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January 31, 2022
"Meet the Author" Interview
November 17, 2021
The Vicky Metcalf Award!
March 22, 2021
Explanation of Next 16 Posts — a Literary Pilgrimage to England!
Lest anyone get confused, I need to explain the following 16 posts . . .
In September 2019, my friend Ellen McGinn and I (both writers, both passionate readers from childhood of beloved British books) decided to travel to England together and, as best we could, to "walk in the footsteps" of our favourite long-gone British authors. Here was our plan — to visit their homes, to walk (literally) on their daily paths, to toast them in their pubs and tea-houses . . . and finally to linger for a moment at their graves.
And somehow, in spite of being (both of us) somewhat directionally and logistically challenged — we DID it! For almost a month, we traveled by train through England, stopping at each booky destination to pay our respects and be gloriously dazzled by the lives and worlds of cherished writers. The verdict? Loved every minute!
As for blogging, well, I managed to blog most of the trip at the time. But when I came home, Real Life was waiting. So I didn't get around to finishing the "pilgrimage blog" for months! But here it is at last. If you're interested, it might make most sense to read it chronologically by starting with the post of September 3, 2019 ("Ellen & Linda Go on a Pilgrimage") and then working forward through time.
Or, if you prefer to skip the trip-blog, please scroll down past September 3, 2019 to get to previous posts.
The Wuthering Moors
The word "wuthering" in Wuthering Heights is a Yorkshire term for "blustery" or "windy." On the day that Ellen and I left the Brontes' village and went walking on the moors (Cathy! Heathcliff!), it wasn't particularly wuthering, but it wasn't a big leap to imagine it.
After our walk, we visited Haworth's strange and evocative graveyard — located right next door to the parsonage. The Brontes aren't buried here, but apparently everyone else was. It's so crowded! The tombstones fall against one another in some places. And if you check the names on the stones, you will see that a single grave can house six, seven or more people — stacked beneath the tombstone like the layers of a cake.
March 19, 2021
The Bronte Sisters, Who Walked and Wrote
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Alice & the Dodo
February 23, 2021
Mary, Who Wrote Frankenstein — Original Manuscript
Well, this was definitely the highlight of this trip to me. In fact, I'd call it a peak moment in my life!
Before leaving home, Ellen and I both researched our favourite writers so we'd know where to find them on our literary pilgrimage. One of my searches was for Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. I felt that I already knew her fairly well, having spent years working on a picture-book biography about her life and her writing of Frankenstein. Like many people, I was amazed by Mary's story. Writing a book about her was a joy.
So imagine my delight when I discovered that the original Frankenstein manuscript was in Oxford — which was on our route! It was physically THERE in the Bodleian Library! Mary's masterpiece, in her own words, handwritten in notebooks that are now 200 years old.
I wrote to the Bodleian and begged for a peek. Although the manuscript is not on display, it is sometimes available to scholars. My biographer credentials got me permission for what I expected to be a quick glance. Instead, I was warmly welcomed and got to spend the better part of an hour reading and studying the original words, complete with cross-outs, write-overs and editorial notes from Mary's partner, Percy Bysshe Shelley.
By the end, I was literally shaky with excitement . . .
That hour alone was worth this trip.
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Oxford, Just as Imagined . . .
Did we really have only three days in Oxford? Not long enough!
November 7, 2019
Where Wind in the Willows Began
Ellen and I love the little seacoast town of Fowey, Cornwall. We came here for Daphne du Maurier but soon discovered another wonderful writer who is also locally celebrated — Kenneth Grahame.
Kenneth was a regular, frequent visitor who loved to "mess about in boats." It was from Fowey that he wrote letters home to his young son, Alison, with tales about a mole and a badger and a water rat and a toad and . . . well, you know.
It's not hard to see why a writer-inside-the-suit-of-a-Secretary-of-the-Bank-of-England would want to escape to a place like this.
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Cornwall is Daphne Du Maurier Country
When I was a young adult, there were no Young Adult books. But dear to my teenaged heart were the moody, suspenseful novels of Daphne du Maurier. Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, Jamaica Inn.
They were set on the craggy, windswept coast of Cornwall and were thick with atmosphere. Ellen and I happily spent a few charmed days in the tiny town of Fowey, where Daphne lived and wrote.
