Launch Week Continues with Mystery Author #3

I gave you a sneak peek of this guy last night.






And now I can tell you, his identity is REVEALED over on Darby's blog.

Learn why a hockey helmet was a good choice for a disguise! Marvel at his tales of dog training for book promo! And laugh your head off at the trailer for his new book!

So what are you waiting for? Drop on over to Darby Speaks, and read her interview with this hilarious new author. You can also put your name in for a chance to win an ADVANCED copy of his new book, plus a little extra something that I can't tell you about here without giving away the whole game. Better get cracking!

(You can also leave your name in the comment section in THIS post to be eligible for the book prize draw. Two chances to win!)

I'll be drawing the names of the winners from this week's mystery blog post prizes on Friday, March 6th -- so you still have a chance to get your name into the draw for the autographed book of your choice!

As for me, I'm heading out to go for lunch with a friend of mine (identified in the loving dedication line of today's mystery guest's book as "bossy boots") and we are off to see if we can actually find a copy of my new book on the shelves of local book stores. Will report back tomorrow with the results.

I know they've made it onto the shelves in Calgary! We'll see if they are here in Vancouver yet.








If you spot a copy of A WALK THROUGH THE WINDOW on a book shelf near you -- let me know! (It looks just like this:)









Oh -- and if you feel like indulging in a little guerrilla marketing on my behalf, make sure you turn the copies face out -- no spine displays for my new book, thank you very much.




~kc, wondering if they arrest authors who lead their readers into public mischief....


UPDATE: We have a winner! Check here: http://tinyurl.com/c2c7xy to see if it is you!

Quick News Update...

A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW has arrived in Calgary! Report from the most lovely Cate Duthie can be found right HERE.

I'm excited! Must remember to send my sister round to the store to help support the family coffers...

~kc

Pardon the Interruption (Again...)

...but I just have to note that the selection of amazing, wonderful, astonishingly talented authors who blog and who have further agreed to be interviewed by Darby Christopher is ...well, it's enough to go to a young character's head. Darby is becoming all puffed up with her status as an interviewer, and she's gathering more books and prizes than she thought possible for give-aways.

Forget Launch Week -- it looks like we're going for at least a MONTH of celebration around here!

I just want to take a moment to thank all the wonderful people, readers and friends, who have taken the time to send congratulations and share the excitement of this new story with me. I wrote this book nearly three years ago, and am beyond delighted to see it emerge today. Thank you all so much for being a part of this with me.

Now, please join Darby over on her blog, where all the fun and prize-giving is to be had. You just need to add a comment there -- or one here -- to have a chance to win big.




And, as small hint of things to come, check out this hockey-helmeted dude. This mystery author is the subject of Darby's interview tomorrow.

I'll give you one other little hint. His book is about a sport...that is NOT hockey.









See you tomorrow!

~kc

We Interrupt these Launch Week Festivities...

...to remind you to make sure you comment on one or more of the posts, either here or on Darby's blog -- and be eligible to win some AWESOME books (and other) prizes.

All it takes is one little comment, and you could be a winner!

We'll do the first round of draws on Friday -- so tell your friends and let's get those comments in!

~kc

Launch Week Mystery Guest #2

Day two of launch week -- and after the pirate shenanigans of yesterday, today we move into the weird world of ...Cat Woman?







Just who is this masked creature? Leave your guess in the comment section below and win a free copy of CANADIAN GIRLS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD.

A few tantalizing details.... she's been known to pen a book or two -- both fiction and non-fiction. She hucks a mean frisbee and has been known to indulge in creative bike ballet.

Care to learn more? Then be sure to check Darby's Blog for your chance to meet this mysterious author, unmasked-- and win a free book!

* A special note -- today is the day A WALK THROUGH THE WINDOW becomes available in bookstores. Many, many thanks to all those readers who have pre-ordered copies. Your books should be winging their way to you shortly! As to the official book launch, you can see a copy of the poster HERE. It will be held Thursday, March 12, 2009, at 6:30 pm at Kidsbooks in North Vancouver -- 3040 Edgemont Blvd. Everyone is welcome -- hope to see you there!

~kc

UPDATE: We have a winner! Check here: http://tinyurl.com/c2c7xy to see if it is you!

Launch Week Mystery Guest #1

Well, here we are at last. My new book, A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW should be popping up on bookstore shelves as of tomorrow, and I'm very happy to deliver this most recent baby to all my readers.

