Magnifico and Mimi Power

2012-01-28T11:17:00.000-08:00

"I have learned to tell a story, without telling a lie."

Author/biographer Michael Holroyd, in an interview with Eleanor Wachtel for Writers and Company

2012-01-21T18:37:00.000-08:00

It must be winter (and raining) if I’m reading memoir. Last year’s great January escape was Keith Richard’s Life and, for a revelry of perfect contrast, the Duchess of Devonshire’s Wait for Me! This year, I spent the dwindling of 2011 reading Debo’s newest book -- All in One Basket, the compilation of two earlier collections of her essays, written over half a century.

Though she can make a gardening book sound enticing to a brown thumb, the Duchess proclaims herself to be not much of a reader. One of her fondest anecdotes of her father is his “review” of Jack London’s White Fang. He read it through and declared himself done with books. So perfect was Fang, in his estimation, that any other book would most certainly fall short.

The Duchess herself famously struggled in a column (revived for readers as part of All in One Basket) to come up with 10 books of recommended reading on Trans Siberian railway adventure. Were her father still of this earth, no doubt he would gladly break his vow to read any of his daughters’ writings—though All in One Basket is so good it would likely stop him once again from any lasting reformation of a future in reading.

And now, before the season of memoir is through, I will finish The Penguin Book of Memoir, edited by Camilla Gibb. “There are places on the planet we belong, and they are not necessarily where we are born,” writes Isabel Huggan in the excerpt from “Belonging” that joins a collection of acclaimed Canadian writers including Sharon Butala, Wayson Choy and Wayne Johnston. Carefully chosen to reflect a range of experiences--from what it’s like growing up the godson of Leonard Cohen to raising a son with an extreme developmental disability--these are often preludes and interludes extracted from greater chronicles—each promising more of a good thing.

2011-12-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

The Orchard
Up until yesterday, I couldn't remember the last time I read a book in one day. So when I had the chance, I wasn't expecting it to be a memoir of a marriage, apple trees and the beginning of a writing life that is The Orchard. But, as it turns out, this is a page-turning combination. Theresa Weir pares down to the core of her life as an outsider, a wife and mother on a farm that is as beautiful as it is betraying. There are no lectures here, just a lingering love and life experience that must have begged Weir to become a book. The narrative is so spare and strong that it comes as a disappointment in the publishing industry to learn, at the end of the book, how difficult it was for The Orchard to find a home. Fortunately, Weir had perseverence--something she surely cultivated on the farm.

2011-11-24T20:31:00.000-08:00

Arghh but Pirates have all the fun! At least Mary Quattlebaum's do. When Mean Mo and Blustery Bart meet in the middle of the sea, a fair fight full of shark racin', mast climbin', treasure countin', cannonball throwin' and gift givin' ensues. This be a match made in pirate heaven -- a treasure to read aloud to a wee listenin' landlubber.

2011-10-16T17:53:00.000-07:00

Infidel

If I had to muster my courage to read Infidel, imagine how it must have been for Ayaan Hirsi Ali to have lived it. Let alone write it. Let absolutely alone publish it. First released in 2007 to both international acclaim and angry denunciation, it's taken me four years to finally open a copy.

From Hirsi Ali's earliest memories of the punishing wrath of her grandmother, to her brave perseverence in building a life out from under the bounds of submission, in the end, her story is perhaps the best reason to believe in the power of women's voices to all those who value the here and now.

2011-09-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

There's no denying anyone who spends any time boating the West Coast has a little Captain Vancouver in them, and it's Vancouver who provides Grant Lawrence's Adventures in Solitude with numerous woeful observations of Desolation Sound. Through his spyglass looking landward, the Captain saw: "not a single prospect that was pleasing to the eye" and thusly marked on his map the part of the northern end of the Strait of Georgia with one downer of a moniker.

So the Captain wasn't one to accentuate the positive in his memoirs. But Lawrence, who first hated, then loved, then loathed and has since come to love again his family's little part of this paradise sees both the fair weather and the foul. Not to mention all the people inbetween the Sound's sea and sky. Adventures in Solitude: What Not to Wear to a Nude Potluck and other stories from Desolution Sound comes complete with a cast of characters that include a motley assortment of root 'em/ shoot 'em up pioneers, slobby hippies, beery bachelors, carsick kids and one very well-armed octopus.

Where Vancouver found abandoned, flea-ridden settlements, dismal downpours and definitely no Northwest Passage, Lawrence has discovered a place of community, friendship and entertaining idiocy all tangled together in one speedboat of a read.

