Tag: Newfoundland and Labrador

Book News

Published on by J. Kelland Perry9 Comments

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

I have several book-related announcements this week you may be interested in.

1. Calmer Secrets Cover Reveal – Tuesday, January 24

 On January 24th, two weeks from today, the cover for my new book, Calmer Secrets, will be unveiled here on my Author Website/Blog. This title is Book Two in the Calmer Girls series.*

The Cover Reveal will also include a teaser from the back cover blurb. I can’t wait to share it with you! UPDATE: I will be sharing the entire back cover blurb on Cover Reveal Day.

2. Calmer Secrets Book Release – Tuesday, March 21

On Tuesday, March 21st, Calmer Secrets will be released on Amazon as an e-book and in paperback form. Find out what happens to all the characters you met and got to know in Book One!

Check back here on my blog for a special promotional price on the e-book for the first week, or subscribe here to have that announcement delivered to your inbox.

 

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3. If you haven’t read the first book yet:

Enter the new Goodreads Giveaway for a chance to win one of FIVE signed paperback editions of CALMER GIRLS. This giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the United States only at this time. Goodreads collects the info and sends me the names and addresses of the five winners. To enter, click on the link below.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Calmer Girls by Jennifer Kelland Perry

Calmer Girls by Jennifer Kelland Perry

Enter Giveaway

 

Rather not wait for the end of the month-long contest?
Get your copy at Amazon now, so you are caught up
before the March release of the compelling New Adult sequel.

 

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Not interested in these promotions but like my blog?

Here’s a picture of Vivian:

Vivian K. Perry

 

 

*Released in 2016, Calmer Girls is Book One of a Two-Book Series.

Arrival of Winter & New Horizons

Published on by J. Kelland Perry24 Comments

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? 

Winter came early to our corner of the world, and so far it has packed a heavy punch in most areas. These photos were taken a week ago, after our first significant snowfall. We’ve had more since then.

Inspiration can come to the artist in us in many ways. I hope to expand my own horizons in the coming new year, and I wish the same for you.

Here are a few new horizons from Perry’s Point to inspire creativity through the frosty months ahead.

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We live on Snowy Beach Avenue now!  🙂

004-1280x841 006-1280x1061 010-1280x813 019-1280x852 025-1280x807 035-1280x850 I must give credit where credit is due: Paul “helped” with these next three. They were taken in the last couple of hours before sunset. 

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“The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” ~ Christopher McCandless

WPC: New Horizon

What do you see on your horizon for 2017?

Getaway to Twillingate – Part Two

Published on by J. Kelland Perry8 Comments

Yesterday’s forecast had been accurate. We woke up to a brilliantly sunny morning, though it was a little on the chilly side.

After breakfast, I zipped up my hoodie, grabbed my camera and took a stroll around the area we were staying. Won’t you come along with me?

This theatre is busy all summer long.

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 Plenty of B&B's, cottages and inns in Twillingate, mostly deserted in the off-season.
Plenty of B&B’s, cottages and inns in Twillingate, mostly deserted in the off-season.

As usual, I couldn’t resist the pull of the ocean, so I took a walk down along the coastline to get these last few shots:

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His work finished, for now, on the new winery, my guy is ready to go.
His work finished for now, my guy is ready to go as soon as I get back.

Maybe the next time we visit Twillingate, we’ll come in late spring during iceberg season.

Thanks for tagging along! I hope you enjoyed it. 🙂

Getaway to Twillingate

Published on by J. Kelland Perry13 Comments

Just as I had almost given up hope on an autumn getaway, my guy came through with a road trip in early November to Twillingate.

Being a working trip for him, I didn’t expect it to be much more, for me, than a chance to grab a few scenery photos in yet another part of Newfoundland I hadn’t had the pleasure to visit yet. Known as the Iceberg Capital of the World, Twillingate is a lovely little town that draws many tourists, and although this is not the time of year for icebergs, it is still a pretty location to drop in and take a look around.

The place we booked, the Sunshine Inn, had only opened in August after major renovations, and as it turned out, we were the only guests there that night. That meant we had the entire main floor common area to ourselves.

Take a look at our accommodations:
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Our room was the only bedroom suite on the main floor.
Our room was the only bedroom suite on the main floor.

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Pretty artwork in the common area:

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Taking in Twillingate Harbour as dusk settled in and lights winked on, I found myself looking forward to morning. The forecast called for sunshine, which would be perfect for a walk with my camera. Come back for Part Two of this post to see what I came up with!

Come From Away – A Review

Published on by J. Kelland Perry13 Comments

In September, I blogged about how excited I was to have tickets to a local showing in concert of Come From Away, a musical that is heading to Broadway in the new year. You can read that post here.

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We attended the Gander show on Saturday afternoon, and it was INCREDIBLE!

