Deadline on Monday and a field trip for the photography class I’m taking mean something’s gotta give, and this weekend it’s the blog. I’ve got a guest post up at Sci/Why, though, a blog packed full of science geekery, ... Read More  

When Ben Tomlin's mother brings home his "new baby brother," an eight-day-old chimpanzee, Ben is far from thrilled. His father, a renowned behavioural scientist, has uprooted the family and moved them halfway across the country, to Victoria, B.C., so ... Read More  

Instead of Romeo and Juliet, my 10th grade English teacher made us read Shakespeare’s Richard III. These days about all I remember is “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse,” and that creepy Elizabethan belief that wicked ... Read More  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k1aoLAMRMc   Instead, I’m up to my neck in revisions and photo research for my next project, I signed up for a web conference that I don’t have time to actually take, and my filing cabinet has exploded all ... Read More  

So Tech Support was working up in Cape Breton and called me while driving* the Cabot Trail. Me: (jealously) Seen any good animals this trip? Tech Support: (ranty) You know, everywhere I’ve stopped people keep saying “Oh, watch out ... Read More  

Many dog lovers are aware of the problems with purebreds. “Pure breeding” involves mating animals with desirable characteristics within the same breed of dog, be they chihuahuas or golden retrievers. These closed gene pools lead to inbreeding, which increases ... Read More  

Three people shared this video with me on Facebook this week, and since I am sick right now, and most of my coherent thoughts are drowning in the sloshiness inside my sinuses, I’m passing it on. This fox is ... Read More  

If you’re sharing my rage over gender bias in the toy industry, you should check out Chuck Wendig’s post on the subject. Be warned: he uses bad words that do not appear on my blog. But he’s also insightful ... Read More  

Here’s a fun fact. When automobiles were first introduced, they were hailed as a solution to pollution – the pollution left by horses all over the streets. Here’s another one. Three types of propulsion were used for early automobiles, ... Read More  

Have you ever had a back spasm so bad you couldn’t stand up straight? I have. I was bent over in an L-shape for about a week, in the kind of pain where you decide it’s better go hungry ... Read More  

Was anyone else infuriated when Lego introduced “Lego for girls”? I was. Original Lego is in bright primary colours, encourages kids to use their imaginations, teaches basic engineering skills, and is filled with characters that storm castles and conquer ... Read More  

  Some seriously cool stuff has been happening in the world of science lately, so instead of listening to me blather, check out some of these stories: Gene therapy restores sight in people with eye disease Found: A lost ... Read More  

There’s a popular saying that people fear public speaking more than death. This claim is supported neither by statistics nor evolution (we’re hardwired to fear spiders and snakes and other critters that can kill us), but it feels true for ... Read More  

The Booke of Prayre is tiny, beautiful, and incredibly old. Jane Grey has no idea how it got mixed up with her library books. She reads a passage aloud and slips back in time to Tudor England. There, she comes face ... Read More  

….can anyone NOT guess exactly which word this penguin is using? http://youtu.be/rZjM97kj8Rc Today’s the launch of the Fox Talk blog tour! Visit Mother Daughter Book Reviews for the launch post, and Books Direct for my first author interview. I ... Read More  

If you could have any superpower, which one would you pick – speed, x-ray vision, telekinesis? I’ve got the power of invisibility, and I can tell you, it’s not what it’s cracked up to be. Probably because in my case, ... Read More  

Amy’s Marathon of Books began January 1, and as promised, I’m going along for the ride. I’ll be reading 13 Canadian teen books, one from each province and territory in the country. Here’s my schedule so far: Nova Scotia ... Read More  

It’s no secret that caffeine is a major food group for writers, and my favourite source is chocolate tea. The current contents of my tea cupboard:   organized in descending order of caffeine content, because the scientist in me ... Read More