Category Archives: Blogs
New Life for Muse
It’s been a good week for Muse. It was a pleasure to receive a thoughtful review on April 10 on the blog Ramblings of a Reader, by Maria Vigornia, with the intriguing title of “Fabula Argentea: Mary Novik’s Muse.” Also, on April 15, Caitlin Hicks, wrote a very generous review of Muse on Goodreads. Thank you, Maria and Caitlin! As well,… Read More
The Camino
Every journey is a pilgrimage and we were on a journey to Iberia. As a writer, I was on a quest for ideas for a new novel. We were travelling by car and bus and were adventuring in comfort: engaging with history, eating different foods, and tasting local wines. Much was unusual and mysterious. Not being Catholic, I expected to… Read More
Authors for Indies Day, May 2, 2015
On May 2, 2015, authors across Canada will be volunteering in independent bookshops to meet customers and hand-sell books. This initiative, called Authors for Indies, has been organized by author Janie Chang of Vancouver to help bookstores build sales and attract new customers. The list of participating bookstores and authors can be found at www.authorsforindies.com Over 120 bookstores and 480… Read More
The French Muse
Spring is blooming here in Vancouver (sorry, rest of Canada!) The crocuses are already finished, the azaleas are in flower, and the videos of our Japanese cherries and plums are already up on YouTube. The writing scene is blooming as well. Today is the publication day of the French translation of Muse, a glorious day! The translators are Lori Saint-Martin… Read More
Novel Nights at The Book Warehouse on Main
If you live in Vancouver, you know about The Book Warehouse, which has been going strong at Broadway and Ash since 1980. In 2012, they were rescued from looming closure by Cathy and Mel Jesson of Black Bond Books, and I had the pleasure of appearing there, with Roberta Rich, in 2013 (see photo). A year ago, Book Warehouse on Main… Read More
Valentine’s Day Greeting Cards
Today is Valentine’s Day. How many men will lose their heads over women (and vice versa)? When we write gushy sentiments on Valentine’s cards about our beloved’s power over us, we owe a debt to the 14th century poet Francesco Petrarch, who wrote 366 love poems to the woman he adored. They were more about his own feelings than Laura, a… Read More
YouTube Video of Pope’s Palace in Avignon
This YouTube video will take you on a tour of the Pope’s palace in Avignon. We begin outside the west façade of the palace, where a busker is entertaining for coins, enter through the double portcullis, take a look around the courtyards, peer out of the Pope’s indulgence window. Then we join the secret palace tour to see inside a… Read More
French edition of Muse on Horizon
How exciting to get my first glimpse of the cover for the French translation of Muse! Also titled Muse, it will be published by Éditions Hurtubise on February 26, 2015 and distributed in France by Librairie du Québec. The award-winning translators, Lori Saint-Martin and Paul Gagné, have done a wonderful job and I feel very fortunate that Hurtubise has put… Read More
The Blog Hop – A Writer’s Brainwaves
Today, I’m participating in a blog tour at the invitation of writer Karen Dodd, who also lives on what Vancouverites call the North Shore. This usually means that we have to drive over to Vancouver to visit friends, who are reluctant to travel to our side of town. Karen lives even further west than I do, in Lions Bay, where she often sees dolphins… Read More
Goodreads Discussion of Muse
Have you ever checked out www.goodreads.com? Goodreads has some very dedicated groups and one of my favourites, Imprinted Lives, which focusses on biography, is currently engaged in reading my novel Muse. The discussion runs from June 1 to 30, 2014 and is moderated by the amazing Asma. She is commenting enthusiastically on Muse, section by section, and is linking to some very interesting websites… Read More