Category Archives: Power of 10

Remembering Brian Mulroney

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

Earlier today, a state funeral was held at Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal for Brian Mulroney, the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. A bold and transformative leader, Mr. Mulroney accomplished so much for Canada and the world.

During his tenure, he implemented a series of significant economic reforms, including the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the negotiation of the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA). He also played a key role in establishing the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

Never afraid to take on a fight. Mr. Mulroney supported the liberation movement in South Africa. He called for the release of Nelson Mandela and imposed sanctions upon the apartheid regime. He then persuaded Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher to follow his lead. Grateful, Nelson Mandela made his first foreign visit to Canada’s parliament after his release from prison.

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney died on February 29, 2024 at the age of 84.

Here are my favourite quotations from Brian Mulroney:

Leaders must have vision and they must find the courage to fight for the policies that will give that vision life. Leaders must govern not for easy headlines in 10 days but for a better Canada in 10 years.

I can recall the splendor of the view from the highest mountaintop and the sorrow one feels in the valley of defeat. Life is an unending sequence of challenges from which no one emerges unscathed. Defeat is not something to fear but surrender is something to reject.

As difficult as the process may be to arrest and to mitigate the effects of global warming, the work cannot be left to the next fellow. The stakes are too high, the risks to our planet and the human species too grave.

Trade is Canada’s life blood. Our objective is to strengthen Canada’s stature as a first-class world trader.

Canadians have an obligation to help make the world a better and safer place. Not least, we owe it to ourselves to honor excellence and pursue it relentlessly. Canada must stand for the best in all fields of human endeavour. And we must be uncompromising in the pursuit of values that are the moral foundation of all great nations. That is my dream for my country: a Canada fair and generous, tolerant and just.

You accumulate political capital to spend it on noble causes for Canada. If you’re afraid to spend your capital, you shouldn’t be there.

You can’t be chasing 15 rabbits. Otherwise, the public mind cannot follow you.

Once you articulate an agenda, you have to follow it.

If everything is important, then nothing is important.

I am not denying anything I did not say.

On a lighter note…

Blessed with a beautiful baritone voice, our former prime minister loved to sing and considered himself a “frustrated saloon singer.” A recording of Brian Mulroney singing ‘We’ll Meet Again’ was played at his funeral, fulfilling a final wish of the former prime minister. Here’s the link:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/video/c2890921-mulroney-sings–we-ll-meet-again–at-his-funeral?playlistId=1.6819632

10 Interesting Questions About Justice in New France, 1734

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author donalee Moulton. Today, donalee shares her new release, Conflagration! and addresses interesting questions about justice in New France in 1734.

Here’s donalee!

My latest mystery book took me back in time and out of my comfort zone. Conflagration! is a historical mystery set in Montreal in 1734. It raises issues about slavery in Canada – and introduces us to a justice system that is distinctly different from 2024.

I posed 10 questions to the book’s main character Philippe Archambeau, a court clerk assigned specifically to document the case of Marie-Joseph Angélique almost three centuries ago. Here are his answers. (Hint: You can also find them in the book.)

Are lawyers a cornerstone of the justice system in New France?

Witnesses are a cornerstone of the French judicial system. We do this without lawyers. We do not allow lawyers to practice in New France. We are not English.

Is evidence critical to a conviction?

I turned to the Criminal Ordinance of 1670 and other legal documents for this question. It does not take me long to find what I am looking for. Rumor alone constitutes legal grounds for accusing, arresting, and convicting an individual.

Does the accused get to face their accusers?

Confrontation is part of the judicial process. It enables the accused to deny accusations directly. It gives witnesses the opportunity to rethink, perhaps to revise, their earlier testimony.

Is torture an acceptable punishment?

The Criminal Ordinance permits torture for serious crimes. There are reasons for this. Torture can help extract a confession. This is important to get to the truth of a matter. There is also the issue of accomplices. Torture can help to draw out names that would otherwise die on an accused’s lips.

What are brodequins?

The brodequins are very effective. Misleadingly and accurately called laced boots or tight boots, this particular form of torture involves packing a person’s legs between narrow boards tightly bound. Wooden wedges are then pounded between board and human flesh. Bone breaks. Boards do not.

Are individuals presumed innocent until proven guilty?

French law says all accused are presumed guilty. The accused must prove their innocence.

What is the punishment for a capital crime like arson?

The punishment: death, torture, or banishment. Or some combination of those. Being found guilty will mean an end to the life someone knows regardless of the punishment.

What is the Code Noir?

The Code Noir explicitly states how slaves are to be treated in New France. It discusses punishment and freedom of movement, or more accurately, lack of movement. The Code also requires all slaves convert to Catholicism. It is an owner’s responsibility to ensure this happens. Sooner rather than later.

Is there an appeal process?

