The Pass; Book Club Buddy

Just got back from a relaxing three night spring break trip to the Crowsnest Pass in southern Alberta. I always enjoy the Pass. It isn't a glamorous type of vacation spot, to be sure. The scenery is breathtaking, though, and the history of that string of former coal-mining towns is fascinating. We visited museums, something we all love to do, hung around second-hand shops. Wanted to snowshoe, but the snow was slushy and the wind was insane. We saw a trailer at the side of the highway that had blown over onto its side. Yeah. Windy spot.

Thanks to Pearl Luke at Book Club Buddy for posting these interviews with me about Nothing Sacred and Love Minus Zero. Book Club Buddy does a great job hooking up readers and writers. I encourage you to check the site out!

Deadly Fall launch Thursday March 24th!

That's the eye-catching cover of my friend and colleague Susan Calder's debut mystery novel, Deadly Fall, which she's launching tomorrow evening at 7 PM at Owl's Nest Books. They're in Brittania Shopping Plaza, 815A 49th Avenue SW. Looking forward to Susan's reading, schmoozing, and of course, wine and refreshments. Come on down and bring a couple of friends! Deadly Fall was already number three on The Calgary Herald's bestseller list this week. I predict number one this week. Congratulations again, Susan!

Tales From Behind the Calgarian Hotel

What the heck, Lori, you're wondering. Why the title change? Well, I'll tell you. I had a blog for six years called Tales From Behind the Calgarian Hotel which I began mainly as a way to vent my frustrations in the days when I was struggling to get my first book published. Did it relieve my frustration, which was becoming pretty enormous by the end? I don't know. Maybe. But when it did eventually come to pass that I had a book deal, and in short order, another, I realized that all the nasty, whiny things I'd said on my blog about the publishing industry may not have been stuff I wanted floating around cyberspace in perpetuity. Although I hasten to add that I said nothing that wasn't true. Oh, yes, all those things about lost manuscripts, two year rejection waits, bitchy rejection letters -- all true.  But in the interests of uh, starting anew, I decided to delete the original TFBTCH -- sounds like some kind of texting term, don't it? -- and go with a happier, more sticking to the facts approach.

Turns out that was kind of a bore. So we're back to the old title. And we'll see some new kinds of posts here in the coming weeks. Exciting, eh?

Freshwater Pearls; Deadly Fall; Salon; Writing in the Works 4

The Naomi K. Lewis presentation and workshop at Memorial Park Library last week were a lot of fun and very interesting. Thanks to Naomi for doing a great job, and to the folks who braved the weather to come out to them.

I was very pleased to find out, earlier this week, that a short story of mine has been selected for inclusion in Freshwater Pearls: The Alexandra Writers' Centre Society 30th Anniversary Anthology, being published this September by Calgary's own Recliner Books. It looks like I'm going to be in excellent company! And I'm sure the launch party will be epic. Very exciting.

In other news, looking forward to the launch of my friend and colleague Susan Calder's first novel, Deadly Fall, a mystery being published by Touchwood Editions. The launch is 7 PM on March 24th at Owl's Nest Books in Brittania Shopping Plaza.

A couple of weeks later, I'm reading at a salon on the afternoon of April 10th, graciously being hosted by Barb Howard. More details as they become available.

And finally, a reminder of our annual readapalooza, Writing in the Works 4, which is coming up at 1:30 PM, Saturday, May 14th at dear old Memorial Park Library. This year's lineup is: Naomi Lewis, Susan Calder, Inge Trueman, Elaine Morin and yours truly, and emceed by our own Rona Altrows. Join us for an afternoon of readings, refreshments and book sales by Shelf Life Books.

Over and out for now.