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!

I recently attended an excellent online conference that is normally held in New York every winter. It was hosted by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators — a wonderful organization with chapters around the world. There are two big conferences a year, one in New York in February and the other in Los Angeles in August.

I have attended both in the past (in person) but because of the pandemic, it was a conference by Zoom this year. Surprisingly, it worked very well! And it was impressive in size with over 6000 participants from many parts of North America and beyond.

We heard from editors, agents, publishers, authors and illustrators about current trends in children’s book publishing and it was very inspiring. Much to think about! The great thing about this Zoom conference is that the sessions were recorded and are available for participants to watch (or re-watch) in their own time over the next month.

It was a worthy winter event, and even though it wasn’t in New York (which is always special!), it provided a welcome boost to the mind and spirit.

If you are an aspiring author or illustrator, consider becoming a member of SCBWI — there are local chapters everywhere! You will learn a lot and find a group of like-minded people willing to share their craft, expertise, encouragement and support. And maybe some day, you can attend one of these conferences, too!

As all of the world knows, it has been a long and difficult year. The virus has changed everything. While we wait for vaccine, we ponder what this year has meant. There has been so much hardship and grief for so many people. My heart goes out to us all.

While the disruption is less for writers (we are used to being solitary and working from home), it has meant that the part of our job that involves speaking to the public, hosting book launches for new releases, and visits to children in schools and libraries have become almost non-existent. Meanwhile, many publishers are not accepting new submissions. So we haven’t exactly ground to a halt, but we have slowed down dramatically.

It would be very easy to dwell on the doom and gloom of the times (and who hasn’t done so over the past year???) but I am trying to see this as a time to be quiet, to contemplate, to consider and to use these days as a fallow time — something that those of us with farm family roots understand. It means letting a field rest for a season, without sowing or planting, so that it can recover and rejuvenate. To this end, I have been reading a lot and working on small projects but at a reduced pace, and believing (hoping desperately!) that we will once again return to a time when we can be more productive.

Spring is just around the corner. To me, it has always been a season of hope. And in the spirit of hope, I wish you good health and happier days to come.

This lovely winter photo of snow-covered apples in a fallow field was taken by Brian Harris and is from our book Up We Grow: A Year in the Life of a Small Local Farm.