Mais oui! The appeal judgment would be rendered by the Conseil Supérieur in Québec. It is the foremost judicial body in New France. Their decision will be final.

Does Montreal have its own prison? Is there a jailer?

There is a prison, of course. It is attached to the courthouse – and it is where the jailer lives.

Blurb

On a warm spring day in April 1734, a fire raged through the merchants’ quarter in Montréal. When the flames finally died, 46 buildings – including the Hôtel-Dieu convent and hospital – had been destroyed. Within hours, rumors ran rampant that Marie-Joseph Angélique, an enslaved Black woman fighting for her freedom, had started the fire with her white lover. Less than a day later, Angélique sat in prison, her lover nowhere to be found. Though she denied the charges, witnesses claimed Angélique was the arsonist even though no one saw her set the fire.

Philippe Archambeau, a court clerk assigned specifically to document her case, believes Angelique might just be telling the truth. Or not. A reticent servant, a boisterous jailer, and three fire-scorched shingles prove indispensable in his quest to uncover what really happened.

Angélique’s time is running out as Archambeau searches for answers. Will the determined court clerk discover what really happened the night Montreal burned to the ground before it’s too late?

Excerpt

Chapter 6

Accused

Wednesday, April 14, 1734

Today I will focus on the de Franchevilles. Madame will play a key role in the trial. She accused Angélique of arson shortly after the fire started and before the town crier made the accusation public. There is a reason for her assurance, and it will come out in her testimony although it is clear this belief about Angélique’s guilt and Madame’s animosity are rooted in the relationship between owner and slave.

I would like to know more about that relationship, and I will start by learning more about the slave owner. As always, there are many documents to help me in my quest.

Thérèse de Couagne was born on January 19, 1697, in Montréal. This is her home. She belongs here. I wonder if that makes the loss of her house now all the more heart wrenching. As I read, I discover Madame de Francheville has suffered more losses in her life than wood and stone.

The first great loss was likely her father, Charles de Couagne, who died in 1706. Thérèse de Couagne would only have been nine years old, a child. Admittedly, a child of wealth. Charles de Couagne had been one of the richest merchants in Montréal. His daughter would have grown up in the lap of luxury, and in 1718, when she was twenty-one, she married François Poulin de Francheville an ambitious young merchant. Her dowry was 2,500 livres.

They would be married for fifteen years. The ambitious young merchant Thérèse de Couagne wed was a very wealthy man in his own right when he died in 1733. I check the death records. No cause of death is given, but we have been ravaged by pox in New France. No one is immune.

I am sure her husband’s death devastated Madame de Francheville, but as I read through the records of her life I wonder if there wasn’t a greater devastation. The de Franchevilles had a child. The child died after only a few weeks. I sit and stare at the record of death. I know, in part, this numbness I feel is because I am about to become a father. Madeleine will shortly give birth. I continue to stare at the record of death.

The child’s name was Marie-Angélique.

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Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

martinlutherking

Today is Martin Luther King Day, an American federal holiday that marks the birthday of an inspirational clergyman, activist, and leader who is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights in the United States.

My favorite quotations from Dr. Martin Luther King…

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?”

We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.

The time is always right to do what is right.


Happy December!

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

December comes from the Latin word decem, meaning “ten.” In Roman times, the calendar only had ten months and began with March. Winter was an inactive period for agriculture and military life; no months were assigned to it until 700 BC. When January and February were added, December was shortened to 29 days. In the subsequent Julian calendar, two days were added to December making it 31 days long.

Here are 10 more interesting facts about December:

1. There are two birth flowers for December: holly and narcissus (paperwhite). Both provide a splash of color for the season. Holly is best known as an evergreen shrub with red berries that appear later in the growing season. Its branches have been used in wreaths and centerpieces. Narcissus is a bulb that blooms beautiful white flowers. It stands for purity and unconditional love and is best grown indoors.

2. December has three birthstones: tanzanite, turquoise, and zircon. All three are best known for their beautiful shades of blue.

3. People born between November 23 and December 21 fall under the sign of Sagittarius, and those born later are under Capricorn. Outgoing and cheerful, Sagittarians are gifted and wise beyond their years. Capricorns are overachievers who make success look effortless even though they put considerable time and care into their careers and relationships.

4. Famous people born in December include Walt Disney on December 5, 1901; Emily Dickinson on December 10, 1886; Frank Sinatra on December 12, 1915; Taylor Swift on December 13, 1989; Jane Austen on December 16, 1775; Brad Pitt on December 18, 1963; Jane Fonda on December 21, 1938; Denzel Washington on December 28, 1954; Tiger Woods on December 30, 1975; and Donna Summer on December 31, 1948.

5. December has been designated National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, Universal Human Rights Month, National Car Donation Month, Learn a Foreign Language Month, Safe Toys and Gifts Month, Read a New Book Month, and National Pear Month.

