Our brochures came back from the printers today -- if you want one, email me at kcdyer@siwc.ca and I'll make sure you get one. Or better (and faster) still, check out the website at http://www.siwc.ca/ and you can download your very own copy.

It's accurate to the time of printing, but as with any human endeavour, things will likely change a wee bit by the time October rolls around. The website is the surest, most accurate source of info at any time.

This also brings us closer to the deadline for the Writer's Contest associated with the conference. One week and a day away-- August 3, 2007. Entries are starting to pour in -- more than $4000 in prizes to be won.

For the best detail, check out the website, but if you have any questions, feel free to fire them at me with wild abandon -- and I will answer in kind, I'm sure.

~kc

The Bridge

Stayed up far too late last night watching a documentary called 'The Bridge', and then reading the end of 'Deathly Hallows', discussion of which will be left to another day.

'The Bridge' is the end result of a year of filming, day and night, at San Franciso's Golden Gate Bridge. The film-makers caught 23 of the 24 suicides that took place there in 2004 on the more than 10,000 hours of tape they shot. Very disturbing, and somewhat controversial -- but I'm very glad I watched it. Much food for thought: were the film makers exploiting the last, black moments of the people who chose to end their lives by jumping off the bridge? The executive producer Eric Steel admits to lying about the reason behind his filming in order to get permission to shoot his film around the bridge for a year. Was he glamourizing the deaths to fill his own pockets?

My take is that the film deals sensitively with a very bleak subject. It doesn't offer facile answers, but looks at the lives, families and friends of a half-dozen or so of the people who died that year. And a look at the interviews (included on the disc) of the people who worked on the film shows that they thought deeply about the subject matter they were filming. All of them had access to the suicide prevention line and made use of it.

The question they were left with was why money hasn't been set aside to put up jump-barriers on this bridge -- by all accounts one of the most common sites of public suicide in the US. A person jumps off the Golden Gate an average of once every fifteen days. There have been more than 1500 suicides since the bridge was built. It makes me wonder about the Lions Gate bridge...

I took the picture above when I was in San Francisco in April this year.

~kc

8.3 Million...

...copies sold of Harry on the first day, according to a report I just read from Scholastic US. Wonder how Raincoast did? CBC reported that more than 7,000 people attended the Vancouver Kidsbooks event at Van Deusan Gardens alone.


Wonderful news for all, especially the readers.


But remember, [she sez, still waving her Potter Pooper Placard] -- when you've closed the book on Harry...

And now, since I am making myself sick on Hot Tamales (the candy variety -- not the savoury) I will head back to reading Harry. I am only on Chapter 12...

~kc

Potter Poopers

...that's what they called us. The 'Potter Mock-Protest' made the CTV news last night for a brief appearance, where James McCann and I tried to make a case for Canadian authors who have books coming out in the Summer of Harry.

I thought it was pretty funny, until I realized (by Googling) that the joke has been made many times before. And in our case, it was not even applicable, since the three of us (James McCann, kc dyer & James Bow) are all actual fans of JKR and her magical creations.

Here's a shot of James McCann at today's dampish but still fun Summer Dream event in Stanley Park. James is parked beside our 'Potter Mock-Protest' poster, wearing his 'Ministry of Magic approved' t-shirt (demonstrating that the Ministry, at least, knew we were on-side...)

But, when you've closed the book on Harry...consider reading one by a Canadian, okay?

This was my first drive-through of Stanley Park since the devastating storms of last winter. The devastation of Prospect Point was mind-boggling. The power of that November wind was truly awesome. I was so gob-smacked by the wreckage that I forgot to take a picture.

The east side of the park remains almost untouched, though, and it was there Summer Dream took place. Did two readings of Ms Zephyr today, and added a brief return to SEEDS OF TIME in the children's tent. The rain held off for most of the afternoon, but returned to a deluge by 5:30 or so. Had a chance to reconnect with some old friends, so it was a fun afternoon in the end. Thanks go out to Bonnie Nish and Sita Carboni of Pandora's Collective for organizing and overseeing such a successful event.

