Archives for March 2012

For those of you who have been following my blog, you will know that we recently moved to Orillia, Canada, about seventeen months ago.  It was our mission to move further north to fresher air and to enjoy the outdoors.  We have done many hikes as a family, from the Hana trail in Maui, to the trails of Cinque Terre, Italy, and now, central Ontario.  However, we had no idea just how many wilderness centres there are.  We had the pleasure of visiting the Muskoka Wildlife Centre last weekend.  It was great!  Most of the larger animals are kept outside in fenced off areas, meaning they had lots of room to move, from the black bear named Kootenay, to Eve, a gray wolf, two female moose, and two porcupines and many more!  Now Kootenay was rather playful and lives in the same area as Kokanee, a mountain lion.  Every time Kokanee walked past Kootenay, he would swipe at his ‘brother’ to invite him to play.  Kokanee ignored him, so Kootenay would lie on his back and scratch his white spotted belly.  It was priceless!  I’m afraid the moose were quite a distance away and uninterested in humans as they had their backs to us.  Eve, a gray wolf, actually trotted over when I whistled to her and she came quite close to the fence.  She is beautiful with thick, white hair.  I’m sure one of her trainers must whistle to her.  And then, we saw Quillber, an american porcupine, who did the ‘dance’.  It’s a mating dance Quillber should be doing to his female mate who was hiding in a cave.  It was the funniest thing we have ever seen – he pulled himself up along the fence and perched on his hind legs, and swayed back and forth – for several minutes, I might add.  I will never forget the sight of Quillber – he needs to be on TV.  Oh, did I mention some of these animals have been?  The female moose, named Chocolate, starred in a movie with Gene Hackman and Ray Romano, called Welcome to Mooseport, c2004.  If you are in the area, this wildlife centre is a must see!  I am off now for two weeks investigating alligators and crocs.  I hope I don’t get a bite!  My book Wake Me Up Inside is at FriesenPress and starting it’s journey into print.  Stay tuned!

After carefully listening to the feedback from many readers, and potential buyers, of my ebook entitled Wake Me Up Inside, I have decided to self publish and put ‘the little book that could’ into ebook and soft & hard cover books.  I was completely surprised by the number of people that asked me when will it go ‘in print’.  The revised edition will be available through FriesenPress in June of this year!  Just in time for summer reading.  Fantastic!  The little book that could, now can!  I hope many readers will enjoy Paige’s journey.  It will haunt you for sure!  Thank you to all for your support in this process.

I have taken many photos over the years with orbs in them, but never, so consistently frame after frame.  Upon studying spirit photography, it usually means the spirit is trying to communicate to the photographer, and to be careful about what door you are opening. I did not look for spirits to photograph, but, they in turn, found me, or rather my husband!  I uploaded the pics one by one and made it into a short video.  Hope you enjoy this link!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3OWOxmNpFc&context=C40bddbdADvjVQa1PpcFMrc98UbQDP0Ha8TzTPAaN42FAYC8wBpuU=

I hope you enjoy this short clip of the wolves as much as I did watching them! 🙂http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c44e42yYFeI&context=C4aefb49ADvjVQa1PpcFMrc98UbQDP0Ha8TzTPAaN42FAYC8wBpuU=

Yes, we did go to see the wolves!  It was amazing.  Please see the video.  I cannot describe in words how I feel after seeing them today!  The alpha female walked towards the one-way looking glass, where I stood, alone, and stared at me for 15 seconds.  Yes, I counted.  It was unbelievable as the trainer explained they cannot see us behind the glass, but they can smell us.  Fantastic!  I will post more information tomorrow posting pictures and another video.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BKFravyDP0&context=C40c6396ADvjVQa1PpcFMrc98UbQDP0Ha8TzTPAaN42FAYC8wBpuU=

As part of my research, I either observe or interact with what I am writing about.  This weekend, I am taking my husband into the wild to observe wolves in their natural habitat.  The retreat is located on 70,000 acres of rolling hardwood forests, beautiful lakes, meandering rivers and extensive wetlands in the Haliburton Highlands of central Ontario.  It is the Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve and we are standing in the wolf museum behind walls and window panes that face directly onto the wolves’ den.  I am not that fearless!  It doesn’t get any better than that!

