A Lunar Eclipse, a Launch, and the Insecure Writer's Support Group

 Early March and it is cold as anything out. This morning (which is yesterday morning as this is posted) I woke up very early and then stayed up to watch the lunar eclipse. Our moon (which is naturally also your moon) had nearly set by the time the eclipse was total, but I got to watch each bit of it over about twenty-five minutes.

Watching it put me in a weirdly more positive mood than I've experienced for quite awhile. I like that steady old moon and her utter dependability.

Another dependable thing is the monthly meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Link to the sign up page here for all the info:  IWSG

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! 

I'm quite interested in today's question so I will have at it - it comes at a very good time as I'm about to do a soft launch of Little Birds.

What elements do you include in your book launch? Or what do you have in mind for your future book launch? Or what advice do you have to offer to others planning to launch a book

My debut novel The Crooked Knife was set in Labrador and I was quite insistent that it would launch there. My publisher wasn't all that supportive of this idea, even though I paid for all my travel myself. I did the launch at the Labrador Interpretation Centre (a museum) in the village I'd lived with my partner for five years - North West River. They have a small theatre which is where I set up. I got a good crowd for a town of 400 - about fifty or sixty people. I was introduced by a friend from NWR. I read from the opening knowing that no one had the book yet. It was both terrifying and extremely satisfying. The crowd, most of whom I knew, asked really wonderful questions and the whole feel was just what I wanted, celebratory. I did two more 'launches' (heck, ships launch more than once!) after that - one in St. John's, Nfld and one in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The one in St. John's was quieter but still well attended. It was in a small café. I was introduced by my sister-in-law who had published with the same publisher and is a well-known person in town, having been a CBC radio host for many years there on a popular daily show. 

I guess my favourite though was the one in Halifax. I'd organized to do it in a small theatre (The Bus Stop) in the North End. My family and friends came out in droves and I was introduced so wonderfully by one of my closest friends, a fellow writer. It felt wonderful to have this chance to share what was so close to me for so long. And people were so interested in what I'd been writing about - the struggles the indigenous people have in Labrador (anywhere actually), the environmental devastation caused by the putting in of a huge hydro dam, the descriptions of the land - which is a part of Canada most people never see.

So those were the launches. Because they happened at the tail end of COVID there were problems. People weren't used to coming out, but they did. I did radio interviews in Labrador and in St. John's but nothing in Halifax. I had a book publicist and she was as helpful as she could be, with the time she was allowed to offer, but I managed much of the details myself. I'd been a publicist in my past (for music primarily) so knew how to put things together. I had a wonderful event in Chester, a village that I consider my hometown though as a Forces brat I don't really have one. It was a theatre event where I was interviewed by a friend and again had a good crowd. 

My second novel Little Birds will be self-published in a couple of weeks (just finalizing everything). This will be a soft launch - mostly online. When the weather warms up I plan to do more - still unsure of what exactly. I don't think I can get the same crowds for a second book but I suppose that depends on a few factors. I would like to do a small launch in Halifax and perhaps see if I can do some book store readings. I will start my publicity campaign after the soft launch.  Little Birds deals with the issue of human trafficking. It is something that has gotten a lot of attention lately, as it clearly deserves. It isn't a cheery topic but one that evokes much emotion. I think I handle it in a sensitive way and the fact that indigenous women are more vulnerable than other populations to this kind of activity is well-known. Because of that I want to be very careful how I approach publicity. 

I really don't have any suggestions for others launching books - I think it so much depends on the type of book and your own level of comfort being the center of attention. I spent lots of years in theatre and can stand up in front of any crowd without fear. I would tell those who dislike this to consider they are advocating for their book, not themselves. It does make it easier.

This is me at the Halifax launch of The Crooked Knife.

writing and grief

 It is the monthly meeting of the IWSG.

Our dear pal Bella was euthanized yesterday, at our home, which was the best thing about a terrible thing. We aren't normal and may not be for quite awhile. We miss her every second. There. I didn't think I was going to post today but yesterday I wrote an obituary for her because my natural response to pain is to write. So even though it might not seem like it belongs here, I assure you it does. Writing it helped me make sense of the whole thing.

So here:

Bella Morrison, born April, 2012 in Labrador, died February 3^rd,2026, at her home in Prospect surrounded by her loving people.

