Interview for Dogsled Dreams

Please check out my first interview for my debut novel Dogsled Dreams. Here.

Not due out until 2011, but Jessica over at Shut Up I'm Reading offered to give me an interview discussing the process. Her blog is always a great read full of bookish information and succinct reviews. I'm honoured to be there.

Mush with PRIDE

Mush with PRIDE is another organization that I belong to. Providing Responsible Information on a Dog's Environment. They promote the musher/dog relationship and work towards responsible dog care and public perception of dogsledding.

There's all kinds of great information here.

And if all mushers were members, perhaps stories like this wouldn't happen. I hope they find good homes for all 97 of those unfortunate sled dogs.



"When I grow up, I want to be a sled dog."
This image is pilfered from here.

Outdoor Writers of Canada

I am now a member of the Outdoor Writers of Canada and I got this cool card in the mail. They are a National organization with the following objectives:

1. Stimulate interest in and appreciation of the outdoors.
2. Stimulate high standards of craftsmanship among those concerned with the portrayal of outdoor life.
3. Co-operate with others in support of responsible use of Canada's natural resources.

Go here to check them out.

confession

I feel the need to confess here that I went to a little store called Chapters yesterday with a $10 coupon and went slightly crazy. When I thumped them down at the cash, I was informed my coupon expired two days ago. But I couldn't put any of them back after I had carried them around, envisioning myself by the fire reading them. So I took them all. Shamelessly decadent. I have now banned myself from going again - at least until I've read these.

And while I'm confessing, I have now missed two weeks of swimming practice. You know that commercial with the woman who wakes up with a cold but takes Tylenol and goes to the pool anyway? That's not me.

I know this has nothing to do with outdoor adventure, but is there interest in a short review of any of these books after I've read them?

Hiking adventures part 2

Thank you dear readers for all your comments and support on my last post! It's so fun to be able to share here. You can see my dog was also thrilled with the news of Dogsled Dreams being published. This is her being thrilled for me.

The party lasted for a few days, but now normal life returns. I'm eagerly awaiting word from the editor assigned to me and loving the family feel of 4RV Publishing.

Congratulations flowers from my man.

And now on to more outdoor adventures featuring the pond crossing conundrum. In an earlier post I asked how you think we should cross this. Here is our first genius and cheap attempt. The initial try worked well, however since we used rope, it soon stretched and the next poor sod to try a crossing got quite wet. We are now working on plan B which involves slightly more speed and danger. Stay tuned.

Book contract for Dogsled Dreams

After exhibiting extreme self-discipline waiting until the contract was signed before I shared the news with you, my moment is finally here.

In the past year I received 20 agent rejections, 12 publisher rejections, 6 partial request, 2 full requests and one cancelled contract. I was beginning to think I had more chance at winning the lottery than getting a book published by a traditional publisher. But persistence pays off.

I wish to announce my middle grade novel, Dogsled Dreams will be released in February, 2011 by 4RV Publishing!

Soon I'll be starting the process of working with the editor, making revisions and doing rewrites. I'll be researching and working on marketing and book promotion. And I'll be learning how Canadian taxes work with an American publisher.

Then it won't be long until my next moment - holding my debut novel in my hands. But for now, I'm celebrating.

I'm shakin' my bon bon in the middle of the grocery store. I'm wearing glitter, toe socks and enormous hats. I'm buying six new books. I'm doing the Mambo No.5 across the inconvenient beaver dam that has appeared on my hiking trail. I'm singing "I like to move it, move it" at the top of my voice as I drive. And of course, there's brownies...

Dog Teams from the BARK program

Meet my dog teams that I'm sponsoring this year through a great program called BARK over at sled dog central.

Bill Cotter is an old friend I met when I worked for a kennel in Nenana Alaska. He has a rich history of racing his dogs.

Laughing Eyes Kennel run by Hugh Neff and Tamra Reynolds are very active in the sport including winning Iditarod Rookie of the Year award in 2004. Hugh races both the Iditarod as well as the Yukon Quest. Amazing. They tour schools and give lectures on the positive energy of dogsledding. Check them out.

Some teams on the list are all rescue dogs, some are award winning Iditarod racing teams. This great program allows you to be a part of a dog team of your choice and follow along with their racing season.

So if, say you've had to sell your team due to a career change but miss their smiling faces every waking moment and still hear their happy voices in your dreams, you can feel a little like you're part of it all.

Please visit my next blog post where I will finally announce the HUGE secret I've been waiting to share with you.

I made the cover!

Wind Wars is an article about my family sailing in the North Channel. Here's my stepdaughters on our sailboat. I didn't even know I made the cover! What a thrill to casually check out the Sailing Breezes website to see if the issue is up yet and see my photo!

November 2009 Issue.

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should be Reading. Here are the rules:
Grab your current read.
Open to a random page.
Share 2 teaser sentences.

I'm reading Inside of a Dog, what dogs see, smell and know by Alexandra Horowitz.

Page 33.
She's waiting at the threshold of the kitchen, just beyond underfoot. Somehow Pump knows precisely where "out of the kitchen" is.