Annette's Blog
For Paris: a poem
Erasure: This is a process in which a writer extracts words, in the exact order as they appear in a text, ‘erasing’ the rest, to create a poem. I chose Susan Sontag’s On Photography. I opened Sontag’s book at a random page, spotted the word ‘Paris’ and began. For...
In Memoriam
In Memoriam for Bailey Jerome Swaggart I’ve never met Bailey Jerome Swaggart, a young soldier from West Monroe, Louisiana. I got to know him through his grieving mom, Shalia Swaggert, a woman I admire for her ability to find the brightness in even the darkest day—...
My Fav Novel of 2014!
Ellen in Pieces by Caroline Adderson is my favourite novel of 2014! It is laugh-out- loud funny, sexy, and very moving. The word that first comes to mind is delicious. The novel is a gossipy treat, entertaining as hell, but at the same time brilliantly written with...
After thoughts on the Kinder Morgan Protest
It was raining hard as my husband and I trudged up Burnaby Mountain. We had dressed in layers, fleece jackets and rain gear, hats and hoods and gum boots. To get to the Kinder Morgan drill site, we had to circle half way up a hillside where the mud was thick and...
20 Book List
When my Goodreads and Facebook friend, Liisa Rene, tagged me to list 10 of my favourite books, I checked my Goodreads list and ended up with 20. Then I managed, with much difficulty to narrow the list down to 10 but I'd left out so many books that I loved. How can you...
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? My inspiration for a recent picture book manuscript was a sighting of wolves at our cabin in the Cariboo. It was last winter when we were hunkered down in front of a roaring fire and my daughter spotted three wolves crossing the...
Review of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
If you're a writer struggling with plot, read Gillian Flynn's novel Gone Girl. You will be inspired! Flynn knows how to hook the reader, lead her down the garden path, only to reveal that all the assumptions she has made so far are false. Flynn's ability to...
Review of The Fault in Our Stars
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is a brilliant, funny, tragic story about a couple of dying teenagers with cancer. What? you're probably thinking. I wouldn't go near that kind of book with a ten foot pole. Who wants to be depressed? Who wants to think about...
The War on Wolves
The War on Wolves This winter, my husband, Michael Sather, and I saw three wolves cross the frozen lake in front of our cabin in the Cariboo. It was one of those special moments when time stands still, when you are grateful to witness something rare and beautiful. ...
Review of David Guterson’s Ed King
Ed King by David Guterson is a deliciously clever and brilliant page-turner that impressed me with its sheer audaciousness. Guterson is a superb storyteller who will hook you almost from the start and deliver surprise after surprise as his characters head for...