This post heading pretty much sums up my experience at the Carver/Stinson seaside writing retreat last week.  Don’t get me wrong – it was an amazing experience, the other writers were all great (see picture)  – super friendly and helpful, the weather was fantastic, we had lots of laughs, and I learned tons (including that my current manuscript is still far from being ready for publication:() But here’s the kicker.  Like a lot of things in life, the more I learn, the harder I realize I have to work to get to where I need to be. The prospect of yet another massive revision can be daunting, but overall I enjoy the process,  because I know it’s bound to result in a better story, especially given the in-depth advice and suggestions I received from the other writers and editor, Peter Carver.

I read at Word on the Street in Halifax this year – I hadn’t been at WOTS since Rainbows in the Dark came out in 2005. What an amazing event!  And most of it put together by volunteers.  I had a chance to meet Carmen Klassen from CBC Radio as she was introducing the authors in the Young Adult tent.  She was most gracious and welcoming, and had done her homework!  The first thing she mentioned was the picture of Charlie she’d seen on my blog:)  I had a chance to see new friends from the PJ retreat again; Marcia Barss, Jill MacLean and Jackie Halsey. Thanks to a particularly tricky charade one evening during the retreat, we’ll never forget that our main characters simply must yearn for something, even if it’s only a glass of water (thanks, Kurt Vonnegut!)  Here’s a picture of the old fish house in which I’ve now spent dozens of blissful and wonderfully-productive writing hours.  Sigh…Time to take Charlie outside – again!