CategoriesArchivesJanuary 2012 |
November 2008Oh dearFor those of you who are curious how my first TD Book Week readings went today… well unfortunately, there were no readings. Last night around 10 o’clock I got laid flat with the worst flu ever. I won’t go into the gory details, let it just suffice to say, sleep was not possible. Finally now, it seems to be taking pity on me and I am praying that soon, like before tomorrow morning, it lifts totally. It’s weird how embarrassed I am when I get sick. Like somehow if I was stronger, or better, or something, I’d be able to bypass it, muscle through. I wonder if I’ll ever want to eat again. Rog & Jim are cooking their dinner and I wish there was an openable window here, because they are great cooks, but honestly, the smell of it is doing all kinds of unpleasant sensory recall things to my nose and throat and stomach. I’m trying to breath real shallow. I felt horrible for the schools that were expecting me. We’ve worked something out, and I’ll swing back here and see them after Ottawa but still I feel bad. I don’t like letting people down.
Posted by Meg Tilly on Monday, November 17, 2008 in Chewing the Fat Saturday nightWell here I am, all cozy in my pajamas tucked into my bed at the Toronto Downtown Bed and Breakfast. I arrived in pouring rain, and was promptly smothered into a big bear hug by Jim and whisked upstairs to where Rog and a Meg sized (translation: child sized portion) lemon drop martini was waiting. Which I sipped and discreetly twirled until I had nibbled all the chunky sugar off the rim. Then I talked them into going for dinner with me and we caught a cab down to Queens street to a restaurant that was an old converted butcher shop. The food was tasty and the company even better. I’m really glad I’m staying with them. It makes the old-I’m-in-Toronto-and-so-where’s-Emily feeling easier to deal with. Tomorrow I have a free day and I’m going to have lunch with my friend, Deirdre Baker (author of the acclaimed children’s book, Becca At Sea.) A day of rest before Monday, when I hit the ground running, the start of an extravaganza of readings all week and then it’s off to Ottawa for 5 more. After that I hop on a plane and arrive back in Vancouver in time to catch four out of the five nights that my boy, Will’s play is running. He has been working really hard on it and my fingers are crossed that it goes really wonderfully for him. K.C. Dyer did a lovely blog about the Kidsbook launch on Thursday, complete with pictures if anyone is interested, just type in her name and it will come up. Well, I’ve brushed and flossed my teeth, washed my face, blogged to you, so now I think I’ll tuck down into bed and finish the trashy, very fun, paperback novel I bought for the plane ride. Bye all. Sweet dreams. xo Posted by Meg Tilly on Saturday, November 15, 2008 in Chewing the Fat TonightI just came back from the Orca group book launch. I would have been home sooner, but I got all the way to Burrard Street and realized that I left the gorgeous flowers and chocolate that Laurie (friend but also kick-ass photographer) gave me, so I whipped the car around and raced back. The door was locked and most everybody had left, but luckily, a few hardworking Kidsbooks employees were doing the finishing touches on putting the store back the way it was. So, what were the highlights of the evening for me? I’m going to give you scatter-shot reflections. Having dinner with Karen aka K.C. Dyer (Seeds of Time, Ms Zepher’s Notebook, etc) before the Kidsbooks event. That she came, drove all that way, over all those bridges, so I wouldn’t have to go it alone. Laurie showing up, which was wonderful in itself, but she brought flowers and chocolate!! Watching her and Karen talk cameras. Seeing James McCann (author of the Rancour, Pyre books) walk in through the door with Lee Fodi (Chronicles of Kendra Kandlestar: The Box of Whispers) And here’s the thing that really moved me. First off, James now lives in Coquitlam. For those of you who know Vancouver, Coquitlam is not exactly next door to the West Broadway Kidsbook’s store. Secondly, both James, Lee and K. C. Dyer bought my book. Now, as all of you know, being a children’s author is probably the lowest paying profession you can go into. Seriously. Just that they showed up was really amazing, but when all three of them, pulled out their hard cold cash and bought my reluctant reader Orca Soundings book, because really, what do they need with that? Anyway, it really touched me. Then there was that moment when I started my reading and looked to the right and saw a group of students and staff from New Westminster Secondary. First, that they traveled all that way. Second, how much they love books. Do you have any idea how wonderful it is to see a group of teenagers wandering around Kidsbooks looking like they’ve died and gone to heaven. Sarah, (librarian and knitter of fabulous scarves) trying to limit her book spending but unable to resist. She reminded me of myself in a candy store. I always walk away with way more than I should. And Norma Charles (author of The Girl in the Backseat) came. I didn’t see her until after the reading was over and I really enjoy the kindness that radiates out from her gentle face. And now my mind skips back to the NWS teens, standing gazing at a particularly awesome wall of books, and me overhearing them tell one of their cohorts who had gone up and was looking at a book, to stand back because he was obstructing the view. Listening to the other authors talk about and read from their books. Finding out that Ann Chandler ( a woman I met at New Westminster Secondary) not only published that book she told me about, but that her book, Siena Summer, had actually just come out and was on sale right there in the store! I love it how I meet people and they have a dream and then the next time I meet them the dream has become a reality. This happens all the time and it makes me feel good for all the people at home who are writing with the hopes of being published. Because it does happen. All the time. And so it might as well be you. So all of you aspiring writers out there, don’t give up hope. I would say, at least once a month, I meet someone who is celebrating their first published book. Posted by Meg Tilly on Thursday, November 13, 2008 in Chewing the Fat Rosie O’DonnellHi everybody, I wanted to make sure that everyone knew about Rosie’s new variety show. It’s going to be LIVE at 8:00 o’clock on Wednesday November 26th Actually… I’m not an authority on it, with fancy special inside information. I’m just imagining it will have all those fabulous things because that’s what live variety shows are. And how nice will it be in these troubled times to pop myself a bowl of popcorn, sit back on the sofa, turn the channel to NBC and and let go of all my worries watching people sing and dance amazingly well. Like those little Broadway Kids that Rosie has taken from the hard-knock streets and with one of her many charitable foundations has given them a school and the chance to experience first hand the thrill and magic of the theater. And she did this because Rosie knew what really feeds the soul. Food is nice, as is shelter and a warm place to sleep, but dance, song and theater, that is what makes the heart soar. Makes the spirit dream big. It’s going to be wonderful to see. I saw Rosie’s Broadway kids dancing a happy birthday song to Rachael Ray and they were fantastic! And another thing that’s going to be so great about Rosie’s new show is I just bet there is going to be ... LOTS OF CONFETTI!!! Nothing makes a good time seem even happier like falling multi-colored confetti. So, everybody, make sure you mark it in your calendar. Rosie O’Donnell’s new variety show, LIVE at 8:00 o’clock on Wednesday November 26th Oh, and another thing, even if you aren’t partial to Rosie, but you like me… then you aren’t off the hook. Do it as a favor to me. Put the t.v. on and then go read a book if singing and dancing doesn’t rock your boat, because the more people that have their TV’s switched to that channel the better chance it has of flying, and I really, really want this to work for her. Thanks! xo Posted by Meg Tilly on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 in Chewing the Fat Sorry…I went to my upcoming events page to clean up the last couple of events that have passed and I noticed to my embarrassment, that I had switched the dates of Hycroft and Kidsbooks. I have corrected it now, but to those of you who were coming to Kidsbooks tomorrow… DON’T! The Orca Group book launch is on November 13th at 7 pm, NOT on November 12th. Eeep… sorry about that. Sometimes I switch numbers and letters around by accident, that’s why I always have to have things written down. I made Toll House chocolate chip cookies today. I’ve tried tons of chocolate chip recipes, but Toll House remains my favorite. I’ve eaten 3 of them and am flirting with a 4th. Posted by Meg Tilly on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 in Chewing the Fat TD Book Week coming soonI received my itinerary for the TD Book Week tour last night and it was very thoroughly laid out and reading it over, I found that I was starting to get excited. It’s going to be tiring with 3 to 4 readings a day, plus traveling from place to place, but oh my, how lucky I feel. To have been chosen to be one of the authors touring, is really a privilege. I hope it goes well. I hope the students like me, my books. I’ve received several welcoming emails from teacher/librarians already, so that was nice. Makes it not so daunting to walk into a strange place, plop myself down and begin cold turkey. By the way, Susie, my web design go-to person was under the weather and is running a bit behind. Consequently, my new book cover isn’t up on the site yet, so I’m going to attempt to put it up on my blog. This is a rather questionable operation, because Don is away right now, running around a gym, playing hockey with his friends. And all my bloggers know that Don is my fix-it man. So, if the cover comes out the size of an elephant, just come back tomorrow around mid-day and Don will have figured out what to do.
