Weddings and Writing On my wedding day, I got to live out my little-girl dreams. I was marrying my Prince Charming, in a hotel that was the closest thing Ottawa had to a castle, with a gorgeous dress that would … Continue reading →

Story vs Life I harp on my clients—and myself—all the time about cause-and-effect in writing. To ensure a story makes sense, one scene has to lead to another. Because of this, THEN that…  Cause-and-effect controls the pacing of the story, and … Continue reading →

Comp Titles and Confidence Comp titles make me shudder. They are comparative (or competitive) titles, books that are similar in some way to yours. They are a marketing tool used by author, publisher, distributor and bookseller to help everyone figure … Continue reading →

What We Can Learn from Terry Fox Terry Fox, a Canadian athlete who lost his leg to cancer, embarked on his 1980 Marathon of Hope, a cross-country run to raise money for cancer research. He had to end his quest … Continue reading →