As further proof of my Positive Potter Point-of view, here is a shot of the two beautiful witches I took to the launch last night -- one of whom has been planted on the couch all day today, blissfully reading the final installment.

The other witch had to work this afternoon, but at the moment, she is reading, too.

And to finish -- a picture of a group of rowdies at the Canadian Authors Association table before the rains returned -- writers Anthony Dalton, Gordon Mumford and Bernice Lever (doing her bit to promote literacy by flashing her Word on the Street T-shirt).

More proof that Canadian writers continue to thrive despite the Potter juggernaut!

~kc

The Protest Moves Forward...

...word today of an impending interview tomorrow with CTV regarding the mock Potter Protest scheduled for this Saturday at the Summer Dream Literary Festival in Stanley Park. And James Bow has been garnering attention on the same topic from his end of the nation...check out his blog (Bow, James Bow -- it's off on the side-bar there, if you need the link.)

And, of course, amid all the hype of the leaked pre-releases and spoilers, I am running from anything that smacks of Harry in the press right now. I want to find out what happens when I read the book myself the first time!

But after you close the book on Harry -- consider picking up a book by a Canadian author, will you? (That IS the point of the protest, after all...) We have the most incredible selection of writers producing books for young people -- and BC is a particular hotbed.

If you can't think of a BC writer off the top of your head, you might try having a peek at the CWILL BC website at http://www.cwill.bc.ca/ or even try moseying on over to Alan Twigg's encyclopedic site of BC authors: http://www.abcbookworld.com/

A reminder that Summer Dream is coming up fast -- this Saturday, in Stanley Park, near Lumberman's Arch. For the whole scoop, check out Pandora's Collective website at http://www.pandorascollective.com/ and find out all the cool stuff that Bonnie Nish and Sita Carboni have in store.

Hard on the heels of Summer Dream will be the collective book launch of 'Ms. Zephyr's Notebook' and 'Pyre'. More details as soon as I have 'em.

It's back to regular weather here -- cool and rainy. Hopefully summer will return in time for the weekend. Here's a shot of what it looks like around here when the weather cooperates...

~kc

Got a Reader Yet?

Reading Tip of the Day:

Not sure if I am preaching to the converted here, but if you've got a long list of blogs you like to check in on periodically, but not enough time to do it -- a Reader is a must.

I use Google Reader, myself, but there are other choices out there. Essentially what a Reader does is collect up the RSS feeds from your favourite blogs and brings them all to one spot. So, everytime one of your favourite bloggers posts something new, your Reader will collect up the feed and deposit the post in your own special spot.

I could never understand how people had time to read blogs. I currently have [checking] 37 subscriptions to blogs I enjoy. Some of these are BIG blog-post generators (Galley Cat, and the late, lamented Miss Snark are good examples) and some belong to friends who only post once in a while.

Doesn't matter. Either way, whenever they do post, the reader gathers up the feeds and sends them to my account. If I want to comment, I can click on the post and be delivered directly to the blog. I check my reader once or twice a day -- maybe 5 minutes a session. If I had to hunt out all those blogs individually, it would take hours.

Let me know if you have a reader you like better than Google's. It's good to know what's out there.

~kc

Canuck Authors Protest Potter

Making the rounds of various media outlets across the country...











AUTHORS STAGE MOCK PROTEST DURING HARRY POTTER WEEKEND

In a cross-country effort, three Canadian authors are joining hands to celebrate writing for young people by promoting their books on the weekend of the release of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".

“Other people write books too, you know.” That’s the message James Bow, an Ontarian writer of fantasy novels for young people, hopes to get across with his one-man picket beside the midnight line-up of fans waiting to get their hands on the last book in the Harry Potter series.

Bow, wearing a wizarding hat and a “will write for food” placard, will be stationed outside the Toronto independent bookstore Another Story, as it opens at midnight to accommodate eager muggles. He will return the next day at noon to read from other novels and sign his own.

In Vancouver, authors James McCann and kc dyer will launch their latest novels at the Summer Dream Literary Arts Festival in Stanley Park "in defiance of the Potter juggernaut".