2011-08-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

Dahanu Road

Prepare for your senses to be overwhelmed. Anosh Irani's storytelling powers are many, and he brings them to bear in this tragic love story.

2011-08-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

The Red Garden

For as long as I can remember, I've loved a good bear story. And, for almost as long, the writing of Alice Hoffman. In The Red Garden, Hoffman weaves generations of Blackwellians with the bears on the outskirts of their lives. A totem animal, a creature of myth and reality, the bear shadows the stories of Hoffman's human characters, and creates an unbroken thread down through the centuries of the town of Blackwell, Massachusetts—that twins to the ties of love, courage and family connecting her characters.

2011-08-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

"Wait for Me!"

There is a bittersweet and precious perspective that comes from being by far the youngest sibling in an extraordinary family. In the case of the Mitfords, that place belongs to Deborah, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire and she has done it justice in her memoirs "Wait for Me!".

At 91, the Duchess is today the last surviving member of "all those Mitford brains" (back-handed by the "brittle" Wallis Simpson in referring once to Deborah and her sisters). "Wait for Me!" is a captivating credit to the Duchess' share of "those brains" and the many extraordinary people who have been part of her remarkable life. Ticklish nicknames pepper the pages: "Muv", "Farve", "Decca", "Weenie", "Kick"... are among those fondly remembered by the Duchess, who herself was known to her family as "Debo", "Stubbo", and "Stublow" since the days when her chubby little legs could not keep up with her much older siblings.

Another devotion described by the Duchess is Chatsworth, the Devonshire's ancestral home in Derbyshire. "'See Chatsworth before you die'"-- is the stand-out praise for the property from the Sun newspaper quoted by the Duchess near the end of "Wait for Me."

Well then, add it to the list!

2011-08-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

I have never heard a more moving tribute to the great life experience that is the elementary school track meet, than the one by Alexander MacLeod, author of Light Lifting. You can listen to it now, as read by MacLeod, on the July 8th, 2011 podcast edition of "Ideas" titled "Footprints" rebroadcast in July as a segment of CBC Radio's "Listener's Choice". Find it at cbc.ca/podcasting and be prepared to be uplifted.

2011-07-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

A wryly observant handmaiden to the Empress Sadako in ancient Japan (Sei Shonagon). An Englishwoman with an encyclopedic knowledge of housekeeping (Isabella Beeton). An adventurer who dined on hippo and hunted African beetles (Mary Kingsley). The wife of a whaler who spent a year at sea (Mary Hayden Russell). A former slave, cruelly treated for many years, who devoted the free years of her life to helping others (Harriet Ann Jacobs). Curious? I know. These five are just a few of Marthe Jocelyn's Scribbling Women. Jocelyn's nimble writing and smart selection of unique lives and telling details creates an utterly engaging read for twelve-and-ups. My copy is going straight to Daughter Number One when I'm done. Which won't be long--Scribbling Women is a true page-turner.

2011-06-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

"The urge to build, to transform nature, to make something out of nothing is universal. But to conserve, to protect, to care for the past is something we have to learn..."

--from Reef by Romesh Gunesekera

2011-05-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

Not your average Joes
It's been a season of Joes. First, back in March, was the Joe who gave Daughter #1 her first skiing lesson. Joe Stephens, an instructor at Big White. We were there while Husband took a few photographs; none of us had any plans (or ability, really) to ski. We shared a gondola ride with Joe up to the Village, and his boisterous British enthusiasm convinced our 12-year-old to "give it a go". She did, she loved it, and we'll always remember him as "Give it a Go, Joe".

This past week, Husband and I had the privilege of meeting a new Joe--Joe Calendino (shown above, as photographed by Husband). This Joe's a survivor--he lived through the grim depths of gang life and drug addiction to emerge healthy, sober and now working to help at-risk youth make better life choices. Joe Calendino's life story became the inspiration behind the gritty stage play, Let Me Up! which, after successful runs in Vancouver and Surrey, took full-house audiences by storm this past week in the theatre at Sutherland Secondary. I know, I was in the front row for the first performance and it was one powerful piece of theatre.

A good couple of Joes.

2011-04-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

Change is afoot. Mammoth change. Every conversation I have about books these days, I'm looking for the answer to the question: "What is the future of printed books?" No one is entirely sure, whether they become curios of bygone days, or succeed in holding their own as e-books and book apps take their place on the literary stage. Six months ago, I was afraid for "the book". Not so anymore. Because the one thing that everyone who answers the question is sure of is that stories will survive.

So I'm going to believe there's room for both, and that readerships will only improve thanks to the online word. One can either sit on the sidelines, or park one's fears there, stride on in and find out what the opportunities are. Thinking this way, I have a feeling it's only a matter of time before I get in on the App.

