Happy New Year!

My absolutely, wonderfully talented illustrator, Karen Hitt, has just emailed that all the files have been uploaded and should be finalized tomorrow. From that point, if everything goes well, and Murphy’s Law doesn’t make a visit, the book will then go into production for proof copies on Saturday. It will take 3-4 business days for the first draft copy to be received.  2011 may very well end on a high note. I might even chill the champagne. Happy New Year indeed!

Showers of Ideas

Imagine if all a writer needed for a decent story was a terrific plot; or, even a mediocre one at that. If nothing else mattered after that, well - the art of writing would be painless. 


Every writer, self-published or not, knows that it isn't just about the writing. As a result of all the gadgets available, the writer’s life is more convoluted, especially when it comes to self-publishing. 

1st "Final Draft"

I'm very excited. I just received the first "final draft" from my awesome illustrator, Karen.  I think you will agree when you see the book, that the illustrations are absolutely beautiful.  Here's a sample:

Illustrations copyright © Karen Hitt

Book Signing "Dress Rehearsal"

Imagine having a book signing without a book? That’s exactly what I did when the Canadian Women’s Club (CWC) so graciously allowed me to attend their most recent coffee morning and present my little book. 

The Year of The Dragon

When I can’t sleep, I write.  So here I sit at my desktop computer at 2:35 AM. The Chinese Lunar Calendar states that this is the year of the Rabbit.  The year of my birth was the year of the Dragon.  I don't know why this is important at the moment, but it must have something to do with lack of sleep.

Rabbit or Dragon, this has been some year, and as pointed out by my cousin Lorraine, I’m counting the days to 2012 – a new year and new beginnings.  Speaking of counting the days, today makes the 323^rd day of the year, whether consulting the Chinese calendar or the Gregorian calendar, most commonly referred to as the Western calendar.  Perhaps I should try hitting the pillow again and just leave the Chinese out of this.  But before I do, let me tell you about a recent experience. 

My Murphy's Law on Writing

This aspect of writing, where anything can go wrong will go wrong, wasn't on the top of my posting list. In fact, I hadn't planned to introduce this topic until much later on, but something recently went terribly wrong.

What's up with this Blog?

Other than the movie version of the Julie and Julia blog, I hadn’t paid too much attention to blogs.  Who has time for blogs?  What with social networks, and all the ever-changing gadgets - Blackberry’s, Droids, Kindles, Nooks, iPods, iPads, digital this and digital that, really, who has time for a blog?  Definitely, not me, but as you can see, I’m blogging now, aren’t I?

This blog is initially about my first book, a charming and beautifully illustrated children’s story.  I’ll share with you how the story came about; the process I went through in order to convince myself it was worthy of print; the decision to self-publish in oppose to using the traditional, but these days not so traditional publisher; some info on self-publishing; selecting an illustrator; My Murphy’s Law on the Writing Life; and anything else that comes to mind, or is brought to my attention, including my two cents on self-publishing.

Did I just admit that I am self-publishing? OK, I admit it – I’m self-publishing.  More on that later, but I do hope, of course, you will all run out, or go online and purchase my cute little story.  The problem is, due to Murphy’s Law, my story is not yet available in print, but my fingers are crossed for any day now.