I felt embarrassed the first time I left a comment on a blog site and referred to the site owner as a friend. However, in time, I started to believe in the concept of virtual friendship, which is defined as “a friendship that exists mostly through text and social media[…]

I pride myself on being a logical, evidence-based professional.  None of that woo-woo Wiccan, pagan, shamanism stuff for me. So it’s reasonable to wonder what I’m doing with not one but three decks of tarot cards, seven decks of oracle cards, a bag of Rune stones, a handful of crystals,[…]

I stumbled across Finding Lily in my local library, en route to another book. The title made me curious and I liked that it was by a Canadian author. However, truth be told, the real reason I picked it up is because it is only 189 pages and I was short[…]

I guard my inbox pretty carefully. Maybe you’re the same? I don’t want to be inundated with emails. I like to read books so I’m careful not to spend too much time reading shorter pieces online. Movies are my thing so I don’t spend a lot of time watching YouTube[…]

Think back to the best holiday meal and day you’ve ever experienced. Remember the smell and taste of your favourite foods, the fun you had playing charades or cards, the glowing candles or roaring fire that added a delicious coziness to your home. Now imagine living so you feel that[…]

I will read just about anything. My three exceptions are horror, anything by Danielle Steel (the woman can’t write), and historical fiction. The book doesn’t even have to be a work of historical fiction; just the mere reference to a multi-generational novel that includes a war or reference to the[…]

The Google effect refers to our tendency to forget any information that can be easily found online. Another term for the Google effect is “digital amnesia.” For example, what’s the name of the actress who plays Shelby in the movie Steel Magnolias? If the answer doesn’t come immediately to mind, chances[…]

I love to follow breadcrumbs; to read, for example, one book, and have the author nudge me toward another. That’s what happened this week. I had reread Natalie Goldberg’s Old Friend from Far Away while writing a six-part series on how to write memoir. On page 31 she writes, “I couldn’t[…]

Hybrid narratives are the latest publishing craze, and the hybrid memoir is a big part of that. Often combining self-help and personal narrative, the hybrid memoir fits the bill for people who want to make changes in their lives with the assistance of someone who has “been there, done that,[…]