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Never Forget Srebrenica

Our calendars are filled with anniversaries. For the most part, they are dates set aside to celebrate or remember a specific event. They are also an opportunity to educate.

Potocari memorial
Memorial in Potocari (courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Thursday, July 11, 2013 is the eighteenth anniversary of the Fall of Srebrenica. On that day in 1995, the Bosnian Serb army invaded the town and subsequently murdered more than eight thousand men and boys. More than 6800 have since been positively identified through DNA and 5657 have been buried at the memorial site in Potocari (as of July, 2012). This week, four hundred more will be laid to rest in Potocari.

Continue reading “Never Forget Srebrenica”

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Finishing up my Blog Tour with Valerie Francis

I’m in Halifax now awaiting the Atlantic Book Award ceremony tomorrow abanight. Tonight, I’ll be joining the other two authors nominated for the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award as well as three established authors for readings and a Q&A. The event takes place at the Keshen Goodman Library in Halifax starting at 7 pm. Should be a great evening.

Today, we come to the end of my five week blog tour. I’ve been honored to have been hosted by Kate Robbins, Paul Butler, Michelle Butler Hallett and Rati Mehrotra up to now and today we finish up the tour with Valerie Francis. Continue reading “Finishing up my Blog Tour with Valerie Francis”

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The next stop on my blog tour with Rati Mehrotra

I’m four weeks into my blog tour and the Atlantic Book Awards are fast ratiapproaching. This week, Rati Mehrotra has been kind enough to host me on her blog Rati Writes.

Rati recently joined our writer’s group. She is a science fiction and fantasy writer. Born and raised in India, she travelled the globe before making her home in Newfoundland. She’s currently working on a YA fantasy series titled Asiana and plans to publish Book One in 2014.

Next week, the blog tour ends with Valerie Francis and she will provide the details of how you can win a signed copy of Braco.

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The Blog Tour Experience

I’m halfway through my blog tour and I have to admit, it has been a great experience and a great way to celebrate Braco‘s nomination for the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. The idea was first discussed in the writer’s group that I joined this past abaFebruary. Two members, Kate Robbins and Valerie Francis, already had a well established web presence and were very familiar with the concept of the blog tour.

And yes, they had to explain it to me.

My first thought was that it would be a monster to put together, but Kate held my hand and the tour got off to a great start with her post on April 17th. Valerie and Rati Mehrotra volunteered to take a week and they encouraged me to approach novelists Paul Butler and Michelle Butler-Hallett to do the other two weeks. I was thrilled when they agreed to host. Continue reading “The Blog Tour Experience”

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The Book Club Experience

If you’re part of a book club, I imagine it must be pretty thrilling to have the author show up to answer some questions.Braco

As an author, I can tell you, it’s exhilarating to be invited to a book club to answer questions. Unlike readings or book fairs where I’m trying to sell the book to people who often know little or nothing about it, the book club is completely different. I don’t have to sell anything. They’re already sold.

Recently, I had my second opportunity to meet with a book club. Two members of my writing group, Kate Robbins and Melanie Martin, belong to this club and Melanie picked the book. They got together at 7 pm for a discussion and I showed up at 8:30 to an enthusiastic crowd of six from varied backgrounds including a nurse, a former reporter, a sister of two soldiers/peacekeepers and a historian. Continue reading “The Book Club Experience”