"As a writer of books for young adults, I know how much my industry owes to the imagination of J.K. Rowling," says dyer. "I discovered Harry just after the second book was published and am a huge fan. But we'd like to use this occasion to bring attention to some of the other wonderful books that are being published for young people in this country."

Both McCann and dyer are affiliated with Children's Writers and Illustrators of BC (CWILL BC), an organization that helps promote writers and illustrators of books for youth in British Columbia.

These tongue-in-cheek protests, are designed to bring attention to Canadian books children and young adults could read once the final page turns on Rowling's Harry Potter epic.

Who:James Bow, author of "Fathom Five" (the Dundurn Group)
www.unwrittenbooks.ca
kc dyer, author of "Ms. Zephyr's Notebook" (the Dundurn Group) http://www.kcdyer.com/
James McCann, author of "Pyre" (Simply Read Books) http://www.jamesmccann.info/

When: Friday, July 20, 2007 - 11:59 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. EDT (James Bow)Saturday, July 21, 2007 - noon - 1:00 p.m. EDT (James Bow)

Saturday, July 21, 2007 - 1:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. PDT (kc dyer, James McCann)

Where: Another Story Bookshop, 315 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto (James Bow)
Summer Dream Festival, Lumberman’s Arch, Stanley Park, Vancouver (kc dyer, James McCann)

-30-

~kc

Hot Stuff

Hello Faithful Readers of the Ether...

Hottest day of the year here today -- 37, which has thrown all of we heat-wimps from BC completely off our game. This kind of weather belongs to places other than our little bit of temperate rainforest.

A bit of a tossed salad tonight, with tidbits from Various Aspects of a Life Over-busy.

Attended a screening of HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX tonight. It was fun to watch with lots of good effects and a real Harry smootch to boot. But all secondary plot-lines were excised in favour of the main, which was a bit of a shame. I wanted to see more Tonks and Lupin, more Hagrid, and at least a glimpse of Rita Skeeter. But alas -- I guess a running time of 138 minutes was long enough for the producers. Too bad, though, as one of the two teenagers I attended the screening with was not a reader, and she was quite confused by the opening of the movie since she hadn't read the story.

Love the movies, but they can't touch the books. Not exactly a surprising sentiment, coming from me,I guess.

Working on plans for launching Ms. Zephyr's Notebook this month. In one special event, James McCann and I will be celebrating our new books (and all things CWILL) at the Summer Dream Literary Arts Festival on July 21st, beside Lumberman's Arch in Stanley Park. Summer Dream is a fantastic event, hosted by the Fabulous women of Pandora's Collective, aka Bonnie Nish and Sita Carboni. Because the event is in Stanley Park, we will not be selling books, but will happily sign any that are brought in from elsewhere. (Both PYRE and MS. Z. are now available a bookstore near you!) Watch this space for more details soon.

Have now finalized details for the SiWC brochure and sent them off to the Most Talented Laurel Hickey (of 2morrow Writing & Document Design) who will work her magic and ready the thing for printing. In celebration, I'll be sending out a notice 2morrow (sorry, Laurel!) to the SiWC listserv, announcing the names of two new editors who will be attending the conference this year.

Just to confirm -- registration for the conference opens July 26, 2007 and the SiWC Writing Contest closes August 3, 2007. Check out http://www.siwc.ca/ for further details.

~kc

SBH Revisited

A short note only tonight, as I am feeling the effects of a late night Lions Bay celebration of Ms. Zephyr's Notebook last evening...

(Watch this space for exciting news of upcoming launches, as Ms. Z and her Notebook make it out into the world.)

To the subject at hand:

Had a splendid meeting today with the planning committee of the illustrious and successful CWILL BC Spring Book Hatching. We had a look at the things that worked and the things that can be done better and came up with some fabulous ideas for the next event.

The best news for those of you who may have missed our June event is that you don't have to wait another year. We are doing it again this fall!

More info on the Fall Book Harvest as things develop.