6. Hanukkah, an eight-day “Festival of Lights,” begins on December 7. Other special holidays include Pearl Harbor Day on December 7, Christmas Day on December 25, and Boxing Day on December 26

7. Fun holidays include National Brownie Day on December 8, International Mountain Day on December 11, National Day of the Horse on December 13, National Maple Syrup Day on December 17, National Roast Suckling Pig Day on December 18, and Underdog Day on December 20.

8. The winter solstice marks the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. This day has the fewest hours of sunlight in the entire year. In 2023, the solstice will occur at 10:27 p.m. on Thursday, December 21.

9. Folklore for the month:

December changeable and mild, the whole winter will remain a child.
Thunder in December presages fine weather.
Frost on the shortest day is said to indicate a severe winter.
December cold, with snow, brings rye everywhere.

10. A December song from a December baby:

Honoring Rosalynn Carter

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

Earlier today, Rosalynn Carter passed away at the age of 96. A mental health advocate and humanitarian, Mrs. Carter served as the first lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981. She chaired the President’s Commission on Mental Health to help promote better services and protect those with mental illness from discrimination.

After leaving the White House, she and her husband co-founded The Carter Center in Atlanta, where they promoted conflict resolution and advanced human rights. She chaired the annual symposium on mental health issues, raised funds to aid the mentally ill and homeless, and advocated for families and professional caregivers living with disabilities and illness. She outlined the challenges of caregiving in her books, Helping Yourself Help Others and Helping Someone with Mental Illness.

In 1999, President Bill Clinton presented the Carters with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.

My favorite quotes from Rosalynn Carter:

A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.

I believe in mental health care and I believe that we must focus on long-term solutions to the mental health crisis facing our nation.

The measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members.

There are only four kinds of people in the world: Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.

I’ve learned that you cannot predict the outcome of situations or events, but you can control your reactions to them. You can focus on what’s within your control and let go of what’s not.

The best way to enhance freedom in other lands is to demonstrate here that our democratic system is worthy of emulation.

If you doubt you can accomplish something, then you can’t accomplish it. You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.

You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don’t win, at least you can be satisfied that you’ve tried.

Never underestimate the power of women. We are agents of change.

It’s never too late to pursue your dreams. Age should never be a barrier to success.

10 Things You Can Do Around the House to Avoid Writing

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author Kelly Byrd. Today, Kelly shares ten tested, tried and true procrastination tips and her new release, Great Big Ocean Sky, Book Two of the Far from Home Trilogy.

Here’s Kelly!

10. Organize a closet

We all have at least one that’s overflowing. Avoid your desk or workplace by taking apart another part of your home. Pull all of those old clothes out and start making piles of what to sell, donate, and keep. Your characters can wait while you complete this most important task!

9. Make an elaborate recipe

Everyone eats! And, of course, you can’t think clearly enough to write on an empty stomach. Step away from those complicated plot lines and make a nice risotto or a cake. You’ll be happy you did, even if your editor is frustrated you missed a deadline.

8. Fold some laundry

Some people love laundry; some people hate it. No matter your take, laundry has to be done. Plus, no one wants to write naked! Don’t let writing get you down. Fold that clean pile of laundry in the corner. The chair in your room will thank you.

7. Read someone else’s writing

We all need inspo to get the juices flowing! One of the best ways to shake the words loose is to read other people’s work. Grab a book, get cozy, and do some research. Because that’s exactly what you’re doing! You’re not avoiding your WIP; you’re researching.

6. Catch up with an old friend

I generally have a ‘people to call list’ as long as my arm. One way to get out of writing for the day is to catch up with your missed contacts. Plus, you can tell them all about your work in progress, and then you’re technically working and not avoiding writing.

5. Walk your dogs (or your cat, I guess?)

This is my personal favorite. When I hit a wall of writer’s block, I leash up my loyal pups and take them all over the place. We walk the neighborhood, we walk the trails around Nashville, and we hike by the lake. It’s a great way to reset your brain when writing days get long.

4. Go to the gym

Exercise is a necessity, but sometimes I feel like my procrastination has hit new heights when I go to the gym to avoid writing. Get some oxygen flowing to your brain and let your characters languish. They’re working your mind all the time. Give them a break and work your body.

3. Mop the floors

What’s the saying: A tidy house reflects a tidy mind? Fool the world that your brain is well organized by mopping the floors and getting your home into tip-top shape. It will make you feel better, even if you get behind on storytelling.

2. Practice a different art form

Want to get into painting? Stained glass? Pottery? Taking on a new hobby is a great way to distract from your current craft. Plus, exercising your creative brain in a different way can help your writer brain function better. Help yourself and your creative process by flexing a different creative muscle.

1. Take a nap

This is my numero uno, the absolute best way to procrastinate during writing. Plus, the written word exhausts me like no other form of expression. Improve your work and take care of yourself by catching a few much-needed Zs during a long day of writing.

