As I prepare to release Dark Road, my first collection of poems I have been reminiscing about how poetry came into my life.

The library was a refuge for the misfit, cross eyed, single parent kid attending Catholic school. Books were my friends and offered opportunities for great adventures and fun.  They didn’t tease or judge me and offered escape and solace from a misunderstood world. There was a worn and weighty sky blue hued bound book filled with poems.  I  would get lost in its pages for hours curiously comforted by the rhythms and moods that were found within.

I saw my first Shakespearean play when I was nine and fell in love with the musicality of the words and the theatre. Dear Uncle Llew with his lilting Welsh accent recited snippets of Keats, Shelly, & Dickinson to me and whoever was within earshot.  My mother had an amazing record collection and I listened to opera, Frank Sinatra, Kris Kristofferson,  and a.m. pop radio.  Words falling onto my ears and into my heart.

On the shelf is a collection of love poems from a sweet ex lover that I have held onto for over two decades despite letting him go. Cohen, Plath, Walden,  Jim Carroll,  Will and his sonnets,  Susan McMaster,  Rumi,  Dr. Seuss and Jewel are fragments of  my poetic journey.

Poems are bite sized morsels in a too busy world. They allow us to pause, to feel, to wonder. They are mysteries to unravel, breaths of  crisp air,  sweet promises, youth’s outrage and  two a.m. heartbreak. They are our moments captured.

Peace

Laura

A year ago with the support of friends and fans, we realized our Kickstarter goal for “The Remenbering Wall.” There were still a few production hiccups and layout challenges, but we delivered the books to everyone who had pre-ordered by February when I flew to Mexico to make an extra special delivery to my Baja family.

The past year has seen me visit 15 schools and youth groups in Edmonton, Medicine Hat and Loreto, BCS Mexico. The Remembering Wall has found a home on bookshelves, and in schools and libraries around the globe including Italy, Sweden, Mexico, Bali, England, Croatia, France, the United States, and from coast to coast in Canada. To all of my travelling friends I am happy to give you a paperback copy to deliver to a library or school on your next adventure so get in touch.

“The Remembering Wall” starts conversations about diversity, connections, and community. Children are wise and know that even though we have many differences we are all part of the human race. We each have a story, hearts and feelings. Treating others with kindness and respect makes our world a nicer place.

Thank you for being part of this journey. I’m working on a book of poetry and planning for another children’s book in 2018.

Peace & Happiness

Laura

I was an only child raised by a hard working single mom.  There wasn’t money for extras, but she managed to find a way to send me to summer camp when I was eight and nine years old.  And I am glad she did.

I remember the list – an assortment of the necessities a camper would need plus the reminders to write one’s name on all items with permanent marker.  Waving from the bus window as we headed off on this grand adventure and counsellors teaching us camp songs that had been passed down from generation to generation with a few updates here and there.  The first night in the cabin with eight little girls hysterically crying that they were homesick and two weeks later those same eight girls hysterically crying that they were having to leave their forever camp friends. Learning how to make S’mores over the campfire,  jumping off the pier into the ice cold lake,  afternoon crafts that often involved macaroni, glitter and Aylmer’s white glue,  putting on plays, green Jello, and a sense of fun and comraderie.

I have been invited back to camp ….. summer day camp to talk about being an author and why I love reading and to share my two books with the kids.

The day camps are for children who are recent immigrants to Canada.  For most this will be a brand new experience. Many of them and their families have been impacted by war, famine, racism, trauma and unimaginable losses. The camps will give them an opportunity to practice their English, try out some new activities and sports, have fun,  meet some new friends and perhaps even make S’mores.

Summer camps offer opportunities for children to play and learn and have positive role models. The campers often become strong leaders,  problem solvers, team players, and are more empathetic and independent. Perhaps the camp experience should be mandatory for all of us so we can remember that we are all in this together and sometimes sharing S’mores and sitting around the campfire singing makes life a little nicer.

Peace & Happiness

Laura

Recently I had the opportunity to read “The Remembering Wall”, to some Grade 3 students at a local school. They enjoyed the book and shared some very thoughtful comments.

In a time of intolerance, divisiveness, violence and hate these students were wise beyond their years. They talked about the importance of being good role models and treating others with kindness, not excluding others and talking about problems instead of fighting.