Writing Tip of the Day:

It's hard to get much writing done when one's dog chases the local bandit into the nearest maple tree. One's dog, in fact, delerious with a combination of joy and frustration, insists on a vocal celebration/war chant that minimizes the concentration required for writing to a most remarkable degree.

Nevertheless, the bright eyes shining from the tree somehow make it all worth while.

~kc

The Beauty of The Game and The Ugly Censor

From CWILL BC member and Most Excellent Writer Alison Acheson:

Calling All Hockey Poets;

Coteau Books invites submission of poems both new and previously published, for its Fall 2008 anthology of hockey poetry for young people, aged 8 - 12. We are looking for poems which capture the nature of our national game, both on and off the ice. Which are, as often as not, lively and funny, but which, at the same time, respect, and even challenge, the intellectual and emotional capacity of this age group. Language and form, in other words, will be considered equally with content. We are looking for poems for and about girls as well as boys, and poems that speak to the cultural diversity that makes up the game of hockey in this country. Ultimately, we'd like the collection to reflect hockey at various levels - local association and street hockey, the NHL, professional women's associations, moments of national accomplishment, the rink-rat life for youngsters, the fun of house hockey, and the challenge of rep. hockey - the minutiae of the game we love as well as the "big picture."Submission deadline is October 15, 2007. Fees are $50 for original poems, and $25 for previously published works. Please mail hard- copy (paper) submissions only, to: Steve Scriver/Alison Acheson, editors, Breakaway! Anthology, c/o Coteau Books, 2517 Victoria Ave, Regina, SK S4P 0T2 For Coteau contact information, please see our web site: http://www.coteaubooks.com/ (please note, poems should be in English, and poets Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents).

In other news -- as a stand-in for the Writing Tip of the Day, a few words on censorship.

Nikki Tate, Vancouver Island resident and prolific scribe of stories for children and young adults has just had one of her books banned by a school librarian in Kindersley, Saskatchewan.

From The Province:

Victoria author's book banned for use of term 'bazoongas' Saskatchewan school doesn't want kids reading slang term for breasts (Story by Adrian Chamberlain, CanWest)

A popular Victoria children's author is crying censorship after a southwestern Saskatchewan school banned her novel, Trouble on Tarragon Island.

At issue is the book's reference to "bazoongas" as a slang word for breasts. The librarian who pulled the novel at Elizabeth School in Kindersley, Sask., also objected to a mention of "saggy" breasts and a description of a bullying incident.

The librarian is said to have deemed the book 'inappropriate' for children in the K-Grade 7 school.

Nikki's book came out in 2005, and has been a successful seller until now. As a writer, Nikki has been nominated for many awards including the Red Maple, the Chocolate Lily and the White Pine.

In a similar situation, last year CWILL BC author James McCann had not only his book, but himself banned from a group of schools in Mission. James's book, RANCOUR, has werewolves and vampires adventuring through its pages. He lost a week of school visits when a small group took offense at the content of his story.

When books are forbidden to children by (usually well-meaning) adults, as in these two cases, it feels to me a little like these folks are shooting the messanger. We'd all love a world where there were no bullies and where flashpoint issues like drug use and abortion were clean-cut and simple. But that is not the world we live in.

It is important to protect our children. Innocence disappears all too early. But taking away books with sensitive subjects doesn't solve the problem. Books are a way for children to explore their feelings and ideas at a safe distance from the issue. Stories allow children to examine a problem, roll it around in their brains, feel out the issues -- without necessarily having to live through them. Storytelling is a safe means to share the commonality of experience, and is one way kids can figure out their own value systems.

There are links to reach both Nikki and James on the left side of this post. Feel free to send them a word of support!

And finally -- the raspberry jam of last night was a sweet success. Eight jars completed by two am this morning. An earlier night tonight, I think.

~kc

Making Jam

This has been a Very Bad Day. It started off well, but...


At this moment, I find myself in the position of trying to count my blessings. Never a good sign. The biggest blessing at present is that there are a mere 3 minutes left in this day. And then it will be another day and a chance to start again. A fresh start. (Note: Incurable optimism is a necessary genetic component of any fool who might think they could possibly make a living out of wrestling words down onto a page.)