First Time is an Orca Sounding book. These books are written for those teens who break out in a cold sweat when faced with a 350 page novel. They are fast moving, high interest, chapter books, that are designed for teens, the issues they are dealing with today, in a way that is realistic and true to life. They run between 14,000-16,000 words. The publishers, Bob Tyrell and Andrew Wooldridge have done a wonderful job with these books and there is a real need for this type of reading material to appeal to and speak to the reluctant reader. I was thrilled when they approached me and asked if I would consider doing one, as several of the people closest to my heart have had challenges reading. And it is very hard to find things for them to read that wouldn’t discourage and tamp down the desire. The other day, Bob told me about a librarian who wrote in, saying that she loves these books and the only problem she’s having, is not trying to get the teens to read them, because they are gobbling them up, Her problem is that they are hard to keep on the shelf because the kids are stealing their favorite ones. Now, some of you might be saying, “Oh, how horrible!“ But really, trust me, for a reluctant reader to want to keep a book, this is an amazing break-through. So, it might sound like an odd wish… but I hope my First Time is one of those books that those kids want to steal. (Even better, of course, if they check it out of the library numerous times, or buy it, if they love it that much.) But the main thing is, I hope it speaks to them in a way that makes them want to read more and also, to let them know that they aren’t the only one that these kinds of things happen to and that hopefully, after they read it, they won’t feel so alone. And speaking of reaching out… Emily called today! (I’m smiling at the computer right now) We had a lovely chat. It was really nice to hear her voice, talk about things. (Still smiling) Dave just left for the evening visit, looking much better than when he arrived. Even though I felt bad that Dave was sick, it was so fun having both of my boys, yuking it up on the sofa, eyes sparkling. Don, egging them on. Me, being the mom. All the gingersnaps are gone by the way. Three dozen cookies in 24 hours. Yes, life is good. Posted by Meg Tilly on Monday, November 10, 2008 in Chewing the Fat A happy surprise visitDavid came home last night looking tired. He’s been sick for the last few days and subsisting on canned soup and lots of fluids, but yesterday evening the worst of it started to lift, so he dragged himself to the ferry and came here for some home comfort and mothering. I whipped up a batch of gingersnaps, his favorite childhood cookies. Nice and crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside with a half of a melted marshmallow on the top. And when he arrived, a little after ten, I made him a hearty sandwich on a fresh baguette and it did my heart good to watch him eat it. He seemed hungry. Said it was his first solid food for a few days. Then he downed several cookies and I made him a large mug of hot fresh squeezed lemon and honey and boiling water. Will came ambling into the kitchen/family room. “When did you get here?“ He said, first surprise and then delight, in rapid succession, flying across his face. It was lovely, having both boys here. I didn’t want to go to bed, even though it was late. And I missed Emily as well. Hard to believe this phase of my life is going to be over soon. Was wondering if I should rethink the whole, selling this big old house and downsizing. It’s nice for them all to have some place to come home to. But then again, would it be too lonely? If we stayed here, would Don and I feel like two lonely ghosts, rattling around this big old place, waiting for the children to come home for a few days or a week so that we could start our lives again? Do the kids prefer to come home here? They don’t know this house well, but they know it some. Is coming here a comfort to them? Or would they prefer, now that Don and I won’t have the structure and restrictions of a daily school or work schedule, that after next year, we are the ones who pick up and go visit? They’ll have jobs, limited vacation time, whereas Don and I will have all the flexibility in the world. What’s the best thing to do? I don’t know. I guess when everyone comes home this Christmas, we can all talk about it and figure out what is best. Make a family decision. Posted by Meg Tilly on Sunday, November 09, 2008 in Chewing the Fat The upcoming holidaysI got a lovely email from my sister, Jennifer today about Christmas plans and then towards the end of the email, “Please don’t buy me an expensive gift. With the economy the way it is, I would love to get a keychain, or a candle, or (some yummy) homemade fudge!