They also talked about wanting opportunities to feel part of their community. They want to feel safe, to have places to play and meet others, to be active and to learn. They all voiced a desire for connection and to be allowed to help. They want a sense of purpose and to be able to contribute at home, school and in their neighbourhoods They want adults to support their ideas and efforts to make the world a better place. They want us to know they can!

Take some time to have a conversation with a Grade 3 student. They might have a thing or two to teach you about some of the truly important things in the world. I walked away feeling very fortunate.

Peace & Happiness
Laura

The book arrived. I am a proud momma. The process took much longer than expected, but it was worth it in the end. Books are being delivered to all those who pre-ordered and Author Visits are being scheduled with several area schools.

This Friday I will be at Belvedere School. The students and staff hold a special place in my heart as they exemplify the importance of creating a kind and caring community. I always feel welcome at Belvedere and know that the students love reading.

“The Remembering Wall” will be officially released on February 14th and an ebook version will be available later this year. You can order directly through me or through most online retailers after February 14th.

Peace & Happiness

Laura

The paperback proof of The Remembering a Wall arrived and I was thrilled. Upon closer examination I discovered a few minor issues that raised some concern. Now some of you might think I am being overly dramatic, suffer from perfectionism or am prone to hyperbole. And in some instances you would be right.

Here is some of the running commentary that took place in my head……

Yippee! (Happy dance & package opening)

Sigh (wonderous awe)

Hmmmmm (curious puzzlement)

I need to look at this in better light. (Sought out better light in every room in the house)

Why does it look so different from what’s on my computer? (Bewildered head shaking)

It looks like mud and not the fancy spa variety. ….. (Slight exaggeration)

Am I overreacting? (Sought out mirror to check out my red faced, teeth clenched visage)

Perhaps I am too picky. (Head nodding)

No I am not picky – it looks like mud. (Opened facial mud pack to compare shades)

Why? (Head in hands …..uncontrollable sobbing)

Help! (frantic email to layout designer)

This is why you always order a proof. It may seem overly cautious and time consuming, but you do it anyway. I foolishly ordered matte instead of gloss which results in darker tones looking flat and in some instances like mud. And I ordered it on the paperback and hardcover proofs.

Creating a mood with darker shades can result in an overabundance of moodiness…..not necessarily a selling feature for a children’s book. My mood had also darkened and I muttered about my foolishness.

The book can be altered and fixed, but alas more time is added to a process that has seemed fraught with hiccups, bumps and doubts. However we shall persevere and do what is required.

I am hoping that friends, fans and followers will be patient as we try this one more time. This experience has taught me so much. The self published author needs to have a thick skin, good connections, and a willingness to wear many hats as editor, critic, writer, and the person who handles the myriad other details that result in a book.

I would love to have a publisher doing all of this, but I have me. And me has decided that I want to have a book that I am proud of having written and also published.

Happy 2017 to everyone. It will be done I promise.

Peace & Happiness

Laura

Friends often describe me as a cock-eyed optimist….a believer that there are still happy ever afters and super heroes and that everything works out well in the end. Sometimes I am disappointed, but most times I continue to clutch on to this belief in part because I don’t like the alternative.

Sometimes even an optimist needs to be a realist. So today dear friends, fans and supporters I am going to be realistic. The Remembering Wall is now at the printer’s and in need of a few final tweaks. Before I order masses of books it is recommended in BIG BOLD print that i order a proof of the book. Alas this does not mean reviewing an email proof, but a real hands on copy proof to ensure the vibrancy of colors, appropriate spacing of text, proper page order, no typos and that The Remembering Wall looks like the book i dreamed it could be.

The holiday season is fast approaching and based on printing and delivery dates I cannot get books to everyone before Christmas, even with Santa’s help. So I ask for a bit more patience and that you all rest assured your book or books will arrive after January 15. For those of you who want an in school reading those will also be scheduled into late January & February.

If you absolutely need a book by Christmas I will order a handful of proof copies. However there may be some slight imperfections, a punctuation glitch, color bleeds,or the book could by all appearances be perfect and you’ll get yours ahead of everyone else. In most things I am willing to take a chance if it just affects me. In this instance I am not willing to take the risk when each of you showed me that you believed in this project before it was even fully realized and invested in another one of my dreams.

What am I learning from all this …….good things take time; the more people involved in a process the longer it may take; I am a fuss budget and some of the delays are a direct result of my extraordinary pickiness (who knew); all the hurdles only make me want to keep writing………

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I so look forward to sharing The Remembering Wall with everyone.

Peace & Happiness

Laura