To celebrate, Darby Christopher, [the bossy heroine of the story] is conducting a series of interviews on her blog, which will be excerpted here. Each generous author [and their publishing house] featured is giving away a free copy of a book, and to win, all you have to do is leave a comment below, or over on Darby's blog.





Just to make things interesting, I'm offering a little mystery-guest disguise here, as a teaser.


Any ideas yet as to the identity of this mysterious pirate?


For another hint, here's a short excerpt from today's interview...

Darby: If you had a chance to walk through a window into the past, where would you go?

Mystery Guest: This is a hard question to answer, because there are so many places and times I'd like to go. In fact, my idea of heaven has always been a place full of windows into the past. I think I wouldn't want to stay in one place very long (lack of personal hygene in the past being one good reason to keep visits brief), but I would like to get a good look through a lot of different windows.

Darby: Ha! I guess that means my book would be perfect for you. If you did go back in the past is there anyone special you’d like to meet?

I'd like to meet the artist Emily Carr when she was about age 8 and age 14 to see if she was anything like I imagined her to be in my novels "Discovering Emily" and "Emily's Dream." I'd also like to look around 1880s Victoria while I was there.

Figured it out yet?

Why not put your best guess in the comments and then hie on over to Darby's Blog to find out if you are correct!

Here's a final little hint for you -- our mystery author mentioned Emily Carr in her interview. We will be offering a free SIGNED copy of DISCOVERING EMILY to the winner of today's draw. All you have to do to win is enter a comment below. I'll do a draw and announce the winner tomorrow. Good luck!

Now head on over to Darby's page and read the full interview...see you there!

~kc

UPDATE: We have a winner! Check here: http://tinyurl.com/c2c7xy to see if it is you!

Launch Week!

Here we go!

The new book is set to arrive in stores on Tuesday.

To celebrate, Darby herself is spending the week interviewing as many authors as she can about a subject dear to her heart -- how they and their families came to Canada. Each interview will be excerpted here and links will be provided to the full text. There will be prizes and giveaways, so stay tuned -- we are going to bring this book into the world in style!

Join Darby for her first interview tomorrow, when she talks with prolific author Jacqueline Pearce. You can find the link to Darby's blog HERE. And if you pick up the RSS feed, all the inteviews will come straight to your desktop.

Let the excitement begin!

~kc

Exciting Times...

My new book is set to arrive next week and exciting events are happening all over to celebrate the new arrival.

I'll be running a series of guest blogs here and on the Darby Speaks page (the blog celebrating Darby Christopher, the main character in the new book) with give-aways galore. Darby and I will both be twittering and blogging all the news.

(You can find my tweets @kcdyer, if you're looking.)

Next post I'll put up a proper-sized copy of the beautiful poster the folks at Doubleday have done for my launch, but for now, here's a sneak peek.

As (I hope) you can see, the date for the first official launch is March 12. More details tomorrow -- be sure to check back then!

Also...

New post up on Darby Speaks with a link to a very funny article from the Times Online regarding the translation of caveman-speak to modern English. Might have been a bit helpful for Darby if she'd had something like that!

More soon.

~kc

Shout out to Van Tech

Had another great visit with the kids at Vancouver Technical Secondary School today -- great to see the school again (third year in a row!). Many thanks to librarian Margaret O'Brien for the invitation.



A few other tabs to close here....

Came across THIS SITE the other day from a link on twitter... enjoyed looking at the fruits of the labours of photographers who managed to get what I so often missed -- shots taken at JUST the right time.

A couple of writerly things coming up soonishly...

From Judith Saltman via Norma Charles, a free event this week...And please note the reference to Serendipity, another annual spring event, also coming up soon. It's a two-for-one announcement!

The Master of Arts in Children's Literature Program Presents
Perry Nodelman and Geoff Williams

"A Conversation on the Poetics and Aesthetics of Picture Books"

Thursday Feb 26, 2009
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

The Dodson Room, Room 302, Level 3, Chapman Learning Commons,
Ike Barber Learning Centre
(Formerly UBC's Main Library-Entrance 1961 East Mall)

Reception following, 6:30-7:30 pm
School of Library, Archival & Information Studies Lounge
Suite 470, Level 4, Ike Barber Learning Centre

Perry Nodelman is Professor Emeritus, University of Winnipeg, and internationally respected children's literature critic. He is the author of Words about Pictures: The Narrative Art of Children's Picture Books (U of Georgia P), The Pleasures of Children's Literature (with Mavis Reimer, Allyn & Bacon), and The Hidden Adult: Defining Children's Literature (Johns Hopkins). He is also editor of the journal, Canadian Children's Literature. His children's books include Not A Nickel to Spare: The Great Depression Diary of Sally Cohen, Toronto 1932 (Scholastic).

