Happy…and Busy!

It’s a cold and snowy day here at home, but the following warms me down to my toes.

I’m thrilled to see another powerful 5-star review on Amazon for Calmer Secrets!

Take a look:

“Calmer Secrets is a fascinating and mature, well-written second look into the lives of the Cross girls which takes place some four or five years after the events of the first book. The time gap and the substantial content in each novel support Jennifer Perry’s decision to split this story into two books.
Samantha is all grown up, Ben is gone, and against her self-centred, irritating sister’s advice she tumbles into a relationship with old friend Kalen – who has turned into a hot rocker. Their mother continues to wrestle with her issues, and the charming Henry, Veronica’s four-year old boy, is Samantha’s darling. The scene is set for a gritty, realistically told and engrossing unravelling of events, and old secrets, which will change everyone’s lives.
The gripping story kept me helplessly reading on, late into the night. Hints are dropped, with a thud, or a tickle of the mind, and I yelled at Samantha not to be such a fool, at Ronnie for her attitude, at Kalen, at Ben, at Darlene, at Cash… the only one I didn’t yell at was little Henry.
*Much* is explained as the final secrets are revealed and the ends of the story are resolved, and one begins to understand the complexity and depth of these beautifully crafted characters.
This is an excellent novel of family, love, and the damage that secrets can do. Highly recommended, but you have to read the first book first. Together, they make an epic story of ordinary life.”

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1D4NN653C42PN

*Comments are closed because I’m feverishly writing this week and trying to minimize distractions. See you on Sunday!

An Appreciation Bouquet for 2017

Happy 2018!

With the start of January, many bloggers like to share a statistical overview of their blog’s traffic and engagement for the previous year. I’ve chosen not to bore you with share my numbers, because personally, I value the quality of blogger/ follower interaction over the quantity of views, likes, follows and comments.

In the spirit of that, I’d like to throw out a bouquet to all of you who consistently stopped by and liked my articles, updates and photos throughout the year, but particularly I wish to thank my most frequent commenters of 2017. You know who you are, and I hope you also know how much I value your visits and our conversations! 🙂

pixabay.com

December 31, 2017 marked my sixth blogging anniversary.

How long I will continue to blog? I suppose I’m still getting something out of showing up here, so I haven’t the faintest idea, really!

I’ve seen other bloggers come and go over these six years, and some of them I truly miss. And as recently as this past week, two of my favourites have decided to close their blogs, one dealing with grief over the loss of her spouse, and the other citing lack of time due to her job and her art. Both of them have been here on WordPress at least as long as I have, so naturally, their absence will be deeply felt.

How long have you been blogging, and how long will you continue?
What do you like the most – or the least – about it?
Have you lost some of your own go-to bloggers?
Please share your thoughts with me.

Christmas and The Great Coast

The Yuletide is upon us! To my friends, followers and bloggers all around the world, I wish for you and your loved ones a holiday filled with all the joy the season has to offer.

Today, I’m sharing “The Great Coast,” a 3-minute short film by One 50 Canada Society, documenting their epic sea journey from St. John’s to the Torngat Mountains and to Nunavut, the newest, largest, and northernmost territory of Canada.

I love how the photo below introducing the video is of where I live: Newtown, Bonavista Bay, NL, and at the 1:36 mark we get an aerial view of Newtown. Great coast, indeed!

Stay safe, have fun, and see you all again in 2018. ❤

Where’s My Backpack Travel Theme: Love

Blogger Bouquet #50

Raimey Gallant is a Canadian writer I recently discovered here on WordPress through the Insecure Writers Support Group.

From her Welcome page:

“I’m an activisty, feministy, world-traveling, wannabe comedian who writes crime thrillers and YA contemporary…I’m also a marketing and fundraising consultant, and zumba champ.”

Raimey’s blog includes a collection of tips and tricks on the craft of writing, as well as advice on the marketing side of writing. If you’re a writer, you just might want to follow her too!

