"You know," said Sarah Albee, "this is a very strange thing to do." It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in Toronto and we were at the Bata Shoe Museum, about to tour their special exhibition, Fashion Victims: The Perils and Pleasures of Dress in the Nineteenth Century. Sarah and I share a lively interest in the gritty real-life details of history: disease, poison, food contamination and, of … [Read more...]
Crime Scene 2012
Hello, friends! I had an absolutely splendid time this past weekend at Scene of the Crime, and thought I'd share what I could with you. I had a great "handler" at the festival (basically, a person assigned to make sure the visiting author is supplied with coffee and doesn't get lost), a Wolfe Islander named Kristina, but I forgot to ask her to take some photos while I was reading & panelling, … [Read more...]
My brain is tingling
Hello, hello! My friend, Colette Colligan, is a terrifyingly smart person who pops into my life every now and again with something that completely changes my view of the nineteenth century. Those of you who've read A Spy in the House will probably remember a scene that pays homage to Colette's doctoral thesis on Obscenity and Empire (her thesis was later published as The Traffic in Obscenity from … [Read more...]
Young Kingston
One of the questions I often hear is, "What's it like working from home, alone, all day?" The answer, of course, depends on the day. Generally, it's bliss: just me and the Muse - and an exceedingly vocal, neurotic, high-needs cat. The writing life is all the better for online communities like Twitter, where you can jump into a conversation for 10 minutes and leave feeling amused, refreshed, and … [Read more...]
Contest winners and the writing life
Happy Guy Fawkes Day! I had an utterly excellent day at RND High School last week, talking to students about Victorian hygiene, inventions, fashion, and radical women (among other things). The students were a terrific audience – courteous, curious, energetic. Thanks for being such exemplars of audience awesomeness! If you heard me speak at Regi and would like to be entered into the draw for one … [Read more...]
Author talks & author wars
I’m a guest speaker at Regiopolis Notre-Dame Catholic High School in Kingston tomorrow, Thursday, October 29. I’m also their featured author for their annual book challenge, Regi Reads! The big question is, does Regi in fact read? I’ll report back next week. Also, I woke this morning to find myself in a word war with Stephanie Burgis and Tiffany Trent! We’re all at around 25,000 words in our … [Read more...]