Category Archives: Bloggers

2015 ~ A look back…

Looking back at 2015…

 

In mid-June, I released my Children’s Chapter Book Tim’s Magic Christmas.

2015

Blurb:

For Tim Frost, Christmas 2011 is a washout. No Santa. No presents. Nothing. His father lost his job when the mill closed and now the family is on the verge of losing their home.

A chance encounter with Nick Kringle, a modern-day Santa Claus teaches Tim that the greatest gift you receive is the gift of giving.

The book has been well received at the events I’ve attended since its release and the closer it got to Christmas the better things went.

Top 10 blog posts of 2015

10. How do you #NaNoWriMo

9. Author Interview with Mystery Maven Maggie Wheeler

8. A Way from Heart to Heart by Helena Fairfax

7. Happy Robbie Burns Day

6. The Highland Lass by Rosemary Gemmell

5. 40 years ago today…

4. Gilli Allan ~ her author’s journey

3. Robbie Burns Night with Janice Horton

2. Intangible by Delsheree Gladden

1. St Patrick’s Day with Sharon Black

I’VE RECEIVED THE VERY INSPIRING BLOGGER AWARD

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

The rules for accepting this award are:

  1. Thank the person who nominated you, and link to their blog.
  2. Display the award logo.
  3. Nominate at least 15 other blogs (more or less) and provide a link where they may be found.
  4. Then, go to their blog, leave a comment to let them know they have been nominated, and where to find the information they need to accept (rules).
  5. Mention three things that inspired you the most during the past few weeks.

I’d like to thank Beverly Stowe McClure for nominating me. Beverly blogs at The Story of a Writer.

Three things that inspired me during the past few weeks:

  1.  Friends/family. No matter what’s going on in their lives, they’re always there with a word of encouragement and some hugs (real or virtual.
  2.  Travelling. My last trip was before Christmas but places new fill me with ideas for stories. Now to get the rest of the inspiration and get said stories onto paper.
  3.  Snow scenes. I might grumble about driving in the snow, but on a sunny day there’s nothing more beautiful than looking out at the carpet of white and seeing the sun glint off the flakes and making them sparkle.

There are so many bloggers that inspire me. So without further ado, my nominees for The Very Inspiring Blogger Awards are:

  1. Posts by Dayna Blog – Dayna Leigh Cheser
  2. Linn B Halton (founder of Loveahappyending Lifestyle magazine
  3. Poignant Modern fiction – Sheryl Browne
  4. Miriam’s Ramblings – Miriam Wakerly
  5. Chris Longmuir, Crime Writer – Chris Longmuir
  6. Gina Dickerson
  7. Confessions of a Romance Novelist –Danielle
  8. Linda Gillard
  9. Between the Lines – Ali Bacon
  10. Reading and Writing – Rosemary Gemmell

Yes, it says 15 blogs (more or less) so I’m opting for less.

I’ve received the Sunshine Award!

sunshine-award

This award couldn’t have come at a better time after yesterday. If you read my blog post from then, you’ll see what I mean.

So, I have to answer a few random questions, then nominate twelve blogs that I love to visit. Easy-peasy, right? Well, maybe not quite.

Okay the random questions and answers:

Favorite Color: Blue – light, blue, dark blue, royal blue, navy blue, sky blue…
Favorite Animal: Horse. They are so beautiful but since my dog will likely get his nose out of joint and eat one of my big stuffed animals in revenge, I best nominate him – Jake – aka the Jakemeister.
Favorite Number: I don’t think I have one but since I have to choose I would say 7 since it was on the 7th of June that my hubby and I were married.
Favorite Non-alcoholic Drink: Coffee.
Facebook or Twitter: I’m not the most creative with 140 characters so I would have to say Facebook, but even that changes everytime someone sneezes it seems.
Your Passion: Scotland and my Scottish heritage. Get me on that subject and you’ll never get me off it.
Giving or getting presents: I like to get but it’s more fun and rewarding to see the look on someone’s face when they open a gift that you’ve carefully chosen for that person.
Favorite Day: Since I work Monday to Friday, my choice would be Saturday. It’s the first morning that the alarm clock doesn’t go off before six o’clock. Mind you, the aforementioned dog usually scratches on the bedroom door about the same time. He doesn’t believe in lie-ins. Drat!
Favorite Flowers: Lilacs. I love the smell and have a number of bushes in my back yard.

