Interviews

Just singing in the rain...

April 10, 2013
Sorry, it's raining outside and I couldn't help myself.  Yep, I'm definitely a Gene Kelly fan.  And in fact, watched many of his movies to learn his awesome dance moves to prepare myself for a dance production I was in a few years ago. Cool eh?

Speaking of theatre, I've been in a number of plays and enjoyed the experience very much. Did I find it nerve wracking and impossible to follow? No, not really as long as I paid attention to what was going on and followed the script.  Knowing my lines and the overall story made a huge difference in keeping up with a play regardless of how boisterous it became.  When I go watch other plays such as Lion King in Toronto or Hamlet in Stratford, I read the plays ahead of time so that I don't have to worry about lipreading the actors or getting lost, I follow the script in my head with ease. 

Being familiar with the surroundings and embracing it can make a huge difference in enjoying an experience like that.  It's the same thing with me when I'm outside, say at the beach, and have to take off my hearing aids to go swimming.  Once I remove them, my world suddenly goes silent.  I no longer hear the seagulls laugh above my head or the lapping of the waves against the shorelines.  The delightful screams of the kids in the water disappear and the soft thunk of the volleyball vanishes.  There's no sound.  It's a silent hush. 

However, I have learned to find the music all around me. The gentle breeze against my face, the warmth of the sun on my skin, and the dazzling sparkles on the lake all suddenly seem so much more profound.  Everything becomes beautiful and more intimate once my perception shifts from being infused in sound to seeing and feeling what nature has to offer all around me.  This is why my eye is so much sharper in finding interesting things to photograph, I find so much beauty in the effects of light and shadow, glittering dew drops on plants, and glorious colours from the flowers.  Rippling water can be as beautiful as sparkling gems.  Flowers appear more like a canvas with bold strokes painted across the surface. 

Today, as I was raking the leaves and doing spring cleaning outside, I didn't have my hearing aids on.  The sun was warm on my back, there was a rich scent of wood smoke in the air, and the crocuses were just starting to bloom.  It was a beautiful day and I was able to enjoy it in silence.  The backyard was my stage and there were so much action happening from my perspective.

You can do this too by wearing ear plugs or ear muffs to help you tune out the noises all around you, this way you'll begin to see the world through my eyes.  Just take the time to take in your surroundings and appreciate it. 
 

Yep! It's real.

April 9, 2013
Huh? What's real? Lately I've been asked all sorts of curious questions about my books from fans, readers, interviewers, reporters and bloggers.  There's nothing wrong with those inquisitive inquiries, however, I can be quite a tease when it comes to answering them.  I like hiding messages in my stories and responses since it keeps people guessing and that's a lot of fun!

Since not everyone has read my latest release, Compass, I will be dropping hints and offering really interesting tidbits a...
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Follow me

April 2, 2013
Hi folks!

It always amazes me whenever a fan tells me how much they loved reading my books.  It's even more impressive when it's someone that I didn't expect to hear them say this to me.  Why? Well, it's primarily because I originally wrote the trilogy series for the young adult market, specifically teens with a disability.  Now, I'm finding out that readers aged 10 and up, are delving into it, including parents and grandparents! I never expected it to reach such a wide audience like that!

As...
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Reviews

March 27, 2013
There have been lots of lovely reviews for Sway, the first novel in the trilogy series featuring a hearing impaired teen.  It seems to be reaching people of all ages and connecting with the readers on a personal level which is simply amazing! Even though they may not have a hearing loss, they knew of someone else in the family that just lost their hearing or just wanted to learn what it's like to be hard of hearing in a hearing world. 

What's beautiful about the series is it's unique ability ...
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Kindness of strangers

February 26, 2013
Kindness is everywhere, you just never know when you will be blessed with it.  I'm a strong believer in paying it forward.  If I have extra change on me and see someone struggling to pay for their cup of coffee, I'm more than happy to buy it for them.  The look of stunned surprise (and sometimes tears) on their faces never fails to amaze me. 

Recently I received two bracelets courtesy of Jackie Brazil World Jewelery, a delightful gift for my mother and I.  I received the Ciclon silver...

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Be strong

February 25, 2013
Sometimes you got to stop and wonder what in the world Fate has in store for us.  It can seem so strange at times.  I know that it's inevitably meant to lead us towards another path that will open a door to new possibilities, perhaps through a chance meeting with someone who has the right connections. 

It's like the movie, Six Degrees of Separation, where we all are somehow connected to someone that is higher up on the rung of the ladder in the society. Someone in this group will strike up a ...
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Feeling Abnormal

January 12, 2013
No, it has nothing to do with my blood type...it's about a pretty cool show called Sanctuary that has been produced and filmed in Canada for the past few years.  It was a unique series that originally started out a mini webisodes that became so popular, it was turned into a tv series. The funny thing is that it's such a truly original show it's hard to sum it up neatly.  For the most part, it's about a team from an organization called the Sanctuary that track down extraordinary and unusual cr...
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Name game

December 29, 2012
Growing up is never easy.  Going through school with a disability makes it much more difficult to get through the day without being tormented by people you trusted and expected to be your friend. In my case, it was already humiliating enough to wear hearing aids that were visible to everyone, the last thing I needed was to be teased mercilessly and called nicknames like "Gibby" which was a deliberate slur based on my last name.  It may sound innocent enough and I know a number of people with ...
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Holiday blues

December 29, 2012
After the month long battle of decorating the house, sending out those cards, making cookies, shopping for gifts and a billion other errands while getting that deadline done for work - it's a huge relief once it's over.  Every year it's a like a marathon that builds up the to day of the event with lots of prepping and planning then it's a massive sprint to the end.  It leaves you exhausted but glad once it's over. 

And of course, the holiday blues take over.  In my case, it was from feeling s...
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Interviews

November 4, 2012
As many of you know, I've been interviewed by local reporters and featured in their newspapers regarding publishing my books.  Recently, I was asked by a talented friend of mine, Bob Leahy, who is a regular contributor for the community newsletter, if I could answer some of his curious questions. It was a lot of fun which provided some insightful responses. 

Here's his article that was featured in the Warkworth Words (produced by Kim McNeil, owner of Eclectic Mix > http://www.eclecticmix.ca/)...
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