happiness

10 Essential Things To Do In Paris

If you’re planning your first trip to Paris, there are a few things you must see and do. Paris is my favorite city, and I’ve been lucky enough to have visited several times. It’s also where I set my soon-to-be-released second novel, A Magnificent Crime. Planning your first trip to Paris? Here’s a list of ten things to see and do, for a classic Parisian experience: 1.… Read the rest

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a magnificent crime, book launch, books, countdown, for fun, happiness, paris, travel

The Journey of Motherhood (in GIFs)

Over on my YMC blog this week, I posted a piece called The Journey Of Motherhood. It’s a story told in GIFs (you know, those little looping video snippets?). And I have to tell you, I had a total blast putting it together. Giggled my way through the making of it, in fact. I’m hoping it can bring a similar smile to your face.… Read the rest

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blogging, for fun, GIFs, happiness, humor, laughter, mommyness, motherhood, yummy mummy club

Book Club Kit: A Beautiful Heist

I just sent the final copyedits for my latest book back to my editor, so I find myself with a little breathing room again. What to do? Ooh, I know… I’ve been wanting to create a book club kit for A BEAUTIFUL HEIST for a while. But I thought–why not go beyond merely providing discussion questions? Let’s take this up a notch.… Read the rest

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a beautiful heist, book club, books, cocktails, discussion questions, drinks, fiction, food, for fun, happiness, music, party, playlists, publishing, reading, recipe box, recipes, writing

Hack Your Body Clock: How To Become A Morning Person

I haven’t always been a morning person. But when various factors collided (specifically, getting a book contract to produce three novels in three years, coupled with the fact that quitting my day job was not an option…mostly because my children had grown rather accustomed to eating food on a regular basis) I had to come up with a new plan.… Read the rest

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book deal, books, chasing dreams, fiction, finding time to write, happiness, healthy living, life, morning, productivity, publishing, time management, writing, yummy mummy club

Recipe Box: 3 Easy Winter Cocktails

I grew up in Ontario but moved to the west coast ten years ago. Winter for me here in British Columbia, well…let’s face it: it’s not really winter. Still, I like the excuse to indulge in a cozy winter cocktail or two. In my books, my heroine is a cocktail lover, big-time. Me, I usually prefer wine, but I do like to mix it up from time to time (whoops–see what I did there?).… Read the rest

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cocktails, drinks, for fun, happiness, indulgences, life, recipes, west coast, winter

2013 Rewind

Reviewing the highlights of my year has become an annual tradition for me (like many of you), so here goes. When I think back on 2013, this is what stands out for me: My first novel was published! *happy dance* I finished writing my second novel. (And it’s all set for release in June 2014.) I had the privilege of spending another year blogging for Erica Ehm’s fabulous Yummy Mummy Club.… Read the rest

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2012, accomplishments, blogging, book deal, chasing dreams, conferences, family, happiness, life, publishing, speaking, travel, writing, year in review, yummy mummy club

The Magic Of The Surrey International Writers’ Conference

Last weekend I attended my all-time favorite writing conference, the Surrey International Writers’ Conference. I’ve been going to this conference almost every year since 2004, and it’s always a slice of heaven for me. Here’s my attempt to sum up all the reasons I love SIWC. Before SIWC, I was a closet writer (this is literally true—in my first condo I converted a closet into a writing “office”).… Read the rest

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a beautiful heist, books, chasing dreams, conferences, fiction, film, happiness, life, Pinterest, publishing, SIWC, Surrey International Writers' Conference, west coast, writer's craft, Writers, writing

100 Things I Love

I’ve seen a few people do this on their blogs, and I decided it was time to try it myself. In completely random order, here are 100 things I love: Good coffee Paris Yoga Going to the movies Getting up early when the house is dark and quiet Wine Train travel The soundtrack to Out Of Africa Dark chocolate with sea salt Nail polish Pinterest The sound of spoken Italian Sangria Running A man in a well-cut suit The airport Being a mom Writing Egg cups Bookstores High heeled shoes James Bond The rain New York City A warm fireplace on a cold night Olives Spending half an hour finding the exact right word Having the exact right word come to me like a bolt from the sky The smell of freshly cut grass Dresses Travel The head massage while my hairdresser is shampooing my hair The English countryside Cream tea Going to the ballet The fall The color pink Five star hotels European history Indiana Jones Vineyards Downton Abbey Goodreads The smell of lavender Popcorn People who wink, and not in a creepy way Boots Raspberries African safaris The sound of the ocean Gelato Sunset with a glass of wine Sunrise with a cup of coffee Martinis NFL on Sundays Good thin crust pizza Dancing Parisian croissants Dry humor Songza Christmas Open air markets A clean kitchen Twitter London Paper Lipgloss TV/radio announcers with rich, gravelly voices Eating in restaurants The feel of freshly washed sheets Bubble baths Singing in the car Caffe affogato (hot espresso poured over vanilla gelato) Thunderstorms Sushi The sound of my kids laughing A heartfelt compliment Grocery shopping The word quintessence The moment of departure on an adventure The feeling of returning home Cheese Writing in a coffee shop for hours Tuscany Reading a great first line in a book Umbrellas Shakespeare French fries Van Halen The BBC Making lists Dressing up Music from the 80s Tulips Handmade Mother’s Day gifts Brunch Libraries Caprese salad (ripe tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella, basil, balsamic) The movie Moulin Rouge Chasing dreams… Read the rest

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books, coffee, food, for fun, happiness, indulgences, life, writing

10 Ways To Banish Stress

There are so many wonderful things about conferences. They’re fun, exciting, educational, and great for networking. But…maybe you would also add “stressful” to that list of descriptors.   I’m headed to one of my favorite conferences next week: BlissDom Canada. It’s a super high-energy gathering of hundreds of amazing, talented women: bloggers and social media mavens, primarily. (Here’s what my experience was like last year.) I wrote a post last week on YMC outlining my top ten ways to bust the stress that can accompany conferences.… Read the rest

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blogging, conferences, happiness, healthy living, stress, yummy mummy club

The Health Benefits Of Reading

I’m an avid reader and I always have been. So when someone says to me, with a vaguely superior air (and this happens surprisingly often): “Oh, I don’t read fiction. I don’t have time for that. I’m too busy; I have more important things to do…”, well, this is how I feel: I’m sorry…what did you just say? Today’s post is my contribution to Tackle Your TBR Read-A-Thon , a super fun reading challenge hosted by Tressa’s Wishful Endings and Colorimetry.… Read the rest

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a beautiful heist, blogging, book club, book giveaway, books, fiction, for fun, giveaway, happiness, healthy living, indulgences, life, publishing, read-a-thon, reading, writing