review of The No Nonsense Guide to Degrowth and Sustainability

My review of Wayne Ellwood's  book, The No Nonsense Guide to Degrowth and Sustainability (Toronto, Between the Lines Publishing, 2014) has been published by Compulsive Reader. The link is below:
http://www.compulsivereader.com/2015/01/13/a-review-of-the-no-nonsense-guide-to-degrowth-and-sustainability-by-wayne-ellwood/

"Most of All" is on Amazon Kindle

My novel, "Most of All"  has just been published as an electronic book on Amazon Kindle. To look at the cover and take a peek at the contents, click here.

A Christmas poem by Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) is famous for novels like Far From the Madding Crowd, Tess of the D'urbervilles,  The Mayor of Casterbridge, and Jude the Obscure. The latter was so controversial that he gave up writing novels and turned to poetry. Below is is poem, "The Oxen":

Christmas Eve and twelve of the clock,
"Now they are all on their knees,"
An elder said as we sat in a flock
By the embers in hearthside ease.

We pictured the meek mild creatures where
They dwelt in their strawy pen
Nor did it occur to one of us there
To doubt they were kneeling then.

So fair a fancy few would weave
In these years! Yet I feel,
If someone said on Christmas Eve
"Come, see the oxen kneel,"

"In the lonely barton by yonder coomb
Our childhood used to know,"
I should go with him in the gloom,
Hoping it might be so.

Bazaar Event!

 BIZARRE EVENT!

"People are looking for inexpensive things for Christmas," one of our contact persons emailed us in advance of the bazaar, "so don't be disappointed if you don't sell a painting."
Her words proved to be true. Even so, as an "outside vendor" at the annual City View United Church Snowflake Bazaar on November 15th, Roger made a small profit, and gained something even more valuable - publicity for his paintings. The notecards with pictures of his paintings proved to be popular.

I took along a few copies of some of my books, those for which he provided the cover design - Illusions Die; Memories Stick, An Amethyst Remembrance; Spelling Bee and of course, the most recent, The Songcatcher and Me - and sold a copy of Spelling Bee.

Roger was given a pegboard on which to display his paintings, and ample table space for his notecards and small framed photographs of some of his works. We had the pleasure of being situated in the "Sunshine Room" of the church with two other painters and a photographer, all of whom are accomplished artists and friendly people. Last year when we were at the bazaar with just my books, we found the event well organized, and it was again this year. The organizers provided plenty of information beforehand, and allowed exhibitors to come in and set up their tables on the Friday afternoon and evening before the bazaar.  The event was well attended by interesting people, including a fellow fan of The Sopranos.

The Sunshine Room got warm, with the morning sun pouring through the high windows. I removed my scarf, then my vest (not a vest in the sense of "chemise", but "bolero"). Eventually one of the other artists, possibly apprehensive that I would go further, took a long hook and opened the windows.

All in all, we enjoyed the six hours we spent there. I had plenty of time to shop, and came home with some finds. At the book sales/fairs we've attended in the past, we've often eaten up the profits in the form of junk food, but not this time.

Getting published

My  review of A World Elsewhere, by Sigrid MacRae, published in Compulsive Reader, may be accessed via the link below.
http://www.compulsivereader.com/2014/10/31/a-review-of-a-world-elsewhere-by-sigrid-macrae/


Also, my short story, "Patreesha - 1957" appears in The Writing Spiral: Learning as a Writer (Sunshine in a Jar Publishing,  www.sunshineinajar.com )As the title indicates, this non-fiction book is about an approach to creative writing, and my story, a work of fiction, appears with some non-fiction stories and poems to illustrate aspects of the "writing spiral" approach.  The ISBN is 978-0-9809444-2-2  Copies may be purchased from the author/compiler/editor, Jessica Outram, jessica@sunshineinajar.com

Deer pictures taken at Fitzroy Park

Two weeks ago, Roger and I went to Fitzroy Park for the second time this fall. Fitzroy Park is near the village of Fitzroy Harbour, on the Ottawa River.

We were fortunate in coming upon six deer eating leaves about thirty feet away from us. Roger had the presence of mind to take pictures and these six are the best of the many he took. The deer were visible to us but the sunlight shining through the leaves is very effective in helping them conceal theselves.

They didn't approach us, but were not afraid of us.

Two of my recent book reviews

Recently I had book reviews published in the online magazine Compulsive Reader. The links are below. The first book was Vivien Shotwell's Vienna Nocturne. The second is Alex Marwood's The Killer Next Door.



http://www.compulsivereader.com/2014/10/01/a-review-of-vienna-nocturne-by-vivien-shotwell/

http://www.compulsivereader.com/2014/10/18/a-review-of-the-killer-next-door-by-alex-marwood/