Every year, the Ottawa Public Library holds a youth writing contest for which hundreds of local kids write stories, poems, and comics. The winners and honourable mentions are published in the annual anthology, Pot-pourri. But the contest's title -- Awesome Authors -- applies to all of those who enter. The contest deadline for 2019 has… Continue reading Awesome Authors 2019 – Decision Time
I always look forward to my regional SCBWI conference. This year it's especially exciting because I'll be giving a workshop myself. My topic: revision. I used to dread revisions. I loved drafting; I loved polishing; but I loathed the grunt work in between the two. I spent the past year revising a middle-grade animal adventure… Continue reading The Art of Story: SCBWI Canada East Conference
Yes, it's on! The Ottawa Public Library is holding its annual Awesome Authors Contest for youth aged 9-17. If you're a young person in Ottawa with something to say, get to work on saying it well. (BTW, the 9-year-olds don't have to compete with the high-schoolers. The contest is divided into three age categories: 9-11;… Continue reading Awesome Young Authors in Ottawa
I just received my copies of the latest Pot-Pourri -- that's the annual volume of youth writing published by the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association (FOPLA). This lovely book contains all the winning poems and stories from last year's Awesome Authors Contest, a youth writing competition held every winter by the Ottawa Public Library.… Continue reading Good Reading
My latest short story, "Mr. Boots," has just come out in the Summer 2017 issue of The Fiddlehead. (Yes, that's me peeking inside the magazine at left, and yes, I could use some eye drops and a mascara wand. What can I say? I've been up late writing.) The Fiddlehead is one of Canada's most… Continue reading My Latest Story (Not for Children)
