The date was October 23rd and our house on Lake Louise Boulevard in Waterloo, Ontario was empty, the only sign of our life there a forgotten black Umbra over-the-door hanger that a real estate agent would find later. The oversized Atlas Van Lines truck had set off mid-afternoon, likely a relief for our neighbours. Three […]
On September 8, 1928 a baby girl was born in the outport community of Ferryland, Newfoundland. Named Mary Louise Morry, she would ultimately be one of fourteen children –– seven girls and seven boys. Her father was John, her mother Elizabeth. At school she used a slate and chalk, and learned everything she could. Education, […]
Today marks 21 years since my father passed away. Every day before and every day since, his strength and his love have been a constant in my life. And my gratitude is without limits, for the certainty of the things I knew and know… for the love that will never end… for the gift of […]
I’ve been surrounded, this past week, by the energy, excitement and anxiety that inevitably accompany the start of a new school year. It’s probably not surprising, then, that when I decided to post a throwback Thursday photo on my Facebook page, I gravitated towards school pictures, ultimately choosing my first one ever from Kindergarten. White […]
As I mentioned in my last post, the Iceberg partners were in Gros Morne, Newfoundland again this summer. It was our fifth trip to the area in five years. Truth is, we love that part of the world so much we’ve been accused of working for Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism. We don’t, of course, though […]
The Iceberg Publishing partners are currently in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland. In addition to technically being something of a vacation –– anyone who runs their own business will tell you there really is no such thing –– this year we’re spending part of our time here shooting video related to both historical and upcoming […]
I’ve been thinking about home a lot lately –– home as the city where I lived for 15 years until last October… home as the place I currently reside, still unfamiliar in so many ways… but mostly home as the rugged island in the North Atlantic known as Newfoundland. There’s something about ‘the Rock’, as […]
My mother died nine years ago today. Nine. A cancer diagnosis on May 5th. Surgery on May 16th to remove a mass from her abdomen. Intubated on May 21st because lungs weakened from tuberculosis (TB) were filling with fluid. Coming off the ventilator on May 23rd and rallying for my brother Steve’s birthday. Deteriorating throughout […]
Way back in 1980, when I was a 19-year-old Mathematics major at Memorial University of Newfoundland, I entered the Flare magazine $1000 Question essay contest. The question: Looking Good: Will it still matter in the liberated 80s? Apparently what I wrote resonated with the editors, because much to my surprise and delight, I won the […]
I am currently back in Waterloo. The reason for my visit isn’t a happy one –– Arthur Stephen, the person who brought me to this city and Wilfrid Laurier University in 1999 –– died suddenly last week. Boss, mentor and ultimately a fast friend, he is gone from us too suddenly and too soon, and […]
One of my favorite science fiction series is set over the five-year period from 2231 to 2235, and written in a fourth-wall-shattering first person perspective by retired Admiral the Lord Ken Barron, some 30 years after the events. This affinity will come as no surprise to some readers who are also Defense Command fans, but […]
If anyone had asked me a year ago today what I’d be doing on December 31, 2014, I would have predicted that I’d be spending part of the day preparing graphs and charts for Iceberg’s annual planning meeting at Yummyaki restaurant in Waterloo, Ontario. We’d head there for about 6:00 p.m., and discuss both our […]
The Iceberg partners, as Kenneth mentioned in his last Author Note, have returned to the land that inspired the new world in the His Majesty’s New World and Champions series. New career opportunities –– the kind that surprise you but you can’t ignore –– inspired the shared decision to empty our home in Ontario, and […]
Today –– August 8th –– is my father’s birthday. It’s been 20 years since he’s been with us on this occasion, and more than that since we celebrated with a special supper, my mother’s homemade chocolate cake, an enthusiastic rendition of Happy Birthday to You, and brightly wrapped presents. On his last birthday in 1994, […]
This past weekend, Peter, Kenneth and I arrived in Gros Morne, Newfoundland for what has become something of an annual retreat for the Iceberg partners. The first year we visited – 2011 – we were lured by the Newfoundland Tourism television commercials. As I explain to people who aren’t from this part of the world, […]
It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted a new Author Note, and I offer an apology to my regular readers for that. I’ve actually been writing a lot in the last couple of months –– a project that had been idling for quite some time is back in full swing, and that’s occupied any […]
This past Sunday marked the end of National Nursing Week. This coming Sunday marks the eighth anniversary of my mother’s death. For me, the connection between the two is, and always will be, profound. Most people who know me know my mother was a nurse. She loved working in the Emergency Department, but moved from […]
Yesterday, former Iceberg Publishing author John Fioravanti released the 2014 edition of his 2007 award-winning personal reflection on the ‘heart of teaching’. It was a big day for his new company — there’s nothing quite like that first title release — and we couldn’t be more excited for entire Fiora Books team. John taught Kenneth […]
I have taken a day off today to extend the Easter weekend and get a start on what I’m calling spring cleaning. Mind you, this isn’t the traditional spring cleaning that my mother did at 22 Penetanguishene in St. John’s when I was growing up. In reality, my task today mainly involves tackling the closet […]
Like many people, I’ve had the opportunity to take various personality and aptitude tests over the years. I found one from high school recently that said I should be a writer. OK, I thought when I saw it, that was a good call. Generally, though, they’ve been offered by the organization I’m working for as […]