In the meantime, I'm learning all I can. And one mentor I'd recommend to any writer, or creator, is Crystal Stranaghan. That's Crystal, above, in picturebook form (she's the one in the middle, and it's a very good likeness, done by the illustrator Izabela Bzymek!).

I went to one of her presentations on the book-as-App recently, and left the session all fired up at the potential to share stories this way. Crystal has worked in both worlds, traditional print publishing and now book Apps, and she's as keen as pepper (to borrow from Emily Carr) about Apps. Learn more about her work, her books, and her workshops here.

2011-04-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

So much better than the trip last year! Scroll down to April 4, 2010's posting to see what I mean.

2010-10-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

Just today signed a new book contract with Tradewind Books here in Vancouver! Details, and some teasers from the story, to follow in future entries. Stay tuned!

2010-09-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

Finding "Baby Octopus" is our absolute favourite summer memory. Who ever sees them this small? My older daughter found it in a tidepool on a beach on Denman Island. When I was her age (11) we would sometimes see them off the James Bay breakwater in Victoria, but they were full grown giants by then, sculling about. We let this little guy go into his tidepool shortly after the picture was taken, and when a tiny crab tried to pinch a tentacle, he shot away under a rock, feisty as a firecracker!

2010-06-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about Nobody Particular while scanning the paper for the latest on the oil leak into the Gulf. Everyone's attention span these days is like a computer, with multiple windows open, one of them constantly fixed on a little window on that leaking pipe and whether or not they've fixed that gushing catastrophe. When the top kill operation failed, something very dark settled in my mind. And that is when a remembered Nobody Particular. Molly Bang's unique rendering of the story of Diane Wilson and her fight to protect the Texas bays from rampant chemical pollution. The story is often dark, and takes discouraging turns, which in real life must have been unimaginably difficult for Wilson. My 11-year-old daughter read our copy of Nobody Particular book after school this afternoon. When I asked her what she thought of Diane, she said, "I think she's strong". (I thought "brave", close enough!)

It will take many strong Dianes with acts great (calling the oil giants to task) and small (picking up pebbles of tar) to clean up this mess, and helping us all learn from it.

My daughter will travel in a month, as part of a Children's International Summer Village, to Jacksonville, Florida. It will be, I know (from being a CISV delegate more than 30 years ago) the beginning of some great international friendships. Sadly, it is also likely to be, given the location, the environmental lesson of a lifetime.

2010-05-31T20:22:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about accordion music is that it can go so many places in a single song. Musicians seem to travel with the notes, and where they start is not always where they wind up. It's not all neat and tidy, modern accordionists seem to want to take it everywhere it can possibly go. This conversation with Accordion Noir co-hosts Bruce and Rowan, started in the dark studio of Co-op Radio in the downtown Eastside, and then went a whole bunch of places, over to Strathcona, across the waters to James Bay in Victoria, Oak Bay Secondary (where I graduated high school), Kamloops, where the Candidos finally settled and where my Dad was raised... It was one of those talks that brings a lot of points on your life map together, I really enjoyed meeting the voices of Accordion Noir, and having the luxury of an hour's reflection. There's a special treat for those who listen right through to the end -- Rowan's hilarious takeoff of a Nine Inch Nails tune.

2010-05-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a photograph of my mum as a young woman, playing the accordion. I'd even settle for the mid-50s dress she's wearing in this picture of her with her father, Charles Frederick Hutchinson (he's on the left, don't know who the fellow on the right is).

Mum will be one of the topics of conversation I'm sure when I sit down with the guys of Accordion Noir at their studio this Friday night for a talk about Magnifico, accordions, and why we don't read about them more often. You can listen to past Accordion Noir podcasts here. With it's eclectic collection of fantastic accordion tunes-- the show makes for good background music while one is writing!

2010-04-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

The guidebooks all agreed: May and June are the best time of year to visit the Grand Canyon. So we went in March instead. View here the consequences, minus the skin-chapping, finger freezing feeling of standing in a storm at 6,000 feet. It was unimaginable to the four of us that we would arrive at the edge of the Grand Canyon, and still not be able to SEE it.

Every photograph I've ever looked at of the Grand Canyon has it bathed in the perpetual warm light. Over a mile deep in places and 277 miles long, it still seems unthinkable that weather can all but obliterate one of the world's most famous landscapes.

Never underestimate, dear reader, the visual obstruction of a good snow-plus-hailstorm. Weather trumps all.

2009-12-09T19:07:00.001-08:00

November through January is birthday season and of course, Christmas, in our house. It's the time of year when I get the least writing done, but the most cakes baked. And those cakes matter just as much as stories, as all mothers-who-write know.