I hope these procrastination tips helped! They’re all tested, tried, and true. Take my word for it

Blurb

Catch up with Mary Jingo as she trains with her friends in the Great Big Ocean Sky-side city of Festdelm. She may have survived the danger in Luminos, the City of Lights, but new challenges await as she, Teeny, Van Clare, Corb, Mikeala, and WindRunner continue their fight to save the Everything. When a new Shadowlander comes to LeeChee, will Mary be able to trust him—even if he is one of her closest friends?

Join Mary Jingo and her motley crew as they travel to the far ends of the world on their quest to save the Everything.

As more of LeeChee falls under Thrall, Mary must choose wisely. Whom will she trust? What bonds will endure? And… how did a Yorkshire Terrier end up as a part of this crazy experience?

The answers, dear reader, await inside as we set sail on the Great Big Ocean Sky.

Excerpt

WindRunner shot into the air, following the great ‘Dragon through the sky. Peregrina’s wake was strong and fast, and WindRunner put himself in the center of her air stream. Mary looked around, sensing for the other Thoughtdragons that had attacked the Garnet Revenge, but did not feel them.

It doesn’t mean they aren’t nearby, WindRunner said.

Really?

Do not become overconfident with this power, Mary Jingo. The Thoughtdragons are dangerous. Older even than my Kin. While I face the same temptation as you—I am drawn to her great power—remember that Peregrina wanted to be found. Otherwise, we would not have been able to follow her.

That couldn’t be possible, Mary puzzled to herself. She had known where Peregrina was. Mary had made this decision to follow Peregrina, hadn’t she? A stab of doubt hit Mary in the chest. Had they walked into a trap?

Peace, Warrior, WindRunner said soothingly. Peregrina wanted us to follow her. I don’t think she will harm you. I think she wishes to speak with you. Or, that is what Mikeala said to me before we left the boat.

You had a private Mindspan with Mikeala?

Yes. She told me I should take you if you wished to go.

Private Mindspans are rude when they are about someone else. The Father says so.

WindRunner laughed in her mind.

Suddenly, Peregrina stopped in midair and whipped around. WindRunner dove to keep from running straight into her serpentine length, ending their conversation. Peregrina beat her wings softly to stay stationary, and WindRunner flew around until he was face to face with the great Thoughtdragon.

Mary’s stomach sank. The last time she had been face to face in the air with someone like this, it had been the evil Mellie. She had won that battle, but only barely. She was not certain she could win a battle like that again. Peregrina was even more terrifying than Mellie. Her head was twice the size of WindRunner. The Thoughtdragon only needed to barely open her mouth to swallow them both whole.

WindRunner sent courage through their bond, but Mary felt his unease. He was being strong for her, just like she wanted to be strong for him. Peregrina spoke then to them both, her voice rich, gravelly, and musical, like a bass note dropped beneath a perfect melody.

“Well, you followed me out here, Shadowlander. What is it that you want?” She slithered her great head to the side as she said this, and Mary felt and smelled the Thoughtdragon’s untamed power. It blotted out her fear.

“I need your scales. Three of them. We need them in LeeChee. The Everything is shrinking, and I am fighting with the Resistors. We are trying to save it,” Mary said, breathing deeply. She spoke clearly and with confidence. “Please help us, great Peregrina.”

The ‘dragon shook her head and laughed.

“Save it? Save the Everything with my scales? Child, in your tiny mind, I might as well be the Everything. You cannot save the Everything with the Everything. And that world, that island, has been pitiful and beyond saving for many annuals now. Your Keeper is the size of a child. Don’t you see? It is lost. Go home to your dark, dark world and leave us in peace. Your People are causing the problem anyway.”

“My People?” Mary responded, trying to hide the hurt in her voice.

“Yes—you Shadowlanders. The Everything is created in the Shadowlands. It cycles up and up to places like LeeChee to be kept safe. Over time, it drifts back down to the Shadowlands and the cycle continues, with the ebb and flow of time. Do they not teach you anything in school down there?” Peregrina paused and turned her livid golden eyes to WindRunner.

“And you, the Lumon’s son. Bound by oath to protect a girl from the Shadowlands. Why have you done this?”

“She can save us,” WindRunner blasted back.

“Can she?” Peregrina replied with a grin on her giant mouth. “How? It is the greed of her People that has caused the blight in your lands. They don’t go outside anymore. They are trapped in their own heads, in their own tribes. They don’t listen to each other. They hardly interact with anyone who doesn’t think exactly how they do. How does one child heal rifts and tears that are hundreds of years old? This is why the Everything shrinks. Do you not know, WindRunner, son of Spearwing? Or are you all much too blind to see it?”

“Mellie is to blame for the Void. Mellie has been warping the Everything to her own purposes,” Mary said, yelling across the distance.

