Published at June 28, 2006
in life.
Robert (Bob) McBride 1920 – 2006
As some of you might know, Melanie has been in Kelowna for the last few weeks visiting her grandfather, who was very ill. Last Friday, Robert (Bob) McBride passed away peacefully at the age of 86. The service is today and I am sad that I cannot be there with Melanie and the rest of the family.
I’ll always remember Bob for his great stories. My grandparents died when I was very young, so I never had the experience of hearing stories first hand from older generations. While he talked, Bob would always apologize for going on and on, but I’d never let him stop. Whether he was telling me about his days in the army during World War II or fishing for giant lake trout lurking in the depths of Lake Superior, listening to him was like taking a trip back in time and I loved it.
Bob’s stories will always be with me and I thank him for that gift.
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As I’ve said a lot recently, one of the best parts of writing a book is finally seeing it all put together in papery form. These days with that whizbang internet thingy, authors usually get proofs of their books in electronic format as a pdf, so the thrill is somewhat reduced. But today is going to be different.
Today, the doorbell is going to ring and a courier will present me with the laser proofs of Max Finder Mystery Collected Casebook Vol. 1, the new graphic novel starring my favourite detective duo, Max Finder and Alison Santos.
This book has been many years in the making and I’m very excited to see it finally take shape. It’s a collection of ten of the best Max Finder Mysteries bundled together with puzzles and Max Finder quizzes. It’ll be launched on September 16th at the top of the CN Tower as part of the tower’s and Owl magazine’s 30th birthday celebrations.
So, as I’m typing away in my rush to beat the whistle, I’ll have one ear listening at the door, waiting in anticipation to see how Max and Alison look after their move from magazine pages to their new graphic novel format. Can you handle the excitement?
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Okay, I admit. Getting cable for the World Cup isn’t doing my writing any favours. With three games a day and only an hour between games, I’m not getting much done during the day. But I have been making up the time by writing in the evening, so I’m rediscovering the peace that night time writing can bring. I’ve also discovered how productive a 60 minute burst of concentration can be.
Right now, I’m fleshing out an outline for a new graphic novel for Orca books (I’ll say more about it as the work progresses), so it’s a lot of generating ideas and broad stroke writing. This works well with my one-hour blasts of activity between games.
When one game ends, I go to the computer and get to work. Knowing that I’ve only got 60 minutes really focuses the brain. It’s like that old egg-timer trick that some writers use. I tell myself that I only have to sit in my chair and work for another hour, then I’m back in World Cup heaven.
This, of course, is the ideal and often that 60 minutes is spent answering email, surfing the web or, um, writing blog posts. But when I do manage to focus for that 60 minutes, I get a fair bit done. Honest.
And there’s the ref’s whistle now. Got to go. See you after the game.
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Published at June 16, 2006
in life.
A few years ago, myself and Melanie tried to escape the big city of Toronto for the quiet BC wilderness of Kelowna (which is a city in itself, but you know what I mean.) Kelowna was nice (kinda) and the friends we met and family we crashed with were all great (definitely!) , but our time in K-town was limited.
The call of decent public transit, cultural diversity and expanded business opportunities (ug, very corp speak) brought us back to the big smoke. Moving back to Toronto was a good choice, but I’ll always have a soft spot for Kelowna.
And it seems that blogging pal and YA author, Andrew Riddles is ending his time in Bear River, NS and is selling his house. He’s even built a great web page for his Bear River house. So, if you’re looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the big city and settle down in an ideal writer’s retreat – Bear River could be the place. If you act fast, Andrew will even throw in a full cord of wood, chopped and stacked. How many places in Toronto can make that kind offer? Think about it.
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So I’m there on Friday evening, the cable freshly installed and one game already watched, preparing to go to Book Expo on the Saturday when I turn and CRACK! Blinding pain shoots through my back and it’s all I can do to lower myself to the hardwood floor.
And that’s where I spend all day Saturday and Sunday. On my back, riding pain killers trying not to strain too much to even breath. So, no Book Expo, no Children’s Gala night and no drinks at the TLA function. I missed it all in a blur of pain killers and that sucks.
Today, the back is not too painful, so I’m heading down to BEC for a quick look around and then straight home to the comfort of my flat, firm floor.
On the upside, I did manage to see the soccer. But cheering was pretty painful.
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Published at June 8, 2006
in life.
vs 
Unless you’ve been living in the shed at the back our yard (with the racoon family that currently resides there), you are well aware that tomorrow marks the beginning of an incredibly important and massive event of worldwide cultural significance. That’s right it’s time for Book Expo Canada!
Sorry, did you think I was talking about that wee kick-about happening in Germany?
Well, it’s been on my mind too. This weekend marks the kick off (literally in one case) of these two events and there’s been a football match of epic proporations waging in my writer’s brain for weeks now. Do I let BEC take the cup and miss the first rush of World Cup games to attend the conference, or do I give FIFA the edge and duck out of the conference to watch the games?
Continue reading ‘The beautiful game in my head’
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Published at June 6, 2006
in life.
Last weekend, I was visiting friends and family in my hometown. It was a great chance to get out of the city and relax in the flower-filled wonder that is my mom’s garden. She had just finished telling Melanie and myself about the little frog that had recently moved into her garden. This was a good sign, she assured us, as it meant the garden was healthly.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t very healthy for the frog because a few minutes later my mom yelped and this is what we saw:
Photo ain’t gross enough for you? Then check out the video I shot.
And it didn’t end there. The snake was taking his time and the frog wasn’t going anywhere, so I kept the camera rolling. Watch for the frog’s last dying kicks as it gives up and agrees to be dinner.
Then there’s the final video where the frog is nowhere to be seen (if you don’t count the bulge in the snake’s belly.)
All in all, another fun weekend for everyone. Except the frog, of course.
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I’ve decided that spring and fall are the two best times for authors because it’s when they finally get to see their hard fought words, untangled plots and fleshed-out characters come to life. Spring and fall are when the new books hit the stores.
This spring, I’m especially lucky because I have several books coming out and after months of telling people what I’m working on, they finally get to see that I wasn’t delusional. I’ve already told you about my books in the Real World of Pirates series, so now I present “A United Force” just published by Scholastic and part of their new Timeline series of graphic novels.
Continue reading ‘First look at “A United Force”’
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