2009-06-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's nice to turn off the iPod on the way home and just read a book. I finished Hadley Dyer's Johnny Kellock Died Today this way, and it was a welcomel companion. The Norman family may be a bit rough around the edges, but the wise-cracking dialogue and thoughtful observations of main character Rosalie Norman come shining through. It was a treat to spend some time around "Mama's kitchen table" with the Normans while Rosalie figured out a few things about family secrets, friendship and how far someone will go for a fresh start. No wonder Johnny Kellock wound up an award-winner so many times over.

2009-04-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

This was such a special visit. I lug the little student accordion that I traded my mother's old wheezy one for to almost every presentation. Just for show. And I always ask if there is someone who might be able to play it, since I can't. This time, at Confederation Park in Burnaby, we were all in for a surprise. One of the students seems to have the knack of it and played the theme song from "Star Wars" as part of her repetoire. It was a great night, I signed books in the parking lot under a cold, starry sky because it was after 9 and the school had to close. I am very glad I met so many book lovers from Confederation Park--parents, staff and kids-- many of whom have a knack for telling a good accordion story of their own!

2009-02-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

Now this was a great moment. These two are in the Education Program at UBC. The class they are currently working with is reading Magnifico -- which made me happy to hear. We met at Authorfest 2009 on the UBC campus and they were just brimming with enthusiasm in a way I hope all new teachers are.

I'm sure the highlight for everyone was the headliner, Robert Bateman, and his powerful talk about overpopulation and consumerism. Tiffany Stone was the lighter side of the equation and got us all on our feet at one point, I'm pretty sure. Then there's me, sort of a mixed bag of sentimentalism and stories, crammed into 15 minutes. So although an animal theme brought us together, it was a very eclectic program.

Bateman had one simple piece of advice for families that bears repeating. "Every family should take a nature walk once a week." In our house, we generally do, but it is easy to retreat from nature in the winter and we haven't been out, really out, in a while. Today, Bateman's words ringing in my ears, we explored the trail network behind Sutherland Secondary. Nature gave us a reward: the sight of two pileated woodpeckers hammering away at the trees. The wood was coming off in chunks and they'd chipped so deep, it looked more like the work of two beavers. I wouldn't be surprised if a week from now, those tree tops were down. It was impressive. When we got home, my daughter when straight for her Peterson Field Guide to confirm the sighting.

I think Robert Bateman would have been proud.

2009-02-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

There is a certain kind of mess in my 10-year-old daughter's room that I have a very high tolerance for. That is, books strewn all over the bed and carpet. Every once in a while I will go up and find books pulled from her shelf and sprawled everywhere. They're all books she's already read, and clearly she's looking for something. I respect it as a private thing, but it makes me curious.

It also makes me proud. Quite often, I'll find books in the mix authored by friends, and many times, that means a book of Tiffany Stone's whimsical, one-of-a-kind poetry. I'm never surprised by how often my daughter pulls these books out, the poetry is perfectly paired with block-cut style illustrations that suit it to a T.

I caught up with Tiffany at Authorfest at UBC this week. Her three children are keeping her busy, and she's getting ready to launch a book of MATH poetry. She's also keeping up with what is quite possibly the world's cutest website.

I can't wait to tell my teacher friends.

2008-12-17T21:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas came for me in November this year, when Magnifico won the 2008 F.G. Bressani prize in the novel category. I was thrilled to be able to attend the awards ceremony at the Italian Cultural Centre (can you see it in my face?). A few days later, I gave an email interview to Anna Foschi, founder of the prize. Here's what she asked, and my replies:

What was your first reaction when you learned that you had won the 2008 Bressani prize for the novel category? I am tremendously glad that there is such a prize that connects heritage with literature.

For me, the Bressani award is an affirmation of time well spent. It makes me feel that the year I lived every extra moment working on the story was worthwhile. Once a book is published, it goes beyond the author and all that matters is whether it captures the reader’s heart and interest. A prize says this must have happened with the jurors, and they have discovered a book they would like others to know about.

There is something else, Magnifico is a children’s book. It’s meant for children ages 9 – 12. The acknowledgement from the Bressani jurors makes a powerful and affirming statement about the importance of children’s literature, and historical fiction for children.

For this I am enormously grateful. “Mille grazie!” (Did I spell that right?)

