And in-between all that …

I can’t begin to describe how good it feels to be back in the middle of writing a new novel. Besides developing Five Rivers publishing venture by adding Deb Salisbury’s great new book Elephant’s Breath and London Smoke to our spring line-up; finalizing a deal to publish Paul Lima’s How to Write a Book in 60 Days, and working on the fall promotional tour for And the Angels Sang, I’m now solidly into my new…

Elephant’s Breath & London Smoke

I’m absolutely thrilled to announce an upcoming book from Five Rivers, Elephant’s Breath & London Smoke: Historic Colour Names, Definitions & Uses, edited by Deb Salisbury. Deb owns and operates The Mantua-Maker, a company dedicated to the fabrication of quality, historical reproduction sewing patterns from Renaissance through Edwardian Eras. Her knowledge of historic garment fabrication, and dedication to research has resulted in this one-of-a-kind compendium that will prove indispensable to the historic costume maven. Elephant’s…

Review: After the Fires, by Ursula Pflug

After the Fires, by Ursula Pflug Trade Paperback200 Pages, 5.1 x 7.8 x 0.61 inPublisher:Tightrope Books ISBN – 13:9780978335120 $14.40 Call me a literary slob, but I just don’t get it. I understand the art of writing should always push the borders, delve into experimentalism. But, for me, like visual art, or any art for that matter, if we fail to communicate with our audience, if our art has become so internal as to be…

Less than Inspiring

While Susanna Moodie: Pioneer, by Anne Cimon does a good job of chronicling the life of this important Canadian historical figure, I felt nothing new was added to the already considerable body of work written about Susanna. Unfortunately Cimon’s attempts to humanize and make immediate this remarkable historical woman fail, in my opinion, and therefore diminish the credibility of the work. We are, as readers, given Susanna’s dialogue, both external and internal, that reads more…

With new advances in technology, why are we still jumping in the car?

The following article was written by friend and colleague, Paul Lima, and reprinted here by permission. Special to The Globe and Mail – October 20, 2008All around the world, workers in branch offices use the latest technology tools, from e-mails and instant messaging to Web portals and video conferencing, to get their jobs done. Even employees in the same building – often on the same floor or in adjacent cubicles – use these and other…