Here’s a helpful article on the creation of a fictional villain:

Five Ways to Find Inspiration for the Next Great Villain

Comments are closed here but you can leave one on the blogger’s page.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Canada’s Oceans: Toward 2020

“The sea, the great unifier, is man’s only hope.
Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning:
we are all in the same boat.” – Jacques Yves Cousteau

Signal Hill, St. John’s NL

So this is going on right now at the Royal Ontario Museum, with a topic near and dear to my heart:

Canada’s Oceans Symposium: Towards 2020

“Join the legacy of nurturing discovery as we work towards starting conversations about the future of our waters. Lead Canada’s efforts on ocean conservation with the Royal Ontario Museum.

Join leading ocean scientists, storytellers, Indigenous leaders and government stakeholders as they look towards 2020 in this compelling conference exploring the status of Canada’s marine conservation programs, and our role in protecting the oceans that sustain us.”

Keynote Speakers: Alexandra Cousteau and Mandy-Rae Krack, “united as strong women deeply in love with the oceans and committed to their protection, the pair will provide engaging, timely, and complementary talks.”

For more information, click here.

Perry’s Point, Newtown, NL

“The sea, once it casts its spell,
holds one in its net of wonder forever.”
– Jacques Yves Cousteau

Blogger Bouquet #49

Annika Perry – no relation to yours truly – is a writer, wife and mother who was born in Sweden and lives in the UK.  She is busy finalizing edits on her first short story collection, and is also working on the last edits for her debut novel, Island Girl.

From her About page:

“Writing has been a passion since childhood although it is only in the past year that I have seriously started to write fiction.

In Spring 2014 I won First Prize in the Writing Magazine Short Story Competition which was a joy. Furthermore, I was short-listed for Inktears Short Story Competition in 2014.”

I’ve highlighted the following post of Annika’s where she shares the highs and lows, as well as the distractions, of the editing process. For example, how does a breakfast bowl end up in the bathroom? Check it out:

CHIPPING AWAY!

 

Comments are closed here but you can leave a comment on the blogger’s page.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Reflections on a Good Week

As anyone who follows me regularly can attest, I don’t use this blog too often for shameless self-promotion of my novels.

Please allow me to make an exception for today.

I am on Cloud Nine since Wednesday, when my debut book Calmer Girls peaked at Number One on the Amazon Canada Bestseller list for Teen Fiction, specifically in the Kindle Store categories of Teen Pregnancy, as well as a peak at Number Two for Dating & Intimacy.

Yay! 😀

What a nice feeling to hit those numbers.
Thank you, Canada.

Calmer Girls Series

***end of self-promo***

I now return you to regularly scheduled programming.
See you on Sunday!

Blogger Bouquet #48

Norm 2.0 is a “born and raised bilingual Montrealer” who I’ve followed for the last few years here on WordPress, and more recently on Instagram.

I particularly enjoy his weekly photography feature, Thursday Doors, “allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world.”

From his About page:

“Among my many interests, I like to write, travel, bake, work wood, enjoy wine, play tennis, grow vegetables and take pictures.

This blog is my creative outlet to share any of the above and so much more.”

I selfishly chose the following post of Norm’s to highlight because it’s his Thursday Door post from right here in Newfoundland and Labrador. The photos are from his recent trip to Gros Morne National Park on the west coast of the province.

Thursday Doors – September 21, 2017:
The Doors of Woody Point, NL

Comments are closed here but you can leave a comment on the blogger’s page.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Sunday Snap: Play*

*Sunday Snap is a brand new feature on my blog, starting today. Drop by every Sunday to see which favourite photo I’ve chosen to highlight. 🙂

Blogger Bouquet #47

Kristine over at candidkay is a journalist, marketing exec and mother of two.
From her About page:

“I write about life as I know it. Sometimes happy, sometimes sad, sometimes hilarious. But always interesting.”

Kristine recently shared “one small slice of life on a Sunday afternoon that deserves a bit of limelight.” And I wholeheartedly agree. When you are part of a two-household family and you realize that an important lesson in values – namely, kindness to others – has gotten through to your child, it gives you pause to be thankful for good role models.

“Oh, waitress”

Comments are closed here but you can leave a comment on the blogger’s page.

Have a great week, everyone.