I’ve been reading – and enjoying – short stories in PJ Cresswell’s anthology Scattered Pieces. Published early in 2022, I’ve learned that a second volume will be out by the end of the year.
So Noted
Train Trip to Remember
From Britta – I received the December 1, 2021 issue of the Quebec City Chronicle-Telegraph in my mailbox yesterday and was delighted to find the latest article, “A train trip like no other” in my “Crossing Canada” series on page 9. The C-T has published eight accounts of my Canadian train treks (with a couple sea voyages) since 2016. The most recent article describes a journey on Via Rail’s Canadian that began in Toronto on November 14, 2021 and ended unexpectedly in Winnipeg 36 hours later, due to the floods, derailments and wash-outs further west in British Columbia. Spoiler alert: Via Rail gets an A+ for customer service on this trip.
Island Writer
Copies of Island Writer (Winter 2021) are now available at local bookstores. In addition to Britta’s “The Ambassador’s Cat”, readers will find “Too Soon to Turn Around”, a piece by James Bay author Sarah Weaver, who writes about a summer adventure in Newfoundland.
Remembrance Day
When red poppies begin appearing on lapels and caps, I am reminded that history is the story of people – his story, her story and their story. Several years ago I wrote about George Frederick Mingot, an army private during WWI. He was born in France, came to Saskatchewan with his father and sister, fought for Canada and, after facing a cannon like the one below during the Battle of Bourlon Woods, died a few kilometres from his birthplace, just weeks before the November 11, 1918 armistice was declared.
Ominous: An African Memoir
From Britta – I have just finished the first draft of Ominous: An African Memoir. It is exciting but as every author knows, there is much hard work ahead before the book is between covers. For a preview, see an excerpt from the chapter “The Zambezi.”
The Ambassador’s Cat
Britta Gundersen-Bryden’s entry “The Ambassador’s Cat” garnered 2nd prize in the creative non-fiction category of 20th annual Victoria Writers’ Society contest.