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September 25, 2019
Dropping in on Agatha
Ellen and I grew up on Poirot and Miss Marple, and my first published novels were mysteries, so we decided to drop in on Agatha Christie at her Devon home. A lovely old house called Greenway. Broody skies seemed appropriate for a weekend gathering of suspicious guests . . .
September 20, 2019
Where Jane Lived
It’s sunny and serene here in Jane Austen country (Chawton, Hampshire), but of course there are plenty of undercurrents. Here’s the “cottage” where Jane lived with her mother, sister and a friend for the last years of her life, rent-free courtesy of her brother Edward. She wrote most of the great novels here.
September 17, 2019
Upstairs & Down in Dickens’ House
Here’s his much-used desk, which seems to be still waiting for another fat novel. Made my heart skip a beat!
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Hanging Out with Sherlock
I’m not sure what I expected at 221B Baker Street, London. I think that, like so many people, I was confusing Sherlock Holmes with his creator. Some part of my brain thought we’d be visiting the home of Arthur Conan Doyle.
Ahem! Not so. The address where Ellen and I fetched up, was — of course — the fictional home of a fictional detective. And in fact, when Conan Doyle gave Holmes that particular address, it didn't even exist! (It has since been fudged by city planners.) But what the heck, we were already there, right? Might as well take a peek. Inside, we found a motley collection of Victoriana, along with some spookily arranged wax figures.
They did, however, offer some fun photo ops . . .
What stood out for us at 221B Baker Street were the line-ups — tourists chatting in various languages, having come, apparently, from around the globe. Sherlock lives! And he is very much loved, even after so many years, and in spite of his author's attempt to kill him off! (But that's another story.)
An Unexpected Thrill at the Globe!
Today the gods of theatre were on our side.
We took a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe to see what a recreated 16th century theatre looks like. Fascinating! I wish I had more photos, but cameras were allowed only outside:
The surprise came when our guide led us into the theatre with instructions to be quiet — a rehearsal was in progress. We slipped into seats and watched an actor with large fake ears talk to a puppet. Something familiar about that actor . . . and about the dialogue too. As we watched, the lights blinked on in my brain. The actor was Mark Rylance, so brilliant as the Cold War spy in “Bridge of Spies” (Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, 2016). And the dialogue? It was Roald Dahl’s book, the “The BFG.”
We watched for ten minutes as one master of his craft interpreted another. Serendipity!
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September 16, 2019
Where Virginia Walked
In London, we’re staying at the Tavistock Hotel on Tavistock Square, where Virginia Woolf once lived and worked. The square is lovely and has a small tribute to Virginia.
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September 15, 2019
Treasure in the British Library
Today a visit to the British Library, home to the most ASTONISHING collection of famous original writing you can imagine. The Magna Carta. Shakespeare’s Folios. The Beatles’ lyrics scribbled in orange crayon. The Gutenberg Bible. Alice in Wonderland with Lewis Carroll's sketches. The teensy handwriting of the Brontes’ childhood stories. Priceless artifacts you can gaze at for FREE! (It’s a library.)
Ellen and I staggered out afterwards, blinking like owls. No photos allowed, of course. Except for this brilliant bench in the lobby!
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Visiting the Marys — Wollstonecraft & Shelley
Today Ellen and I visited the tombstone of Mary Wollstonecraft, mother of Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein. Wollstonecraft died when her daughter was only 11 days old, and the grave is famously the place where young Mary came to “be with Mama." Her father, she said, taught her to read by tracing the letters on this stone. It’s in the graveyard of Old St. Pancras Church in London.
I thought about this tombstone so often in creating my own book, Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein. How amazing to be here! The letters, carved in 1797, are very worn now . . . but still visible.
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September 3, 2019
Ellen and Linda Go on a Pilgrimage
Last stages of planning as my pal Ellen and I get ready for our Great Literary Pilgrimage!
For years I have waved goodbye to friends who were doing the regular sort of pilgrimages, e.g. walking the Camino. I sometimes considered tagging along. But then I realized . . . . I don't like walking that much. What I like is reading, and it turns out that the pilgrimage I need is a journey to the homes, graves, haunts and hang-outs of writers I have loved. If I'm going to walk, I will walk in their footsteps. Ellen, also a writer, feels the same.
