Signing Books at Word on the Street, Toronto!

The wonderful thing about book signings, I’m discovering, is that you have the opportunity to meet all sorts of interesting readers! This weekend, signing at Word on the Street (the biggest literary festival in Canada) I met everyone from the grandfather of an international adoptee who bought the book to read himself before giving it to his grandson, to an 8 year old gifted student who told me she’d finish my book in an evening, to a librarian looking to add books to her school’s underfunded library. Readers of all ages from 8 to somewhere in their 90s! It was about so much more than signing a book – it was a chance to connect. I really hope some of those people will connect with […]

2015-09-29T01:35:34-04:00September 29, 2015|On Writing, The Finding Place, Young Writers!|
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The Finding Place: Book Launch!

This past Sunday we held a Book Launch for The Finding Place and the room was packed to the seams! We went for a Chinese theme, to match the book: there were Chinese candies and moon cakes, lanterns hanging from the ceiling, traditional Chinese music and a slide show that played images of the places Kelly visits in the novel. I gave a talk about the inspiration for the book, and a short reading, followed by a book signing. The event concluded with the cutting of a huge cake. It was a wonderful celebration for everyone. Thanks to everyone who joined us!

2015-09-24T00:29:09-04:00September 24, 2015|Home Page, On Writing, The Finding Place|
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Why Do Some Young People NEED to Write?

Sometimes, parents of our campers tell us they are at a loss to understand their child. Brothers, sisters and cousins play hockey and soccer. They go to the same camps their parents went to as children. Then, there’s the young arts enthusiast. The child who wants to play music, act, make films, paint… or write. For some parents, this son or daughter may be tougher to understand. What drives them? Why do they need to do what they do? For these kids – the ones who stand out as being different in a family – going to an arts camp or taking creative workshops in the evenings after school can be life changing. It’s not only a way to develop their interests and talents. It’s […]

2015-09-17T13:33:52-04:00September 17, 2015|On Writing, Parenting, Young Writers!|
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The Finding Place: Released Today!

Yes, it has finally arrived… the official release date for The Finding Place is today! My book is for sale in stores. It’s online at amazon.ca and on Indigo/Chapters. The Book Launch is planned for Sunday (come join us for a reading, and a celebration!). I’ve already received several emailed and online reviews. And now the official launch date is here! Rather than blog today, I’m posting a Synopsis below. If you read my novel, please do let me know what you think! And please contact me if you are interested in bringing me in to your school, community, library or book club. You can email me directly at: julie (‘at’ sign here) centauriartscamp (dot)com The big adventure starts today! Synopsis: The Finding Place Found as a baby […]

2015-09-15T17:36:33-04:00September 15, 2015|Home Page, On Writing, The Finding Place, Young Writers!|
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Four Days to Go… and some photographs

Just four days to go now until the official release date for The Finding Place! I received an email today from a 9 year old who may well be one of the first children to read the book. She told me she had to read it secretly in class when her teacher wasn’t watching because she couldn’t put it down. That’s the sort of email all writers must love receiving. I try to imagine how I would have felt as the teacher… and I know that if I ‘caught’ a student sneak-reading in class I don’t think I would have been angry at all. It’s hardly the same thing as making paper aeroplanes. Anyway, here are some more photos I have to share of magical […]

2015-09-11T14:39:01-04:00September 11, 2015|Home Page, On Writing, The Finding Place, Young Writers!|
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The Finding Place: Signing Books!

Copies of The Finding Place are already in book shops! There can be few things in life, for a writer, more thrilling that browsing the shelves of your favourite bookstores, and seeing your own book there, among the others. Simply incredible. Today, I visited Another Story in Roncesvalles… and there it was in the children’s section. All the more thrilling because the first part of The Finding Place actually takes place in the Roncesvalles area. Five minutes later and I was seated at a table beside the books, signing copies. There is something rather strange about opening a book that is unsold, fresh off the shelves, and signing your name in it. I felt as if I was wilfully defacing someone else’s property. I had […]

2015-09-10T00:01:00-04:00September 10, 2015|Home Page, On Writing, The Finding Place|
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Writing and Teaching Writing: It’s the Same Thing

A few years ago, I was interviewing to find a new writing teacher for our arts camp. One applicant told me in the interview: It’s good that teaching positions exist because when you can’t make enough money in the arts, teaching is the next best way to make money. Wrong. If an artist views teaching as financial fallback, then I would question how they define what it means to be an artist. As A.L.Kennedy puts it in her excellent book on writing, being an artist may be HARD, but it’s also a privilege. Privileges carry responsibilities. And those include the responsibility to inspire. We inspire by writing, making art, acting… but by creating, we also open a dialogue. We speak to our readers and to […]

2015-09-08T14:20:15-04:00September 8, 2015|Life at Centauri, On Writing, The Finding Place, Young Writers!|
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The Finding Place: Book Launch Announced!

Join us as we celebrate the launch of The Finding Place! I’ll be there to share a reading from the book, and there will also be a photographic display of all the locations in China featured in the novel. Signed copies will be available for purchase and we’ll be celebrating with food and music! When?      Sunday 20 September, starting 4pm. Where?     Centauri Arts Academy, Studio 218A, 2323 Bloor Street West, Toronto (this is a short walk East of Jane subway; parking is available. We hope to see you there!

2015-09-07T19:01:46-04:00September 7, 2015|Home Page, On Writing, The Finding Place, Young Writers!|
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The Finding Place: Ten Days to Go!

Each day, for the next ten days, I will be posting a Behind-the-Scenes glimpse at one part of The Finding Place. These blogs will conclude with the release of my novel, ten days from now! Raizel’s Chocolate Shop Kelly’s special friend in The Finding Place is a girl by the name of Raizel. Even in the earliest draft of the novel her personality and her unusual name were very clear to me. However, her home wasn’t featured in the novel as it is now. Instead, the girls met to chat in a coffee shop that might easily have been Starbucks, or Second Cup. They drank hot chocolate, sitting opposite each other, and discussed their absent dads. There was something wrong with all this, but it […]

2015-09-05T19:30:29-04:00September 5, 2015|On Writing, The Finding Place|
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The Finding Place: The Books have Arrived!

We hit another important milestone with The Finding Place yesterday when many, many boxes of books were shipped from the printer’s to the warehouse at Red Deer Press. I drove up to their offices immediately to collect my author copies. How thrilling it was to hold the book in my hands for the first time! Visiting Red Deer Press itself was equally exciting: being introduced to everyone who works there, seeing displays of all the wonderful books they have published… and then realising The Finding Place was displayed among them! It’s hard to believe, at times, that this is really happening. During our visit, I was asked to sit at an oak desk and sign copies of my book. This was, of course, the very […]

2015-08-29T17:56:02-04:00August 29, 2015|Home Page, On Writing, The Finding Place|
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