And now I nominate 12 author bloggers whom I love to visit:

Suzy Turner http://suzyturner.blogspot.com
Ali Bacon http://alibacon.com/blog
Carol E Wyer http://facing50withhumour.com
Brian Henry (Quick Brown Fox) http://quick-brown-fox-canada.blogspot.com
Mandy Baggot http://www.mandybaggot.com/apps/blog
Lou Graham http://lougrahamiiblog.wordpress.com
Jo Lambert http://jolambertwriter.wordpress.com
Susan Livingston http://lotsocats100-fascinatingbooks.blogspot.com
Kathryn Brown http://crystaljigsaw.blogspot.com
Michelle Betham http://michellebethamwriter.blogspot.com
Jontybabe http://jontybabe.blogspot.com
Carol Wright http://dizzycslittlebookblog.blogspot.com

 

I’ve received another Liebster Blog Award!

liebster_award[1]

Woo hoo! I’ve been nominated for yet another Liebster Blog Award. This time fellow YA and Famous Five Plus author, Suzy Turner, bestowed the honour upon me.

The idea behind the Liebster Blog Award is to recognize blogs with fewer than 200 followers that deserve a little extra attention. In keeping with the tradition of the award, I have to:

List 11 random facts about me
Answer the 11 questions Suzy has set me
Come up with 11 questions to ask other authors
And perhaps the most difficult, tag 11 authors who deserve to bask in the Liebster glow.

Here goes:

11 random facts about me:

1. I’m allergic to cat hair but not dog hair.

2. In my pre-school years, I grew up in a winterized cottage along the shore of the St. Lawrence River, about 6-7 miles east of where I currently live.

3. I’ve schmoozed with Royalty. I met Princess Anne in Scotland in 1999.

4. After a concert here in town, my cousin, her friend and I sneaked backstage and met the members of the band (we were about 14).

5. I don’t eat a lot of desserts but love cherry cheesecake.

6. I learned to play the guitar when I was 14.

7. I don’t play, but I love to watch curling on the telly.

8. I learned highland dancing when I was young and won a silver medal in the sword dance at the 1000 Islands Highland Games in 1969.

9. When I first met my husband, I didn’t like him. Hmmm… something changed, we’ll be celebrating our 38th wedding anniversary this year.

10. I love to wander through cemeteries – the older the better.

11. I’ve been to Paris.

Phew! That was tough. My poor wee brain hurts.

Now to answer Suzy’s questions:

Suzy: I always wished I had a middle name but I’m just plain old Suzanne (Suzy) Turner. Do you have a middle name? If so, what is it?

I have two middle names – Heather Ann.

Suzy: When I write my books, I usually have a rough idea of the general plot but I usually go off on a tangent and change it dramatically halfway through. What about you? Are you a plotter or a pantster?

I like to think of myself as a plantster. Some is plotted some is as it comes to me. As long as I know the ending, I can make the rest of it work.

Suzy: I was always a ‘pink’ girl until I had all my hair chopped off and then for some reason, I changed my favourite colour to blue. What’s your favourite colour and why?

I used to be ‘pink’, too, when I was younger then I moved on to blue. I’m not sure why I gravitated to blue, maybe because it looked better on me – and anything to get the boys to take notice, right? I love royal blue but any shade will do.

Suzy: I always loved the name Sheharazade. If you were to re-name yourself what would it be? (he he he… no I probably wouldn’t be brave enough to go for the aforementioned name!)

Rename myself… hmm… you’ve got me stumped. Maybe something that combines my middle name with where I live? Something like Heather Brock? Heather Park? Heather Scotland? No I don’t live there but read further down and you’ll see where this might come into being. The aforementioned names would make fab pseudonyms, too.

Suzy: I used to have the most amazing dreams where I was flying. Is there a recurring dream you remember having as a child?

It was more of a nightmare, actually. We’d be driving out in the country and when we got to his one place, the road disappeared… vanished behind a hill and around a bend. Not sure at the time why it terrified me so much, but it did. This disappearing road actually does exist (maybe as a child the family had driven down it – I don’t remember) and I’ve since been on it many times and it’s not as frightening as it was in my childhood dreams.

Suzy: My favourite TV shows at the moment are Castle, Scandal, Bones, Lost Girl, Haven, Call the Midwife, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones. What are some of yours?

Like you, I love Bones and Downton Abbey. In addition to those I love Criminal Minds and CSI (never thought Ted Danson could pull that role off but he’s doing a fine job of it).

Suzy: If my life was ever made into a movie, I’d want Sandra Bullock to play me. Who would play you?