Can you tell us a little about Magnifico the winning novel? What was your inspiration for it? The inspiration began with my mother, Joan. Raised in the 1930s and 40s in the Victoria community of James Bay, “Joanie” was given an accordion because her parents couldn’t afford a piano “and every well-brought up child should play an instrument.” She was not happy about it, though she learned to play it very well in time. Mum had no Italian in her though, that comes from my father’s side. And by that stage in my life, I so very much wanted to explore what it was like to be Italian Canadian in the late 1930s. Living in Vancouver, the natural neighborhood to parallel James Bay was Strathcona. And from friends there, I was introduced to people who remembered growing up Italian Canadian in Strathcona at that time, the visit of the King and Queen, all the pageantry and drama of those days in our history that so captivate children. I wanted to record some of what I learned, but through the flexible lens of fiction.

I feel fortunate to have had the influences of Italian friends and family in my life, particularly growing up. Even though I’m only “1/4” it runs strong, it is very visible in my face, my hair, my eyebrows… from the time I was very young, I knew I always looked Italian. That was a root of some “otherness” to me, growing up in Victoria in the 1970s, but I didn’t think that deeply on what is below the surface until many years later. When I got married, I gave up my Italian last name. That was a loss I didn’t contemplate at the time. And I don’t speak the language, which is so central to the culture. And so the only way I had to reach out and discover more about my heritage was by pursuing a story in this way.

Yours was a family of Italian pioneers on your....side. How did this heritage influence your writing?
It was my grandfather, Marino Candido, my father’s father, who came from Italy at the turn of the last century. My brother, my sister and I – we adored him! He died when I was about seven, I think, and I still remember how brokenhearted we all were. As I’ve gotten older, I’m 42 now, I’ve wished so often that my grandparents were still near. Asking my father for his memories was one way to reach back to another era and bring Grandpa near. Writing gives you a reason, and legitimacy, to ask questions that might be sensitive. Or have conversations about small details in daily life that most of us don’t think about as being extraordinary. This is the great pleasure in doing historical fiction. Time passes and the extraordinary is revealed in the backward glance. The writing is the work. A book is a huge commitment and undertaking. I had to be sure that I had a subject that fully captivated my heart to sustain the work.

What are your future literary projects?
My children are young, and I have two now, I only had my one daughter, Emily, when I was writing Magnifico. So after my day job, I find I am very tied to house and home in the evenings and on weekends. I had to find stories that would not take me away from the family for research, stories I could think through and write at home without reaching out so much. I have this year done a re-telling of an Italian folktale, I am very proud of it, but I’m not sure where it belongs. And by Christmas, I hope to finish a young reader novel (for readers ages 9 – 11) about two sisters, one is very creative and artistic, the other, is a pre-schooler and lots of trouble. It’s just meant to be funny and to help kids find the humour in sibling dynamics.

Do you have any words of encouragement for aspiring writers or new writers?
Use your words for good.

Listen to the people who believe in you, but also listen to those who want to make your work better. Behind every good book is a good editor. At some point, you may be asked to make small sacrifices in a story, or changes you did not expect. If the integrity of the story is not compromised, it can be good to make these changes. Writing is work, it’s never done in a single draft. I always feel like I’m done with the first draft, but I am amazed, when I’m asked to develop something further, that I have more inside.

2008-12-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

By now you know what a bad blogger I am, that it has to be a really BIG deal to get me to update my blog. Anyone who's done a Barbie cake for the first time knows what I'm talking about. You can't wait for the party to be over so you can throw a picture up on the web, even if your blog is about books, you will do anything to diverge from the subject and show your Barbie cake to the world. There are dozens of websites chronicling the trials and tribulations of doing a Barbie cake. This is just my proof that if I can do it, you can to! All it takes is about $60 of upfront supplies (you could do it for less, but if you are like me and have fear of failure, you will buy more supplies than you need) a night to bake and then the next night to decorate. Give not up if the first hour of decorating leads to a steady strain of self recriminations of the "why did I decide to do this" and mental comparisons to the much better cakes your mother made for you. Persevere! It's a wonderful way to celebrate a four-year-old's birthday. To get full value out of the mold though, husband and other daughter can expect the same cake on their birthdays for at least the next twenty years.

