Okanagan Photos

I'm posting a few photos of my time in the Okanagan. Thank you to Georgia Bruyel, of the Okanagan Falls Library, and Leah Anderson, Grade 2 teacher at Peter Greer School in Lake Country, for these fun photos.

Here's me with my faithful bear fur, and if you look at the table behind me, there's a beaver and wolf skull as well. We wildlife writers like to take our props with us! This is from a talk at the Okanagan Falls library, pictured below.

Okanagan Falls Branch of the OK Regional Library system. Hi to Georgia and everybody there!

Here's the Grade 2 class from Lake Country. You were a lovely audience! Thanks for coming to my talk. It was fun to meet you all.

More photos to come soon. Cheers!

Okanagan Highlights

I'm finished all but a day of my Okanagan library tour, and I'm pleased to say that it's been a grand time. I have loved meeting all the dedicated librarians, and the wonderful students and teachers who have been coming to my talks. Thanks to everyone for being so hospitable!

Although the mercury dips down to freezing at night, the days are sunfilled and warm. I've seen some old friends and had dinner with my cousin, Ben, all of which made the trip even more fun.

I do two talks tomorrow, then fly home. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to speak in the libraries here. A great big thank you to the Okanagan Regional Library system, Linda Youmans, and the Writers in Libraries grant for making this trip possible. I hope I can return some day.

Thank you, everyone!

Happy Earth Day!

I'm in the beautiful Okanagan, visiting the public libraries, and talking a lot about my wildlife books. Today, it feels especially fitting because it's Earth Day, and it's important to remember all the wonderful wild creatures with whom we share this planet.

As I was driving to my first talk of the day, I was able to look out over Okanagan Lake and see the sun reflected in the water. An eagle was circling overhead, and I felt happy to be able to ponder Earth Day as I made my way through the sage-brush covered hills.

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

Okanagan Spring

For the next week, I'll be on a library book tour in the sunny Okanagan. I'm looking forward to seeing the lakes and the sun, and chatting with elementary students in the area. 

We lived in the Okanagan for more than a decade, so it's great to have the opportunity to go back for a visit. I will be visiting Penticton, Naramata, Okanagan Falls, Summerland, Peachland and several libraries in the Kelowna area. 

A big thank you to Linda Yeomans and the Okanagan Regional Library System for kindly inviting me on the tour.

I'll be back at the end of April. Check in then for a report. :-)

Happy Spring, everyone!

A Win-Win Situation

Today, I spent the afternoon with my 4-month-old twin grandbabies, and felt that we were clearly in the throes of a win-win situation. 

The babies and I strolled along boulevards lined with pink ornamental cherry trees in full blossom, while the bright sunshine beamed overhead. 

The babies gurgled and cooed, then fell happily asleep, lulled by the moving stroller. I got to coo along with them and take a rejuvenating walk, while the twins' parents had a couple of free hours working in their garden. We were all entirely happy. What could be more win-win than that?!!! :-)

It's Hard to Blog When...

It's a long weekend.

The sun is shining.

You're waiting to hear about a book proposal you've submitted.

The sun is shining.

You're packing for a trip.

The sun is shining.

Everyone else's blog is much more interesting than yours.

The sun is shining.

Maybe I'll blog next week. 

If it rains.

Sunshine!

It's a beautiful day spring day and the sun is streaming through my office windows. This is the reward we rain-soaked Vancouverites get after months of slogging through puddles. 

And, while the rain is an amazing writing motivator (who wants to go outside?!!!), the sun really lifts my spirits. Yesterday I went for a lovely walk, listened to the birds, peeked at the crocuses, and gave thanks to the sun gods who were smiling down on this soggy city.

I plan to do the same today. :-)

Cheers!

Hard at Work

I've had my nose to the grindstone, working on a proposal for a new book idea. I think I may have finished it tonight. Hooray! It's for 32 page children's nonfiction book (probably only a 2000 word manuscript), but the proposal and sample text turned out to be 13 typewritten pages long. Crazy! But it takes a lot of convincing these days to get a publisher to sign on to a book. 

I'll send it off tomorrow. Now the waiting begins...