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- My good pal, @JenSookfongLee, has hit it out of the park with this dazzling new memoir. Congratulations, Jen! Ex… https://t.co/rkiLy0xm3e about 1 year ago from Twitter for iPad
Category Archives: News
Beware, dear Countess, of sailors bearing tales from Toulon
To the Vicomtesse de Turenne, palais des Papes, Avignon, as Epiphany approaches, in the year of Our Lord, 1348. My dear Countess, I write to you as one much changed, whose day is filled with labour and singing the offices faithfully to Our Lord. I have found refuge in this harsh order, with its fierce rule of silence. Here, our hands do… Read More
Long View of London from Bankside by Wenceslaus Hollar
The most famous view of London is by Wenceslaus Hollar, titled “Long View of London From Bankside”, which shows the dense tapestry of buildings on either side of the Thames. The view stretches from the Globe Theatre, at the left (west) to the Tower of London on the right (east). I made good use of a huge print of this… Read More
Muse included in “Ambitious Novels That Offer Original Perspectives on History”
One of the pluses of this millennium is the ease of doing research on-line. When I taught literature, I was sceptical about my students using Wikipedia, but I have made my peace with it and couldn’t live without it now. Other wikis have emerged as finding-tools for information that used to reside in reference books and encylopedias. A few years… Read More
A Tour of the Maritimes
Ten years ago, in January 2009, I hopped an Airbus in Vancouver wearing new snow boots and carrying a down coat with a hood. I was heading to Saint John to read from my novel Conceit (Doubleday 2007) in the hugely successful Lorenzo Series, organized by poet-in-residence Anne Compton, the tastemaker of the Maritimes. Anne had arranged to bring me in a… Read More
Valentine’s Day and the San Miguel Writers’ Conference
February is shaping up to be an enjoyable month. Éditions Hurtubise is hosting a Valentine’s Day promotion for the French e-book/pdf of Muse for the very attractive price of $9.00. As they say, «Pour la Saint-Valentin, offrez-vous une histoire d’amour!» Guess where I’m going to be spending Valentine’s Day? In Mexico! In a few days, I’ll escape rainy Vancouver on… Read More
New Life for Muse
It’s been a good week for Muse. It was a pleasure to receive a thoughtful review on April 10 on the blog Ramblings of a Reader, by Maria Vigornia, with the intriguing title of “Fabula Argentea: Mary Novik’s Muse.” Also, on April 15, Caitlin Hicks, wrote a very generous review of Muse on Goodreads. Thank you, Maria and Caitlin! As well,… Read More
Authors for Indies Day, May 2, 2015
On May 2, 2015, authors across Canada will be volunteering in independent bookshops to meet customers and hand-sell books. This initiative, called Authors for Indies, has been organized by author Janie Chang of Vancouver to help bookstores build sales and attract new customers. The list of participating bookstores and authors can be found at www.authorsforindies.com Over 120 bookstores and 480… Read More
The French Muse
Spring is blooming here in Vancouver (sorry, rest of Canada!) The crocuses are already finished, the azaleas are in flower, and the videos of our Japanese cherries and plums are already up on YouTube. The writing scene is blooming as well. Today is the publication day of the French translation of Muse, a glorious day! The translators are Lori Saint-Martin… Read More
Novel Nights at The Book Warehouse on Main
If you live in Vancouver, you know about The Book Warehouse, which has been going strong at Broadway and Ash since 1980. In 2012, they were rescued from looming closure by Cathy and Mel Jesson of Black Bond Books, and I had the pleasure of appearing there, with Roberta Rich, in 2013 (see photo). A year ago, Book Warehouse on Main… Read More
YouTube Video of Pope’s Palace in Avignon
This YouTube video will take you on a tour of the Pope’s palace in Avignon. We begin outside the west façade of the palace, where a busker is entertaining for coins, enter through the double portcullis, take a look around the courtyards, peer out of the Pope’s indulgence window. Then we join the secret palace tour to see inside a… Read More