It has been a long, difficult, isolating pandemic and we have all felt its far-reaching and troubling effects. Some of us have suffered big losses and the deaths of people close to us.

As light begins to shine on the horizon (thank you science, vaccines and the goodness of people who followed the daunting restrictions), we can look to a brighter future and a resumption of many parts of our pre-pandemic life.

Will any of us be the same? I doubt it. But I hope we can forge ahead on a renewed and more optimistic path.

What saved me during the pandemic? Books! Many, many books. I have read more over the past year and a half than ever before in my life (and I have always been a voracious reader). So this note is a deep thank you to all the dedicated authors who, in good times and bad, work so diligently at creating works that inspire, educate, entertain and open us up to new worlds and experiences.

I have kept a reading log of the best books, annotated, so that I can always look back and remember what got me through the pandemic. And one of these days, I will share that list here. For now, I will recommend the wonderful middle grade novel for kids Everything Sad is Untrue: (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri. It was heart-breaking and heart-warming in equal measures. “A journey as intimate as it is epic. A remarkable work that raises the literary bar in children’s lit.” says BOOKLIST (starred review).

My good friend and talented author, Linda Bailey, stopped by Kaboodles toy store for kids on the weekend and was kind enough to take a photo of West Coast Wild in the centre of their front display table. What a fun surprise!

As a writer, it’s always exciting to see your book out in the world. Thank you to Kaboodles and to Linda!

It’s now been a year since the pandemic became our reality and what a challenging year it has been. For all of us, I know.

In publishing news: I had a new book released just as the world came to a halt. I feared the worst for its success in reaching readers, as speaking engagements, launches and school visits were cancelled. It seemed that all the time spent prior to the book’s release — perfecting the language, reviewing the gorgeous art, adjusting text to illustrations, writing promotional pieces and everything else that is involved with producing a new work — now seemed an exercise in futility.

So when my royalty statement turned up a few weeks ago, I was reassured to see that all had not been lost. The book had, in spite of my many misgivings, sold some copies and was in a number of bookstores I surveyed.

I checked in with the VP of our publishing house and asked how the year had been for books overall. I was happy to hear that it had not been as dire as everyone had predicted early on in the pandemic. It turns out that a lot of people have spent the past year reading, and especially reading with children. What good news!

And so, I continue to forge on with writing and feel a hint of optimism for us and our world. Take care of yourselves and keep reading!