“ And I thought, what a great idea. So, family and friends, as we are heading into the holiday season, I want all of you to know that I would prefer not to get presents this year. Send me a pretty card, or a recent photo of you and your loved ones. Write me a poem. Or if you find your Christmas simply won’t be complete without sending something, then give me a small Christmas tree ornament, either homemade or bought, that can dance happily on my tree and be a part of our Christmas celebration. But nothing more than that. I have enough stuff and don’t want you wasting your money on buying me more. No presents please. I know you love me. xo Posted by Meg Tilly on Friday, November 07, 2008 in Chewing the Fat Don has a fat lipI was feeling peckish and so I decided to roast a marshmallow or two. “What are you doing?“ Don asked, perking up from where he was sitting on the sofa watching the Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers go at it. “Roasting marshmallows.“ “Oh,“ Don said and the next thing I knew the TV was off and he was standing next to me by the stove and so I handed him a fork with a marshmallow stuck on the prongs. It was fun and the marshmallows tasted good and we were having a great time, but then I guess my conversation was so interesting and scintillating that Don forgot that he had to blow out the flames on his marshmallow before he popped it into his mouth. Needless to say, he’s not roasting marshmallows anymore. He is nursing his fat lip, slathering it in Aloe. He’s back to watching hockey and wishing he’d never stopped. Posted by Meg Tilly on Thursday, November 06, 2008 in So much has happenedOn Monday, I spent a wonderful day with Dave and feel privileged to have been able to witness and be a part of this next big step in life he is taking. Fingers crossed he will look back on this time with pride and happiness and the feeling that he made the right choice and it turned out well.
Here is a picture Dayle Sutherland (the publicity maven of Orca Books) took of me at the group book launch we did at Bolen Books, Tuesday night. The reason I am glowing is because as the evening progressed it became clearer and clearer that it was a decisive victory for Obama. Everybody at Orca had done a terrific job setting up the launch, with food and drinks and everything ran smooth, but what really made the night for me, and I think everyone else as well, was the party atmosphere that started to grow and build as the results came in. And I thought of my daughter, Emily, who would drive to swing States with her friend Elizabeth, when they had time off and they would pound the pavement knocking on doors. After the book launch, Dawna and I drove back to her house and Bob was watching on T.V. “I’m happy,“ he said. Which surprised me. After 8 years, I feel like I’m finally getting to know the inside Bob. The one he doesn’t show the world. He surprised me a lot this last visit. I surprised myself. We watched Obama speak, and I could feel his determination, good intentions and at the very end, as he was exiting the stage, his deep bone-weariness. I couldn’t help but scan the crowds, hoping to see my daughter’s glowing face. When I called Don on the phone that night, tucked into bed, he told me Emily had called and I felt like I lost something precious. Not getting to hear her voice, share in her celebration, on this pivotal night in history. A night that she had been working for and campaigning for before the primaries had even started. The next morning it was breakfast with Samantha and then off to the ferry. The world felt different to me. People’s faces lighter. Strangers talking to each other on the street. And yes, this is Canada, so we already do that, but it was more than usual. Different. Hopeful. I got back with just enough time to catch up on a few backlogged emails and such and then it was off to Christianne’s Lyceum of Literature and Art to meet with the Chronicle Crusaders who were such a delightful bunch. This was for my novel, Porcupine, and I always LOVE it going to Christianne’s various book clubs because everyone has always read the book and it makes the discussions way more fun! And it always makes me feel so great to hear how much they love Jack and to get their thoughts on the story and characters in it. Talking with them made me want to write more books for their age group. I think, after I finish the adult manuscript and the edits for the new YA, that that is what I’m going to do. It’s such a hopeful age. And it’s fills my heart to spend time with them. One thing though, that I forgot to mention to the mothers of the Chronicle Crusaders is : My website is not appropiate for your girls to cruise on their own. They must be supervised. It is okay for them to click on the Singing Songs cover as the story inside is about my pet deer and there is a picture of Tilly-two on the inside. BUT THEY MUST NOT CLICK ON THE GEMMA COVER. The content is highly inappropriate for their age. Thanks.