“Fool! Mellie was once like your precious Mikeala. As tall as a mountain and charged with keeping the Everything and the flow of the Cycles safe. She could no more turn the Everything into the Void than I can. It is against her nature. But to regain her former strength and form, she may have been tempted to help someone corrupt the Everything. The Void is powerful, even if it is unnatural. She may be helping the flow of the Void, but no, no. She did not create it.”

“Her scars,” Mary said to herself and WindRunner, thinking of the marks that marred the woman’s face. “Her scars are from the Void.”

“Yes,” Peregrina said. Her hearing must be excellent to perceive Mary over such a distance. “Yes. She has paid dearly in service to the Void.”

“You must help us,” Mary cried desperately. “Mikeala said you brought me out here to talk to me. Help me. I know you can.”

The giant Thoughtdragon swirled her body in the air in front of Mary. Small flames burst from her mouth when she laughed. Mary could feel their heat as they crackled in the air.

“Why would I help you? As I said, the greed of your people is what is causing LeeChee to die. It will grow dark and cold and fade, and me and my kind will visit it no more. And your land will suffer, Mary Jingo. As we have all suffered.”

“Please—you cannot let this happen.”

“How dare you!” Peregrina boomed. Her jaws opened wide. “How dare you accuse me of letting anything happen. It breaks my very being to know that LeeChee will fall into darkness and the Void, but I cannot intervene. Your People, you Shadowlanders, with your pride and your lack of imagination, your desperation for profit. You will kill LeeChee. I allowed you to follow me here because I wanted to see your face before I send you back to that darkened world of the Shadowlands. You don’t belong in LeeChee, Mary Jingo. You will only make things worse.”

Peregrina dove towards Mary and WindRunner, spinning her long body in the air and flapping her wings hard. WindRunner, always ready for attack, spun out of the way, as Mary gripped the handholds. She cast for Peregrina’s power, but found herself blocked from it.

WindRunner. She has shielded me. I cannot channel or control.

Sensing Mary’s fear, WindRunner burst through the air, the giant ‘dragon following swiftly behind. Peregrina was bigger, which WindRunner used to his advantage, banking and turning quickly through the air, making it hard for the Thoughtdragon to follow. Mary found herself dizzy and out of sorts, casting about for ideas. WindRunner blasted a mighty caw at the Thoughtdragon and watched as a jet of light shot from his beak and hit Peregrina squarely between the eyes. She roared angrily, then continued her wild pursuit.

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Author Bio and Links

Stories have crept around the halls of Kelly Byrd’s mind since she was a little girl. Not even the combined will of her two loyal pups, her devoted husband, and all her house plants could keep her from putting this story into the world. You’ll find this happy crew in Nashville. Tennessee.

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Giveaway

Kelly Byrd will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

Follow Kelly on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

All About Baga Shores

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome back author Candace Colt. Today, Candace shares interesting information about Baga Shores, the setting for the Baga Shores Romance Series.

Here’s Candace!

Laid-back Baga Shores is a Chamber of Commerce dream. No wonder 12,845 citizens call it home. And of those, the best guess is that half are Ordinary humans. The others? Let’s say they are anything but ordinary!

Baga Shores is a quaint fictional Florida town nestled between the Intercoastal and the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

1. Old-timers embellish tales like nobody else. One story is how, back in the day, kids stood on the Gulf side beach and threw rocks across the county highway until they splashed into the Intracoastal.

2. The town’s name derived from the Tocabaga Indians, who lived along the northern part of the Tampa Bay area from approximately 900 AD to the 1500s. (This was a real tribe, by the way!)

3. Several Tocobaga sacred burial grounds surround Tampa Bay. As a result, legend has it that Baga Shores has been protected from hurricane direct hits.

4. Perhaps fairy tale witches live in tiny huts in the deep forest, but Baga Shores’ venerated witch, Mimi Tanner, lives in a three-story flamingo-pink mansion with a four-car garage and the Gulf of Mexico for a backyard. She runs a mail-order potion business and conducts classes on Zoom.

5. The proprietor of the Spellbound bookstore is a coyote-shifter adopted as a child by the town’s veterinarian, a fox-shifter.

6. The Dockside Grille is a popular local restaurant with the best grouper sandwich in the county. The owner is a reformed bad boy who happens to be a Draio wizard.

7. The Kosmos Arms (known by locals as the Kos) is a 55-plus retirement community for gifted magicals. Although outdoor tropical plants are uncommon in this part of Florida, the Kos has a dense canopy of cocoa, banana, and rubber trees and a layer of lush green fern under it. Orchids hang like fiesta lanterns in a colorful rainbow from reds to violets. The story is that the garden emerged fully formed the morning after a beloved resident—a shaman—passed on.