2008-10-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

Remember the feeling you had in school waiting for the cast list to come out, in the hopes you were on it? Or the posting of the honour roll? Making the first string of the basketball team? (I imagine this feels the same, but definitely can't say from experience). Well, when the 2008/09 Red Cedars were announced, that's how I felt. I've wistfully studied the annual Red Cedar poster for years now, hoping that Magnifico would share in the limelight one day. And it has!! I'm thrilled! Of course, the wonderful but dreaded "Cheese Pirates" have made an appearance as well. "Hamish X" won the Manitoba Young Readers Book Award, a well-deserved triumph, which nonetheless gave me my first experience with Magnifico in the truth that it's enough to be nominated. Same feeling with the outcome of the Chocolate Lily awards and Rocky Mountain Book Awards. Still, it's been a great ride for Magnifico, peaking with this year's Red Cedars--the fourth list of children's choice awards on which its appeared. It's great to be on the list with real imaginary Cheese Pirates and the other assorted characters created by this year's finalists. As a girl lugging her accordion through the streets of James Bay in Victoria, my Mum probably never dreamed that one day her story would be the inspiration for a book. She just wanted to make it to her lesson without getting hit by a rock.

I would go on, but the kids have discovered the hiding place of this year's Halloween candy and are making no attempts to hide the sounds of wrestling with packaging.

Thanks Red Cedar people! Thank you for what you do to get your recommended books in the hands of readers.

2008-09-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

Left to right, this year's Henry Bergh award-winning authors: Barbara Cole; Mary Alice Monroe; Helen Wilbur; Beth Finke; Maribeth Bolts; Sue Ann Alderson; Me; Joanne Ryder and a very talented book designer of "Ape" whose name slips my mind (very sorry!).

I was so impressed by these authors. Beth Finke is not only beautifully dressed in this picture, but had us all in stitches with her straight-up sense of humour about life with a seeing-eye dog. It was lovely to see Sue Ann Alderson, also from Vancouver and a talented author on Tradewind Books list. Vancouver has a very close community of children's book writers but I haven't seen Sue Ann in a few years, so it was especially nice to be reunited with awards in our hands. Mary Alice Monroe is the talented novelist of some beautiful books, including "Time is a River" which I borrowed from the North Vancouver Public Library and thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks to Joanne Ryder for reminding us all of the importance of frog appreciation in childhood"; Barbara Cole presented the true story of "Anna and Natalie" with a warm Southern Charm; author Helen Wilbur accepted the illustration award on behalf of artist Robert Papp for for "M is for Meow" and Maribeth Boelts' reading had us all nodding our heads.

Yup, that's Joe Pentangelo, star of "Animal Precinct" on Animal Planet. My nine year old was so impressed that I got to shake his hand at the ASPCA Awards Ceremony in June! Me too!

2008-09-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

One of the events the ASPCA treated authors of this year's Henry Bergh books was a chance to visit and read at the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority (SEAACA), a local Anaheim animal shelter, on June 29th. So if I look a little flushed in this picture, well, it was warm and I was unlucky enough to have come down with stomach flu the day before.

Proceeds from the sale of the books that day were donated to SEAACA and benefit homeless animals in the area. It's an absolutely lovely shelter and every inch is immaculate, what a great refuge the staff provide for those animals. We learned later that they have a very high adoption rate, no surprise in such a welcoming place. The real surprise of the day was "Henry", a little black dog on the loose on the streets of Anaheim. He was running in such a confused and startled way we could tell he hadn't just raced ahead of his owner, he was definitely on his own, skittish and scared. We spotted him when we were just a few blocks away from the shelter. Kristen from the ASPCA headquarters in New York pulled her mini-van over and we all watched as she leaped out of the car, knelt down and opened her arms. "Henry" leapt right in. We all had tears in our eyes. Our convoy started up again and a couple of minutes later, Kristen delivered authors plus dog to SEAACA. Of course this story has an even happier ending, Henry was adopted a few days later.

2008-09-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to the Canadian Children's Book Centre for including Old Mother Bear on their list of Best Books for Kids and Teens 2008. Molly and I very much appreciate the affirmation!

2008-07-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

Years ago, when "Sea Otter Pup' received an "Our Choice" seal from the Canadian Children's Book Centre, a little boy at a school reading pointed to it--I think he was too young to read--and said, "that means it's GOOD!"

Exactly.

Old Mother Bear now has her own seal of approval, the 2007 Henry Bergh Award from the ASPCA for the category of fiction, ecology & environment. The ASPCA's definition of "GOOD", in Henry Bergh terms, is "to honor books that promote the humane ethic of compassion and respect for all living things."

In doing a little "who was Henry Bergh?" research, I came upon this quote attributed to him "Mercy to animals means mercy to mankind." It is one more way we find our humanity, when we extend kindness beyond our own species. I'm so glad "Old Mother Bear" is seen to have done this. So glad.

2008-06-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to be going to the ALA. The ASPCA has invited me, along with all the other winners of a 2007 Henry Bergh Children's Book Awards for Excellence in Humane Literature. I'll be there representing "Old Mother Bear". Anyway, I went to the ALA's website to see who's speaking at the conference and found this cute little graphic in the process. I also found out Dianne Carroll will be the closing speaker. Too bad I'll be on a plane home when she steps up to the podium. I would have loved to have heard her, I had a "Julia" doll when I was about 7, the best Barbie ever!