Posted by Meg Tilly on Thursday, November 06, 2008 in Chewing the Fat HiJust a short note to let you know I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth. I’ll do a nice long blog tomorrow. Promise. Posted by Meg Tilly on Wednesday, November 05, 2008 in Chewing the Fat Island jauntI’m off to the Island to spend the day with my boy, Dave. Then I’m sleeping over at my friend, Dawna’s house and she’s promised not to give me the haunted bedroom so that’s good. (You remember Dawna, the guest blogger last Spring, and my hiking extravaganza buddy this summer.) Anyway, her husband shall have to listen to our cackling and my liberal left-leaning ways for two nights. He’s rather conservative, but he puts up with me with relative good humor… He must really love her. I have the group Orca authors presentation at Bolen Books, 7pm on Nov. 4th. Yes, I know, it’s election night in the States, so I imagine it will be a modest gathering. Ruth, from Claremont Secondary said she’s going to come, so that will be nice. Then… the next morning… coffee/tea with my friend Samantha! You know her. She came with me back-stage to visit with Rosie when the True Colors Tour was in Vancouver. We were the girls having Fun! Not only does she have this amazing joie de vive, but she also runs one of my favorite bookstores of all time (Bolen Books) with her mom, Mel. So, now that we are in November, the days are speeding towards the holidays and our minds turn towards what to get people for Christmas that is thoughtful, and easy to ship and not too much money, because times are hard… Well, that’s easy. A nice book. There are so many kinds. Literary fiction, holiday fiction, suspense, thrillers, cookbooks, autobiographies, romance, children’s books, and on and on and on. And if you live on Vancouver Island and you want a huge selection and a knowledgeable staff. Bolen Books is the place to go. It’s in the Hillside mall. There is lots of parking. And they have tons and tons of world famous authors who come there and read, so check out their events schedule and if there is a favorite author of yours coming to read and you can’t attend, you can always call ahead and have them get a book signed, personalized to you or your loved one and charge it to your credit card. I know I sound like a commercial and this time, unfortunately, I can’t have a disclaimer. I do have an ulterior motive. Samantha’s my friend! Posted by Meg Tilly on Monday, November 03, 2008 in Chewing the Fat Sunday meanderings, a few warnings and whatnotHello everybody, Don’t forget it’s daylight savings time today. I’m never sure at what exact time it starts, but we turned the clocks back last night before we went to bed just in case. That way we’ll be ready for Monday. I used to be really excited when we hit the fall-back portion of daylight savings. An extra hour of sleep before I had to crawl out of bed, but now, with this menopausal waking up in the wee hours of the morning. Who cares? I woke up a little after three (four by yesterdays time) and lay in bed for a while, trying to sleep, but then I had a sneezing fit and that woke my brain up, so here I am. It’s dark outside. It has been for quite some time. I’ve eaten a nice wedge of the pecan coffee crumble cake I made yesterday, and I might have to get myself another. I caught up on the latest Investment Postcards From Cape Town posting. Read an email from a neighbour/friend who was sad to find out that we’ve put our seaside cabin in the woods up for sale and I tried to feel practical about it. Look to the future, that kind of thing. I know that I made the right decision, even if sometimes it doesn’t feel that way. Now, on another topic entirely, I don’t want to be all gloom and doom, but there are certain things that I feel it’s important for you to know. I’ve always found that if I am aware of the worst case scenario that I can try to look ahead and find a way to circumvent the disaster and try to take the steps that will hopefully protect me and my loved ones. So, with that in mind I felt the need to post the following quote from Richard Russell’s (Dow Theory Letters) latest remarks .
I feel this way as well. So, please, be careful. I have read various reports that put the expected unemployment figures for next year at 8-10%. A million job in the U.S. lost last year, another million expected to be lost in 2009. EVEN if it feels impossible to do, you need to put aside whatever you can possibly spare for a safety net. Every day I hear of another big corporation cutting or making plans to cut thousands of jobs. I walk past stores and often the only people inside are the people who work there. How long will they keep all these people employed when there are no customers? Restaurants that a year ago, required reservations at least a week in advance, I can now walk into at any time, without a reservation and they are only half full. One in five houses in America owe more on their mortgage now than their houses are worth. And the housing market continues to slide. Times are changing. I feel like when we look back, many years from now, we will shake our heads and wonder. Of course things always feel a little bit more scary when I am the only one up, with no one to talk to, the world dark outside. But just in case, be careful, do what you have to do to get your finances in order, to keep your roof over your head and your family safe.
Posted by Meg Tilly on Sunday, November 02, 2008 in Chewing the Fat |
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