8. Across the Causeway from Baga Shores is Rosemont Academy, a school for magically gifted students.

9. Baga Shores is home to many enchanted animals, but perhaps the most unique is Alika, a decades-old familiar who is prescient and can talk to humans.

10. One of the part-time bartenders at the Dockside communicates with any critter that lives in water—salt water, fresh water, a fish bowl. It doesn’t matter which kind or where it lives.

Buy Links

Bewitching Andie | Charming Sabrina | Enchanting Robbi

Author Bio and Links

Candace Colt lives the good life on Florida’s west coast with her husband of 48 years. After careers in education and the medical field, she launched her second life as a writer. Since she retired, she’s published nine paranormal romance books. She chose paranormal because it’s fun to write and because even shape-shifters, elves, psychics and time travelers deserve their happily ever after.

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10 Best Things About Writing Short Fiction

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome back award-winning author M. H. Callway. Today, Madeleine shares interesting facts about short fiction and her new release,
Snake Oil and Other Tales.

Here’s Madeleine!

1. Short stories are easier to write

Writing short fiction for me is the difference between training for a 5 km race and a marathon. Both require a lot of work, but work of a different kind. And the marathon/novel is a whole other kind of scary beast!

Perhaps because I started out writing short stories – and had my first professional publication that way – I find them fairly easy to write. Also, I’m an inveterate “pantser” rather than a plotter. I’ve started many novels and gotten hopelessly lost in the middle. Fortunately, some of these misadventures have turned into some of my favorite stories, like “The Seeker”, the last story in Snake Oil and Other Tales.

2. Short fiction allows me to create many new worlds

One wonderful advantage of writing short fiction is that I’ve been able to create many different characters and many weird and wonderful worlds for them to live in. The downside is that I have to leave these characters and their worlds behind when I reach the end of the story.

Belatedly, I’ve realized that Sherlock Holmes was the hero of many short stories and only a handful of novels. Why not follow my friends’ suggestions and write a series of stories with the same hero? That’s how I came to write the novella, Amdur’s Ghost, which was a follow-up to my comic mystery, Amdur’s Cat, starring beleaguered civil servant, Dr. Benjamin Amdur.

3. Short fiction is easier to get published

Short fiction offers many opportunities to get published. There are some well-established crime fiction markets like Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Mystery Magazine as well as many calls for anthologies, not to mention writing contests. Many leading crime fiction conferences like Bouchercon, Malice Domestic and Left Coast Crime publish an annual anthology of short stories every year.

4. Short fiction reaches readers more quickly

Every novelist knows that it takes a long time to write a novel and even longer to get it published. Even after the publisher accepts your manuscript, it can be several months, even years, before your book becomes available to readers.

It took me an entire year, working full-time, to finish my first and only novel, Windigo Fire and more than three years after that before it was published and released by Seraphim Editions. By contrast, short stories are usually accepted or rejected within a few weeks and appear in print or on-line after two to three months.

5. Short fiction has a great writers’ community

One of the best things about being a short fiction author is the wonderfully supportive community. The Short Fiction Mystery Society is a free on-line group that welcomes both Canadian and American writers. Together we writers share and discuss many issues facing us today. Serious ones like the use of AI and warnings about scams and more positively, new markets for short fiction. SMFS also has regular Zoom meetings and at major conferences, we always meet up for lunch, dinner or drinks in the real world. It’s a great way to meet some truly interesting and creative people.

6. Short fiction allows me to explore new genres

All authors have an idea that sits in the mind like a sliver. The idea bothers you until you get it out on paper. When my husband and I visited Vancouver a few years ago, we walked past the apartment building where I’d lived as a graduate student. To my enormous surprise, we discovered that the bakery where I’d grab breakfast on the way to the university, was still there. It had the same kind of baked goods on sale and even the same tables and chairs for customers. That got me thinking: what if a bakery stayed constant in time and place? That idea led me to write my speculative fiction story, “The Eternal Bakery of the Fractal Mind”.

7. Short fiction can still surprise you

At a recent When Words Collide conference, I was asked to join a panel on horror fiction. Horror fiction? I knew that some of my stories are noir, but horror? I don’t read much horror fiction and stay away from scary movies. That said, I did write Snake Oil, a novella about snakes and unscrupulous sales people. After a Noir at the Bar reading, this tough-looking tattooed “bro” approached me and told me I was a scary lady. Me? I thought. Turned out he had a snake phobia. So there are some benefits!

Turns out, your writing can stray into another genre without you even being aware of it, if you simply follow your muse.

8. Short fiction can help to get your writing get recognized

In my talk, How to Get Published, I always tell emerging writers, that their goal should be to get their manuscript to move to the top of the publisher’s slush pile. One great way is to show that they’ve been published already. One or more published stories can help build your credibility as a writer and may encourage the publisher to take a closer look at your submission.

