I'm A Lucky Author

Sometimes, as an author, I will discover I've had a larger impact than I'd realized. Farrah Al-Mutawa, a close friend and fan, sent me the following texts - I have kept the texts exactly as they'd come to me, and only took out my one or two responses - and I cannot tell you how grateful and humbled I feel because of them:


Some of my friends can't focus on reading cause of ADHD but they can handle being read to

One of friends (passed away a few months ago) has cancer and so I read them your books

They said it was great escape from the cancer and the hospital without leaving the hospital

Don’t thank me

They told me to thank you

But I was so sad their passing I wasn't able to cope

They enjoy your Galactic book best

I prefer Cupid

But they enjoyed all of them

She passed away before Valentine's Day

We had planned on re reading Cupid on v day

That's why I had to put off re reading your books for a bit

I realize that I can visit my friend anytime

Just by reading your books

It's like she's there with me when I do

Never got a chance to read her other author friends books but at least she got to read yours


As a bonus, I received these texts on a day when I was feeling particularly low regarding my writing. Needless to say, this perked me right up! I am a very lucky author.

Writing’s a funny thing

I recently hammered out two short stories for an anthology that I would not have written if that anthology hadn’t existed. One of them was hard to write, and left me feeling very anxious about it. The other was an absolute joy that had me giggling madly and praising my considerable genius.

I did 8 chapters of a new novel, only to put it on hold so I could write those stories. I thought that maybe it wasn’t a story worth telling, but I’d started Chapter 9 and wanted to at least get that done. The interaction between two characters in that chapter created a wonderful moral dilemma and convinced me the book needs to be written. I’m now on to Chapter 10.

It’s nice to know that, nearly 30 years later, the writing process can continue to surprise me.

Apoca-Lynn: A Cover Story

I'm really quite pleased with how Apoca-Lynn's cover turned out. A lot of elements went into its creation, comprising the work of three very talented pros.

Pro # 1: Sarah Water Raven, author of Detective Docherty and the Demon's Tears and the upcoming Detective Docherty and the Vampire's Mirror, and the brilliant artist who did the cover for The Five Demons You Meet In Hell.


Sarah came up with the cover concept, and suggested using a model to represent Lynn. Which brings us neatly to...




Pro # 2: Rebecca Lovatt, book reviewer for Arched Doorway, expert baker of cupcakes, and all-around force for evil and terror. She posed for several photographs, taken by Sarah Water Raven at Ad Astra 2014, and agreed to be the face of Lynn for me. With Rebecca's fear-inducing visage (she's really quite lovely, except when she wants to make you crap your pants!) captured, it looked like Apoca-Lynn was in business.

Only it wasn't. Not yet. I wanted Sarah to complete the cover, but she had to bow out for personal and professional reasons (but not creative differences, I'd like to make that clear). I understood and respected Sarah's need to bow out, but I was then faced with the perilous problem of who was going to do my cover for me? As I was agonizing over this conundrum, I took a trip to Ottawa for Can-Con 2014. There I met Su J. Sokol, author of the amazingly brilliant Cycling to Asylum. It was also where I met her cover artist, who became...

Pro # 3: Lin-Lin Mao, exceptional artist and maker of origami bookmarks. I bought one. It's pretty cool. Here's a picture of me holding it:

Lin-Lin took the photo of Rebecca and the basic concept for the cover and created an image I was beyond ecstatic with.

So that's the story of Apoca-Lynn's cover. I am truly blessed to know such a talented group of people, and proud to call them my friends.