Saturday, September 29, 2012

Q & Q Writer Series featuring Urve Tamberg


Website: Urve Tamberg


Notable Review (s):CM Magazine

The Q&Q:

1) In one word, how would you describe your personality? 
Hmmm - only one word? I think that would be "determined". My mother would have said "stubborn", but I'll stick with "determined." Final answer

2) What is your deepest desire?
Not becoming old and senile. I can't do much about the "old" part, so I'll work on not becoming senile.

3) Your greatest fear?
I fear any kind of harm coming to my children and family.

4) Your favourite colour?
Lime green

5) A song you can't help singing along with, every time you hear it?
Hallelujah, but only when it's sung by K.D. Lang. I can't sing, so I'd have to be in the car so no one can hear me

6) A movie that made you cry?
Almost anything these days. Even James Bond can make me cry. 

7) A book you have read more than five times? Or a book that influenced you the most?
I loved Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, and The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. There's no one book that I go back to but those are a few of my favorites

8) From your own oeuvre: your favorite child?
I only have one book so let me say I like feisty female characters. Someone  who is clever, and smart, and funny.  

9) One thing you hate about being a writer?
The slowness of it all. I'm not a fast writer, and I like results. So the writing process is a love/hate thing for me. 

10) One thing no one knows about you (and now will)?
That's a tough question. I can't think of of anything really interesting, so I'll have to pass. 

Thank you, Urve!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Q&Q Writer Series Featuring Gillian Chan


Website: Gillian Chan
Published Book(s): An Ocean Apart, A Foreign Field and many others which you can find here.
Upcoming Book (s): A Call To Battle. Launch is at the Bryan Prince Bookseller on Sept 30, 2012 at 2 pm.  
Notable Review (s/ Achievements): A Foreign Field is the winner of Ontario Library Association's White Pine Award, among other awards.

The Q&Q:
1) In one word, how would you describe your personality?
Odd

2) What is your deepest desire?
For those I love to be happy

3) Your greatest fear?
Something happening to my son and husband

4) Your favourite colour?
I have two of which I am equally fond - any shade of either green or grey

5) A song you can't help singing along with, every time you hear it?
American Pie - Don MaClean

6) A movie that made you cry?
Captains Courageous starring Spencer Tracy and Freddie Bartholomew. No one will watch it with me as I start crying when the titles come up and don't stop all through the film.

7) A book you have read more than five times? Or a book that influenced you the most?
"Heart of Darkness" by Conrad. The ultimate unreliable narrator and I do like unreliable narrators.

8) From your own oeuvre: your favorite child?
Ben Larsson from "The Turning" as he is so unremittingly bloody minded - not without good cause.

9) One thing you hate about being a writer?
Having to leave behind characters when I finish "their book" and start work on another .

10) One thing no one knows about you (and now will)?
Some people are Star Wars or Star Trek geeks, I am a geek about the Norse  (don't ever, ever call them Vikings!). I have been researching that period of history endlessly and there will be a book one day.

Thanks Gillian! 

Monday, September 17, 2012

Q&Q Writer Series Featuring Patricia Storms


Published Book(s): http://www.patriciastorms.com/books/

Notable Review (s):
The Q&Q:
1) In one word, how would you describe your personality?
Challenging, especially to myself.

2) What is your deepest desire?
Peace of mind.

3) Your greatest fear?
The sudden loss of the life I’ve built for myself.

4) Your favourite colour?
Green.

5) A song you can't help singing along with, every time you hear it?
Paul McCartney’s Mull of Kintyre

6) A movie that made you cry?
So many movies make me cry. For example, I got quite blubbery watching ‘Up’.

7) A book you have read more than five times?
Anne of Green Gables.

8) From your own oeuvre: your favorite child?
Well, since I’ve only written one kid to date, ‘The Pirate and the Penguin’ would be the favourite child.

9) One thing you hate about being a writer?
Crippling self-doubt.

10) One thing no one knows about you (and now will)?
As a teenager I fell in love with the music of Noel Coward, and went to great lengths to memorize pretty much all of his songs. For some incomprehensible reason, this did not impress my peers.

Thanks, Patricia!

Friday, September 7, 2012

Q&Q Writer Series Featuring Adrienne Kress

Adrienne Kress is a writer and actress born and raised in Toronto, Canada.  I met her for the first time at the Toronto MG/YA Writers Group. A vibrant, bubbly personality, and a great writer to boot, Adrienne is a fun person to while away the evening with.
The starred review in Publishers Weekly praised her first novel Alex &  the Ironic Gentleman as “a wonderful blend of whimsy and moral” and at the heart of this story is Alex Morningside, a lovable tomboy with a knack for trouble and a quest for adventure

Read more about Adrienne on her website here. Her latest book The Friday Society will be released December 6, 2012 by Dial. Can't wait!

Here's the Q&Q scoop:

1) In one word, how would you describe your personality?
Awe-inspiring.
2) What is your deepest desire?
Buttered toast.
3) Your greatest fear?
Yes.
4) Your favourite colour?
Red.
5) A song you can't help singing along with, every time you hear it?
Any Disney/Musical number. But definitely also Adam Lambert's "What Do You Want From Me". Which can only be sung loud and proud. While doing the cool-down for Body Pump at the gym.
6) A movie that made you cry?
Wait, there's a movie that doesn't make me cry?
7) A book you have read more than five times? Or a book that influenced you the most?
As an answer to both questions: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
8) From your own oeuvre: your favorite child?
I don't answer questions that use the word "oeuvre". But I am now hungry for eggs.
9) One thing you hate about being a writer?
The voices in my head.
10) One thing no one knows about you (and now will)?
That despite evidence to the contrary, every time I see Steven Spielberg interviewed, there's a moment where I truly think he's related to me and that we've met several times. I have no idea why this is.

Thanks for spending time here, Adrienne!



 



 

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Tara Trilogy published by Rupa Publications

Aaaarrrghh! Have I really been away since May? Shame on me. The only excuse I have is this was the last summer with my son who started University this year. I wanted one glorious summer when we were still a huge part of his world. I know there'll be many more summers but they will never be the same. Nuff said!
So, here are the covers of the Tara Trilogy published by Rupa Publications in July this year. I love all the book covers and here they are:



Beautifully done!