9. Short fiction builds confidence in your writing

Getting a story published really helps to build your confidence in your writing. It’s not easy pursuing this isolating creative activity. It can be easy to get discouraged. A new publication, even better an award nomination or win, helps to keep going in this mad activity!

10. In the end, short fiction can become a book!

When I put my 10 most recently published stories and novellas together, I realized that had a big enough word count to make a book. That’s how Snake Oil and Other Tales came to be. This way my readers can find all my work in one place. And my family, including my grandchildren, know that I have put my retirement to good purpose!

Blurb

Welcome to the second collection of my published short fiction. These dark tales include strange guardians, mysterious bakeries, faithful dogs and yes, the slithery reptiles that strike fear in even the toughest bro’s heart. Many were finalists for the Crime Writers of Canada Awards for Excellence. They stretch from traditional mysteries to thrillers to speculative fiction and even to horror. What unites them are the characters struggling for justice – or their own warped perception thereof.

Danny Bluestone and Corazon Amorsolo, the protagonists of my novel, Windigo Fire, return in the thriller, Last Island. And Dr. Benjamin Amdur, the hero of Amdur’s Cat, has a second adventure in Amdur’s Ghost, a finalist for the 2023 CWC Best Novella Award.

Buy Links

Amazon CA | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU

About the Author

Margaret Cannon, crime fiction reviewer for the Globe and Mail, called M. H. Callway “a writer to watch”.

Many of Madeleine’s stories and novellas have won or been short-listed for leading awards, including the Bony Pete, the Derringer and the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence. In 2023, her work was nominated in two CWC categories (Best Short Story and Best Novella), the first time for a Canadian crime writer since the late Peter Robinson.

Her novel, Windigo Fire (Seraphim Editions, 2014) was a finalist for the 2015 CWC Award for Best First Novel and was a Huffington Post “Book for Book Clubs” selection. Under different titles it was a runner-up for the Debut Dagger and the CWC Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript.

In 2013, Madeleine co-founded the Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem collective, with Donna Carrick, author and head of Carrick Publishing. Today the Mesdames number 25 crime writers, publishers, editors, film makers and bookstore owners. They are the subject of the CBC documentary, The Mesdames of Mayhem, which you may view on GEM and YouTube.

Website | Twitter

Happy September!

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

September derives its name from the Latin word “septem,” which means “seven.” In the original Roman calendar, September was the seventh month of the year. That changed when the months of January and February were added.

Here are ten interesting facts about September:

1. The aster and the morning glory are September’s birth flowers. A symbol of love and patience, the aster comes in various colors, from purple and pink to white and red. The morning glory is a trumpet-shaped flower that blooms blue, pink, purple, and red. It symbolizes affection and mortality.

2. In the second verse of her poem, “September,” Mary Howitt provides the following vivid description:

There are flowers enough in the summertime,
More flowers than I can remember—
But none with the purple, gold, and red
That dye the flowers of September!

You can read Mary’s poem here.

3. The birthstone for September is sapphire. This gemstone is associated with loyalty and sincerity and is thought to encourage divine wisdom and protection. In the past, some people believed that if a sapphire was placed in a jar with a snake, the snake would die.

4. People born between August 23 and September 23 fall under the sign of Virgo, and those born later in the month fall under Libra. People born under Virgo are wise and highly analytical. Compassionate and empathetic, Libras dislike conflict and avoid confrontation.

5. September is a month of remembrance, a time to honor and remember those who have made sacrifices for their country: Patriot Day on September 11, POW/MIA Recognition Day on September 18, and Gold Star Mother’s Day on the last Sunday of September.

6. Labor Day, the first Monday of the month, is observed in Canada and the United States.

7. This year (2023), the Autumnal Equinox occurs on September 23. On this day, the sun is directly above the equator, and day and night are equal in length. In the Northern Hemisphere, this marks the start of fall.

8. September has been designated Hispanic Heritage Month, Blood Cancer Awareness Month, National Suicide Prevention Month, National Self-Improvement Month, National Chicken Month, and National Happy Cat Month.

9. Famous people born in September include Estee Lauder (September 1, 1908), Keanu Reeves (September 2, 1964), Beyoncé (September 4, 1981), Colin Firth (September 10, 1960), Sophia Loren (September 20, 1934), and Stephen King (September 21, 1947).

10. September has more pop and classic songs with its name in the title than any other month. Some of the more famous songs include “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, “September Song” by Frank Sinatra, “It Might as Well Rain Until September” by Carole King, “Maybe September” by Tony Bennett, and (my favorite) “See You in September” by The Happenings.

10 Interesting Facts about Sgt. Winston Windflower

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome best-selling author Mike Martin. Today, Mike shares interesting facts about the protagonist of the award-winning Sgt. Windflower Mystery series and his new release, All That Glitters.

