…from my [sort of post-Grinchian-raid] house to yours.

 

Warm wishes [and high hopes for walls!] in the new year!

 

More soon…

 

~kc

It’s been a pretty chaotic day, involving Christmas dinner #1, the relocation of Many Large Furnishings, the organizing, wrapping, presenting and unwrapping of gifts and enough heavily-burdened ascension to qualify as a stairmaster gold-medalist. Construction is still in full swing and life around the Dyer Menagerie may well be more crazed than ever…but I am typing this from my own bed for the first time since the beginning of October. Sheets and self are freshly laundered.

I am therefore electing to close my door on the crazy for the night and just be happy to be home.

More soon…

 

~kc

But first — the best Christmas mash-up evah!

 

So, happy holiday-crazy season. Hope things are not too stressful for you these days.

Personally, I had a good day getting some Christmassy stuff done, so I thought I’d rest my feet a bit and give you, dear readers, a few suggestions for gifts this year. Most of these books came out in 2011, and all are favourites. And yeah — they were all written by friends of mine. Lucky for you I hang around with such a talented crew!

These are in no particular order, beyond the fact I kinda started near the beginning of the readerish spectrum and moved onward from there.

Have other ideas you’d like to add? Send a comment!

For wee kids [and romantics]…

THE MELANCHOLIC MERMAID — Written by Kallie George, this is a beautifully-crafted book by Simply Read that is lovely to read aloud. It has a cool trailer, too!

For young readers just stepping beyond picture books…

Jacquie Pearce’s new chapter book published by Orca Books, MYSTERY OF THE MISSING LUCK is a great little adventure for kids just beginning to read chapter books — ages 7-9.

For young readers 8 and up…

The adventures of Kendra Kandlestar continue as she plunges headlong into her fourth adventure KENDRA KANDLESTAR AND THE CRACK IN KAZAH, when the flaw in a beautiful stone leads to adventure. Lee Edward Fodi continues his streak of producing wonderful, winning novels for imaginative readers of all ages.

For teen boys, girls [and all humans with a sense of humour]…

Don Calame’s sequel to the amazing SWIM THE FLY zings out with his usual hysterically funny flair. BEAT THE BAND is Coop’s story, but Matt and Sean are back, and teenage boy lust and insanity are in the air along with the [sometimes painful] melodies of battling rock bands. From Candlewick Press.

For adult lovers of rock music tinged with the supernatural…

THE FIVE, the latest contemporary novel by the prolific Robert McCammon. This story is a mesmerizing page-turner with characters who compel themselves right off the pages and into your imagination. Published by Subterranean Press.

For adult readers of all things Jamie and Claire…

Diana Gabaldon’s newest book THE SCOTTISH PRISONER just debuted at number one on the G&M booklist in Canada, and is a NYT Bestseller already. This is the story of Jamie’s relationship with the notorious [and loveable] Lord John Grey as the two men travel a dark road to Ireland in search of a mystery that can only be solved — together.

For adult readers who like a little swash to their buckle…

CC Humphreys has written the sequel to his bloody VLAD: THE LAST CONFESSION set in war-torn Constantinople, otherwise known as A PLACE CALLED ARMAGEDDON.

For legal mystery lovers…

Robert Dugoni has brought his intrepid attorney David Slone back in MURDER ONE, published by Touchstone, for another tale of twisting intrigue.

And as a little non-fiction entry, for those interested in Social Media in all its permutations…

Darren Barefoot’s book, written with his business [and life] partner Julie Szabo, was somewhat presciently titled  FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS: A Social Media Marketing Handbook, since it came out before the movie of the same name. But, as someone who has heard Darren speak to the subject on many occasions, I think it’s a great little addition to anyone’s bookshelf who is interested in the benefits and pitfalls of marketing online.

And…that’s it for now.Did I miss a favourite title of yours you’d like to add? Send me a note in the comments!

Of course, if none of the above fit the bill…you can always go into your favourite bookstore and ask for a kc dyer book. She’d really appreciate it! [And every book you buy means she can live to write of herself in third person another day — so to those of you who support this particular artist by buying her books — thank you!]

More soon…

 

~kc

We have doors!

This is a Big Deal. It is clearly December, after all.

 

Just look at these lovely, stalwart young men installing ’em!

 

Not sure if you can tell from this picture, but … 

I still have a problem with missing windows, siding, walls, and [sadly] heat.

But this rebuilding part is SO much more fun than the tearing out the mouldy ceilings and ripping off the siding part.

So. Much. More. Fun.

Anyway, the assorted wildlife/offspring who populate the place are all keeping warm through a variety of tactics, and we are hoping for windows and siding this week. Ceilings and walls must surely follow?

And…and, even …one day…heat.

It will happen!

More soon…

 

~kc

So, the good news is, my daughter wasn’t too cranky that I blogged about her. And I’ve had lots of interesting feedback on the post yesterday, so hope you had a chance to enjoy it.

In fact, my girl came back at me today with a new blog post idea, so to honour _her_ bravery [in life], and this boy’s [at school], I give you…Jonah.

 

 

I work with lots of kids this age, and I love seeing one stand up for himself in such a brave way. Go Jonah — and here’s a reason to add to your million. You are an inspiration.

