This week's newsreel

January's almost done. It went by in a blur, a cold, busy blur, and I can't really say I'll miss it. So goodbye already, January.

Thanks to Laurie Fuhr at FFWD for giving my residency a boost in this week's column, as well as for running an excerpt from Nothing Sacred. It all helps.

One space left in the program I'm doing at Calgary Public Library on February 6th. Any takers? So far, it looks like the Writers Weekend is going to be a success. Looking forward to it.

Canadian Authors Association Alberta Branch website has posted details on the program we're offering on March 9th and 13th with Rona Altrows. Space is limited, so register early.

Going to hit the Literary Roundtable event at the Barley Mill tonight hosted by the Writers Guild of Alberta. Looking forward to that also.

And finally -- look, here it is in Norwegian. I can't stop.

Histamine; work, work, work; Meine Buch

Had some fun with histamine and antihistamine this week as I experienced my first (and hopefully last) food allergy. My face started to puff up and itch Saturday night and by Tuesday morning I was scaring small children in my doctor's waiting room. Remember Lon Chaney in The Hunchback of Notre Dame? Yes, that face rang a bell for me, all right. But once again, all's well that ends well as I got some heavy-duty antihistamine and cortisone on the job, and managed to identify the culprit fairly quickly. So, no more spirulina supplements for me. And I look almost normal now, so that helps. A baby even smiled at me in the doctor's waiting room this morning.

So back to work as of today. In addition to manuscript consults and meetings, I've been busy organizing a two-part workshop program, Getting Your Work Out There, featuring my good friend and colleague Rona Altrows. The first part will take place the evening of March 9th and the full-day workshop is March 13th, both at Memorial Park Library. I'll link to details as they become available, but if you can't wait to get in, you can email registrar@canauthorsalberta.ca

I am taking part in Calgary Public Library's first Writers' Weekend February 6th and 7th. My program, Ideas Into Story, is Feb. 6th from 10 - 11:30 AM and I'll also be taking part in the Blue Pencil Cafe Feb. 7th from 2 -4 PM. CPL has put together a great roster of readings and programs for this event and I'm pleased to be part of it.

I just can't resist mentioning that Nothing Sacred now shows up on Amazon.de. I hope those Germans are ordering up a whole whack of them.

Prairie Fire Review of Books review; Happy New Year

2010 seems to be off to a great start so far with this review of Nothing Sacred in the Prairie Fire Review of Books by Dave Williamson. Cool!

So the holidays are now almost officially over; Bruce returns to work tomorrow and the the boys are not far behind with school on Tuesday. And so back to work for me -- a little attention for my long-neglected second novel, preparing for my Calgary Public Library program, Ideas Into Story, on Februrary 6th and then headlong back into the residency as of Jan. 15th. Work, work, work, as they say.

For now, Happy New Year, all and I hope 2010 turns out to be as good as it looks right now!