Both shows in Gander on Saturday were sold out.
Both shows in Gander on Saturday were sold out and received standing ovations.

Flawlessly executed.

Overflowing with energy, talent, and professionalism.

And generating such love and pride for the citizens of Gander and surrounding communities – who most certainly deserved it – it was truly a moving experience.

“The Come From Away musical was written to show the compassionate response by Newfoundlanders when air space closed over North America after the Twin Towers fell —diverting dozens of planes to Gander. The community took in more than 6,000 passengers for several days while planes were grounded.” – Local CBC story on Come From Away

Can you imagine if the population of your town had nearly doubled on 9/11?

The show tells the tale through the eyes of local mayors, residents, a pilot, and stranded passengers, 100 minutes of heartfelt musical numbers that show how Newfoundlanders went above and beyond with their own special brand of hospitality.

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To paraphrase Canadian playwright Irene Sankoff, cowriter of the musical:

“Not only did the {citizens of Gander} let people off of the planes who were {strangers} to them, but they let them into their community buildings. They canceled school for the entire time that “the plane people” were there, devoting all of their energy to taking care of them.

They put them up in their schools and community buildings, and then began inviting people home for dinner, inviting them to stay the night, cleaning their clothes, and giving them anything that they could ask for over the time that they were stranded.“

Countless times during the show, we laughed out loud. And many other times we wiped away our tears. And boy, did we ever applaud! I had chills several times, and it had nothing to do with the fact we were in a hockey arena.

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I could go on and on about it, but just let me say, if you have the opportunity to see the show in Toronto or New York, you should. I know I’m biased, being a Newfoundlander and all, but I think anyone would enjoy such a positive showing of humanity in the face of crisis and disaster. With all the negativity in the media these days, it was a welcome change. 

The cherry on top? All proceeds from the Gander shows were donated to local charities.

The Love Story. On the left, the actors who played the real-life couple on the right. One from Texas and one from England, they met during 9/11 in Gander, eventually marrying and honeymooning back in Newfoundland!
The Love Story. On the left, the actors who played the real-life couple on the right, a woman from Texas and a man from England. They met during 9/11 in Gander, eventually married, and honeymooned back here in Newfoundland!
At a special dinner held in Gander, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Bruce Heyman unveiled a new plaque thanking the people of this province.
At a special dinner held in Gander over the weekend, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Bruce Heyman, unveiled a new plaque thanking the people of this province.

I think our little province and its people made quite an impression on those affected that week. To illustrate, near the end of the show, one of the “plane people” from the U.S. told her new Gander friend that Newfoundlanders can’t tell knock-knock jokes.

“Why not?” her friend asked.

“Okay, I’ll be the Newfoundlander,” said the American. “You say knock knock.”

“Knock knock.”

“Come on in – the door is open!”

This is a shining example of Newfoundland hospitality and our way of life being brought to the Broadway stage. Did I mention I was proud?

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For more info, here is the Official Come From Away Website.

Book Club Brunch

Published on by J. Kelland Perry18 Comments

What an absolutely heavenly October day it is out there! The gale of wind we experienced over the last half of the week has finally abated, and the sun is warm and glorious. When you can sit outside sleeveless and barefoot to enjoy your morning coffee, that is my favourite kind of fall weather.

A couple of Sundays ago when we held our latest book club meeting, it was a beautiful day too. We combined it with a potluck brunch at Janet and Duke’s house. Unfortunately, all our members couldn’t attend, but we had a lovely time anyway discussing our latest book, enjoying the scrumptious fare, and sharing many laughs.

We are a diverse group, with members including a visual artist, a chef, a French teacher, and a retired flight attendant (4o years!), to name just a few. I’ve posted a small gallery of the event below, where Paul took most of the pics with an iPhone 6. You can click on them to read those with captions.

October will see the first edition of my Author Newsletter arriving in your in-boxes, which I am working on. Updates on what’s going on in my writerly life will be monthly or less. If you haven’t signed up for it yet and would like to, you can do so here.

Have an inspiring week, everyone!

The book we discussed. One of my faves in the club so far.
Laughing (no, I’m not saying grace or sneezing!)
Yummy brunch with blueberries Duke picked that morning
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Maple syrup and blueberries make homemade waffles delish!
Next book to be read

 

Come From Away

Published on by J. Kelland Perry21 Comments

Come-from-away or C.F.A.: a Newfoundland slang term for a traveler or anyone who is not from here; a non-Newfoundlander.

The musical “Come From Away” will be on Broadway next March, but Newfoundlanders have the chance to take in the show here at home for $20. We have our tickets and I can’t wait! We reserved them online here, but I don’t know how many tickets are left.