In a further effort to put the day behind me, I am currently boiling jam jars. When things go wrong, make jam. (I actually haven't made jam for five years or so, having adopted the credo only an hour ago. But I'm sure things would have improved had I thought of it earlier.)

Writing Tip of the Day:

Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts to remain cloistered until the latest project is done, life creeps in between the pen and the page. Or the fingertips and the computer keys. At times like these, it's important to remember that while running away from one's cares and responsibilities rarely works -- it doesn't hurt to try. Maybe you should just bolt for awhile. Otherwise, you might end up making jam in the middle of the night. What kind of responsible person does that sort of thing? Just run away. It's safer. Plus you might end up doing something worth writing about -- or fictionalizing, at the very least.

I was interviewed today by a newspaper column writer on the subject of censorship, but I will save all my deep thoughts on the subject for tomorrow -- a new day. Hopefully a safer day.

~kc

Pictureless Post....

Am sitting at an incredibly foggy-screened terminal in a faceless little internet cafe in Abbottsford, BC. My laptop computer is refusing to acknowledge any access to wireless on the campus, so I have hied myself down here to quickly catch up on my email and any other electronic excitement to be had. The woman on the other side of the counter has a severe disease I can only hope is past the communicable stage. The thrill of the hunt for internet access intensifies!

First class at the CWC Summer Camp today -- great fun, much imagination in the 16 grade 6 students who are in my class. Tonight they are learning circus tricks and dramatic movement, all of which will add deep resonance to their writing tomorrow, I am sure. They are a lovely group, but I am sorry to say that the meatballs at the dinner table (combined with the lack of internet) sent me fleeing to town. Found sushi and this place, so all is well.

Will take a few pictures tomorrow, but today have failed miserably, so this post will have to go unillustrated.

Writing Tip of the Day: Today with my CWC group, we worked on developing character and all the little things that allow for a greater dimensional depth. However -- for the purposes of the stories we are writing together, it mostly boiled down to identifying the primary goal of the character and then planting a giant PROBLEM in the way. Nothing like a decent problem to see what a character is really made of...

~kc

Here's to the tree...

...who gives its life blood so that we may sweeten our pancakes, and then, in its death throes, drained of chlorophyll -- donates its scarlet image to the flag that celebrates our nationhood.

Thanks, mighty sugar maple! And Happy Canada Day to all. 140 years a nation, and still in the first flush of our youth. Remarkable.

From maples to apples -- or more properly, Apples. My computer is driving me crazy these days and I am considering switching teams and moving to a Mac. Anyone with words of wisdom on this front is welcome to share. My sister, a serious journalist (unlike her more flighty sibling) has always had one, and I believe the time has come for me at last.

I'm off to CWC Summer Writer's Camp and will try to blog from away, if I can find a connection.

But before I go -- a new feature: writing tip of the day. Let's see if we can do that with a bit more style...

Writing Tip of The Day

Hmm. Not many options for striking change of title...

Regardless -- let's move to the tip. Every writer needs a good thesaurus. And no, I'm not talking about the one built into Word. I have quite a pile of them on the shelves over my desk. A few of my favourites: Roget's Pocket(of course), The Oxford Thesaurus, and goofily enough, The Highly Selective Thesaurus for the Extraordinarily Literate. Whatever your need (and lately mine seems to be 'tip of the tongue' syndrome, when the word I want is ...almost ... there), if you are a serious writer a thesaurus should be one of your most basic tools. If you have a favourite you'd like to share -- let me know!

~kc

Summer Camp!

I've never been to a sleep-over summer camp. Last year I taught at the Vancouver Public Library's Canadian Summer Writing Camp, but that doesn't count, because we still went home at the end of the day.



Things are about to change.

On Monday, I shall hie myself off to Abbottsford to teach (and sleep over!) at the Creative Writing for Children (CWC) Summer Camp 2007. Three days of writing stories, learning new skills and making great friends. I'll bring my camera and get a few shots of some of the action to share. I'm also bringing my computer -- time to take another shot at DEADLINE.

