The Girdle of Melian

While devouring - er, reading - An Echo in the Bone , I find myself in Cambridge , MA... " Listen my children and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere ..."

22 September is: a) the Autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and the Vernal Equinox in Southern Hemisphere; b) the day on which 100 days are left to the end of the year; c) Oktoberfest in Munich; d) Bilbo and Frodo Baggins’ birthdays; e) my Frodo (aka Chirpy)’s birthday; f) the day in 1653 when Marguerite Bourgeoys landed at Quebec with de Maisonneuve and 100 soldiers; g) car-free day in Montreal ; and ...drumroll, please... h) the release date for Diana Gabaldon's An Echo in the Bone !

Marsha had a recent post about how September sometimes feels more like a New Year than 1 January does - at least in the Northern Hemisphere, what with back-to-school-shopping et al. - and summarized her writing life for the past two years. I've turned her post into a tag! Mine covers the period since I joined the Compuserve Books and Writers Community , which was almost exactly three years ago. If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged (though it needn't be about writing, of course, but whatever project you've embarked on). Drafts written : About 4 for The Face of A Lion (YA novel), 3 or 4 for my short story He Ain't Heavy, 2 YAs currently started Books completed : 1 (The Face of A Lion) Books published : Ha ha. Not even an agent yet! Rejections received : Hmm... I think I'm at 40 (from agents). Though I did just participate in CANSCAIP 's Blue Pencil contest and received some very favourable comments. Wine consumed : No wine, and unfortunately no wh...

Only one and a half days left in Writer Appreciation Week , hosted by agent Nathan Bransford. Say something nice about a writer, and make their day a little brighter (erm, cheesy rhyme, I know). I'd like to thank Nathan for hosting such a detailed and interesting blog, and shout out to all the writers and readers on the Compuserve Books and Writers Forum! My greatest thanks and appreciation to all the YA authors out there, past and present, as well as authors not labelled YA but whom I read regardless (starting with Tolkien and Lewis), all of whom made my childhood a little bit more magical... Meanwhile, it's the first anniversary of Outlandish Observations !

We spent two nights in New York City during our road trip. I’d been hoping to stay at the Algonquin Hotel , that haven for writers from the 1920s on, who met as part of the Algonquin Round Table , which also features a resident cat named Matilda. The Algonquin also offers a Writer’s Block special, offering 25 per cent off their best rate if you present a work in progress or a published work. Unfortunately, we were told that this rate was for prior reservations only, and not offered on the spot, though we both showed up with manuscripts in hand. We ended up at the Clarion Park Avenue . This hotel may not have as storied a history, boast a pet or offer the chance to meet other writers. What it did do for me, however, was provide an intense bout of inspiration. I woke up the next morning directly out of a dream of a brand new murder mystery, a story whose bare bones were all laid out for me – all I had to do was take notes. The only catch is that the detective in the story is Hercule Po...

A number of posts and photographs on our travels, as well as a post on "Writer's Block, Algonquin Hotel, NYC" will come soon. For now, though, I and the good people at the Talbott Tavern, Bardstown, Kentucky, need your help. What is this thing?

More songs added, here ! And an Australian take on The Hobbit , here . Meanwhile, I'd like to post a clip of Homer Simpson in New York City, as part of my travel series (details to come!), but the copyright restrictions seem to be strictly enforced. Here 's a description.