The musical, which tells the true tale of a group of travelers stranded in the little town of Gander, Newfoundland during 9/11, will honour the people of Newfoundland and Labrador by holding two concert performances of the new production at the Steele Community Centre in Gander on Oct. 29th, one at 3pm and one at 8pm. Another nice feature: all proceeds go to local charities.

Mirvish Productions gives us this synopsis:

“On September 11, 2001, 38 planes with 6,579 passengers were stranded in a remote town in Newfoundland. The locals opened their hearts and homes, and hosted this international community of strangers for a week — spurring unexpected camaraderie in extraordinary circumstances. When the world stopped, their stories moved us all.” 

Local actress Petrina Bromley stars in both the Broadway and Toronto versions of Come From Away which was written by husband and wife team Irene Sankoff and David Hein.

Come From Away earned wonderful reviews in California and Washington, and will run in Toronto from November to January. March 12th is Opening Night on Broadway.

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For the first time, I get to see a live show that will be on Broadway, and I only have to drive to Gander, our nearest urban centre (about 80 miles) to see it! I like that.

Meanwhile, in Newfoundland…

Published on by J. Kelland Perry15 Comments

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“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” – John Steinbeck

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” – Henry James

“Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” ― William Shakespeare

Scenes from a St. John’s Book Launch

Published on by J. Kelland Perry34 Comments

My Book Signing Event was a success!

The Launch included an introduction and bio, a short author reading of an excerpt from Calmer Girls, question period, and sale and signing of books.

I wish to bestow a huge thank-you to everyone who took time out of their Saturday to attend. It meant the world to me. Several of you even drove from out of town to be there, and for that I am forever grateful. ❤

I also wish to thank Jewel S. Cousens, B.A., M.L.S., NL Librarian with the A.C. Hunter Public Library, Arts & Culture Centre, for all of her valuable assistance, as well as her insight and suggestions for future promotions. Ms. Cousens was happy to tell us that interest in Newfoundland and Labrador books has grown in recent years and continues to grow.

Special appreciation to my husband and family for everything you did to make this past weekend one I will never forget.

I hope you enjoy the photos and the slide show I’ve shared below.

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Reading
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Intent Listeners   🙂
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Answering Questions
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Signing Books
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Catching up after the Launch with a Scotiabank bud!

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Never Again

Published on by J. Kelland Perry22 Comments

“Daily Post Prompt: Never Again – Have you ever gone to a new place or tried a new experience and thought to yourself, “I’m never doing that again!” Tell us about it.”

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“Copying pans*” in Tilting, NL – Newfoundland Webbers Facebook Page -photo credit: Paddy Barry

On Saturday, I saw this photo on Facebook that brought back a memory for me. Also on that day, I read the above prompt from the Daily Post. So I couldn’t resist sharing said event from my childhood.

My friend Nancy, my younger sister Lynn and I were walking home from school one late afternoon in St. John’s, when we noticed from the Boulevard the many ice pans on the surface of Quidi Vidi Lake. I think it might have been spring thaw.

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Quidi Vidi in summer
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…and winter

 

 

 

 

 

Quicker than you can say “last one in is a rotten egg,” the three of us ran down to the lake’s edge, dropped our book-bags on the shore, and proceeded to jump from ice pan to ice pan across the surface of the deep water. Not once did either of us think anything could go wrong. I guess we were so young and naive, we had no fear of the risk we were taking.

Luckily, Nancy’s father happened to drive along the Boulevard while we were playing there. Before we knew it, we were swiftly ordered into his car and driven home. At the time, we didn’t feel so lucky, but I shudder at the thought of what could have gone down if he hadn’t. Perhaps all of us!

Of course, our parents were outraged and we all received our punishment. The next time I saw my friend Nancy, she told me that her father gave her a good spanking.

“And that was it?” I asked, incredulous. My parents didn’t give spankings as discipline. They knew what really hurt: grounding my sister and me for a full week. No outdoors for seven days except to go to school.

I remember thinking at the time that Nancy had gotten off easy compared to us. Yes, she’d endured a spanking, but at least her suffering was “behind” her. 😉

Now I realize Mom and Dad had wanted us to appreciate how dangerous our activity was, by giving us a whole week to think about it. Never again did we dare to risk drowning by “copying pans.”

*copy:   To jump from one floating pan of ice to another in a children’s game of following or copying a leader when the ice is breaking up in spring in a cove or harbour. A game of follow-my-leader over the broken ice, every cake of which, it may be, sinks under the weight of a lad. It is a training for the perilous work of seal hunting, which came later in the life of  Newfoundlanders. You will see the merry young lads ‘copying’ as they call it—jumping from pan to pan till far out in the Cove in fearless rivalry. ~ Dictionary of Newfoundland English

Did you ever jump on ice pans when you were a kid?

Have you ever done something new and regretted it?