I think Diane Keaton could do an excellent job. Somehow, though, I don’t expect to get that famous that my life would be made into a movie.

Suzy: In an ideal world, I’d have enough money and resources to spend half the year in England and the rest in Canada or the US. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

This is a no-brainer. I’d be on the first plane to Scotland.

Suzy: I’d change my feet if I could. If you could change anything about your appearance, what would it be?

Feet? I don’t like mine either but that’s what shoes are for – keep them covered. I’d get rid of the middle-age spread… the belly and the butt (keep the boobs – took me too long to get them) and go back to being slim and fit looking.

Suzy: The Time Spirit series by Melissa Pearl, The Marchwood Vampire series by Shalini Boland, Scarlet Vamporium by Poppet are just a few of my fave indie books. Name two or three of your all time favourite indie books.

Harry Leslie Smith’s memoirs – 1923: A Memoir, Hamburg 1947. When I’m looking for something fun, I love Juliette Sobanet’s Paris books – Sleeping with Paris, Kissed in Paris and she has more coming out – yay!

Suzy: I can speak Portuguese but it’s getting a bit rusty. Can you speak any other languages?

French but not well. Took it in school but haven’t used it a lot in years so it’s beyond “a bit” rusty. I can also rattle off a few words/phrases in German.

Now for the 11 questions for my victims… oops, nominees:

1. When you’re not writing/blogging, what do you like to do?

2. What’s the furthest you’ve travelled on a vacation?

3. What’s your favourite beverage (can be alcoholic or non – up to you)?

4. Did you have pets as a child and do you have pets now? If so, what type?

5. Do you have a favourite food?

6. As you saw in my random facts, I like to wander through cemeteries. Do you have a favourite place you like to walk?

7. Do you have a favourite author?

8. Salty or sweet? And what’s your favourite food in that category?

9. If money were no object, what would be your ultimate travel destination?

10. Can you share your most embarrassing moment? Or at least a moment that left you red in the face, at a loss for words.

11. If you were to win the big prize in the lottery, what would you do with your winnings?

And now to nominate 11 bloggers:

1. Pauline Barclay
2. Maggie Jagger
3. Dorothy Bush
4. Vivian Zabel
5. Joe Mossman
6. Christopher D. Hanna
7. Patricia Capitain
8. Rosemary Gemmell
9. Maureen Fisher
10. Nikki Bywater
11. Jontybabe JB Johnston

I’m blogging at Savvy Authors Today…

Today I’m blogging over at Savvy Authors talking about research. I know, I know, I hear the groans. But for authenticity and to keep your readers wanting more, you have to keep them in the story and make sure, even though your work is fictional, it’s true to the time and any facts you might have woven in are accurate.

But what happens when you can’t find the answers you need? Pop on over to Savvy Authors and find some unusual (or not so unusual) places to get the information you need.

What’s your best place for research and finding the answers to those pesky questions you so desparately need answered?

I’ve been awarded The Very Inspiring Blogger Award!

I was pleased to discover that my Scottish author friend, Janice Horton, awarded me with The Very Inspiring Blogger Award.

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Before passing it on, I need to provide seven random facts about me… here goes.

  1. I’m Canadian by birth but Scottish in my heart.
  2. I’m the proud(?) owner of the dog with the $1000 ear (affectionately referred to as the “alarm dog”.
  3. I recently placed 3rd in the 2012 Preditors & Editors Readers’ Poll in the YA category for my novel, A Shadow in the Past.
  4. In 1999, I met the Princess Royal at the former orphanage in Scotland where my father and four of his nine siblings were raised (Quarriers Village) near Bridge of Weir.
  5. I’ve lived in and around Brockville my entire life.
  6. I work for a trucking company (not a driver but in the office) and have a background in computer programming.
  7. When I’m not reading, I’m working on the second book in my Shadows series – Shadows from her Past.

Now to pass the gauntlet on to seven more intrepid bloggers, so here goes. The names are in a hat. Mr MR-K is reaching in. The tension is building. And we have our first recipient! Yay!

  1. Brook Cottage Books – Jontybabe JB Johnston
  2. Romance that Rocks Your World – Nicky Wells
  3. Scribbles – Pauline Barclay
  4. Chris Longmuir, Crime Writer
  5. Sarah’s Place – Sarah Shand
  6. Sheryl’s Ramblings – Sheryl Browne
  7. Between the Lines – Ali Bacon

Congratulations ladies!