Geoff Williams is widely known for his work on semiotic approaches to language and illustration. He is Professor and Head of Language and Literacy Education in the Faculty of Education at UBC. He is the co-editor with Annabelle Lukin of The Development of Language (Continuum).

Perry Nodelman is also speaking at Serendipity, the annual one day conference presented by the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable, on Saturday, February 28th, 2009.

~kc

Twittering Signs O' Spring

Just popping on quickly here to impart a few Monday notes.





First -- I spotted this collection of crocuses this weekend as I was driving. Since there was someone right behind me, I pulled off and came around the block again to get this picture. (Shot, sadly, on my iphone -- a lovely little gizmo to have but no match for my SLR...)


The tiny boulevard at the side of the road was awash in purple. Not only sprouting -- but blooming! Bestill my heart. You think this might be a sign of spring?


And speaking of spring, it might be pouring outside at the moment, but the birds are loving the milder weather and tweeting up a storm.

I, too, am fond of a good twitter, so if you are so inclined, you can find me tweeting @kcdyer

I'm off to do a couple of gigs tomorrow at Van Tech Secondary -- will report on the reception after the fact.

Talk to you then!

~kc

Northern Voice '09 Live Blog four...afternoon

Actually....

Not a live-blog, this one. Left-over notes from yesterday.





In the afternoon, I sat in on Brett McFarland addressing branding: brand interest, brand indifference and how often branding doesn't mean anything, beyond regurgitating 'Free Dumb'.

He talked about how old school brands so often didn't know their audience and lacked conviction. He noted that brand identity is not a thing, but instead a bundle of meaning that is out of your control. Some very interesting thoughts.

After that, I got a chance to listen to Bruce Sharpe who talked about adding audio and video to blogs. And then onto PhotoCamp -- a great afternoon!

~kc

Northern Voice '09 Live Blog three...Death of Advertising

Death of Advertising...some very interesting ideas being put forward by Chris Heuer... he contends advertising as we now know it must die -- Instead by educating people you build trust -- you add value to your product. the means of production no longer require you to have to spend money on advertising. (Uses Will it Blend as an example... selling blenders due to an amazing demo and very low costs). Advertising money needs to be spent on relationship building rather than transaction-driving -- a huge change. A return to real marketing -- matching your product or service with the people who most will benefit from it. Interupt-driven advertising is dying --PigPen is the epitome of social media -- messy, whirling dervish, he is who he is.

So here's the thing -- when your product is books and the advertising expert says he hasn't read any books lately -- he gets all his info from blogs... is one left feeling depressed or invigorated by the challenge?

More soon!

~kc

Northern Voice '09 Live Blog Two...Geek Alert

Stuart Butterfield was really funny. Found out that this founder of Flickr is from Lund -- child of hippies. He chatted about why he loves the Internet, and his experience with it -- all the while wearing his lucky shoes. Will add pic later.

Right now sitting in the mobile stream, listening to a talk about streaming video. I didn't go to the 'Why blog?' session for obvious reasons and the Blogging in Canada session got cancelled.

This one was short and sweet -- not sure where live-streaming will work for me -- I want someone to tell me how to sync THIS blog into my website. Can't find anything to help me just yet...

More soon.

~kc

Northern Voice '09 Live Blog One...Geek Alert

9:12 am

Okay -- made it here this morning, the bridges were BOTH miraculously clear and the sun is shining just like it was last year. The karma gods love Northern Voice!

In a flurry of geek euphoria, I even managed an iphone tweet while in line for registration. I downloaded Twitterific this week, but coulnd't get it to work, so I tried Twitterfone and it did the trick.

Just got a picture of my buddy Dale helping set up the speaker connections at the front of the room. I haven't actually seen him in person, yet, so this qualifies as cyberstalking, I believe. But he's one of the organizers here, so he's fair game. Since this is a live blog, I'll go back in and insert the pix tonight. [Edited to add screen shot of opening remarks -- full joint, as usual].

Overheard: "Nice to meet you -- you look just like your iPod." Must have mis-heard.

