It’s Been a Great Summer
There’s an understanding in the writing world that a blank page can be a writer’s nightmare—whether on an old fashioned typewriter, a notebook, or a computer screen. It’s called writer’s block. Often those dreaded moments can be fed by the belief that one’s writing is unworthy of being read. But in order to move ahead, a writer must strive to battle through the frustration, anxiety, and self-doubt that emanates from the negative experience of the blank page or screen. On the...
Read MoreHe Is Building a Palace
As I have often shared in the past, especially through July and August, my summer at Muskoka Bible Centre (a.k.a. MBC) on Mary Lake in the Muskoka region of Central Ontario offers countless opportunities to reconnect with friends I only see mid May through October. Visits on the deck behind the Hub, thought-provoking conversations around a fire pit or over coffee or tea, meals around the kitchen table, or simply hanging out on your own deck are a constant throughout the summer months. Yes, we...
Read MoreThe Soldier Who Killed a King
Several years ago my artist-son penned the following: words are letters often shaped in quiet thought that paint a picture, tell a story, recall a memory. As an author and speaker, I cannot tell you how many times I have quoted him, and I am compelled to reference his quote once again. Having just finished reading The Soldier Who Killed a King: A True Retelling of the Passion, the author’s words have painted a picture, told a story, and I am left remembering the death and resurrection of my...
Read More“I love it when a plan comes together!”
In December 2015 I completed my third novel. It felt good! Closure. A sense of satisfaction. A job well done. All those wonderful feelings a writer experiences when something is finished. It reminds me of something said by Col. John “Hannibal” Smith— the cigar-smoking leader of a renegade commando squad in the 1980s TV show, A-Team. Played by George Peppard, Col. Smith became famous for saying, “I love it when a plan comes together.” Well, Col. Smith, aka...
Read MoreRepetition Is Memory’s Best Friend
I have a sweat shirt that reads, Too many books. Not enough time. Have you ever felt like that, not necessarily with just books, but with time in general? There never seems to be enough of it. I am quite convinced that had the creator(s) of our 7-day week made it an 8-day week, we would still complain that there was never enough time. But back to the theme of books! Having just come from the 2016 Write! Canada Conference in Toronto sponsored by The Word Guild, the word books seemed to be the...
Read MoreStepping Out of the Box
Sitting in a kiosk in a mall in Dieppe, NB—having a chai latté with soya and cinnamon—I read the following from a magazine: “Making the right choice often means choosing the thing that both excites and scares you!” For me, planning a 17-day trip to the Maritimes for a book tour/speaking ministry certainly qualifies as exciting and scary! How so? Because it involved driving a distance I had never driven before (4238 kms in total); crossing the border with boxes of books and material...
Read More
Follow Me!