Hello, bookish besties ...
I don't have kids in school anymore, but it never ceases to amaze me how bloody FAST my favourite season zooms by my head. (Literally. If you know how much time I spend on Zoom ... LOL). Let's see ...
- The FBCW crew ran a five-day Screenwriting Intensive from September 14 to 18;
- I turned 55 on September 19 and had beer and got SO MANY NEW BOOKS;
- I moderated the Q&A discussion in real life (!) on September 22 with longtime editing client and very successful Canadian author KA Tucker at the Perfect Match Bookshop;
- finally cut off all my stupid hair;
- did a WRITER TALK on September 23 with my darling Rosey Kaur Hwang in celebration of her romance debut, Everything She Wanted, now available from Sugar Shack Books, AND on October 14, I went out to the Love Chapter in Chilliwack to help Rosey celebrate in person at her signing;
- I did another WRITER TALK with the hilarious author Darren Groth, in which we talked about Marooned: A Memoir of Fatherhood, Fandom, and the Far Side of the World;
- Author Jonathan Whitelaw taught not only his introductory Crime & Mystery 101 writing class but did a four-week deeper dive under our ENROLLED course banner across four consecutive Tuesdays;
- we've hosted twelve additional fantastic webinars from talented authors and presenters;
- Canada had Thanksgiving on Monday, October 12 (did you know Canada celebrated Thanksgiving 43 years before the Americans did? It's true!);
- I underwent baseline cardiac testing (ECG, Holter, stress test) and came out with a clean ticker;
- our family unexpectedly spent A LOT of money at the vet for two of our fur babies (when it rains, it pours -- they are the mend, thanks for asking);
- I celebrated my first anniversary of being a bona fide Canadian citizen by VOTING in my first municipal and provincial elections (and my friend and editing colleague Cindi Jackson bought me True North, my very first Care Bear!);
- I baked 37 coffee mugs and three tote bags and pressed several dozen buttons and then shared them with folks at the FBCW booth alongside our executive director and comms manager during the Surrey International Writers Conference from October 22 through October 25 and had an absolute blast, as usual, and got to enjoy the weekend with my youngest bebe, a novelist who won a full-pass scholarship, thanks to the SiWC team;
- finished two terrific client edits and started another (swoon!);
- and on Friday, October 30, the FBCW kicked off our 50 DAYS FOR FALL WRITING, a fundraiser and writing challenge for the Federation of BC Writers (and YES, you can STILL join us!) ...
Did I mention this weekend's dog show? Or the fact that British Columbia is no longer falling back so the clock in the Honda was confused? Or that I still really, really need some time to take care of household admin? Maybe some laundry?
It's been a busy two months.
One HUGE highlight of my SiWC weekend: Hanging out with Loghan Paylor (OMG!) whose book, The Cure for Drowning, won the 2026 Canada Reads competition and was short-listed for the Giller. It's my favourite book. You should definitely grab your own copy and/or reserve it at your local library and then thank Loghan for writing such a beautiful story. I was a total dork but then I recovered ... Loghan is fabulously talented and so, so, so kind.
But JENN, are you writing anything these days?
I am. In fits and starts. Those projects I promised for 2026 will, obviously, be pushed to '27. Hey, a girl's gotta eat.
What's coming up next at the Federation of BC Writers (FBCW)?
You mean, other than the 50 DAYS event? How about ...
Writing a Holiday Romance Novella with Jody Holford/Sophie Sullivan, a four-week class under our ENROLLED banner that starts this coming weekend and runs four consecutive Saturdays, November 7 until November 28?
How about our week-long Marketing Intensive? We are doing THREE instructional sessions a day. It's gonna be a big, big week:
Aaaaaand if that's not enough, HOW ABOUT AN IN-PERSON RETREAT for five days at the fabulous Loon Lake Lodge in Maple Ridge, BC, featuring award-winning romance author Eliana West? We still have a few spots left and payment plans are available -- all the meals are included, and the food is excellent. Cross my heart. These retreats are always so inspiring. It's GOOD to hang out in real life with fellow writers and creatives.
https://fbcwretreats.com/
I know I'm forgetting something ... so here's an adorable picture of our seven-month-old beagle puppy, Strider, King of the West, to sing you out.
GO WRITE SOMETHING.
xo