Darren Barefoot is here this year -- met him over a Skype line last year, as that's how he attended from wherever he was in Asia. He was a featured speaker at SiWC in 2008, bringing blogging to the writing world. Caught a glimpse of Boris in the distance -- but so far those are the only faces I know.

Quite wrecked about not being able to attend tomorrow, but since I do have to take the girl off to the airport, I guess I should actually put the kid first. (But will be missing Nora Young. NORA YOUNG. Alas. Hopefully with the level of geeky enthusiasm here, someone will vlog her keynote.

Keynote this morning is Stewart Butterfield. Will report in when he starts.

~kc

Special Guest at Bradford Blog Bash

The Bradford Novels are a unique new series produced by author Micol Ostow and published by Simon and Schuster. Talk about a new media juggernaut -- these books are IT. Video book trailers, character blogs, websites and twitter -- these books are taking the internet by storm.






As a Y/A author (and lover of all things bloggable) I've was interviewed recently and you can find a guest blog post up on their site today.

Many thanks to Simon Pulse Editor Anica Rissi for the opportunity! And congratulations to Micol Ostow for her new series.

~kc

iPhone Fog

Spent most of the day in a tech-induced fog, engaged in communication (if you can call it that) with two telecom giants in an ultimately successful bid to get my new iphone to work.


It's a very cool little piece of equipment, and perhaps one day (if I give up writing and any other shot at gainful employment) I may figure out how to use the thing.

For now I am just messing around with it.

If you have any unbeatable suggestions for Apps, feel free to note them in the comments. I am weak. I'm sure I'll have to give them a try...

Two other things of note: the geek-fest I have been looking forward to for a whole year is here again -- Northern Voice Blogging and Social Media Conference runs this weekend up at UBC. (I am still looking for a ticket for Saturday, so if you've got one give me a shout...)

And the Tuesday tell-all is up at the CWILLblog -- citing (of all things) my messy desk as inspiration for the week's topic of choice. Hop over and have a look!

I just remembered a third thing -- my author buddies Lee Edward Fodi and James McCann are en route to Korea on high-powered Secret Agent business this week -- have a great time, guys!

~kc

Roald Dahl's Desk

My desk is a mess.


Not much new in that -- every once and a while I need a good excavation to clear things away, and now is pretty much the time.

Writing spaces are always interesting -- currently my desk is filled with paper (natch) and arcana -- gargoyles, a model of a tower in Portugal where I set a chase scene in SHADES OF RED, my steampunk clock, a rubber bat, a few skulls, a little sumo given to me by writer Linda Gerber many years ago, pictures, sketches, driftwood, crows, rocks, spiders, swords, rats, books on weaponry, plus all the techie paraphenalia and so much more I don't dare even list it.

I'm in awe of those who can write in spartan spaces -- don't really understand how it is done, but admire 'em all the same.

Just for fun, here's a writing space that might interest you ... a pretty plain little spot for the creation of so many marvellous stories!

Roald Dahl's Writing Hut

Someone tweeted this link to me, but I've lost the attribution. Sorry...

~kc

PS Happy Valentine's Day to all who engage in that sort of thing. Click HERE to add a little sugar to someone's day...

Calling all Guildies...

As I type these words, my son sits beside me, deep in battle on World of Warcraft.

I can hear you now -- shock emanating from every pore -- spluttering: "How can you allow this? It's an insidious game, taking your sweet boy away from his first true love -- his studies."

Ah. Well, perhaps your thoughts are not quite along those lines. And it's possible that his studies don't exactly qualify as the boy's first true love. (Just for the record, there's no school today...)

All this to say that perhaps I might have some small [teeny] interest in the game myself. But since my life presently doesn't allow me to immerse myself in RPG, instead, I sit beside the boy as he slays monsters, and once a week I indulge in The Guild.

Brain child of Felicia Day, it's an internet program about what happens to the lives of a group of on-line players when they meet on the outside. The final episode of the second season is due on Tuesday, so my gift to you is a chance to catch up on any missed episodes before the season finale, HERE.

Felicia is a colleague of Joss Whedon (having appeared in both Buffy and Dr. Horrible), and Joss's show Dollhouse premieres tonight.

So, if you'll just excuse me, I have to gather with my Guildies, and go watch...

~kc

Right Way Around...

Okay, here we go. New baby, right way 'round.









And now for something completely different... since the new book has left me feeling kinda chipper.

