Ahead of My Time?

Transcript (unofficial) of today's phone call:

Peter: Hello? Andrea Cameron?

Andrea: Oh great, a telemarketer. Yes...

Peter: Hi, this is Peter ______ from the annual ______ Literary Contest.

Andrea: Hi. Why is he calling? Am I shortlisted? Did I win? Oh, I must have won. Of course!

Peter: I'm calling regarding your submission.

Andrea: Oh... I'm shortlisted! I knew it! I'm a literary genius and now the world will know! I will become part of the canon of Canadian literature alongside Alice Munro, Timothy Findley, and Margaret Atwood. Yes, my name would look lovely in that list.

Peter: Well, actually, it's about your payment. Oh no, I think she thinks I'm calling to tell her some good news.

Andrea: Is something wrong? Oops. Maybe I'm not a genius.

Peter: Actually, your cheque was returned to us...This is so awkward.

Andrea: That's strange. Insufficient funds? Identity theft? A joke?

Peter: You dated it 2010. Loser.

Andrea: I see. Can I still send another? I am such a loser.


I was having such a good hair day. I should have known it would end like this.

Natural Family Column

I am delighted to be publishing a regular column in Natural Life Magazine called "Natural Family." My article about breast cancer will appear in the upcoming winter issue. The magazine is a Canadian bi-monthly publication covering issues such as the environment, natural parenting, and life learning.

Here's the link:

http://www.naturallifemagazine.com/

Island Images

Now that my novel is finished and has been sent off into the agent/publishing world for consideration, I find myself missing the daily question of what my characters will do next. I still have lots of images that my friend, Tina, took for me this summer since we couldn't get to the island. They served as inspiration for me when I needed that sense of place and just couldn't picture it.

the church in Donaldston

a red island road

Early Riser...

Parenting a pre-schooler is like joining the army. I do more before 9:00 am than most people do in a day. I was awakened at 4:45 am on Sunday by a "little mouse" who claimed it was time to get up. Almost an hour of cajoling later, he finally pulled me out of bed. Pre-child, I would sleep until 10:00am on a Sunday morning. Wow. Those days are gone. For now.


So, before the sun even rose, we got to work trying out two recipes from my new Baby Cakes cookbook. Since becoming gluten-free and sugar-free, I've desperately missed banana bread and corn bread. And so the experimenting began.

The thing I like about these recipes is that the ingredients are whole foods. Some gf cookbooks I've tried have dubious ingredients. I also have mixed feelings about chick pea flour. I know it's healthy and it works well for texture, but sometimes, it feels like I'm eating a "banana flavoured dry crumbly felafel" instead of banana bread.

Sunday morning felt like real baking. The house was filled with that smell, that baking smell. When we came back from our walk, there were two lovely things cooling on the stove--just like old times.

My boy helped me mix. Everytime I'd put another item into the bowl, he'd stir softly and whisper, "ingredients."

And the results made me weep. Well, not quite, but almost.

The banana bread is moist and holds together beautifully. The corn bread...well, I think it's worthy to accompany my chili. That's something that has been missing from my life for the past three years. A good cornbread recipe to go with my chili. Yay!

Now, I think this Erin McKenna woman is a genius. I'm grateful that she spent the time to test all of these recipes for those of us who struggle in isolation, trying to find good things to replace our comfort foods.

So, if you're gluten-free and want to decrease the refined sugar in your diet...need I say more. It is vegan but I don't see any reason why you couldn't replace rice milk with dairy milk, if that's what you prefer. I followed the recipes closely because I wanted to see how they worked.

New Writing:

Make sure you check my two new links. You can read my columns in The Brockville Voice by clicking on the link to the left.

I also set up a link to my story "Getting Set," which was published in the Brockville Recorder and Times on Saturday.

"Deer" Visitors and Short Story Award

On Sunday, I was in the living room when I noticed something moving up the street in front of our house. These three confused creatures were wandering around the neighbourhood. I was able to get close enough for this photo before they disappeared into suburbia.


Over the weekend, I was honoured to be awarded first place in the Writers' Ink/Recorder and Times Short Story Contest for my entry "Getting Set." My story will appear in the Recorder and Times in early November.

