more of athens

More from Athens! Yesterday we caught a boat --ferry--and went over to the Greek Island Aegena. What a beautiful trip. The island was actually quite big and rather touristy but me managed to get down a few back streets and talked to a couple of locals. They wondered if we were from the cruise ship but we said no. They said the cruise ships don't come to the island any more. They go to other islands. The only real set-back was one of the women in our group had her wallet stolen in the fish market area. At least they didn't take her passport or any of her cards. Just money. The fish market was crazy! Chickens, goats, pigs all hanging with their heads still on. And there were buckets of live snails that you could buy in bulk. Plus the fish. All sizes for sure. I love how they yell for you to buy from them. I enjoyed this part of our trip for sure. I watched one women squeezing the fish to see if they were fresh, just like we squeeze vegetables. Today I'm heading back to the Acopolis for a bit of a tour. I like getting the history of the ruins. Then I'll head to the Plaka which is a large shopping-market area. Hope all is well in Canada. Oh yeah, and I also swam in the ocean--the water had to be at least 24C. I floated for at least thirty minutes.

Athens

Hi Everyone, I'm writing from Athens Greece today. I'm up early writing this because the dogs were barking. Dogs and cats roam the streets and I'm pretty positive they're homeless but they're certainly not vicious. Yesterday we went golfing--interesting experience as there is only one gold course in all of Athens--and the dogs were basking in the sun on the tee boxes. You don't make tee times and the course doesn't open until one. Obviously, they're not as obsessed with golf, like we tend to be in Canada. WE also went to the Arcopolis in downtown Athens and it was amazing. To think our country is so young. Greece has been around for a long time. I love the downtown square with the music and street vendors and, of course, the food. Greek salad and Tzatsiki have been hits for sure. The other night we were out for dinner at a local restaurant and they served goat meat. I've never had goat before! I love the fresh fish though, and last night I had swordfish. Excellent. Here I am talking about food but it is fun to come to a different country and try their food. At the local restaurant we asked them to bring us dessert, their specialty and they brought a dish of yogurt and a bowl of honey. You mixed it together to have dessert. We eat that for breakfast. These meetings my hsuband goes to are interesting because all the countries who play hockey are here. Last night we sat with the head of the Russian HOckey Federation and he had an interpreter so he could talk to us. I'm trying to write my latest novel--Cross Checking--another children's sport novel and it's going well over here. I'm almost finished the first draft. And I think I'm plotting a new murder mystery set in Greece. No, I'm not telling what it's about. Sorry. All I can say is I'm excited about the possibility of a series set in foreign countries. Why not, I'm so lucky I get to travel so much. So good bye from Athens. I'll write again before I head home. Anyone been here?

Morning stuff

So, I finally got my blog up and running and I haven't had time to sit down and write anything. I'm working on a manuscript, and I'm about halfway through it, and yesterday it had a few plot problems so I went in and tried to fix. That's why I haven't been writing. This book is my seventh children's hockey novel. Working title is Cross Checking. My son is just finishing his hockey try-outs. We'll be happy when they're over and he is slotted on a team. If any kids are reading this, good luck in your hockey try-outs! Our motto is 'try your best' and that's all that counts. Where you end up is secondary to trying your best.
I'm off to Athens Greece on Friday! Yes, I know, lucky me. I'll write some posts from there and tell you about the things I'm doing and seeing. Hubby has meetings with the International Ice Hockey Federation and me and my laptop are tagging along. Surprise, surprise, I get a lot of writing done when I'm away from home and the duties that go with running a household and raising a family. One thing, no driving. I have three kids in three different schools this year which is making life challenging. So maybe while I'm gone, I'll finish Cross Checking. I'm reuniting some of my characters in this book, at one big hockey tournament.
When I come home from Athens I have two trips planned with the Young Alberta Book Society. This is a great organization. I'm off to Vauxhall Alberta on October 4th and Edmonton on October 11th. And I'm looking forward to both presentations. I love that part of writing. If anyone wants an author visit, get in touch with me. I even show up sometimes wearing my Wayne Gretzky and Ryan Smyth signed Hockey Canada jersey.
And as always, I'm working on my mystery novels too. They never leave me. As I drive my children around the city to their schools and activities, I'm often visited by Intuko and Angie (in my head you know), and their escapades. I've got the second book in that series finished and with an agent and the third almost done too!
I guess instead of talking the talk about writing, I should go and get at it. Have a great day everyone!!

saturday morning

Hello, I'm in Starbuck's trying to figure out how to get the past blogs I wrote on my site. Hmm. How did I ever get this computer illiterate!!!