I'm a failure at memes. I just don't have it in me to pass on inanities about myself. I continually let all my friends down with meme-refusal. And don't even get me started on chain letters.








Luckily, my buddy Bill doesn't share the same limitation.









Some of his thoughts:

1 Sometimes I Feele so trapp’d by iambic pentameter... Does that make me a Freake?
2 I haue been Knowne to cry at Bear-baiting.
3 I am not uery ticklish. I am Not. So prithee, do not euen try. Waste. Of. Time.
4 I cannot keep Lice, and know not why.

Care to read more?

The only worthy twenty-five random things about anyone... courtesy of Mike McFadden, HERE.

~kc

Weekend Arrival

Guess what I found on my kitchen table when I got home from Calgary?





A new baby!





It won't be out in the world until March 3, but I'm very happy with the first impression.

~kc

One more TED thought....

Seems I'm Not The Only One.







(Thanks to A Novel Woman....)

~kc

Jack and TED

Sunny morning in Calgary. This guy lives in and around my sister's lawn, though this is a picture from the last chilly time I was here. When I saw him on Friday, only the very tips of his ears were black -- the rest pure white. He scratches a little depression in the ground beside the rocks you can see in the picture and will sleep there in the coldest of weather -- remarkable.

February here might mean white jackrabbits and frozen toes, but down in the balmy south it's TED time again.

The TED lectures have been an annual event since...well, the date 1984 springs to mind, but that might be wrong, so I suggest you hie on over to the site and look it up for yourself.

TED stands for Technology Entertainment and Design and the talks that come out of this remarkable conference each year are astonishing in their scope. The TED folks are starting to put up this year's talks on-line right now, and if you go to the site, you can troll through more than 200 from previous years. To me, this is the best use of the internet -- the spreading of knowledge in its purest form, and the chance to hear thoughtful, reasoned and scientific ideas emerging from some of the most brilliant minds of our time. So the next time you read about how the internet is a waste of time, just smile quietly to yourself, crack open a diet coke and enjoy John or Natalie or Bill...at TED.

~kc

Publishing in Canada

This is my canine nephew, Ronan. He's 10 months old and Very Good Company to his dog-deprived visiting auntie.





Interesting little article in today's Globe (as handed to me by my sister, this morning...)

Publish and Perish...

Thoughts?


It's a sunny, blue-sky day here in Calgary, and I'm enjoying a quick weekend visit. My camera battery died last night, so these portraits of Roney-baloney are taken, at some personal risk, with photobooth. Until he got sleepy....




















~kc

SERENDIPITY is coming to town

It's that time of year again -- the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable is sponsoring Serendipity. This year's featured speakers include Gillian Chan, Rukhsana Khan, Michele Lemieux, Pamela Porter, Perry Nodelman, Kidsbooks's own Phyllis Simon and N/F Canada Information Book award winner Rochelle Strauss.

The event will be held at the University of British Columbia on Saturday, February 28, 2009.
For all the details click HERE.

This year's event is called TELLING OUR STORIES and it's bound to be a good time for all.

~kc

Fire In the Sky

Another long, weird day. One that requires contemplation prior to articulation. But it ended with quite a show of fire in the sky, so I'll share that instead of verbiage tonight. Not sure which shot I like better... so you get both.


Wishing you peace and safety and the love of those you hold most dear.

~kc

A Fat Cat Kinda Day

Long day of planning, commuting, meeting, commuting again, plus dogs and kid and a bad driveway thrown in. At least I did not get stuck in an elevator in London, like Stephen Fry, but as he Twittered the whole experience, I did get to enjoy it vicariously.

So instead, this is for Boris and Kesia, with love from Fox and Socks.





Thanks to boingboing for the link.

~kc, who only appears if adorned in hair generously shed by her feline and canine companions...

The Conundrum of the Book Review

For my friend Anita Daher and all the other authors I know...
just read an interesting column on the process of reviewing books with excerpts from both John Updike and Dave Eggars on the Tor.com site HERE.




These thoughts are tender ones to me, as my newest book baby will be born on March 3rd. I both long for and dread reviews -- the whole process of selling books is one fraught with contradictory emotions for me.

As an author, of course I want people to read, love and connect with my book. But I find the process twists me -- I don't ever want to be in a position to have to sell the public on my work. I want to put it out there, set it free to be enjoyed. You can see where real-world values might clash with this artistic ephemera. I think I have to side with Updike and Eggars, here. What do you think?