Check out the link below:


http://www.recorder.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2145742

The Thousand Island Writers' Festival

Today, I attended the first Thousand Islands Writers' Festival. Thanks to Leeds County Books for giving me a ticket! I could only go for a little while because of conflicting schedules but I'm glad I made it.

Carol Ressor, author of The Paris Magdelene, was the first writer I heard speak. She discussed her research of Leonardo Da Vinci and Mary Magdelene as well as the challenges of braiding three narratives into one novel.

Garth Wallace, author of Wing Nuts, a collection of stories about flight school, kept the room laughing his acount of "Margaret", an eldery, and rather daring, flying student with whom he worked. The fact that I know absolutely nothing about airplanes and flying but was still captivated by his narrative proves his storytelling ability.

They had to bring extra chairs into the Brockville Courtroom because numbers were higher than anticipated. Hopefully, that's a sign that this continues to be an annual event.

Writers' Club

Once a week I meet with two wonderful friends to share and critique each other's writing. It is because of these two women that I was able to complete my novel.

Having their honest criticism (I hope!), companionship, and encouragement helped me plug along. I've also learned so much from both of them, both about writing and about life.


I'm amazed that this continues to happen week after week, despite the demands of teaching and parenting and all that other stuff.


We have a lot of laughs and we've also cried a bit. It's been a rough few years for me but I

always leave my writers' circle a little lighter
...but with warm wine cheeks.

Yesterday was not a good meal from the 100-Mile perspective. I had a busy evening so I had to prepare something quick. That's when I pulled out my frozen carrot soup made ahead of time and tried to make a fritatta--but it's hard to make a fritatta when there are only two eggs because one's husband has eaten a dozen in just five days in an attempt to replace carbs. So, the fritatta was flatatta but the soup was good...at least I liked it.


I made the Herbed Carrot soup from The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. I used to make this when I was a university student. I remember buying organic carrots once at the farmer's market and marvelling at how knarled they were. This recipe can be made with no oil, which is helpful in the absence of olive groves (still hoping).

I used carrots from Clover Gardens in Soperton. Dave and Barb Alguire are dedicated to producing delicious food. These carrots are divine. I didn't think it was possible for me to prefer carrots over chocolate, but these orange vegetables are perfect.

In this recipe, I removed all non-local ingredients and it worked. Here's my locavore version. It's also vegan, a welcome relief for me after a fairly carnivorous week.

Herbed Carrot Soup

2 lbs carrots
1 medium potato
4 cups water or veg stock
1 tbls, butter (optional)
1 cup chopped onion
2 medium cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp thyme*
1/2 tsp oregano*
1 tsp basil*

*dried--although I made mine with fresh and just used a little more.

Peel and chop the carrots and potato and place them in a med-sized saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender (10-15 min). Heat some water in a frying pan and "saute" the onions for 5 minutes. Add garlic, herbs and cook until onions are soft. Blend everything until smooth. Re-heat in a big pot until simmering.

Looking Back...

After finishing my YA novel (despite the presence of a publisher...yet), I've been snooping back at the book I started a few years ago and stopped at page 150. Even if my recent novel is never published, I've learned a lot...about finishing, in particular. So, I've re-visited the opening of my first attempt. Here it is...

The last time Sarah saw Lobsang, a dead cow lay on the median. Driving down Ring Road towards Tribhuvan Airport, the taxi driver swerved to miss it, angering the dust and causing pedestrians to scatter. Touching his right hand to his forehead, the driver subtly recoiled. They continued on as, on the dashboard, a figure of Baby Krishna jerked in rhythm to the spiralling Hindi static on the radio.

In the early morning haze, the streets slowly stretched and sighed, preparing for the bustle of the day. With a belch of black smoke, an overflowing bus lurched forward, a young boy reaching out the back to pound his palm on steel. Vendors perched behind their wares: tiger balm, hair clips, cigarettes, and colourful posters of Hindu deities. One woman turned her roasted corn, letting the smell dominate over the exhaust and sewage. Men in ties hurried along with briefcases while women cradling lethargic babies begged at their ankles. As the taxi slowed to let an aggressive Tata truck pass, Sarah smiled at Lobsang. He rested his hand on the seat beside her, his hand of callous, and sinew, and bone. So close to her own.

The Beginning...

