Latest Blog Posts
All the posts, including the random ones that don’t fit anywhere else.
Longevity #52Ancestors
I'm finally up-to-date with the 52 Ancestors prompts. Woohoo! I'll celebrate this minor success while it lasts. 🙂 This week's topic is longevity. I happen to a lot
Favourite Photo #52Ancestors
There are so many family photos I love, but for this exercise I picked this one, which I love so much I included it on my home page.
The #52Ancestors Challenge
With school and life, working on my own ancestry has taken a back seat. To stay connected with it through this busy year, I've decided to give Amy
A New Year, A New Challenge
For all but four years of my life (my own first two and my daughter's), this day, the Tuesday following Labour Day, has marked the beginning of a
Scotland’s People Centre
During my recent trip to Scotland, I got to spend 3 1/2 days researching at the Scotland's People Centre/Register House. For those of us researching Scottish roots, this
Hello from Scotland
By this time of night, my body still reminds me that it started the wake-up process at 4am thanks to minor lingering jet lag, so this will just
Scotland Research Trip
This Friday, I depart for a research trip in Scotland. Much of it will be family-history related, but not all, and I'm excited about the other parts, too.
Ancestry DNA Experience
A few weeks ago, I received the results of my Ancestry DNA test. The experience of using the test and sending it in was pretty straightforward. Prepare to
On Writer’s Block
I'll let you in on a secret: I haven't written a word in two months. This is a highly unusual state of affairs for me. Even when the
Mastering Writing Craft?
I was skimming through a bunch of blog posts recently, and came across one that said an unnamed "famous" writer had mastered his craft and no longer needed
Three Things on a Friday Afternoon
This topic came up in a random conversation the other day, and I thought it was a fun one to put on the blog, mostly because I'd really
Catching up on Links
Today is one of those rare days when I'm taking an hour to catch up on reading all the cool links I've clicked through to and left sitting
Women's Fiction: Your Favourite Quiet Reads
I write what are typically called "quiet books", women's fiction with character-driven stories about relationships and the choices we make and human emotions and all that good stuff.
SiWC 2015
As anyone reading this likely already knows, I have just wrapped up a full year of work that culminated, as it always does, in the gathering of hundreds
Scotland Photos
A few people have been asking me to see photos of my trip to Scotland in May. I flew to Edinburgh, and from there worked my way up
Stopping to Listen
I’m not writing today. I’m tempted. I have a story that’s been talking to me for a couple of weeks now, asserting itself with scene ideas when I’m
Query Tips From My Inbox
I don't claim to be an expert on query letters, and I'm not a literary agent. But in my day job as a conference coordinator, I get a
Help My Husband Make a Movie
Hello, all! Probably easiest to let my husband speak for himself here, since he knows the details. His note is below. If you're able to help with a
Writing Inspiration
Happy new year! I took a couple of weeks off over the holidays. I started out the month by accepting Nephele Tempest's December writing challenge, in which you
Happy Holidays
I'm deep into the last-minute preparations - baking, cleaning, wrapping presents - for our family's Christmas celebrations. But today, I took a couple of hours off to have
Reflections on This Week
This is going to be a long post, because it’s been a full week in the news already, and it’s only Thursday, and I’ve got a lot on
Day Job Gratitude
Around this time every year, after a couple of months of having every waking minute – and lots of sleeping ones – taken up with my work for
Bodies at the Pool
The changing room at my local pool is a busy place. Mums scrub toddlers dry with faded, worn towels, the sort we all hesitate to throw away because