Author Archives: Deborah Hodge

Salt Spring Island

I’m back after a wonderful couple of days in Salt Spring Island schools. Thank you to Deb Nostdal, teacher-librarian, who invited me and organized my trip. Thanks also to the students and staff at Fulford and Salt Spring Elementary Schools. It was lovely to meet you all!

And speaking of lovely, the photo above is one I snapped at a local beach early one evening. My friend and fellow author, Margriet Ruurs, lives on the island and she took me to see her favourite beach (shown in the photo). She also has a B&B with a literary focus. It’s called Between the Covers, a booklovers B&B.  A great place to stay!

Every time I go to Salt Spring, I check out the real estate listings and dream…

Hello Saltspring!

I’m looking forward to meeting the students and staff at two Saltspring Island schools this week. Hello to Fulford Elementary and Salt Spring Elementary! (It’s interesting that the island’s name can be spelled as either a compound word or as two words. Apparently, both are correct.)

See you soon!

Toronto

I’m just back from a trip to Toronto where I was visiting my publishers. There are many changes going on in the publishing world right now and it seemed like a good time to catch up and chat with people face-to-face.

A few highlights, in a nutshell:

– Spring has arrived in Toronto. It was great to sit outside and eat lunch under a bright, yellow sun.
– My publishers are so smart! They were very hospitable and gave me lots to think about.
– Toronto is a vibrant, multicultural city. It was fun to see areas, such as Rosedale and the fashion district, that I had not visited before.
– I enjoyed strolling through the historic St. Lawrence Market.
– I had a chance to meet my web designer and most recent editor, who were both lovely people.

My conclusions? I need to go back soon. Lots is happening in that great city!

I hope spring sunshine has arrived where you are, too.

Thank you, Lord Kelvin Kids!

I had a wonderful day at Lord Kelvin Elementary in New Westminster. It was an amazing school with children from all over the world. Their teachers told me that, collectively, the students speak more than 40 different languages. I wish I had been there for their multicultural celebrations held the week before Spring Break. Next year!

Thank you to the students and staff (especially Marie Stevens who invited me) for the warm reception and lovely welcome to your school!

Hello Shaughnessy Elementary!

I’m looking forward to meeting the students at Shaughnessy Elementary next week.

Here’s a photo of their lovely school. It looks like a school I taught in years ago in Armstrong, BC.

Below it is a wonderful drawing of the school made by one of the students, Zoe Luke. (I hope Zoe doesn’t mind me posting it here.)

See you next week, Shaughnessy!

Happy Holidays!

The holiday season is upon us, and this blogger is taking a break. I wish you all a happy, relaxing time with family and friends — and many good books, too!

I’ll be back in the New Year. Until then…

Cheers!

Holiday Gifts for Writers

Not that I’m asking…

Yesterday, I read a funny article in Publisher’s Weekly called, Holiday Gifts That Writers Will Actually Use, by Hannah Gersen. If you’re stuck for ideas, check out her post for some great gift-giving tips. My personal favourite:

4. John Cheever famously donned a suit every morning in order to write. But as Ann Beattie recently revealed, and as a generation of bloggers already knows, most writers wear awful clothing while they are working. Help your writer friend out by giving her a beautiful robe to cover up her bizarre ensembles. Even if she already has one, she probably hasn’t washed it in a long time, and could use another.

And while I’m on the seasonal theme, I have been checking out Christmas/Winter books for the youngest book lovers in my life, and have come to the conclusion there are very few that I would consider buying. Perhaps it’s time to write one myself. (Will ponder that idea over the holidays.)

Dreaming of Desolation Sound…

I have been hearing about Desolation Sound for years. It’s the most northerly community on BC’s Sunshine Coast and, from all reports (in spite of the gloomy name), it is a stunningly beautiful area. I had hoped to get there last summer, but never actually made it. So, imagine my thrill to find a new book about the place. (I can live vicariously.)

The book is Adventures In Solitude: What Not to Wear to a Nude Potluck and Other Stories from Desolation Sound by CBC Radio host, Grant Lawrence. It is funny, poignant, well written and filled to the brim with tales of interesting and quirky people who have lived in or passed through Desolation Sound over the years.

The stories span several decades and comprise an eclectic blend of writing that includes larger-than-life characters, wild frontier escapades, a reverence for nature, and an abiding love for family and friends. What more could we want?!!!

It was a book that surprised and delighted me, and convinced me I must get to Desolation Sound very soon.

To find out more about Adventures in Solitude, go here. You’ll be dreaming, too.

Titanic Reading

The one hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is fast approaching and we are seeing the release of new books on the subject of this epic tragedy. As you know, the Titanic was billed as the “Unsinkable Ship,” yet it went down and hundreds of people lost their lives. And, even though much has been written about the ship over the years, there continues to be huge interest in reading about it today.

For a list of recent Canadian books on the Titanic, check out the current edition of Book News, by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre and see their section on maritime disasters.

What can we learn from these books? That no ship is unsinkable, that history is full of fascinating stories, and that kids are always keen to learn about them.

Seymour Elementary School

If you live in Vancouver, chances are you’ve heard of Seymour Elementary School and the primary teacher, Carrie Gelson, who spoke out recently about the needs of her students. (You can read Carrie’s letter here.)

I had the privilege of meeting Carrie and her students today. I took my wildlife books and a collection of animal furs and skulls, and spoke to the children about local animals and how I write my nonfiction books. The children were brimming with questions and comments. I received an enormous hug from one of the boys, both on my arrival and my leaving.

I was so impressed with the school and am glad to have had the opportunity to see what a compassionate and caring community it is for the children who attend. Thank you to Carrie, and all the people at Seymour Elementary who have made the school a wonderful place to be!

If you’d like to read about their ongoing work, please go here.