~kc

Bookclubs for Kids

You know -- why should Oprah and her gang have all the fun? There is a growing interest out there in the great wide world in bookclubs for kids.


I talk a lot about Christianne's Lyceum -- just about the best place I know for bookclubs and reading and storytelling -- for kids of all ages.


In the summertime, the Vancouver Public Library offers a whole week of Canadian Book Camp. And CWC -- Creative Writing Society For Children, even goes one step further -- the kids finish each term by creating their OWN books.

Just recently read of someone in Langley, BC who has started up a new book club. A realtor by day, Anne Bishop is busy engaging kids in reading when she's not selling real estate. And the first book on her list came out of the brain of a friend of mine -- Lee Edward Fodi.

You can find an article talking about Annette and her bookclub HERE.

And if you know of another book club for kids -- why not post it in the comment section?

~kc

Down the Rabbit Hole

Today is the Reverend Charles Dodgson's* birthday, and in honour of the man who turned lives upside down with his literature, the new tradition has become to write a blog in a way contrary to the normal style.






This is a bit tough for me, as I don't really venture anywhere near normal, so I think I'll do something I've never done before...

a commercial.







I read about FreeGeek this morning in a tweet by Darren Barefoot, and it seems like the coolest idea ever. (Apparently Darren read a profile in the Vancouver Sun today, hence his tweet. Okay -- found it -- HERE. Thanks, Darren!)

FreeGeek is a non-profit computer reuse and recycling centre who have been 'helping the needy get nerdy since the beginning of the third millennium. '

They will take any old computer parts -- working or not, in any condition -- free of charge and direct it to their volunteer programs, where it will be either ethically recycled or rebuilt and restored. Tons of stuff on their website, particularly what happens to computer bits and pieces as a rule when the Free Geeks aren't involved.

Read all about it HERE on the Free Geek website. (or if you prefer en francais...Geek Libre.)

You know -- if even a fraction of the computers in the world were treated this way, imagine the impact on the economy, the environment and the geekification of those in need.






As good a 'down the rabbit hole' concept as any, wouldn't you say?













~kc



* Oh, come ON! Lewis Carroll, of course...

Gung Haggis Fat Choy

A weekend that includes Rabbie Burrrrn's 250th birthday AND Chinese New Year? Happy lunar new year -- the year of the Ox. Hope your celebrations were (and are!) safe and wonderful.











Am feeling very bummed, as I totally forgot about Toddish McWong's Gung Haggis Fat Choy celebrations on Saturday night. I'm sure a good time was had by all!

A shout out to my buddy thriller-writer Michael Slade who has a freshly re-designed website now up and running, set to horrify and edify in equal measures. Check it out!


~kc

Lyceum Info

Lots going on at Christianne's Lyceum these days.





If you are in or around Vancouver, here are a few events to keep in mind...

Upcoming Meet the Author Evenings

- Saturday February 28^th, 7-10pm: Discussion of Red Dust, Red Sky with author Paul Sunga.

- Thursday April 23^rd, 7-10pm: Discussion of Certainty with author Madeleine Thien.

OPEN MIC at the Lyceum

Live performance like no other! Now scheduled biweekly:

upcoming include: Friday January 30^th, February 13^th and February 27^th…

Find out more on the Lyceum website HERE: Christianne's Lyceum website.

And come out and join the fun!

~kc

Interested in Screenwriting?

**

My friend and colleague Anthony Dalton recommends the screenwriting classes offered by West Coast Screenwriting.







They'll be offering two upcoming weekend blitz screenwriting classes, one in Courtney and one in New Westminster. I blogged about the details on the SiWC blog site, or you can check out the West Coast site HERE.

(Dalton's just taken over as Prez of the Canadian Authors Association -- I know he'll do a bang-up job!)


~kc
* gratuitous shot of my view of the west coast -- that's Vancouver Island in the distance, over a whole lotta fog on the water...

Tweeting...

Kinda getting into this Twitter thing. Tweeting @kcdyer for now. Will start a Darby Twitter soon.






This is Fox, striding through a bookish wilderness. She has a fondness for real-time twitterers -- the feathered variety.

~kc

Bookbuying Etiquette

Okay, this one is for my buddy James and for all the other booksellers out there who have to endure the great unwashed who come in to buy books. (Note: There are six short videos in the series here -- all VERY snarky and sadly, too true. Now scoot!)



Tip of the pin-on sales nametag to Books on the Nightstand for posting this first!

