Ottawa Authors and Artisans Fair 2011

Yesterday I was very pleased to be a part of the annual Ottawa Authors and Artisans Book Fair, sponsored by the Ottawa Independent Writers, to sign copies of Blood Passage and The Ghost Man. It was a very busy afternoon and I had an opportunity to chat with a great many interesting people, which is what makes these events so special for me. Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by my table. I enjoyed meeting each one of you.

As always with book fairs such as this, I was able to take a few minutes to get to know some of my fellow authors and their work. Jasmine Aziz was signing copies of her novel Sex and Samosas while children's authors Neven Humphrey and Claude Cardinal, Margaret Singleton, vampire novelist Patricia K. McCarthy and Darren Jerome, who writes short stories based on the history of the Rideau Canal as Craig McCue, were also in attendance.  I spent a pleasant afternoon chatting with Laurel Balsor Pardy and her husband Gar Pardy at the next table. Laurel was signing two books, one a historical novel based on her ancestor and another a collection of essays and anecdotes drawn from her experience as the spouse of a Canadian diplomat.

Congratulations and many thanks to the OIW executive for having organized this event and to Randy Ray for the publicity.

Book Signing Weekend

Although today is Friday, I've decided to skip the usual Follow Friday blog hop in order to concentrate on preparations for this weekend's book signing events.

Just a reminder that I will be appearing tomorrow, Saturday, November 19, 2011 at the Chapters Kanata in Ottawa, Kanata Centrum, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. to sign copies of Blood Passage.

On Sunday, November 20, 2011 I will be appearing along with my fellow Ottawa Independent Writers at the annual Ottawa Authors and Artisans Fair from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Room 203 of the Jack Purcell Community Centre in Ottawa, located just off Elgin Street. For more information on this event, click here.

Next week things should settle down, my nerves will be less jangly and I can get back to regular blogging, tweeting and, oh yeah, writing!

Ottawa Independent Writers General Meeting

Last evening I attended a general meeting of the Ottawa Independent Writers that was held in the Library and Archives Canada building on Wellington Street. For over 25 years the OIW has been a gathering place for writers, editors and like-minded individuals to meet and share their experiences. This was the first meeting I'd attended, and I found it a very enjoyable experience.

The meeting featured guest speaker Steve Lowell, who delivered a seminar on effective public speaking. Steve emphasized several very important principles to remember when making public appearances, and I thought he did an excellent job working with volunteers from the audience to provide examples of good and poor public speaking habits. His website is found at www.stevelowell.com. I'd particularly recommend that you take a look at his blog, which has some very interesting anecdotes and tips. Thanks to Steve for an enjoyable and informative seminar.

Thanks as well to Theresa Jobateh, membership director, for her able assistance and her friendly welcome. Thanks also to Carl Dow, president, and the other members.

I will be appearing with other OIW members at the Ottawa Authors and Artisans Fair on November 20, 2011 at the Jack Purcell Centre, just off Elgin Street. Hope to see everyone there.