When I booked in houses for the tour, I just went with whatever fit best for everyone. There was nothing strategic, just what days and times worked for who (and I hoped they weren’t on opposite ends of the city). For April 17: House of Anansi and Coach House Books. In my (too few) spare […]

On the afternoon of April 16th I drive into downtown Toronto for my very first Big One – HarperCollins Canada. I park underground and when I emerge I’m immersed in a world where I feel very much like I don’t belong.  I got on my black slacks and button-up shirt, but I just don’t carry […]

So… that drive from Winnipeg to Toronto is long, eh? I broke it up into three 8ish hour days, but damn. Doing the drive in April is interesting, too. First, the majority of roadside stops—points of interest to gas stations—are closed, most of them still snowed in. Second, it seems the only other vehicles on […]

(Visit date: April 13) I ended up staying the night in Regina because the highway forecasts were all poor and I was still a little gun-shy from my experience earlier in the morning. I lucked out and found a fantastic B&B (The Dragon’s Nest). The only room left was the Love room, complete with private […]

After spending the night in Alexis Kienlen’s childhood home in Saskatoon (her parents are fantastic), I hit the road again, this time to Regina. The catch? Snow. Surprise. The radio doesn’t recommend driving on any road out of Saskatoon…except the one to Regina. Perfect! But oh my. Winter highways are much different in Saskatchewan than […]

(Date visited: April 10) Packing is hard! And despite having most of my things together, it still took until 1:00 am before my car was ready with my life for the next four months. I got four hours of sleep (if that) before getting up early to hit the road for the longest leg of […]

(Date visited: April 9) After a coffee with my grandparents to thank them for the new ride and to say farewell for a while, I make my way to a newer-ish Edmonton neighbourhood in the city’s southeast. Founded and operated by Cheryl Kaye Tardif, Imajin Books is a home-based publisher that focuses on genre fiction […]

As I’ve mentioned, I’m moving to Toronto for a while, and the logistics have me rushing from one place to another in between everything else. Today it means heading across the river to exchange vehicles. The Ranger will now stay in Edmonton and my grandparents offered their old vehicle in its place. Looks like I’m […]

Calgary was good to me (it always is). I got to meet great publishers, my friend and colleague Lisa Murphy Lamb (Director of the WordsWorth Writing Residency) let me stay in her design-magazine worthy home, and there were some surprises, too, like an unexpected visit from a friend. The drive home from Calgary seems to […]

When I arrive at the house on the corner of Frontenac Avenue I am greeted by David and Rose Scollard. David offers me a latte. I’ve just had one, but I don’t want to be rude so I accept. After taking a few pictures in Rose’s home-office, and watching them banter the way you’d expect […]