~kc

Forrest Button vs Benjamin Gump

This is for my friend Meg, who as a writer (and thespian) shares my dislike of GIANT plot holes and themes that hammer you over the head in movies. (Also for Meg's daughter Emily, a writer of beautiful poetry...)




(Disclaimer: I have not yet seen TCCoBB. But I hated Forrest Gump.)

Thanks to boingboing for the heads up!

~kc

UPDATE:

Edited to add -- due to a copyright claim, this vid has been taken down. Too bad -- a very funny comparison of the two plots by the same author.

Northern Voice 2009 -- Warning -- Geek-Speak Ahead

Have been nursing SERIOUS disappointment since I found out the Northern Voice blogging & social media conference sold out in, like, TWO days. I had so much fun last year, as a speaker and as a participant. And now that Darby is blogging too -- well, we both wanted to go, man.

Turns out I misread the info on the site and Friday still had tickets available -- so I'm going! [Sticks fingers in ears to simulate moose antlers and commences happy dance...]

Yay for Twitter! (I just sent out a tweet looking for Saturday tickets. If you've got one you want to get rid of, I'm your girl. Will pay one soul, slightly used but still serviceable...)

Find out more about the conference HERE. Same venue as last year at the forestry building at UBC, February 20-21, 2009.

Will now return you to more literary meanderings.

~kc

Edited to add: For some reason they only have the HTML for the LONG moose banner on the site, and not the LITTLE moose banner, which would have worked so much better on my blog. But whatevah. At least you get to see the moose. And the rest of the info is just a click away...

The Sublime Hallie Ephron...

...has a new book out!

NEVER TELL A LIE

...from Publisher's Weekly:

Starred Review. An innocent yard sale jump-starts this stunning stand-alone thriller from Ephron, author of Amnesia and four other mysteries written with Donald Davidoff under the name G.H. Ephron (and one of the Ephron writing sisters), as well as two nonfiction books. Ivy and David Rose, happily married high school sweethearts, are trying to clear out the junk the previous owner left in their glorious Victorian in Brush Hills, Mass., before the birth of their first child. Among the bargain hunters is Melinda White, a high school classmate who's also pregnant. Considered an oddball in school, Melinda worries about more bad luck after nearly knocking over a large mirror. When Melinda disappears and no one can remember seeing her leave the sale, the evidence suggests the couple murdered her. Ephron doesn't miss a searing beat as she plunges the Roses into an abyss of suspicion. A surprise toward the end provides the perfect twist to this deliciously creepy tale of obsession.

Hallie's touring across the US right now, and in the coming weeks. But if you can't be in California or Massachusetts, then hop over to Amazon and order yourself a copy HERE.

NOBODY does suspense like Hallie!

~kc

The Kid Gets in the Picture...

Man.

This is one mouthy kid.

Darby Christopher, star skateboarder and diva with a serious chip on her shoulder, can now be found with her own blog page HERE.

It's called Darby Speaks. Read it if you dare.

Can her own Facebook page be far behind?

~kc

Darby Gets Around...

A few new tidbits about the upcoming arrival of A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW...

Got a note from my friend, author Marsha Skrypuch this weekend -- the first review of the book is now in, and it's not bad...

CM Magazine Review

I chatted with my publicist Catherine at Doubelday today and all kinds of exciting things are in the works for Darby and her friends.

The book is due out March 3, 2009. More soon!

~kc

Advice from a Gentleman

Ricardo Montalban died this week, and I just saw this clip, which I thought I might post here as an homage to him as an actor. The thing that struck me, though, is how much his advice applies to writers.(Thanks to Smart Bitches for the link).





He was 88.

~kc

Fog

Today Vancouver was engulfed again in a thick grey blanket, but here on the mountain aerie, we were above the fog ... so I thought I'd share the view.



Sunrise:

This is facing Horseshoe Bay (which is completely engulfed). The tip tops of Bowen Island are on the right.


The moon at sunrise over Bowen:

I made a trip to Surrey today, but before I left I took a few midday shots. Here's one of the sun over Bowen.



And luckily, I made it home just before sunset. The sunset shots were taken with my Pentax 50-200mm zoom lens, so they don't have the depth of the other shots, taken on my new Sigma 10-20 mm lens. This one is facing more westerly, looking out toward Vancouver Island. Bowen is on the left and you can just see the very tops of Keats Island poking through the fog.