Bella was born in Labrador, probably in Sheshatshiu. She was sent by plane with her sister to meet her folks, Jan and Ron, when she was about 8 weeks old. She was a lively girl right from the beginning, but always sweet with it. We called her circus dog because she was fearless in the woods, getting on old logs that were sometimes four feet off the ground, like a tight-rope walker. In the fall of her first year we brought her home to Labrador where we all lived for the next five years. In Labrador she got to experience a completely autonomous life. We’d go off to work and she’d do her day. It usually started by visiting Hector, an elderly fellow who lived next door to us. They’d sit on the porch and discuss philosophy. We only know of other activities she got up to when we were about to leave Labrador. One woman, (someone we really didn’t know – and yes that is possible in a town of 500) told us she regularly took Bella with her in her truck when she went to do errands. Bella had canine friends that I hope she is frolicking with now – three dogs from Sheshatshiu who would come by our house to pick her up – Chopper, Panda, and Junior. When we came back to Nova Scotia she settled in nicely – although she had more constraints naturally, but she was always ecstatic to visit her home province. Here in Nova Scotia she made lots of friends – mainly humans, because the dogs here weren’t so free to choose. She particularly loved Sherri who she considered a pack mate and Sherri’s partner Colin. Bob and Joan were also favourites, especially Joan who always had a treat for her. She also loved her brothers and sister – Jake and Sarah, Jesse and Cal and put up with those young kids, Roric and Harrison, although she got pretty jealous of the attention Ron would pay them.

The love of her life was Ron. Back when she was still a pup he went first to Labrador and Bella and I travelled by plane three months later. When she saw him she became a quivering mass of emotions and had to sit on his lap while he drove us from Goose Bay to North West River in the truck.

As I told her repeatedly as she was leaving today – Bella is a good dog. Ron wanted a dog from Sheshatshiu because they always have a fair bit of native dog in them – and that makes them comical, biddable and ever so loving. Her only sin was that she was mad for vegetables and didn’t see why she shouldn’t pick them out of the garden when she had a hankering. Unlike the brother she never met, Hoagy, she was very good at sticking close to home and only did walk-abouts when she was really bored. She loved playing tug-a-war with Ron and fetch – especially with the so-called Red Bone which was really purple. She loved going up to High Head and running free and that is where we will scatter her ashes.

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Thanks for reading if you did. And now back to normal broadcasting.

2026 Boldness

 Hello all dear writers and those that like to support all dear writers and even those that thwart all dear writers because thwarting makes us stronger.

It is naturellement the first meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group - go here to sign up or to find more insecure writers. 

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

The awesome co-hosts for the January 7 posting of the IWSG are Shannon Lawrence, Olga Godim, Jean Davis, and Jacqui Murray!

I am not answering the optional question because it completely stresses me out.

In the spirit of turning over a new page I will just say I have a lot of unfinished pages that I need to finish before turning any new ones. 

My goals for 2026

1. Self-publish Butter and Snow in the first quarter of the year. In order to do that I still have a few small things to take care of - going over my proofs one more time - deciding on a cover (which is becoming a real chore) - making decisions re who and how I print and so on. Those issues will all be dealt with by the end of January one way or the other.

2. Promote Butter and Snow to the best of my ability - which includes a soft launch, a hard launch later in the year, readings, connecting with book clubs and so on. I need to also include a social media campaign and this is what keeps me up nights. 

3. Organize a reading/workshop of my play Oh Well at the Chester Playhouse. That is in the works.

4. Continue to publish an essay on my weekly Substack - Dispatches. In terms of joy and personal enrichment Dispatches has been my favourite writing medium ever. Don't know why and don't care.

5. Work on my memoir if I feel like it! Nuff said.

as I'm working on Butter and Snow edits

I'm thinking of all our lovely time there.

How about you all? Plans for this year or even just the winter? How do you keep motivation high? What are your obstacles to getting done what you desire to? 

the paradox of the solstice

 Welcome to all participants of the Insecure Writer's Support Group and wanderers!

Go here to sign up to this group 

The IWSG meets monthly to support each other in our writing - both to offer cheers and to encourage the writers to keep on keepin' on. It has been going for ages and ages and it simply the best thing of its kind. 

This month the question is - As a writer, what was one of the coolest/best gifts you ever received?

Hmm. . . I don't think I ever received a gift as a writer. Or I receive all gifts as a writer. I'm wrestling with the question and while I think I know the intention I still find it awkward. Have I received gifts as a woman? Or as a feminist? Or as a secretary? Or as a Buddhist? You see the problem.