1. He’s Cree from Pink Lake, Alberta

Windflower is a Cree from the fictional community of Pink Lake Alberta. People ask why did I make him Indigenous? I didn’t make him anything. That’s the way he came. Windflower came out of the fog one night in Grand Bank, Newfoundland and started talking to me. I just wrote down his story.

2. He likes to eat

This will come as no surprise to anyone who’s read any of the Sgt. Windflower books. His favourite foods are mostly meat and fish. And desserts, especially chocolate peanut butter cheesecake. Food is an important element in the Windflower books because they give a break in the police action, an opportunity to visit with friends, and sometimes a chance to reveal clues or additional details about crimes or criminals.

3. He likes to cook

Almost as much as he likes to eat, Windflower likes to cook. His specialities would be grilling or barbequing. Anything from steak to ribs to pork chops. He also loves to cook fish and makes a delicious fried cod with garlic mashed potatoes and maple Brussel Sprouts. And scrunchions. Small pieces of fried fatback pork that are sprinkled over the cod fish.

4. He likes to pick blueberries

He could spend hours picking any kind of berries, but blueberries would be his favourite. For him, he enjoys the quiet, meditative action of picking berries. Being outdoors in nice weather and being close to Mother Earth. And he loves all the baking that comes out of the berry crop. Sheila, his wife, makes a blueberry buckle that he could die for.

5. He likes Shakespeare quotes

Windflower and his friend Ron Quigley had an instructor at the RCMP training college who loved the Bard. He inspired these two young RCMP cadets to learn and practice quotes. They picked up the habit and carried it into their professional careers together. That’s why quotes are found all through the Windflower books. One that pops up a lot is ‘Hell is empty and all the devils are here’. Pretty apropos for police work.

6. He likes classical music

He didn’t always like classical music. More of a classic rock guy. But his friend, Herb Stoodley, turned him on to this type of music and he loves it now. Every so often Herb gives him a CD and he likes nothing better than to play it when he is travelling by himself on the lonely highways in Newfoundland.

7. He likes trout fishing

Another passion that he picked up from Herb Stoodley who is a master fisherman. Herb takes him all over the area to find the best fishing ponds and the biggest fish. They even go sea trout fishing in the rivers that run directly into the ocean. Those are some of the biggest and tastiest trout that Windflower has ever eaten. He grills them on the BBQ, by the way.

8. He likes walking and hiking

Windflower loves being outside. Even in the winter. Even in the rain, drizzle and fog that is often the weather in this part of the world. He especially likes walking on the many trails in the area and over the barrens and rocky hills overlooking Grand Bank. The view from the top is spectacular.

9. His pets Lady and Molly

Windflower and his collie Lady have a love affair ever since he rescued her after her original owner died in a car crash. They are constant companions on their daily, and nightly, walks around Grand Bank. He loves Molly the cat, too. But isn’t so sure that love is reciprocated. But he keeps working on that relationship and finds that morsels of salmon always help.

10. He loves Newfoundland

One characteristic of Windflower that would be apparent to anyone upon meeting him is that he has a great love of Newfoundland. He liked the community of Grand Bank right from the beginning, fell in love with Sheila at the same time and then grew to love the people, the food, even the weather. Well, not so much the weather, but the feeling of being so close to the ocean filled him up so much he can’t imagine ever leaving.

Blurb

Sergeant Winston Windflower is moving on to a new chapter of his life, no longer an RCMP officer but now a Community Safety Officer in his home of Grand Bank, Newfoundland.

But when a body is found in the bed and breakfast he co-owns, diamonds are found in the body’s digestive system, and then Windflower’s friend Dr. Sanjay, who was given the diamonds for safekeeping, is kidnapped, it’s clear that crime has returned once more to Grand Bank.

Windflower finds himself back in the thick of it, helping his newly promoted friend, RCMP Corporal Eddie Tizzard, track down a ruthless diamond smuggler who will stop at nothing — kidnapping, even murder — to pull off his dirty business.

This is another finely spun Windflower mystery that contrasts suspense and tension with the joys of friendship, family, and gratitude.

All That Glitters is available in fine bookstores all over Canada and around the world on Amazon.

Amazon CA | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU

Author Bio

Mike Martin was born in St. John’s, NL on the east coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a long-time freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand.

He is the award-winning and best-selling author of the award-winning Sgt. Windflower Mystery series set in beautiful Grand Bank. There are now 13 books in this light mystery series with the publication of All That Glitters.

A Tangled Web was shortlisted in 2017 for the best light mystery of the year, and Darkest Before the Dawn won the 2019 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award.

Some Sgt. Windflower Mysteries are now available as audiobooks and the latest A Tangled Web was released as an audiobook in 2023. All audiobooks are available from Audible in Canada and around the world.

Mike is Past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild and Capital Crime Writers.

You can follow the Sgt. Windflower Mysteries on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkerOnTheCapeReviewsAndMore/