Short post today, because I’m preparing for this afternoon’s Alistair MacLeod Mentorship Reading.

I haven’t talked about it on the blog much, but I’m writing my very first novel – a fantasy adventure for ages 10-14. And I was incredibly fortunate to be awarded an Alistair MacLeod Mentorship from the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia to work on it. My mentor was K.V. Johansen, an accomplished Canadian writer and scholar of fantasy. She’s awesome and thoughtful and pulls no punches, and she helped me kick this manuscript into shape.

The post-it note method of plotting. For my first attempt at a novel, I probably should have chosen a plot without three interwoven storylines…

I made it through two complete drafts before the program ended, and today, I’m joining the other mentorees in a public reading to celebrate all we accomplished over the last five months. It’s the first time I’ve taken this book out in public, so I’m a little bit nervous, but excited, too.

Wish me luck! And if you’re in the Halifax area, come on down to the Writer’s Federation (1113 Marginal Road) at 1:30 to get a preview of this new stage in my writing career!

Happy Saturday, everyone!