One of the CWC teachers this year is James McCann. James' new book PYRE has just come out and he and I will be sharing a book launch sometime soon. Stay tuned for details!

~kc, wondering if there is such a thing as marshmallow-free s'mores...

Monday, Monday

Another busy day. SiWC board meeting with more good news -- a new presenter confirmed today. Will be putting together a note to the listserv to outline some of the good things happening behind the scenes of this year's conference.

But first -- a Very Important Confab in Bellingham tomorrow -- the SiWC Contest Assistants put their heads together at last!

The SiWC Writing Contest has an early deadline this year -- August 3, 2007. More info can be found at www.siwc.ca

Got a lovely note from Helene Boudreau yesterday. We met for the first time in Toronto over Thai dinner, and though I may have shared just a little too much of myself with her, she's clearly forgiven me. Helene is (along with Rose Holck and Marsha Skrypuch) a section leader in the YA and Kidcrit forums. Apparently MS. Z is to be the featured book for July in the YA/Children's forum. Got to send in my bio, first, though -- it's on my list, Helene! (I hate that I can't insert your accents here, dammit.)

I'm really looking forward to being a part of it!

And as for the pic, well...

doesn't everyone love a little baby duck?


~kc

Stargate fixation...

My daughter is a geek.

She's proud of this state of geekiness. Revels in it. She's an IB student, about to go into Grade 12, spends six days out of seven in the pool, training with her swim team, spends most of her time with her nose in a book.

MOST of her time.

Lately, however, I've noticed she's been drawn to the dark side. Her inner geek is being sucked dry by a Stargate fixation. She's taken to buying entire seasons, planning her life around the next re-run and locking into the final episode that ran this week. She happily reported to me that she is not sad the final season is over, as there are at least two movies planned.



Now, I remember Kurt Russell running through the very first Stargate what seems like eons ago. Not a bad movie, as I recall. But was it the substance from which 8 or 9 seasons of a tv show could emerge like bacteria on agar? Apparently so.


I don't know if I am alone, here, in saying that this particular fixation is a mystery to me. I feel so sad for the guy forced to wear the '80's glasses into the new millennium. It hurts me to see Richard Dean Anderson morphing into William Shatner. And maybe I'm crazy, but I have to say I'm very relieved they at least let the guy with the little gold issue on his forehead grow his hair for the final season...

~kc

Apropos of not much...

This is Seamus, in a state of such total relaxation that he cannot close his lips over his teeth.

I envy this state.
I am not there.

In actual fact, I am currently a brain in search of a pensieve. Too many thoughts -- not enough cognative material left in which to make sense of any of 'em. If you don't get the allusion, you are definitely behind in your Potter reading. Better get on it -- July 21st is looming!

I may have expounded upon this subject in this space before (and if I have, see above mental state for explanation) but the reason that I love reading JK Rowling is her express adoration of language. Dumbledore's pensieve is a case in point. The word evokes the state of mind one requires for deep thought, the vessel in which to do it AND the emotion one might experience whilst in such a state. Pure genius. And as a liguist, she also creates brilliant voices for her characters.

I am lucky enough to be reading another story by my friend Michael Hiebert, who in this case is giving the most human voice to his main character, who happens to be Jesus. Michael is brilliant at voice -- the most important weapon in a writer's arsenal (other than a stellar ability with a decent military metaphor, of course...). If you want a taste of his efforts, check out My New Cardboard Box, his blog. (The link is over to the side -- just on the left over there somewhere. No...further down. You've got it.) The Jesus Book Tour is amazing, funny and poignant and wicked. I can't wait to see how it ends.

The amazing women of Pandora's Collective have also picked July 21 as the date of their Summer Dream event, this year to be held in Stanley Park. My buddy James McCann and I will be a part of it, representing CWILL BC. I am pretty sure I'll also be doing a reading for the North Shore Writers' Association and possibly even the CAA. James and I are also working on the details of a book co-launch -- perhaps to be held that day in defiance of the Rowling juggernaut. More to come as things coalesce.