In Praise of “Wake Me Up Inside” by Lee Bice-Matheson

“It was an amazing feeling …. ” So begins this lively short first novel written by Lee Bice-Matheson. It tells the story of a young girl who will soon be a young woman, so part of the novel’s charm lies in how it describes young Paige’s exuberant feelings for her grandparents, her parents, and her best friends of both sexes. It begins in Scarborough, the Ontario one, not the one in North Yorkshire, England, and then it transports the reader to “the Manor” where life is rather different, both demanding and rewarding! The author deserves to be congratulated, for she has found a style that moves along in a sprightly fashion. She spares the reader the descriptive passages found in most first novels in favour of rewarding the reader with reams of lively speech. The result is that young Paige is very much alive, she enters into relationships, and she turns out to be something of an acrobat, for she leaps off the page! The novel may begin with a dream sequence, but it ends with a hilarious scene with these very words: “What now?! Sacrilege!”  Revised edition to be released in April:  REVIEWED BY JOHN ROBERT COLOMBO, AUTHOR & ANTHOLOGIST, Canada’s My Mystery and Master Gatherer.

 In response to John Robert Colombo’s review:  I am deeply touched, grateful and honoured by this review.  I knew I could trust your honest opinion and will treasure your review always! Wake Me Up Inside, Revised Edition, will be released in April!  Be sure to buy a copy – it will be in print and an ebook edition.

I am often asked, “How does a nice, polite person like you write horror?”  In response, I  smile and say, “Easily.”  Ha ha.  Remembering back to my childhood, I read every new ghost, witch or vampire story I could get my hands on – whether short stories or novels.  The librarian on the bookmobile (for those who don’t know what that is – think of a small mobile home) that visited our school bi-weekly, would hide the most recent for me.  She would wait until all of the other kids had returned to class and would call me back to present the latest in horror!  I was delighted.  My parents would not let me watch Creature Features which usually aired on a Friday or Saturday night, around eight or nine o’clock, but lucky for me in our area, it aired on Saturday afternoons on WKBD, channel 50.  I found it because it came on after the traditional Saturday morning cartoons, which I never missed.  So, I begged and begged until one day they gave in.  Horror movies with Vincent Price, Lon Chaney Sr, Boris Karloff or Oliver Reed captured my imagination and excitement!  But for me, it was never about the vampire movies.  Ghosts and monsters were my fascination.  In my first ebook, Conall, an evil character, laughs, “Aaahahahahahahaha”.  And I can only hope that the readers will picture it much like Vincent Price’s laughter at the end of the music video for Michael Jackson’s Thriller!

I had the pleasure today speaking to David Chilton, author of The Wealthy Barber, and The Wealthy Barber Returns.  He is currently on tour promoting his latest book.  For those individuals trying to make sense of the financial world, these two books are must reads! David has a way of translating complicated financial scenarios into simple, plain english with a humorous approach.  Best of Luck, David, on your tour! The Wealthy Barber Returns has already hit number one for personal finance on amazon.ca Here are the links to his two phenomenally funny, entertaining and enlightening financial books:

http://www.amazon.ca/The-Wealthy-Barber-Successful-Financial/dp/0773762167/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330979942&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.ca/Wealthy-Barber-Returns-David-Chilton/dp/0968394744

Personally, when the wind howls, I love it!  It gives me a very powerful feeling especially on the days when I am writing the scary parts in book two of the Paige Maddison series. It enables me to feel connected to something more powerful than the self.  It’s a writer’s dream! Awwwoooooo. Bring it on!