I'll just go with what I think the intention is. The best gift I ever received that helped me with my writing was my copy of The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. It was my dad who gave it to me and it meant that he believed in my ability to write and get better with it. When you are perceived as an artist you get all sorts of gifts with that theme in mind, some of which are grand and some which are not so great, because how should someone know what tools are helpful if they aren't themselves an artist, or even if they are - they are a different artist. But when you are a writer people don't know what to get you. A pen? Maybe a great gift (a huge gift) to a writer might be a retreat in a cabin somewhere or a course that they've been dying to go on. Or a standing desk might be good but again - so personal. Probably it is just that my closest people gently ask me how it is going with my writing. That's good.

my fella getting our tree when we lived in Labrador.

I entitled this piece The paradox of the solstice. My birthday is on or near the winter solstice (and the summer one if you live down under) and people say either 'ugh - the shortest day of the year' or 'ah, the return of the light'. Both are perfectly true but like when people mark something we must know it such a slight thing, this turning of the seasons, the days, the planet. It is the shortest day by minutes. It is the return of the light ever so slightly. Yes, we've reached the top of the slog but does it feel like winter is over? No it does not. It feels like it is just beginning for most of us. You'd think as a person who has really only experienced a four season climate and has no desire to live in one that only has two seasons, I'd be okay with this time of year, but that isn't true. I definitely have to fight the dark. What I'd like to do, and this has been true since I was in my thirties, is go to bed in November and wake up in March. I don't see why we humans can't hibernate. Oh well. 

Writing News : My newest book Butter and Snow will be published in February of 2026. It is part of the Nell Munro mystery series (the first was The Crooked Knife). Constable Nell Munro, an RCMP officer, works on a First Nation's reserve in Labrador. Nell is getting fed-up with the slowness of the RCMP to deal with missing and murdered Indigenous women. Her boss puts her on a short leave with the orders that she is to make up her mind if she is in or out. While retreating to her cabin in the tiny isolated community of Butter and Snow she comes upon a murdered Inuit woman. As she begins to dig further it seems the crime is connected to a possible human trafficking ring. Her sergeant is reluctant to let Nell in on the case but she is determined to make sure there is justice for the victim.

Stay tuned for more publishing news!

It's time for the Insecure Writers Support Group

 Insecure Writers Support Group - sign in here

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

This is a picture of me and how insecure I am with the publishing world!

I'm in limbo. Not a creative limbo mind. I'm zooming along painting and quilting and making a phenology wheel (what? you don't know what that is? Well, I invite you to look it up - especially at Marion's World on YouTube youtube.com/@MarionsGarden

I'm also figuring out the yearly gifts for my coven of women friends - affectionately called The Babes. Every year I make them all something for Children's Day, a Buddhist holiday that usually lands on my December birthday. I think I have this year's figured out but not sure. I did a proto-type and I think with a bit of tweaking it will work out fine. I've never made a prototype before - not for anything - I might watch a million youtubes or read books for hours but usually when I start I just start. I think my DNA is changing. I made a prototype for the phenology wheel too. I will begin in earnest on the first of January but I want to make sure of the size and materials. 

Maybe for my next book I'll start with an outline. No I won't. If I do - come and get me, for it means I've been taken over by the BORG. 

November 5 question - When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

When I began seriously thinking about being a poet (as I started writing books when I was in grade two) I imagined that I would move to Paris, live in a garret and be surrounded by other writers. We would live off wine, cigarettes and ideas with the odd baguette thrown in. I would be published in small journals perhaps, though that was a bit fuzzy. 

When I began writing plays I believed it was only a short matter of time before I lived in NYC or London and lived in a flat with other writers, actors and stage designers. We would live off beer, spliffs, and ideas with the occasional pizza thrown in. I would have a play on off-off-Broadway or far-West-End London perhaps, though that was a bit fuzzy.

When I began writing novels I believed it was only a short matter of time before I lived where I lived (but nicer) and had both an agent (a kind bespectacled female agent who adored me but was somewhat strict) and a publisher. I would meet the latter for long conversations around a table at the Algonquin in NYC. I'd live very well indeed off huge advances and hang around with other writers sipping our Dalwhinnie scotches and eating steak frites. 

My writing life, needless to say (and yet I do) is nothing like any of this. I like it fine. Those were all just romantic dreams and like the kind of men I imagined when I was young - the one I've lived with for 23 years is different and much better. The writing has stayed pretty much the same. I try and finish things and then I try and flog those things. Same. My community is quite different - with moments thrown in here and there that remind me of those old dreams - especially being around people who like to talk ideas, but mostly it's me slugging it out by myself and coming up to the surface now and then to get some feedback from the fella or friends who tell the truth. 

How about you? Are your dreams packed up with your old manuscripts in a cedar trunk somewhere, or are they refashioned into workable plans?