And one last southerly shot, Horseshoe Bay AND Bowen completely engulfed as the fire burns overhead.




I know I have more writing news to report, but for some reason it's gone clear out of my head...

I have a few more shots on my flickr page HERE. Just look for the Lions Bay in Fog set.


~kc

Questions About Getting Published?

If you are in the Vancouver area, check this out:







If you can't make it -- feel free to post any questions you might have in the comments. I'll give 'em my best shot!

~kc

Cool Author News

Cool Author News Item #1:

My writing friend (and mentor) Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch's book DAUGHTER OF WAR has been chosen as a USBBY (United States Board on Books for Young People) Outstanding International Book for 2009. This is yet another feather in the cap of this amazing and talented author. Congratulations, Marsha!

Cool Author News Item #2:

The hardest working author I know has put together a few YouTube videos of his latest endeavours. This first one is a promotion for his book FLASHMOB -- and only Eric Walters would think of a way to suit his actions to his words...





This next clip is an enactment of a scene from Eric's new book SKETCHES:




and finally, here is a clip of Eric reading from his new story ALEXANDRIA OF AFRICA. Of course, Eric being Eric -- he's reading (and dancing and feeding monkeys...) IN Kenya.






I have the coolest friends....

~kc

A Day...

Quite a day around here yesterday. Been snowing, of course. It was raining and 4 degrees in the city, but here?



More snow.

Last night was Birthdaypalooza, a celebration of a bunch of Capricornish birthdays including author and slayer expert James McCann, author and urban haiku high-priestess Jacquie Pearce and my own. My actual birthday was spent snowed in this year, so I was pretty bummed at the thought that Birthdaypalooza was going to meet the same fate.




Decided to put the principle of feeling better through exercise into action, so I took the dogs out in the snow for a romp up the mountain. The snow was falling so hard and fast I looked more like a walking snowperson than a human, but the dogs were having fun.




We walked up in the woods above the village until the snow was really too deep to walk further. It was not until I got home that I discovered my keys missing. Left the dogs inside, retraced steps -- but the snow had filled my footsteps and there were no keys to be seen.

Returned home again to find the second set of keys happened to be locked inside the car. Dealership will not replace a key without my licence and registration -- also locked in car.

In the meantime, Seamus somehow injured his back, slipping on the ice when he was playing with Silas.

After 3 hours, BCAA came to the rescue and broke into the car, rescuing my spare keys. Spent the rest of the night in Vet Emergency with Seamus, who was diagnosed with a muscle pull. Made it home at 1:30 this morning.




Seamus is now sleeping happily, hopped up on Medicam and muscle relaxants, though he will likely have to go for a precautionary X-Ray tomorrow.





So, instead of spending birthdaypalooza discussing my Joss Whedon obsession with my equally-geek-minded friends, I spent it with Duchess the pug in her hooded pink raincoat (symptoms: vomiting, diagnosis: inability to digest proteins, prognosis: not great for the long term), Dooley the Portuguese Water dog (symptoms: gluttony -- ate a stick that ...er...got stuck, treatment: an enema, accompanied by long, lowing howls of protest) and a waiting room jammed with other canine loved-ones.

The only silver lining to this came this morning, when one of my neighbours delivered my keys to my door. From what we can figure out, they must have been thrown up by the snowplow sometime in the night and found on the bank beside the road.

Birthdaypalooza success at last.

~kc

Auntie Kate Reviews Books

My cyber-friend, author Kate Coombs, has just got her new book review site Book Aunt up and running. Kate is the author of THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS and THE SECRET KEEPER. The sequel to the first, called THE RUNAWAY DRAGON is coming this fall.

Kate is an incredible story-teller herself, and I've relied on her book reviews for years, so it's a real treat that she's going public with her opinions. Make sure you add Book Aunt to your Reader!

~kc

New Year New Book New Promo

There's talk today on the CWILL BC blog's Tuesday Tell-All about book trailers. My first and only experiment with making a book trailer is the one below -- an amateurish attempt at best. I was trying to find some shareware music for it, and stumbled over my iTunes copy of Melissa's song -- this will definitely have to change when I do a proper job, but for now, I kinda like the beginning strains...





I have a few other ideas up my sleeve -- going to start a new Facebook page for the heroine of my new series (her name is Darby Christopher), for one, and perhaps give Darby a new Twitter stream for another, since she's a techie kind of chick.

I'm working on these ideas now -- will post here when they are ready to go.

~kc