Advanced readers copies

Very busy week this week! Hiking, working, kayaking, ARC's arriving...

And just because it's too beautiful not to share, here's my dog waiting on the deck early morning last week. She wants to go for a hike around the lake!







Ask an Elevensie!

Over on the debut author site the ELEVENSIES, is a new feature. Every Tuesday, a new question will be picked from our readers and any of the 80 + authors on the site will respond with answers!

This week - WHAT DO YOU WISH SOMEONE WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU WHEN YOU STARTED WRITING?

Go see what some of the Elevensies have to say! Check it out here.

Adventure blogs and book

 Meet my new blog crush.

Kim Kircher's blog is a great place to be inspired to get outside and enjoy life.

Her latest post whispers a secret of an upcoming memoir, THE NEXT FIFTEEN MINUTES. Her adventures as a ski patroller trying to find salvation after a terrible diagnosis. Congratulations Kim!

Other great blogs

Girls Trek Too
Expand Outdoors
Women's Adventure Magazine

Bookmarks and facebook fan page

front view

back view

Just wanted to mention I have my new fan page set up on Facebook for DOGSLED DREAMS.

FACEBOOK

There's a contest right now to win my new bookmarks. All you have to do is "like" it and comment! This will be a place to find dogsledding info, meet junior mushers (closer to the book launch date) and get book related updates.

Would love to get a few more fans!

Kayak around Cockburn Island

Another excellent trip full of stunning vistas, secluded beaches, and near death experiences. Last week we circumnavigated Cockburn Island, just west of Manitoulin Island, Ontario (the world's largest freshwater island that we circumnavigated last year. See here for details) It is so remote we didn't see a soul, not one boat, for days at a time.

The highlight for me is one that I have no photos of because I needed both hands clutched to the paddle - or die. Well, maybe just horribly, horribly maimed.

On the second last day, we surfed for two hours with man-eating following seas and then when we were good and tired, tried to squeeze through some wave-beaten reefs. My man glanced back at me and said my kayak stood straight up and down, then disappeared under a wall of white, then popped back up. I felt as though I'd been sucked up and spit out by an impossibly powerful, wet monster. Huge adrenaline rush, but not sure I'd do it again.

The rest of the trip can be seen in these photos.

before a gale blew in - the water was magical. paddle blade dips.

tired to hold camera up to get me in there. almost made it. I'm looking at a raft of loons calling across the water.

one of many private beaches

we brought back many rocks that needed a home

doe and three spotted fawns behind her

If anyone can tell me what kind of tracks these are - leave it in comments! Five toes on front feet. Fisher? The tracks were all over the beach apparently having a fun romp

Personal Demons release game

Fellow Elevensie Lisa Desrochers will be doing a blog tour this week for her release PERSONAL DEMONS. Start over on Elana's blog today to find clues for a free copy! Here's the schedule

Wed. Elana Johnson

Thurs. Carrie Harris

Fri.  Myra McEntire

Sat. Lila

Sun. Beth Revis

Mon. Andrea Cremer

Tues. Lisa Desrochers

Dogsled Dreams cover

I just came home from a week long kayak trip - photos to come. But the most WONDERFUL surprise awaited me when I fired up the old computer. I have a cover!! Full wrap-around jacket and the cover with shiny new text created by the talented WillowRaven - Art Director of 4RV Publishing.

One of the most exciting parts of this process so far is seeing the cover completed! I can almost imagine what it will look like on the shelf of a bookstore! 

Book giveaway winner!

Sharon Mayhew has won the draw for my book giveaway! Thanks so much for everyone showing up and playing along! I'll have more contests closer to the release date for DOGSLED DREAMS.

Book give away contest!

It's time for another book giveaway! Up for grabs THREE books from 4RV Publishing and ONE more special addition - a PJ HOOVER book, THE EMERALD TABLET!!

To enter, simply check out my new website and leave a comment here using one of the listed words from the mushing terminology page in a sentence! FUN!

The winning name will be drawn from a hat. Contest ends September 1.

Interview on how I got my agent

I'm being interviewed over at the FABULOUS Adventures in Childrens Publishing blog. Come on over and check it out!

Wildlife shots

Haven't been around the blogger sphere lately. But here's a photo essay of what I've been doing.

What's shakin' Baby?

Gray Tree Frog on the deck. Look at the toes!

Forest fire on our lake. Water Bomber in action.

Gorgeous new neighbour moved in to the shed.

leave me alone, can't you see I'm trying to sleep.

Barrred Owl! Look at that face!

Fox tracks - kayak trip with friend. Photo by Karen Mikoliew

Sunset - kayak trip with friend. photo by K. Mikoliew

Heading out to work on our hiking trails. My man's stunning smile.

wild lily's on kayak trip with friend. photo by K.Mikoliew

Me on a kayak trip. photo by K.Mikoliew

Website for upcoming book DOGSLED DREAMS

My new website is up and ready for viewing.
Check out DOGSLED DREAMS here.

This site is dedicated to all things SLED DOG. It will be updated once a month after the book comes out. I plan to follow Jr. Mushers on the race circuit, have dogsledding videos, giveaways, fun facts and lots of other cool stuff.

Summer Sled Dogs article published

This month on the Dogs in Canada Magazine website, they are featuring an article I wrote on keeping sled dogs in the summer.

check it out here.

What are copy edits?

I've heard the term copy edits before, but never really knew what it meant. Here's what copy edits mean when you are working with 4RV Publishing.

When the designer lays out the manuscript, the text does what it wants. It sometimes leaves things called "orphans". These are lonely little words left at the ends of paragraphs. It has never occurred to me until now to notice these when I read books.

Another thing that happens is names get hyphenated at the ends of lines. So the designer must go through and highlight all these annoying words that mess up the look of the page, and send them to the writer. The writer must come up with another way to say that sentence or paragraph so it behaves.

This can sometimes be painful when the PERFECT sentence must be changed to avoid a nasty orphan. But it is also another chance to change anything that you thought was perfect at the time, but months later, sounds sort of lame.  So this is a good thing. I'm loving this whole process.

Except when you suddenly notice that all the spelling is Canadian, and the publisher wants it American. Panic sets in when you realize that you don't really know all the words that are different and you google it and see that there are A LOT of words that we spell differently!  I may have to send the senior editor some chocolates.

Five Random things in my room

This is a fun meme - please consider yourself tagged if you are reading this. List five random things in your room. Go.

1. My bent-shaft paddle

This is one of my most treasured objects. It has been dipped in every lake in Quetico Park. It has won a few canoe races. If it ever broke, a little piece of my soul could very well shrivel up and drop off.

 

2. Frog collection
Yes. I'm openly admitting this.

3. Used dog toys
Strategically placed so that I step on them with bare feet whenever I get up.

4. Dead things
Replica of monster fish and snowy owl found on side of highway

5. Bowl of rocks
North Channel of Lake Huron grows Muse-Rocks. Look into their depths and be inspired.