My Grammie’s House (Tundra) beautifully illustrated by Skye Ali, was inspired by the best kinds of childhood memories- the ones that bring back a sense of comfort and contentment. The child in the story gives a tour to potential ... Read More  

I began writing Amelia & Me, the first book in the Ginny Ross Series, when Amelia Earhart dropped into my family history. The convergence of Amelia’s history with my own was an opportunity I couldn’t ignore. It was 1932, ... Read More  

The hot weather seems to make people interested in cool reading: Polar has picked up three more award nominations!  Read More  

A mother and daughter love to canoe on the little lake at their family cabin. With her mother expecting a new baby, their paddling time together provides a perfect opportunity to explore local flora and fauna and for the ... Read More  

Apparently Science Rendezvous Kingston was SIX WEEKS ago, and I haven’t posted about it yet?! In my defence, COVID took up two of those weeks. I’d managed to avoid catching it up to this point, but after getting up ... Read More  

Take a deep breath in. Now hold it. You probably know that you have the trees to thank for that breath you just took. Trees and other plants provide the oxygen that makes Earth habitable. But they don’t work alone! The ... Read More  

For most of my life, I’ve actively avoided writing poetry. There are SO MANY bad poems in the world. But poetry has always been a huge part of my life. I studied calligraphy when I was young, eventually becoming a ... Read More  

Food allergies seem like a big bother when you can’t bring your favourite sandwich or have a special treat day at school. But how much bigger is the bother for the person who has the allergies. Imagine trusting people ... Read More  

Well, that was a whirlwind! Experienced authors warned us newbies that Canadian Children's Book Week was both incredible and exhausting, and they were... not wrong. I crashed pretty hard after my last visit Friday afternoon and am just now starting ... Read More  

Happy Earth Week, my friends! Tech Support and I celebrated Earth Day by doing our annual "stick it in the ground and hope for the best" spring planting in the back garden. So far, the neighborhood bunny - affectionately ... Read More  

I know I am a guest on a scientist’s blog today, but I have to talk about something that doesn’t quite fit in with scientific theory. Or does it??? Psychic powers? Synchronicity? Messages from beyond? Prophetic dreams? Dowsing? Far-seeing? Read More  

Writing for children is an incredible experience and it’s also a lot of hard work. But, I love it. Not every single minute, but when I sit to write, I feel like I’m doing something worthwhile. I often pinch ... Read More  

One of the most common questions I get from young readers is, “Where do you get your ideas?” If you’re an author reading this, I’m sure you’re nodding along—it’s very common. I take this question to mean that the person ... Read More  

It's the International Day of Women and Girls in Science - yaaaaay! If you've been around this blog for more than five seconds, you'll know that I happen to be a woman in science, so uplifting female voices in ... Read More  

Aliya’s Secret published by Owl Kids is a picture book very close to my heart. Firstly, because it’s my debut picture book as an author / illustrator, and secondly because it was inspired by my own childhood experience, trying ... Read More  

It feels a bit silly doing a New Year’s Post when it’s *checks calendar* January 19th already. But I hit the ground running this year, and this is the first moment I’ve had to pause and catch my breath. ... Read More  

I remember the months of waiting for my first child to be born as both a thrilling and vulnerable time. As is my tendency when encountering change, I prepared and planned as much as I could. I followed developmental milestones ... Read More  

The week between Christmas and New Years’s is always a weird one for me. We’re poised on the brink between last year and next year, reflecting on 2023 and planning for 2024. Caught between leftover holiday indulgences and upcoming ... Read More