A couple of years ago I had some one-on-one time with two well respected writers. One, Nino Ricci, who won the governor General’s Award in Canada and the other Kenneth Oppel, acclaimed YA fiction writer. Both these ‘experts’ gave me the same advice. But – they were wrong, both of them. Yep, I disagree with the experts. Arrogant? I hope not. Continue reading “He Says, She Says: Who’s Talking Now”
Author: Yvonne Hertzberger
Yvonne Hertzberger is a native of the Netherlands who immigrated to Canada in 1950. She is an alumna of The University of Waterloo, with degrees in psychology and Sociology. Her Fantasy trilogy, ‘Earth’s Pendulum’ has been well received. Learn more about Yvonne at her blog and her Amazon author page.
When It Just Isn’t Working
The idea you had for your next book looked really great. After all, each book is supposed to be better than the last; your skills as a writer are growing. You set yourself a new challenge, one that would grab the attention of your fans and garner the respect of your fellow writers. You have 20,000 words already written. But now you encounter a problem and you’re stuck. What to do? Continue reading “When It Just Isn’t Working”
THREE WOMEN; ONE HIDEOUT
What do you get when you put three women who have never met, from three different countries (Canada, England and the Netherlands) together in a room for an afternoon? And what if all three belong to the same group, under the iron control of the same evil mastermind? Give up? Read and learn. Heh heh.
Yesterday we held the first meeting of the Ontario Chapter of Indies Unlimited, henceforth to be named the Secret Sisters Society. Membership will be limited to female writers who need to bond together to withstand the brainwashing and manipulation of our evil mastermind. Psst, ladies, keep this under your hats, OK? If the guys hear about it they will want in – and there goes the neighbourhood. Continue reading “THREE WOMEN; ONE HIDEOUT”
Thank You Norman Coulter
Now I know none of you have ever heard of Norman Coulter. He’s not a famous author, Indie or otherwise. He was my seventh grade teacher. That school had only two rooms so Mr. Coulter taught grades five through eight. And that year I spent in his class was his first year teaching.
A little background may be in order. Picture a rural farming community of mostly “Old Order Mennonites” or close to that. There are so many orders no one can keep them straight. Suffice it to say that none of the ones whose children attended that school valued education. It was a bad influence that lured their children away from their way of life. And understand that in the entire school, my sister and I, one other girl and three children from another family were the only non-Mennonites. (Being ‘other’ could lead me into a whole new direction, but not today.) Not an auspicious environment for an inexperienced young idealist fresh out of university with the goal of ‘educating’ children. Continue reading “Thank You Norman Coulter”