2008-06-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

"Seeds of anemone from far away"

That's one of the last lines in Old Mother Bear and I was reminded of it recently, on a visit to Leeds Castle in England. Behind me in this picture is an anemone meadow. I recognized it instantly from my imagination. Husband did as well, and patiently worked around the tourists to create my new author photo.

2008-03-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

This is probably the cyber-equivalent to scrawling my phone number on the wall of a public washroom stall, but here goes...

Rumours are swirling out there that there's film interest in Magnifico! I always thought it should be a movie and it sounds like there's at least one producer out there who agrees. I hope they call soon to talk to me, or my agent at Curtis Brown. We are keen!

An Italian-Canadian family story, a plucky 11 year old, a handsome accordion teacher, a "royal" time in history, a dramatic underground survivor story and a tale of two countries--leaving Italy and coming to Canada -- with a superstar musical instrument at the heart of it all, well, sounds like a movie to me!

I hope we get this sorted out soon so I can uncross my fingers!

2008-02-22T12:55:00.000-08:00

The youngest "reader" in our household.

2007-10-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

"For as long as he could remember, Eli Edward Earnest had dreamed of being a chief of chocolate...a captain of cocoa...a chocolatier."

from: The Chocolatier's Apprentice; Echo Memoirs, 2007.

Talk about a plum assignment. Last year, Purdy's Chocolates in Vancouver was looking for a unique way to celebrate their upcoming 100 year anniversary and support a charitable endeavour at the same time. In collaboration with the company Echo Memoirs, they came up with the the idea of a children's book, and illustrator Lee Fodi and I took it from there. Pounds of chocolate were consumed in the process, but you do what you have to for a story. I'm pretty sure I sampled everything they make, a few even plucked (with permission) fresh from the conveyor belt. And I had a wonderful time with the Purdy's people, who inspired, from their own experiences, many of the scenes in the story. Eli stacking four thousand pounds of peanuts? That was chocolatier "Todd" of Todd bar fame. Eli's technique for eating a chocolate cream? That came from Purdy's owner Charles Flavelle, head of the family business. But Eli's chocolate fairy? Okay, that was all me.

2007-01-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

Old Mother Bear

I will not tell you how many years this book was in the making, I think it broke a record. But was it ever worth the wait. Molly Bang has outdone herself with the most extraordinary bear picturebook imagery I have ever seen. And believe me, I've looked at a lot. This is one beautiful bear family, but Old Mother is the best of all.

Happy New Year!

2006-08-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

What a launch!
In June, we celebrated the launch of "Magnifico" at The Secret Garden tea room in Vancouver with family, friends and a performance by special guest, accordionist-extraordinaire, Joe Morelli.

2006-05-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

"In my heart" by Molly Bang

I was so fortunate to be able to read the text of "In my heart" long before its 2006 release as a picturebook. Fortunate, not just for the privilege from Molly, but also because, at the time, Roo was only three years old, and just beginning what would add up to be two and a half years of daycare.

There must be countless blog entries on the minor morning heartbreak of the daycare drop-off, and the feeling of all put back together that comes with the afternoon pick-up. How many days did I go round that circle? Hundreds.

And early on came these words from Molly, that begin "In my heart":

"You know how every morning,
I put on my shoes and coat, kiss you good-bye,
And walk out the door?
Well just as I'm leaving, I feel something in my heart.
I look inside,
And what do you think I find?

You! Right here in my heart."

Roo and I memorized that the very night the story landed in my email. And the next day, during the ride home, I asked her where she'd been all day, and she didn't miss a beat: "Right in your heart, Mum!"

Now she is seven point five, and I can still ask her, whenever we've been apart, "And where were you? Where were you? and she answers: "In your heart Mum! I was in your heart the whole time."

Thank you, Molly.

2006-05-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know you can read a review of it below, which gives you a plotline as well. But I came across this summary from the publisher, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, which is a nice straight line through the story.

Magnifico a novel by Victoria Miles (ages 11+)

Mariangela dreams of playing the piano, but when she arrives home from school one day to find a curious-looking suitcase in the living room, she has a sneaky suspicion that she can no longer hide from her 'some-a day inheritance' Waiting for her in the suitcase is her grandfather's old accordion. Her Nonna is thrilled, and Mariangela, well--she wanted a piano! ...instead she finds herself pulling the old, ugly accordion behind her on a red wagon--the only way she can get to her lessons--through the streets of Vancouver. How embarrassing! Even her handsome accordion teacher, all the more intriguing for his missing two fingers, can't inspire a passion in Mariangela for the instrument. What does interest her though, is his stories. Through her teacher's at times hair-raising tales of his journey, Mariangela reaches a new understanding of her own family's need to find a place in the new world while staying connected to their past in Italy.