~kc

Still Awaiting Final Confirmation...

...but I think my buddy James McCann's new book PYRE has finally made it's much-delayed (and much-anticipated) appearance. Watch this space for further details, or better still, cruise on over to James' blog for the latest. He's at http://jamesmccannauthor.blogspot.com/

In other news, I just found out yesterday that Quill & Quire, Canada's publishing industry stalwart, has also got a blog. The mysterious Quillblogger even mentioned my so-brief-you'd-better-not blink appearance at the CCBC event at Book Expo. We'll forgive the minor misquote in favour of cheering their acknowledgement of the existence of an author hailing from west of the Rockies. (West of the Coast range, too, if you want to get technical about it...). Go Q&Q!

Lots more going on, but tonight my head is full of the boy's penultimate lacrosse game of the season, the first in which he was actually knocked off his feet, and the second in which he scored a goal. His team won a resounding victory tonight, hot on the heels of a win in Abbotsford last night, so he's a pretty happy guy these days. Go Northshore!

And to close, perhaps a fitting shot of the goalie he built to stand in when he doesn't have a human around to take shots at -- looks a bit familiar, somehow...

~kc

Back from Toronto...

...and with much to catch up on.

To begin -- a quick look back at the Spring Book Hatching. We had a pearly grey morning which dissolved into full rain by the time the event began, but for some reason still ended up with a full house and many happy people.

The Alice MacKay room of the Vancouver Public Library was full to overflowing with authors, illustrators, kids, parents, teachers and book lovers of all shapes and sizes. The place looked great thanks to Kathie Shoemaker and her helpers. Blackberry Books reported brisk sales, countless autographs were signed, dozens of Cobs cinnamon buns consumed and tons of book prizes were given out to joyful recipients.

Cynthia Nugent, who was celebrating the launch of two new books, dashed around taking pictures, and can be given full credit for the shots displayed here. At the top of the page, we have huckster Dan Bar-El, demonstrating a great book-selling pitch along with extraordinary sartorial flair. To the left is CWILL BC President James McCann, in deep consultation with brilliant emcee (and Pandora's Collective founder) Sita Carboni.

Here is Maggie deVries in possession of a Really Big Fish, (with a preternaturally calm Ainslie Manson seated nearby).

And finally, a shot of a Most Relieved CWILL BC vice president (standing beside her equally pleased colleague), enjoying the evidence of a good time being had by all.

Thanks to all who worked so hard to make the inaugural Spring Book Hatching such a success, and to all who came out to enjoy. We may have to just do this again sometime!

~kc

Book Expo Canada

Am blogging in the shadow of the CN Tower after a full day in Toronto. (My hotel is the tiny little brown building to the right of the base of the tower in the picture.) Got in this morning at 2:30 am and after a few hours sleep, hit the ground running. It's been a GREAT day, with lots of excitement in the works -- more details when I can. I shared the stage today for a brief while with a number of other authors as the Canadian Children's Book Centre sponsored a reading of some of their 'Our Choice' authors from last year. SHADES OF RED was an 'Our Choice' selection, and I had a lot of fun listening to the other authors speak about their work. Plan to chase down several to get them to sign their books for me!

Met with my wonderful agent, Carolyn Swayze, for a non-coffee chat after she'd been to the Christie Blatchford breakfast. It was great fun to see her, particularly since we both had to travel 3000 km to do so.

Ran into Eric Walters and was able to thank him in person for the great blurb he wrote for Ms. Z. I caught him signing at at least three booths today. Prolific man --and _really_ nice guy.

Many celebs from the CanLit world to be seen wandering around today, not to mention a Stockwell Day sighting in the airport. How could my day be any more complete?

Dinner with a goodly percentage of the CompuServe Writer's Forum KidCrit crew. I met several of the group for the first time in the flesh and it was great fun. Anita Daher is here celebrating SPIDER'S SONG and RACING FOR DIAMONDS. Marsha Skrypuch is celebrating the impending arrival of her DEAR CANADA book about the Spirit Lake internment camp. Marina Cohen was signing at the Vanwell booth. Helaine Becker was signing today for Maple Tree Press and tomorrow will be back to sign some of her many titles for Scholastic. Mahtab was celebrating her very first book --THE THIRD EYE, with Dundurn. Nancy, Helene and Deborah made the evening complete.