Okay, so I'm back now and I think my friend Aaron, from Hockey Canada, has figured this out for me. Let's see if it works. Then you can read my past posts all at once. How many of you find computers frustrating.

reviews

Ahh, what to do with a bad review. My friend just published a novel and just received a bad review. I really enjoyed her book but, obviously someone didn't. But let's face it, we're not all alike. I love chocolate, my husband is just so-so about this wonderful sweet. If he's in a junk food phase, he'd rather eat chips. My one sister reads Oprah selections, my other sister reads non-fiction biographies and then there's another sister who reads literary works. I read mysteries and literature and the odd romance and non-fiction. Oh yeah, and my brother reads British Crime novels only and historical non-fiction. So, if you gave us all a book and asked us to do a review, I'm sure the debate would be interesting. Reviews are reviews. They are the opinion of one person. This is my friend's first book so this was rather crushing. It's like being told your baby is ugly. Now that I've published a few books, I don't put much stock in reviews. I keep writing and listening to my readers, after all they're the ones who count. Okay, so I'm being a little dishonest. When I get a good review, I smile. I only use my "they don't count" when the review is bad. Geepers, I didn't think I was going to have to bare my honest soul when I started this blogging stuff.

My friend Anita's book!

I think it was around five years ago, I went to the Maui Writers Conference and met two wonderful women. Maybe it was six years. Anyway, Marg and Anita were the two women I met. We hit it off right away. And we actually went back the following year and booked a place and stayed together. One night we were laughing so hard, probably at nothing, that we were told to keep it down. Marg lives in Redding, California and Anita in Indianapolis. Did I spell that right? It doesn't look right. Correct me if I'm wrong, okay. Anyway, we've kept in touch over the years. Marg is still plugging away at some terrific stories, one is about her father, who was a prison officer in St. Quentin. Marg grew up behind the gates of the prison in the staff housing. This woman is probably over 75--we never asked her age--and is still writing, still going to conferences and still so determined. She is my idol. And Anita, another one of my idols, writes epic science-fiction novels and...she just published her first book entitle the Age of Aquarius. She sent me a copy and it is a prized possession. It has a spiritual, political, mysterious, edge to it and I bet there are a lot of you out there who would just love it. She e-mailed recently to let me know it made the Forbes online book club! That is so exciting. It's so wonderful when you know someone has worked so hard gets their words in book format. I do love this business!

Big sister's play

I just spent the weekend in Vancouver. I have three sisters (Cheryl, Brenda and Valerie) and we all got together because my sister Brenda was in a play at Metro Playhouse. I flew in from Calgary, and my sister Cheryl flew in from Los Angeles. Val and Brenda both live in Vancouver. It was a Norm Foster production called Maggie is Getting Married. Of course, my big sis was brilliant as the mother. But you know, the writing of this play was terrific. I loved the witty lines and quick comebacks and fun play on words. Plus, I think the playwrite caught the essence of the family and made the characters realistic and true to life. I really felt as if I was watching a family on the eve of a daughter's wedding. To me this is a gift. Any of you write plays out there? I think it would be such a good exercise in dialogue and such a challenge. You can't use paragraphs of description to set the stage, you must use the voice of the characters. I know I do this when I'm writing my novels but it's different because I can throw narrative paragraphs in between the dialogue. One day maybe I'll write a play! Of course, it's how the actors deliver the lines that makes the words sound so good too but really it's a combination. And my sister, Brenda, delivered her lines perfectly. What a wonderful way to spend a weekend, eating in restaurants and going to the theatre! Oh yes, and I wrote ten words on the plane ride home. Yikes. I must get busy.