Ian Rankin

Not much time to write this week… and today was busy, capped off with seeing Ian Rankin speak at an event this evening.  Always nice to chat with Ian! Even he enjoyed the story about how we first met… (Second part of the Rankin trilogy that appears in my book) Confirmation I wanted to know.  […]

Homage

The stage was set.  A car parked under the awning at the foot of the stairs.  A man stood next to it as if guarding the space. This seemed required as many people were beginning to gather. Thrangu Rinpoche, spiritual teacher and head of this monastery was on his way back to India, his home […]

Kindness

Kindness is never a problem. The reaction to kindness is a growing concern. People don’t seem to know how to handle someone showing them kindness. A modest “thank you” can usually suffice. Try this.  Hold a door open for someone. Many people will not know how to acknowledge this simple move. They shrug, mutter something, […]

Whisky and Beer

I drink whisky and beer. It’s an odd line to start off my blog.  I’m sitting here in the Mallard Bar up at the Chateau Whistler; I’ve written in my journal, checked Facebook, sent out a tweet and read my emails.  There’s nothing left but work on this week’s blog and this is the best […]

A Writers’ Conference

How can two accomplished, well-known writers critique the same story and give such different feedback? One person loved it.  The other told me to change my style and start over again. This simple fact became the dilemma for my weekend. I wrote 364 words and they gave 2 opinions. Which voice will be stronger?  The […]

Connections

Tomorrow I head to the Surrey International Writers Conference to learn more about the fine art of writing and publishing a book.  The goal is to also make some valuable connections…  (of course I wrote a piece about that very topic) Connections Are we all connected?  I don’t know about this. Sometimes there seems to […]

Stalk

Here is another excerpt from my book “The Long Game”, a memoir told in one page short stories. Stalk I stalk my half-sister.  Facebook and Google have made this easy. She has no idea I exist. Even better, her husband has no restrictions of what he puts up on his pages.  I’ve seen the whole […]

Buddha and I agree…

There is a famous quote attributed to Buddha “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and common sense.” I am finding the need to repeat this sentiment more and more these days. In doing this I […]

My Great Friend

My friend, the famous Andrew Mockler, moved out of my home today. He’s stayed with me for the last ten weeks while he established himself back into Vancouver’s creative world. It’s been ten weeks of intense work, hysterical improv sessions, gallons of Starbucks, private concerts, sushi, road trips, long chats, too many Dairy Queen Blizzards […]

End Of Summer

On August 30th I finished writing the first draft of my book, “The Long Game”, a memoir written in one page short stories. The following is one of the final pieces added into the mix… End of Summer Yes, you’re right, nothing new has happened.  So why does today hurt more than yesterday? Why at […]