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Transitions are hard to write, and even harder (for me) to make. Packing up to move back to Canada from San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, is never easy. Packing up an office, sorting my books, deciding: what goes back with me, what stays. This is always wrenching: because of luggage restrictions, I invariably have to leave more books behind than I want.
It's a space (and town, and country) I love — but most of all I love a steady, daily routine, which is especially important to a writer, I think.
The transition this year was especially fraught because my husband had had surgery less than three weeks before, and, only days before we left, there were the alarming concerns about Swine Flu. It seemed we were being dealt one curve ball after another.
I'm happy to report that the trip went remarkably smoothly: we're now back in Toronto, where we'll be for two months, going back and forth to our home in the north. (More transitions!) Nonetheless, it's exhausting, and I'm relieved that a reading which was scheduled for the day after we arrived was reschedule for the end of May. I must remember this in the future: migrating birds need to rest!
Meanwhile, the Blog Tour carries on: I'm pleased with the reviews that are coming in. (See links at left.) Today I need to think about my Toronto To Do list. While here I intend to take advantage of the libraries, for research.
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These blog posts are my random thoughts on ... well, the writing life.
Note that the page/tabs (in parentheses) are newly created. I'm in the process of moving side-bar links onto them.
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Good book blogs
Publishing links
- "Editors & Preditors" — a guide
- "Write a great query" by Noah Lukeman
- Buzz, Balls & Hype — M.J. Rose's fabulous blog-site
- From proposal to publication — by Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner
- Media Bistro
- Poets and Writers magazine
- Publishers' Marketplace
- Publishers' Weekly
- Publishing Trends
- Query Shark: a blog on writing a good query letter
- The Three Questions I Am Most Often Asked About the Writing Business, by C.M. Mayo (on publishers, agents and promotion)
On book design
Historical fiction links
- "How Historical Fiction Went Highbrow" —a wonderful article in the Atlantic
- "Top Historical Novels of All Time"
- Enchanted by Josephine
- Historical Fiction Network
- Historical Fiction.com
- Historical Novels
- Historical Novels Review — a publication of the Historical Novels Society
- Historical Tapestry
- Reading the Past
- Writing the Renaissance
Wonderful historical novels
- A Walk with Love and Death, by Hans Koning
- Coal Black Horse, by Robert Olmstead
- Conceit, by Mary Novik
- Enemy Women, by Paulette Jiles
- Music & Silence, by Rose Tremain
- Santa Evita, by Tomas Eloy Martinez
- The Blue Flower, by Penelope Fitzgerald
- The Boys in the Trees, by Mary Swan
- The Color of Lightning, by Paulette Jiles
- The Ghost of Monsieur Scarron, by Janet Lewis
- The Hummingbird's Daughter, by Luis Alberto Urrea
- Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
- Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel
- Year of Wonders; a Novel of the Plague, by Geraldine Brooks
My newsletters
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2 comments:
Welcome back to Toronto! I hope the rest of your transition is smooth.
Thank you, Lilian. I'm a happy camper today. Not only did the sun come out, but I'm now a card-carrying member of the fantastic Toronto Public Library system.
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