So next week we fly to London, where we begin our search. Austen, the Brontes, the Shelleys, Shakespeare, Carroll, Conan Doyle . . . just for starters. More anon!
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February 7, 2019
Booklist Interview with Me & Júlia Sardà
As part of this choice, the Booklist editors asked Julia Smith to interview Júlia Sardà and me about our processes in writing and illustrating Mary. For me, this was very exciting. I have written almost twenty picture books and have been lucky to have them illustrated by some superbly talented illustrators. Some of these illustrators I know well, but most I have never met. This is the first time an interviewer has ever asked me and an illustrator to answer the same questions about our shared creation. As I have never met Júlia, who lives in Barcelona, this was an incredible opportunity for me to get a glimpse into her process. I loved reading her responses — as thoughtful, insightful and unique as her art — and I hope to meet her one day. You can find the interview at:
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December 14, 2018
Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein
Well, here's a post that's well overdue . . .
Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein, published by Tundra Books and illustrated by the amazing Júlia Sardà, has been out in the world for a few months now . . . and is getting a wonderful reception. Here are some of the ways the book has been honoured:
* Starred reviews in Publishers' Weekly and Booklist
* Best Books of 2018, Publishers' Weekly
* Best Books of 2018, New York Public Library
* Best Books of 2018, Globe & Mail
* Top of the List Picture Book of 2018, Booklist
* Betsy Bird's 2018 Calde-notts, Fuse 8, School Library Journal
* Best Canadian YA & Children's Literature of 2018, CBC Broadcasting
* Best Non-Fiction Picture Books of 2018, The Children's Book Review
I'm thrilled beyond words.
Just a bit of back story. Like most of my books, this one had a long gestation. It started in 2009 with a reading of Frankenstein, during which I found myself gripped and amazed by Mary Shelley's Author's Introduction. Two things stood out for me — Mary's daydreamy nature during her childhood, and her self-described writing process during the creation of Frankenstein. I was interested in Mary-the-writer . . . and her childhood habit of building "castles in the air" seemed to be key to her creative process as an adult.
I began to learn more about Mary and her life. Wonderful bios for adults have been written in recent years, and reading them, I started to wonder about writing Mary's story for kids. I poked along slowly, loving the research and process, and it was years before I handed a complete manuscript to my editor at Tundra Books — Tara Walker. It was Tara who brought Júlia Sardà in to illustrate, and who, with the help of John Martz's fine design, brought my words and Júlia's stunning art together to create the final book. As a timely coincidence, 2018 happened to be the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein — a perfect year to publish Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein.
I'm as delighted as I could possibly be with the final book. So beautiful!
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August 20, 2018
TINY HERO is a Nominee!
It's currently nominated for the following fantastic children's choice reading awards:
• The 2019 Sequoyah Book Award of Oklahoma (Oklahoma Library Association)
• The 2018-19 B.C. Red Cedar Award (British Columbia)
• The 2019 Rocky Mountain Book Awards (Alberta)
All three lists are filled with wonderful middle-grade novels. Happy reading to all the lucky kids who will participate!
P.S. The Tiny Hero of Ferny Creek Library is also a 2018 Canada-wide TD Summer Reading Club Choice.
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January 19, 2018
The Perogy Party!
What could possibly be more amazingly, comfortingly, cheesily delicious than a few hundred hand-made perogies?
The photo above shows me and my sisters — Debbie (centre) and Wendy (right), just a few weeks ago in Vancouver. My year-end holidays this year were extra-exciting — with a wedding! My daughter Tess got married on New Year's eve to Lucas. It was a brilliant wedding, and everyone was thrilled!!!
Not least, if I do say so myself, by the bowls of home-made perogies. My family had gathered, and as part of the celebrations, we decided to go back to our Polish-Ukrainian prairie immigrant origins — and make perogies. Lots of them. From scratch. With our hands.
So one rainy Saturday in Vancouver, my sisters, my daughters, my nieces, my grand-niece and I — and one very brave niece's boyfriend — gathered around a giant bowl of dough and an even more gigantic bowl of cheesy-potatoes, and proceeded with the extreeeemely labour-intensive job of making perogies.
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