The Spring Book Hatching went off yesterday without a hitch. (Well -- the coffee arrived a little late. But that was it. So no hitches that couldn't be bourne....)

Will have SBH pictures and more detail soon. I have once again run out of day.

~kc

The Actual Cover

Here is my first view of the final cover art for the new novel. I am really thrilled and have to extend a warm thank you to Eric Walters for his lovely blurb. The scrawl is not his -- but in fact belongs to Dundurn designer Alison Carr who has done a fantastic job with this book. (Apparently Alison's mother -- a teacher -- had a hand in the lettering!) Thanks, Alison! Thanks Alison's mum!

~kc

Ms. Z and MS

Spent most of today working on the SiWC brochure -- a hard-copy summary of the program for this year. Some astounding writers will be in attendance -- check out www.siwc.ca to see a listing of presenters. Names, pix, bios and workshops are slowing going up -- our webmaster Dale McGladdery is doing a bang-up job.

Still haven't held Ms. Zed in my hands -- hoping a copy arrives by Friday...

Hey -- a shout-out to Kirsti Wakelin, CWILL BC member, blogger and arteest extraordinaire, who will be missing our Spring Book Hatching this weekend to do a Very Big Bike Ride in support of research for MS. If you'd care to find out more, or pledge to help her meet her goal, here's the link:

https://msors.mssociety.ca/bike2007/Sponsor.aspx?L=2&PID=966782

~kc

Ms. Zephyr is a Book!

Got an email from my editor, Barry Jowett, today.

He was holding my new book in his hands. He likes it. I hope I like it!

I can't wait to see it, I know that much.

Soon -- in time for this Saturday's Spring Book Hatching, I hope.

So, I don't have new book euphoria just yet, but I _almost_ have completed book euphoria. DEADLINE is now 100,000 words when I thought it was going to be 85, but it is a mere couple of pages from being finished. Had a great writing day today and hoping tomorrow brings the euphoria. Hope with me. Chant with me -- Charlie's mantra: Stay Calm, Staying Calm.

Much happening this week:

• MS. ZEPHYR becomes a book. (It was not supposed to happen until tomorrow, but it actually happened one day early!)
• Spring Book Hatching on Saturday
• Flying to Toronto Saturday night
• Book Expo on Sunday and Monday, with CCBC launch of Ms. Z and signing at the Dundurn booth lined up, along with meetings of many friends from afar.
• Somewhere in there I have to fit in DEADLINE becoming (if not a book) a completed ms.
• Plus all the things I have to do before I leave for Toronto.
  

But... is this all fun?

Why yes -- it is.

I love my job.


~kc

DEADLINE Approaches

Worked all day today (with the exception of a couple of hours spent viewing a boy's lacrosse game from atop an eliptical trainer, thereby killing two birds with one treadmill) on meeting the DEADLINE deadline, which is, in fact, tomorrow.

I am touching wood as I type this (which makes typing darned difficult, I have to say) but I think I may finish this thing tomorrow. Not finish--finish, but finish. (I could articulate this more succinctly, but the writers among you know what I mean, and the non-writers must know by now that the writers are nuts anyway, so there we are.)



Got the absolutely marvellous news yesterday that MS. ZEPHYR'S NOTEBOOK will be delivered on Tuesday to Dundurn. Much planning of launches and readying for this week's Spring Book Hatching, trip to Toronto, CCBC event at Book Expo Canada, Dundurn signing at same and meeting of many friends and compatriots throughout next weekend. (The image of the book tower, left, is courtesy of the Book Expo Canada website...)

All of this predicated on achieving above DEADLINE deadline -- so in order to facilitate same, this is it for now. (Forgot to mention that whilst watching the lacrosse match and pedalling rapidly nowhere, I also read the latest David Sedaris story in the New Yorker. The undisputed highlight of the day.)

~kc