Just put the (almost) finishing touches on the new material being added to the upcoming reissue of my Discovering Japan short story collection, due out in December. This new version features a new cover, one additional unpublished short story, and THREE (count ’em, three!) sections from the Work In Progress, aka “The Witch Novel”. Stay […]

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The annual two weeks up north was the usual balm for the soul, despite rainy weather the first week. I went swimming twice (given that the second time was on September 15th, I thought that was pretty good. It was … not warm). I did my one annual ride on the rail trail. I got […]

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Despite the fact that there’s finally a breeze, literal in the fact that it’s not appalling hot and metaphorical in the sense that I’m doing a ‘250 words a day’ project right now. I’m on target but…. but…. There’s always a but. I’m working on both the Witch Novel and the completely reimagined Glass! Art! […]

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What is there to say on any of this anymore? The days come and go, I write a bit or I don’t, I practice flamenco or I don’t, I garden or I don’t. None of it is very interesting. This is not to say there haven’t been good moments. Socially distanced picnics and cocktails have […]

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One of my favourite quotes from Jane Austen is: “What dreadful weather we have! It keeps one in a constant state of inelegance.” Engraved on a tile, it made the perfect gift for my friend in Houston. I’ve applied it a number of times to the sauna that is Toronto this summer. I imagine it […]

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The days keep passing and outside things change, at least somewhat. In the last month I’ve had a massage, acupuncture, and an MRI. I’ve taken the subway (four times), the streetcar, and an Uber. I wore a mask. I sanitized my hands. I’ve met a friend for iced coffees and sat in a park on […]

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In the vast scheme of the pandemic, having to cancel a long-planned trip to Spain is not a major loss. But it was still a loss. I love planning trips (because it eases my quite ludicrous levels of travel anxiety) and I do lots of research. We had a trip booked to go to Madrid, […]

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Ok, my husband does, with my help. Success was achieved through a electric clipper set purchased online, a few videos, a stepladder (to put the mirror on), a hair clip (to keep the sheet around him), and a bit of fussing. I’m perfectly happy to let my hair just keep growing. The last time I […]

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How is your sheltering-in-place/isolation/social distancing going? That well? I can’t really complain (though, of course, sometime I still do). I’m sitting on my couch listening to “Tentacles!” from the truly amazing musical A Shoggoth on the Roof, which manages to combine the music from Fiddler on the Roof with H.P. Lovecraft. It works quite well […]

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Or at least before the COVID-19 pandemic. I think I’ve started to forget what day it is. Or, at least, more than I used to forget what day it was. We miss the gym and our friends but life is otherwise not that different. My mail-order seeds arrived and my garlic has started coming up […]

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