Lately most of my book recommendations have been shared as short items in my monthly “Favourite Things” posts, and not as full posts on their own, but when I reached the end of Kirstine Stewart’s Our Turn and realized how many pages I had dog-eared, I knew it was worth some extra attention here on […] Read more…
Ace Your Parent/Teacher Interview: My Today’s Parent Article
‘Tis the season for parent/teacher interviews, and in the latest issue of Today’s Parent you can find my article about how to ace yours! You can read the Parent/Teacher interviews article online here as well, but it doesn’t do justice to the amazing work of the Today’s Parent art team, who turned my list of […] Read more…
Adventures in Freelance Writing Volume VI: From Print to Television – and Exciting News!
I became a talk show junkie at an early age, something I blame firmly on my mother. Kathie Lee, Dini, Marilyn…if we were at home on a weekday, they were chatting in the living room. As an adult, I’d be happy with the TV on all day long, whether I’m actually sitting and staring or […] Read more…
Adventures in Freelance Writing Volume V: Editors Share Pitching Tips
This post is dedicated to Tracy Chappell (1973-2015), the late senior editor of Today’s Parent. It seems fitting as Tracy accepted several of my pitches – though admittedly not all! She was a very supportive editor, and I was lucky to have worked with her. It’s hard to imagine the loss of a mother with […] Read more…
Adventures In Freelance Writing – Volume IV: How To Thicken the Skin
In case you missed the rest of this series: Adventures In Freelance Writing – Volume I Adventures In Freelance Writing – Volume II Adventures In Freelance Writing – Volume III This time around, I’m addressing one huge topic: my very thin skin.(I will limit this discussion to writing-related matters.) For the past 14 years, I […] Read more…
Adventures In Freelance Writing Volume III
If you missed the first two entries in this series, catch up here: Adventures In Freelance Writing Volume I Adventures In Freelance Writing Volume II Successful Query Letter Sample As promised, I’m kicking off this edition with a sample of a successful query letter which got me my first assignment for Today’s Parent. I had […] Read more…
Adventures In Freelance Writing: Volume II – Tips and More
If you missed Volume I of my Adventures In Freelance Writing, catch up here! When I look back at my e-mails, I can see that I took a long (almost 18 month) break from pitching and writing in 2011/2012, starting back up again last January 2nd, almost as an unintentional New Year’s resolution…and what a […] Read more…
Adventures In Freelance Writing: Volume I (My Top 5 Tips)
Preface: My “adventures in freelance writing” posts are intended to be “self help” for those aspiring writers who may be less experienced that I am, but will likely fit more into the “humour” genre for those pros who have been around the (writer’s) block a lot more often. Feel free to chuckle at my many […] Read more…