Photo credit Diane Hill who is in the water taking this photo.
Thanks to those who came to the reading at Windowseat Books in Nanaimo on June 12th. Scott Alexander Howard read from his book, The Other Valley, and I read from Always on Call. I enjoyed being in Nanaimo again and really appreciated the new-for-me books store. Andreé and Caileigh were hospitable welcoming and made the evening go very well.
I took my dog Carly on a road trip to Merritt and surrounding area where I researched a new book. It is in the creative stage, so it’s not good to talk about it for fear it will disappear from my mind. Taking Carly was a first-time experience for both of us. She was good company and was quiet in the motel room and easy to have in the car. My granddaughter and I plan a longer road trip in July with Carly, so it’s a relief to know Carly travels well and even enjoys it.
I can talk about Bloomsbury to Barkerville: The Life of Miss Florence Wilson. So far, the title remains. I’ll let you know if it changes. Heritage plans to release that book at the end of March in 2026.
Camel Press has also announced the release of Book 7 in The British Book Tour Mysteries. At the moment it’s called Murder in the Village and will be released spring of 2026.
Both books need to come back to me after editing, so I can re-write them, incorporating the editing suggestions. That is not as time-consuming as the initial writing, but it does take careful attention and time. I will be busy later in the summer and in the fall.
But, even with all this work in front of me, I am taking time to paddle. My crew paddled around Keats Island two weeks ago. We try to do that at least once a year. We clocked 15.6 K which is about 10 miles. We stopped for a rest and to watch wild life and then stopped and tied up to a raft and had a sumptuous lunch which we’d had stowed in the canoe. The weather has been cool the last week or so, but I expect hot weather soon and more opportunities to get out on the ocean.
I am also hoping for visitors over the summer. My granddaughter will stay for a couple of weeks, and I trust others will stop in and visit. I do live in a lovely part of the world.
In these turbulent times, I am grateful for it.