Young readers of many backgrounds and experiences will find meaning in this touching story layered with a multitude of themes. Drawing on her own mother's accordion misadventures, Miles creates a rich portrait of Italian immigrant life in 1930s Vancouver and of a young girl struggling with timeless inner conflicts. Funny and sad, painful and inspiring, Magnifico is above all a deeply satisfying read.

2006-05-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

Every reviewer picks up on something different. And they are all right! If you're curious about the plot of "Magnifico" this review, from May's Quill & Quire describes it better than I can (no authors don't write their own flap jacket summariesthat tricky work is the job of the editor).

Magnifico
Victoria Miles; $19.95 cloth 1-55041-960-9, $11.95 paper 1-55041-991-9, 262 pp., 5x8, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, May (ages 11+) Reviewed from unbound galleys

Victoria Miles, already known as a science writer, turns her hand to historical fiction in this novel, set in 1930s Vancouver. Although she has asked for a piano, Mariangela Benetti finds that her grandmother and parents expect her to play her deceased grandfather's accordion, lovingly transported to Canada when the family emigrated from Italy. She resists with all her might, despite the jaunty playing of her music teacher, an Italian immigrant and ex-miner who has lost three fingers in a mining accident. But somehow, partly through her playing, Mariangela's world opens up little by little until at last, she's willing to learn for love--and to make music where it best suits her, which, on the day King George and Queen Mary come to town, is on a roof where the royal couple can see and hear her.

This is a warm family story, with characters lovingly and precisely sketched, from Mama (whose suitcase is always packed because she's ready to return to Italy at a moment's notice) and Papa (who remains loyal to his roots by practising swearing in Italian, but only out in the carpentry shed), to baby Emelina (who's such a deep sleeper that she falls out of bed regularly).

Miles's evocation of the place and period is light-handed and persuasive, coming always from the child's eye. She shows Mariangela's growth through small increments in the pleasures of friendship and in family solidarity, and in her budding awareness of the emotional lives of the adults around her. Mariangela's narrating voice has character and momentum, making this an enjoyable and cheering read. With its large print, accessible vocabulary and domestic story, it's a good choice for readers nine to 12. -- Deirdre Baker, co-author of A Guide to Canadian Children's Books, and children's book reviewer for the Toronto Star.

2006-05-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

"It happened by the grace of God that Joseph Santangelo won his wife in a card game. This fateful game of pinochle took place in the back room of Santangelo's Sausage Shop, on Mulberry Street, in New York City, on the last night of the record-breaking heat-wave of September 1949.

That summer, each day dawned hotter than the day before, and the nights were worse than the days. All night, pregnant women draped wet washcloths over their faces, begged the Madonna for a good night's sleep, and thought how lucky Mary was that her baby had been born in December. Children, three and four to a bed, squirmed to escape each other's sweaty skin until their fathers' curses hissed through the dark and they dozed off only to wake, moments later, stuck together like jelly apples."

--the beginning of the novel "Household Saints" by Francine Prose, c. 1981, St. Martin's Press

2006-05-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

Until I figure out the sidebar linky thing (did I mention I'm new to this?)...

2006-05-09T16:17:00.000-07:00

Have you read Magnifico yet? Maybe that's why you're here. Or maybe you were looking for a particular brand of pasta, and wound up here instead. Sorry, you can't eat this book, unless you make a steady diet of children's literature. Which I do, supplemented by chocolate and cheese.

The Magnifico at the heart of this blog is Magnifico by Victoria Miles (me); Fitzhenry and Whiteside; c. 2006. I hope you'll find it blogworthy. The thing about writing a book is, you spend all this time at a desk, and then it is months and months in production and finally out it comes and you want to talk about it because even though it's done, you're still having thoughts about it. There is some satisfaction, if not talking, to be typing.

And a book goes through stages, beginning its life in the marketplace, and you're along with it, reading the reviews, dreaming of screenplay possibilities, and how old you might be if it ever made it to the big screen, who you'd cast as Mariangela (and how far afield they'd have to look to find an eleven-year-old Italian-Canadian girl to play the accordion) what you'd wear to the Oscars, what you'd say to Oprah, what you'd wear to Oprah...

I'm only two paragraphs into this blog, and already wandering into the dressing room with an armful of ideas.