 

More soon…

 

~kc

 

You know, when I was a [very] young woman, I had a weirdly strong belief that things improve as time passes and people learn more of themselves and the universe around us. I grew up just after the era of women’s lib had shaken the world, and it seemed to me that equality for all human beings was just a matter of time.

When I had children, I naturally passed these values along. I’m very proud of the young woman my daughter has become [though, as the child of a writer, she gets pretty testy about being the subject of my work, so I don’t mention her a whole lot in this forum]. But right now she is working very hard to finish her degree, and has her eye on post-graduate work in a far-away land.

She wants to be an archeologist.

So when I saw a wonderful clip of scientists speaking about the importance of teaching the concept of evolution in schools, it put me in mind of my girl. I was so impressed with the varying definitions presented, and not until about half-way in did I begin to notice that all of experts speaking are women.

When I went back to the source, another blogging scientist named Maggie Koerth-Baker, I read that the video was a kind of reasoned response to this very, very sorry evidence that the young-version of me was wrong. Things do not always move forward. I’ll post it here, but will forgive you if you can’t make it all the way through…

 

 

And here’s the clip that inspired this post — an entirely different collection of young women who hold somewhat more reasoned views:

 

 

 

What do you think?

Any chance that evolution will select for …the survival of intelligence?

 

More soon…

 

~kc

 

 

 

 

This one is aimed at Canadian writers from grades 4-12 — that’s the kid writers themselves, not those adults who write for this group. [Sorry, adult writers for kids…you’ll get your turn next time!]

Here’s a great contest, where you can win $250 in books, books, books!

Check it out: TD Book Week Contest

Give it a try — you can do it!

 

More soon…

~kc

It was a dark and stormy night in October.

I woke into the cold, grey dawn to head out on the road, the start of two months of pretty intense book-ish stuff. But…what was this? My ceiling was suddenly sporting a whole new look, part of which involved a fairly decent section if it lying on the floor.

[Not coincidental that this shot also incorporates a nearby skylight….]

Naturally, this leak would make itself known on the morning I leave on a book tour.

But what’s a little leak, you say? Plug the leak, slap a coat of spit and polish on it and good as new.

Right?

Right?

Uh…

This is what my house looks like now:

 

 

My bedroom. [Missing walls AND windows…]

 

 

 

 

 

The freshly repaired ceiling in the kitchen and livingroom

 

 

The current state of the livingroom [missing just about ALL the walls and windows. But newly framed!]

 

 

So, the upshot is, when you live in the rainforest, sometimes you’re gonna get wet.

This particular leak wouldn’t have been so bad on its own, but it exposed — a kitchen ceiling completely black with rot, rotting siding, a deck that was directing water toward aforementioned siding and a few other minor details.

My mother suggested I solve the problem the old-fashioned way — with a match.

Considered it….

The good news is the house will end up with new siding and deck on the outside, and new doors and kitchen on the inside. The timing was not great, but when is it ever? For the past month, I’ve moved into my office downstairs [with the dogs, who do love to cuddle…], which is the only remaining room with heat in the house. The cats are carousing in a room jammed with furniture upstairs, and are a bit lonely but not doing badly. The offspring are mostly lodged offsite, when possible. And the very great guy who is overseeing the reconstruction tells me that I may even have heat back by next week.

I wrote a short story last week about a construction guy who stepped through a rotten floor into nowhere.

Grist for the mill?

Perhaps.

As always, I continue to live in interesting times.

 

More soon!

 

~kc

A last post on Chicago [for now!].

I managed to cram quite a bit of action into the 56 or so hours I was in the city last week. Second City at 11 pm on a Friday night was delicious. The frequently-lost trip through The Art Institute of Chicago was breathtaking [and feet-aching]! And meeting the denizens of Oz in the place they began was simply, breezily lovely.

A few images to leave you with…

 

 

 

 

American Gothic, up close and personal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ivan Albright’s delightfully hideous take on the Picture of Dorian Grey:    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charles-Henri-Joseph Cordier’s exquisite Sculpture of an African Woman, created in 1851 as one of a magnificent couple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A pointillist, doggy detail of the beautiful Seurat ‘A Sunday Afternoon…’, which I shot as much for a view of the painting’s margins as I did for the image itself — I love seeing the way he broke down the colours and the choices he made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I loved this mid-18thC portrait of Philippe Coypel and his wife, painted by his brother Charles-Antoine, peering through the frame of their window with such interest:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A detail of a tiger’s face from the works of Steve Jenkins, [found after much lost-getting] in the picture-book gallery. Jenkins works with layers of cut and torn paper and other media and his art is gorgeous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, a shot of Dorothy and I comparing shoes, taken by my bud Lee Edward Fodi the day we managed to find Oz Park.

Until next time, Chicago!

 

 

More soon….!

 

~kc

* You can check out my full photoset of the trip on Flickr HERE.

A quick pictoral post today, remembering the great couple of nights spent in Chicago — deep dish pizza, Second City …. beautiful!

This building was my first view of the city from the inside. A knife blade cutting through the dark. Anyone know the name of it?

 

 

 

 

Beer tap at Pizzaria Uno — home of the best deep dish pizza I’ve ever tasted. [Thanks for the recco @LukeRyanSays!]

 

 

A few shots of the stunning architecture. This is a city for walking in [with a good hood for the wind]!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up — a few final thoughts.

 

More soon!

 

~kc