Big day today. I'm sending out the first of my agent queries. I have no idea what will happen because I've never done this before. Sending a complete short story to a literary magazine is very different from creating a synopsis and pitching an idea. What's exciting is that after all this work, I'm finally sending my novel out into the world. I also know that I'm resiliant enough to take whatever is sent back...even if it's the sound of crickets chirping.


Here's historical Dalvay by the Sea. It's where Anne recites "The Highwayman" (and Gilbert givers her a standing ovation--sigh) in the film Anne of Green Gables. I love this place--it has such a "summer by the sea" feeling, which is what I tried to capture in my book.



Thanks again to Tina Dougan for taking these photos when I'm not able to be on the island.

How to Miss the Sea

My son and I are captivated by this book--maybe because we're both missing the beach. It's beautifully written and illustrated. The whimsical watercolour paintings are evocative of the sea. Kieran studies the detailed photos, picking out star fish and sea shells. In Can You Catch a Mermaid? by Jane Ray, the main character, Eliza, has to overcome her own need to hold onto her dear friend through deception. There's nothing syrupy about this story and the ending is layered. We signed out the CD version narrated by Dervla Kirwan from our library. Kieran listens to it while I'm making dinner and often re-plays it.

I explore the mythology of mermaids in my novel when Kira almost drowns.

Kira saw herself with irridescent scales, with sea grass twining around her legs, pulling her down for eels to dance through her green hair. Strong starfish contracted on her skin and the jagged edge of sea shells pierced promises into her feet. She would stay on the bottom of the sea with the swirl of life churning around her.

100 Mile Diet

Well, the Cameron-Shea family is officially participating in the 100-Mile-Diet for COGECO Kingston. We met with them yesterday and we'll film in September. While the majority of our food is already locally-grown, we're taking it a step futher to give up coffee (gasp!), beer (double gasp), and chocolate (faint...). Other things that will be a problem are salt, olive oil, and cinnamon. Kieran's gluten-free needs will also call for creativity. It's only seven days.


Thank goodness for Wendy's Mobile Market in Lyndhurst. We order on-line from them once a week and Rick (Wendy's husband) brings everything right into the kitchen. We are able to get local veggies, apples, ice cream, chicken, beef, wild boar, a variety of cheeses, and even bath bombs. It's a great thing. We would probably be more reluctant to participate in this challenge if it weren't for this service. I'll add the link for their fantastic site at the end of this post.


I was just working on a chapter in my novel where the protagonist attends the Charlottetown Famer's Market--here's another photo from my friend, Tina. It's a little dark but it's a favourite stop for me when we're on the island--so much good food! And I like to eat. It's another one of the things I greatly miss about not being on the island, which is why it had to appear in my book.

The book that inspired me to look into local eating more seriously was Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. And, after watching a few episodes of their show on the Food Network, I'm adding Alisa Smith and James MiKinnon's book, The 100 Mile Diet: A Year of Eating Locally to my reading list.



"Eating locally isn't just a fad like the various fad-diets advertised on late-night T.V.--it may be one of the most important ways we save ourselves and the planet." ~David Suzuki


http://www.wendysmobilemarket.com/

Green Grass, Red Sand, Blue Water

My friend, Tina, took this photo at Dalvay Beach on Prince Edward Island. It's the perfect picture to accompany my first post because this is the place that inspired my novel. It pulls everything together: my history with Mike, my love of Kieran, my desire to write.

After watching the sunset here with Kieran last summer, the premise for my story unfolded. I quickly wrote the first three chapters and then let it sit until Janurary. When I needed something for my writers' circle meeting, I dusted it off and continued. Over the past few months, the story has flowed. I can't say the same for the editing process. However, I've been able to refine my characters and story into something tangible.

Now that I'm finishing up my last draft, I'm ready to start looking at publication. As my short stories, poetry and parenting columns slowly appear on the printed page, the number of rejection letters grows exponentially. I know it won't be an easy time, but I am resilient.

Sadly, this is the first year since I met my husband that we won't be travelling to PEI for the summer. Our son, Kieran, had some health issues in the spring that prevented this. It's ironic really, that I've conjured our dear island so vividly in my imagination at a time when I've never felt so far away.

I can picture the herons fishing along the shore. Most of all, I miss my extended family and our friends. There's always next year.